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 .
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 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged. Applicant has not complied with one or more conditions for receiving the benefit of an earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. 120 as follows:
The later-filed application must be an application for a patent for an invention which is also disclosed in the prior application (the parent or original nonprovisional application or provisional application). The disclosure of the invention in the parent application and in the later-filed application must be sufficient to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, except for the best mode requirement. See Transco Products, Inc. v. Performance Contracting, Inc., 38 F.3d 551, 32 USPQ2d 1077 (Fed. Cir. 1994).
The disclosure of the prior-filed application, Application No. 18/068017, fails to provide adequate support or enablement in the manner provided by 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph for one or more claims of this application. Specifically, independent claims 1 and 15 (and thus dependent claims 2-14 and 16-20) recite primary and secondary lubricant supply lines, which was not disclosed in the prior application. Thus, the claims are examined with the effective filing date of 27 December 2024.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Cl.2, 16: “the lubricant to the electric machine from the lubricant tank through the primary electric machine lubricant supply line and the secondary electric machine lubricant supply line in parallel” (in combination with the recitations from claim 1 and 15 of “the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line in parallel”); 342, 344 do not share an upstream node when 110 is considered part of 110a (or 110b) and 112 is considered part of 112a (or 112b). See 112a discussion below for more details.
Cl.6, 21: “a second secondary gearbox lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the one or more bearings in parallel with the second primary gearbox lubricant supply line” (in combination with “a second primary gearbox lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the one or more bearings” from claims 5 and 18 and “the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line in parallel” from claims 1 and 15); 110b and 112b do not share an upstream node when 110 is considered part of 110a and 112 is considered part of 112a. See 112a discussion below for more details.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 2, 6, 16, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claims 2 and 16, supplying “the lubricant to the electric machine from the lubricant tank through the primary electric machine lubricant supply line and the secondary electric machine lubricant supply line in parallel” is not supported by the original disclosure (in combination with the recitations of the gearbox lubricant supply lines being parallel in claims 1 and 15). There is no mention of these lines being parallel in the Specification. The only drawing depicting the electric machine lubricant supply lines is Fig 5, and Fig 5 depicts the lines to the electric machine (342, 344) branching off of the primary and secondary gearbox lubricant supply lines (110, 112), respectively, downstream of respective valve components (in 90) such that 342, 344 do not share an upstream node (parallel lines must share both a downstream and an upstream node). Thus, claims 2 and 16, in combination with claims 1 and 15, are not supported by the original disclosure.
Regarding claims 6 and 21, “a second secondary gearbox lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the one or more bearings for directing the lubricant to the one or more bearings in parallel with the second primary gearbox lubricant supply line” is not supported by the original disclosure in combination with “a second primary gearbox lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the one or more bearings” recited in claims 5 and 18. There is no mention of these lines being parallel in the Specification. In all the drawings depicting the lubricant supply lines to the bearings of the gearbox assembly (incl. Fig 3), the lines to the bearings (110b, 112b) branch off from the primary and secondary gearbox lubricant supply lines supplying the mesh (110-110a, 112-112a), respectively, downstream of respective valve components (in 90) such that 110b and 112b do not share an upstream node (parallel lines must share both a downstream and an upstream node). Thus, claims 6 and 21, in combination with claims 1, 4-5 and claims 15 and 18, are not supported by the original disclosure.
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.
Claim 1, 7, and 23-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ertas IT202200013213A1 (as translated by Clarivate) in view of Williams 20230101143.
Regarding claim 1, Ertas teaches a gas turbine engine (Fig 1) comprising:
a turbo-engine (16) including a compressor section (22, 24, 26), a combustion section (28), and a turbine section (30, 32, 34), the turbo-engine having a turbo-engine shaft (40) that couples the compressor section to the turbine section (Fig 1);
a fan section (14) having a fan shaft (42);
a gearbox assembly (portion “5” of Fig 1; shown in Fig 2), the fan shaft being drivingly coupled to the turbo-engine shaft through the gearbox assembly (Fig 1), the gearbox assembly comprising:
a gearbox (100, 101) having a gearbox volume defined by an outer diameter of the gearbox and a gearbox length of the gearbox (pp.8, 23-24, 38-39; Fig 2); and
a gutter (114) for collecting a gearbox lubricant scavenge flow from the gearbox (Figs 1-2),
the gutter having a gutter volume defined by an inner surface of a gutter wall of the gutter and being characterized by a lubricant extraction volume ratio between 0.01 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, the lubricant extraction volume ratio defined by:
V
G
V
G
B
wherein VG is the gutter volume of the gutter and VGB is the gearbox volume (pp.7-8, 22-24, 37-39; Figs 1-3); and
a lubrication system (p.7 para.3).
