DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is the first office action on the merits in response to the above identified patent application filed on 01/17/2025. Claims 1-7 are pending and being examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3-5, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Singh (US 2023/0408098 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Singh teaches (Figs. 2 and 4) a gas turbine combustor (26 – Fig. 2) comprising:
a combustion cylinder (54) having a tubular shape (¶ [0023], ll. 10-11 teaches that outer liner 54 extends circumferentially);
a fuel supply unit (70 – Fig. 2) that supplies fuel gas to an inside (62) of the combustion cylinder (54);
a pre-mixed gas supply unit (comprising 91 and 148 – Fig. 4) that supplies pre-mixed gas (89) in which fuel (from 91) and air (from 148) are mixed inside (62) of the combustion cylinder (54) on a downstream side (Fig. 2: right side) of the fuel supply unit (70) in a flow direction of combustion gas (86 – Fig. 2); and
a deflection member (120 – Fig. 4) that deflects a flow of the combustion gas (86) by protruding from an inner wall surface (bottom surface of 54) of the combustion cylinder (54) toward a center side (95) of the combustion cylinder (54) between the fuel supply unit (70) and the pre-mixed gas supply unit (91, 148),
wherein the deflection member (120) is disposed at a predetermined angle (as shown in Fig. 4) with respect to the combustion cylinder (54) as a member different from the combustion cylinder (54) – (as shown in Fig. 4, the cross-hatching lines of element 120 are different from the cross-hatching lines of element 54, thereby indicating that element 120 is a member different from element 54).
Regarding claim 3, Singh teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above for claim 1, and Singh further teaches (Fig. 4) wherein in the pre-mixed gas supply unit (comprising 91 and 148), a jetting portion (122) for jetting the pre-mixed gas (89) into the combustion cylinder (54) is disposed to protrude from the inner wall surface (bottom surface of 54) of the combustion cylinder (54) toward the inside (62) of the combustion cylinder (54).
Regarding claim 4, Singh teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above for claim 1, and Singh further teaches (Fig. 7) wherein a distance L between the deflection member (120) and the pre-mixed gas supply unit (comprising 91 and 148) in an axial direction (124 and 126) of the combustion cylinder (54) is shorter than 10 times a radial length H1 of the combustion cylinder (54) in the deflection member (120) protruding from the inner wall surface (bottom surface of 54) of the combustion cylinder (54) – (from inspection of Fig. 4, an axial distance from element 120 to element 91 is less than a radial length of element 120. Therefore, the axial distance between elements 120 and 91 would obviously be less than 10 times the radial length of 120).
Regarding claim 5, Singh teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above for claim 1, and Singh further teaches (Fig. 4) wherein a plurality of the pre-mixed gas supply units (comprising 91 and 148) are disposed at intervals in a circumferential direction of the combustion cylinder (54) – (¶ [0031], ll. 16-24: “a plurality of the secondary fuel nozzle openings 146 and a corresponding plurality of the secondary fuel nozzles 91 may be implemented in the outer liner dilution fence 92. As one example, the outer liner dilution fence 92 may include four secondary fuel nozzle openings 146 that are circumferentially spaced apart about the outer liner dilution fence 92, with a corresponding four second fuel nozzles 91 being arranged through the respective four secondary fuel nozzle openings 146”), and the deflection member (120) is disposed at a position facing the plurality of pre-mixed gas supply units (91, 148) in an axial direction (124 and 126) of the combustion cylinder (54) – (as shown in Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 7, Singh teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above for claim 1, and Singh further teaches (Figs. 1-2) a gas turbine (10 – Fig. 1) comprising:
a compressor (22 and 24 – Fig. 1) that compresses air (80 – Fig. 1) to generate high-temperature and high-pressure compressed air (82);
the gas turbine combustor (26) according to claim 1 which generates high-temperature and high-pressure combustion gas (86) by supplying the fuel gas (from 70) to the compressed air (82) and combusting a mixture of the compressed air (82) and the fuel gas; and
a turbine (28 and 30 – Fig. 1) that is driven by the combustion gas (86).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Singh (US 2023/0408098 A1), in view of Roh (US 2020/0378604 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Singh teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above for claim 1, and Singh further teaches (Fig. 4) in the pre-mixed gas supply unit (comprising 91 and 148), a jetting portion (122) for jetting the pre-mixed gas (89) into the combustion cylinder (54).