Ertas does not teach the lubrication system comprising:
a lubricant tank that stores lubricant therein;
one or more primary gearbox lubricant supply lines in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the gearbox assembly;
one or more secondary gearbox lubricant supply lines in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the gearbox assembly; and
a lubricant pump for supplying the lubricant to the gearbox assembly from the lubricant tank through the one or more primary gearbox lubricant supply lines and the one or more secondary gearbox lubricant supply lines; and
a primary valve disposed in the one or more primary gearbox lubricant supply lines, the primary valve including a primary valve member that moves between a fully opened position and a fully closed position to modulate a mass flow rate of the lubricant through the one or more primary gearbox lubricant supply lines to the gearbox assembly and returns a portion of the lubricant to the lubricant tank when the primary valve member is between the fully opened position and the fully closed position.
However, Williams teaches a gas turbine engine (Fig 1) comprising:
a turbo-engine (10) including a compressor section (14), a combustor (16), and a turbine section (19), the turbo-engine having a turbo-engine shaft (26) that couples the compressor section to the turbine section (Fig 1);
a fan section (23) having a fan shaft (36)
a gearbox assembly (30), the fan shaft being drivingly coupled to the turbo-engine shaft through the gearbox assembly (Fig 2), the gearbox assembly comprising:
a gearbox (in 30) having a plurality of gears (incl. 28, 32, 38);
a lubrication system (Figs 4-5) comprising:
a lubricant tank (53) that stores lubricant therein (Figs 4-5);
a primary gearbox lubricant supply line (45) in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and a component (journal bearings 62) of the gearbox assembly (Figs 4-5);
a secondary gearbox lubricant supply line (43) in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the component of the gearbox assembly in parallel with the primary gearbox lubricant supply line (Figs 4-5); and
a lubricant pump (59) for supplying the lubricant to the component of the gearbox assembly from the lubricant tank through the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line in parallel (Figs 4-5); and
a primary valve (78) disposed in the primary gearbox lubricant supply line (Figs 4-5), the primary valve including a primary valve member that moves between a fully opened position and a fully closed position to modulate a mass flow rate of the lubricant (by definition) through the primary gearbox lubricant supply line to the gearbox assembly (Figs 4-5) and returns a portion of the lubricant to the lubricant tank when the primary valve member is between the fully opened position and the fully closed position (via return line L1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Ertas requiring lubrication, to use the lubricant system of Williams, in order to ensure lubrication of the gearbox over the entire operating range of the gas turbine ([0005]).
Regarding claim 7, Ertas in view of Williams teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention as discussed above. Ertas further teaches the gearbox includes one or more journal bearings (for the gears).
Ertas in view of Williams as discussed so far, does not teach the component of the gearbox assembly being the one or more bearings such that the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line direct the lubricant to the one or more bearings in parallel.
However, Williams further teaches the component of the gearbox assembly being one or more journal bearings of the gearbox ([0080]) such that the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line direct the lubricant to the one or more bearings in parallel (Figs 4-5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Ertas in view of Williams to use the lubricant system of Williams, in order to ensure lubrication of the gearbox bearings over the entire operating range of the gas turbine ([0005]).
Regarding claims 23-24, Ertas in view of Williams teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention as discussed above. Ertas further teaches (claim 23) the lubricant extraction volume ratio is between 0.01 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, for a maximum gearbox power between 35 kHP and 90 kHP; and (claim 24) the lubricant extraction volume ratio is between 0.03 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, for a maximum gearbox power less than 35 kHP (p.8, para.4).
Regarding claim 25, Ertas in view of Williams teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention as discussed above. Ertas in view of Williams as discussed so far, does not teach the lubrication system includes one or more lubricant supply lines in fluid communication with the lubricant pump, wherein the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line branch from the one or more lubricant supply lines to the component of the gearbox assembly in parallel.
However, Williams further teaches the lubrication system includes one or more lubricant supply lines (from 53 to 59 in Figs 4-5) in fluid communication with the lubricant pump (59), wherein the primary gearbox lubricant supply line and the secondary gearbox lubricant supply line branch from the one or more lubricant supply lines to the component of the gearbox assembly in parallel (Figs 4-5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Ertas in view of Williams to use the lubricant system of Williams, in order to ensure lubrication of the gearbox bearings over the entire operating range of the gas turbine ([0005]).
Claim 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ertas in view of Williams, and further in view of Muldoon 11719113, Parnin 8833086 (hereinafter Parnin086), and Patel 11959589.
Regarding claim 2, Ertas in view of Williams teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention as discussed above. Ertas in view of Williams as discussed so far, does not teach an electric machine drivingly coupled to the turbo-engine shaft, wherein the lubrication system further comprises:
a primary electric machine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the electric machine; and
a secondary electric machine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the electric machine in parallel with the primary electric machine lubricant supply line,
wherein the lubricant pump supplies the lubricant to the electric machine from the lubricant tank through the primary electric machine lubricant supply line and the secondary electric machine lubricant supply line in parallel,
the lubrication system modulating a mass flow rate of the lubricant to the electric machine through at least one of the primary electric machine lubricant supply line or the secondary electric machine lubricant supply line.
However, Muldoon teaches a gas turbine engine (Fig 1A-B) comprising:
a turbo-engine (120) including a compressor section (24), a combustion section (26), and a turbine section (28), the turbo-engine having an input shaft (302) coupling the compressor section to the turbine section (shaft 302 of low speed spool incl. fan 114, LP compressor 144, and LP turbine 146);
a propulsor section (114);
an electric machine (210) drivingly coupled to the input shaft (Figs 1B-2); and
an engine oil system providing oil to the electric machine (Fig 3).
Muldoon further teaches the substitutional equivalence of using the engine oil system for the electrical machine and using a secondary oil system for the electric machine (col.7 ll.54-58).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the engine of Parnin949 to include the electric machine of Muldoon, in order to accommodate the increasing demands for electric power on aircrafts (Muldoon, col.1 ll.12-26).
Ertas in view of Williams and Muldoon still does not teach the lubrication system further comprises: a primary electric machine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the electric machine; and a secondary electric machine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the electric machine, wherein the lubricant pump supplies the lubricant to the electric machine from the lubricant tank through the primary electric machine lubricant supply line and the secondary electric machine lubricant supply line in parallel, the lubrication system modulating a mass flow rate of the lubricant to the electric machine through at least one of the primary electric machine lubricant supply line or the secondary electric machine lubricant supply line.
However, Parnin086 teaches a turbine engine (Fig 1) comprising:
a turbo-engine (20) including a compressor section (24), a combustor (26), and a turbine section (28), the turbo-engine having an input shaft (40) that couples the compressor section to the turbine section (Fig 1);
a gearbox assembly (incl.48) including a gear assembly (48) having a plurality of gears (by definition);
a propulsor (22) having an output shaft (connecting 42 to 48) drivingly coupled to the input shaft through the gear assembly (Fig 1); and
a lubrication system (Fig 2) comprising:
a lubricant tank that stores lubricant therein (102; col.5 ll.7-9);
a primary gearbox lubricant supply lines (112) in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the gearbox assembly (Fig 2);
a single lubricant pump (104; col.5 ll.10-13) for supplying the lubricant to the gearbox assembly from the lubricant tank through the one or more primary gearbox lubricant supply line and for directing lubricant to other engine components (106), the last of which being supplied via a primary auxiliary lubricant supply line (from 104 to 106), the lubrication system modulating mass flow rate of the lubricant to the gearbox assembly and to the other engine components through the respective lubricant supply lines via modulation of the components (104) and valving (110, 122, 120, 116).