However, Singh does not teach that the jetting portion is disposed along the inner wall surface of the combustion cylinder.
Roh teaches (Figs. 2 and 4) a similar gas turbine combustor (Fig. 2) comprising:
a combustion cylinder (100) having a tubular shape (as shown in Fig. 2);
a fuel supply unit (400 – Fig. 2) that supplies fuel gas to an inside (120 – Fig. 2) of the combustion cylinder (100);
a pre-mixed gas supply unit (500 – Fig. 4) that supplies pre-mixed gas in which fuel and air (¶ [0062], ll. 1-3: “an injector 500 for injecting a second fuel-air mixture into the secondary combustion zone 104”) are mixed inside (120) of the combustion cylinder (100) on a downstream side (Fig. 2: right side) of the fuel supply unit (400) in a flow direction of combustion gas (Fig. 4: “hot gas”); and further teaches:
wherein in the pre-mixed gas supply unit (500), a jetting portion (520 – Fig. 4) for jetting the pre-mixed gas into the combustion cylinder (100) is disposed along an inner wall surface (bottom surface of 100) of the combustion cylinder (100).
It is further noted that Roh teaches “The injection pipe 520 allows the accommodation space 302 to communicate with the combustion chamber 120 in the liner 100, and extends through the annular channel 140 to the liner 100 to inject the secondary fuel-air mixture into the secondary combustion zone 104. In some exemplary embodiments, the injection pipe 520 may also protrude past the liner 100, that is, into the secondary combustion zone 104” (¶ [0080], ll. 2-10).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Singh such that in the pre-mixed gas supply unit, a jetting portion for jetting the pre-mixed gas into the combustion cylinder is disposed along the inner wall surface of the combustion cylinder, because it has been held under the “obvious to try” provision, that choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions (in this case, to choose between having a jetting portion of the pre-mixed gas supply unit extend to the liner or extend past the liner, as taught by Roh), with a reasonable expectation of success (in this case, to provide an injection passage for injecting the fuel-air mixture into the combustion zone) was an obvious extension of prior art teachings. See KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007), MPEP 2143 (I)(E).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Singh (US 2023/0408098 A1), in view of Evulet (US 2010/0011771 A1: IDS reference).
Regarding claim 6, Singh teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above for claim 1, except for wherein a plurality of the pre-mixed gas supply units are disposed at intervals in an axial direction of the combustion cylinder.
Evulet teaches (Fig. 2) a similar gas turbine combustor (12) comprising:
a combustion cylinder (22) having a tubular shape (as shown in Fig. 2);
a fuel supply unit (28 and 36) that supplies fuel gas to an inside (32) of the combustion cylinder (22);
a pre-mixed gas supply unit (40) that supplies pre-mixed gas in which fuel and air (shown in Fig. 3) are mixed inside (32) of the combustion cylinder (22) on a downstream side (Fig. 2: right side) of the fuel supply unit (28 and 36) in a flow direction of combustion gas; and further teaches:
wherein a plurality of the pre-mixed gas supply units (40) are disposed at intervals in an axial direction of the combustion cylinder (22) – (Fig. 2 shows two pre-mixed gas supply units 40 at the bottom of liner 22 being axially spaced apart from one another).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Singh by including a plurality of the pre-mixed gas supply units such that they are disposed at intervals in an axial direction of the combustion chamber, in order to inject a fuel-air mixture at later stages of the combustor, thereby providing heat in the later stages of the combustor resulting in improvement of operability and emissions abatement, and minimizing the pressure drop in the later stages of the combustor and thus maximize efficiency across the combustor, as taught by Evulet (¶ [0017], ll. 11-17).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: see attached form PTO-892 “Notice of References Cited”.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENRY NG whose telephone number is (571)272-2318. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM.
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/HENRY NG/ /GERALD L SUNG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741 Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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