And, Patel teaches that lubrication of an electric machine (34 similar to the motor-generators of Muldoon and Yang) requires at least a primary electric machine lubricant supply and at least a secondary electric machine lubricant supply, respectively, to the stator and the rotor of the electrical machine for lubrication and cooling (Fig 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the engine of Ertas in view of Williams and Muldoon to use primary and secondary electric machine lubricant supply lines communicating between the main lubrication pump and the electric machine as taught by Parnin086 and Patel, because: 1) Muldoon teaches the substitutional equivalence of providing oil to the electric machine of the gas turbine engine from the main engine oil tank or from a secondary oil tank (Muldoon, col.7 ll.54-58); and 2) Patel teaches the two separate lines being used to supply the stator and the rotor of the electric machine, respectively in order to fully lubricate and cool the electric machine (Patel, col.5 ll.31-36).
Claim 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ertas in view of Williams, and further in view of Parnin 10513949 (hereinafter Parnin949).
Regarding claim 3, Ertas in view of Williams teaches all the limitations of the claimed invention as discussed above. Ertas further teaches the engine comprises one or more engine bearings that support rotation of the turbo-engine shaft (incl.76 in Fig 1).
Ertas in view of Williams does not teach the lubrication system further comprises: a primary engine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the one or more engine bearings; and a secondary engine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the one or more engine bearings in parallel with the primary engine lubricant supply line, wherein the lubricant pump supplies the lubricant to the one or more engine bearings from the lubricant tank through the primary engine lubricant supply line and the secondary engine lubricant supply line in parallel, the lubrication system modulating a mass flow rate of the lubricant to the gas turbine engine through at least one of the primary engine lubricant supply line or the secondary engine lubricant supply line.
However, Parnin949 teaches a gas turbine engine (Fig 1) comprising:
a turbo-engine (20) including a compressor section (24), a combustion section (26), and a turbine section (28), the turbo-engine having a turbo-engine shaft (40) that couples the compressor section to the turbine section (Fig 1);
a fan section (22) having a fan shaft (connecting 42 to 48);
a gearbox assembly (incl.48), the fan shaft being drivingly coupled to the turbo-engine shaft through the gearbox assembly (Fig 1), the gearbox assembly comprising:
a gearbox (48) including a plurality of gears (112, 104, 102) that mesh with each other at a mesh (between teeth thereof; Fig 2) having a gearbox volume defined by an outer diameter of the gearbox and a gearbox length of the gearbox (Fig 1 depicting epicyclic gearbox axisymmetric about A);
one or more engine bearings (162, 164, 166); and
a lubrication system (Fig 3B) comprising:
a lubricant tank (172) that stores lubricant therein (Fig 3A);
various gearbox lubricant supply lines in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the gearbox assembly (at 100,120; Fig 3A),
a lubricant pump (174) for supplying the lubricant to the gearbox assembly from the lubricant tank through the various gearbox lubricant supply lines;
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a primary engine lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the one or more engine bearings (Fig 3A above); and
a secondary engine lubricant supply lines in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the one or more engine bearings in parallel with the primary engine lubricant supply line (Fig 3A above),
wherein the lubricant pump (174) supplies the lubricant to the one or more engine bearings from the lubricant tank through the primary engine lubricant supply line and the secondary engine lubricant supply line in parallel (Fig 3A),
the lubrication system modulating a mass flow rate of the lubricant to the gas turbine engine through at least one of the primary engine lubricant supply line or the secondary engine lubricant supply line (via valving in manifold 190 and control module 178).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the engine lubrication system of Ertas in view of Williams, to use the lubrication system of Parnin949 in order to provide lubrication to engine bearings, gearbox mesh, and gearbox journal bearings, while ensuring gearbox journal bearings receive oil continuously (Parnin949, col.7 ll.17-35).
Potentially Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15, 17-18, 20 and 22 appear to be allowable.
Claims 4-5 and 13-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but may be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHANIE SEBASCO CHENG whose telephone number is (469)295-9153. The examiner can normally be reached on 1000-1600 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Devon Kramer can be reached on (571) 272-7118. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEPHANIE SEBASCO CHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741
Prosecution Insights