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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was filed on 02/06/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 2, 5, and 12 are objected to because of the following informalities:
“the platform” in Claim 2, Line 5 and Claim 5, Line 2 should read “the platform(s)”, since Claim 1 discloses that there may be one or two platforms.
“the platforms” in Claim 12, Line 7 should read “the platform(s)”, since Claim 1 discloses that there may be one or two platforms.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5, 9, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 discloses the limitation “a chord line” in Line 6. However, Claim 5 already discloses a chord line (via Claim 2).
For the purposes of compact prosecution, “a chord line” is being treated as reciting “the chord line”.
Claim 5 also recites the limitation "the projection of the rear intersection point" in Line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 5 discloses a projection of the first bump, second bump, and extrados but fails to disclose a projection of the rear intersection point prior to the recitation of "the projection of the rear intersection point".
For the purposes of compact prosecution, "the projection of the rear intersection point" is being treated as reciting “a projection of the rear intersection point”.
Claim 9 is rejected due to its dependence upon rejected Claim 5.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the first bump" in Line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 10 fails to disclose a first bump prior to the recitation of “the first bump”. Claim 2 discloses a first bump, but Claim 10 depends upon Claim 1, not Claim 2.
For the purposes of compact prosecution, "the first bump" is being treated as reciting “the bump”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Scholtes (WO 2021/069817 A1, with US Patent No: 11,859,502 being used as an English translation).
Regarding Claim 1: Scholtes discloses a variable-pitch vane (Figures 1-2, No. 14) for an aircraft turbomachine stator, the vane comprising a blade (12) for guiding an air flow, the blade having including a leading edge (24) and a trailing edge (26), as well as an intrados (30) and an extrados (28) extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge (Figure 5); and one or two platforms (16) arranged at one end or at both ends of the blade (Figure 4), the platform(s) comprising a guide surface (22) for the air flow (Column 3, Lines 38-40), the guide surface comprising a first disc portion (Figure 4) on the intrados side and a second disc portion (Figure 4) on the extrados side; wherein at least one of the first disc portion or and the second disc portion portions comprises a bump (34).
Regarding Claim 12: Scholtes discloses a turbomachine comprising a compressor (Figure 1, No. 40) comprising a guide surface for substantially axisymmetric air flow (Figures 1-2); and the vanes according to Claim 1, the platform(s) of the vanes being received in housings (21) of a casing (17) such that the air guide surfaces of the platform(s) are substantially flush with the guide surface for the air flow of the casing (Figure 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 and 13-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to disclose a variable-pitch vane as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bump includes a first bump, and wherein the first disc portion comprises the first bump, and an apex of said first bump has a position whose projection on a chord line of the vane in line with the platform(s) is distant from the leading edge by 10% or less of the chord line, or wherein a first bump has a main orientation which forms an angle of between 30-60° with a chord line of the blade. Scholtes teaches a variable-pitch vane as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bump includes a first bump (34), the first disc portion comprises said first bump (Figures 4-5), and the first bump has a main orientation which forms an angle with a chord line of the blade (Figure 5). However, Scholtes fails to disclose the first bump having an apex with a position whose projection on a chord line of the vane in line with the platform(s) is distant from the leading edge by 10% or less of the chord line or the angle of the first bump with the chord line being between 30-60°. The prior art fails to disclose a vane as claimed in Claims 2 and 10; therefore, Claims 2-11 and 13-14 contain allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Bentley (US Patent No: 9,631,504) and Barbe (US Patent No: 7,360,990) both disclose variable-pitch vanes for gas turbine engines, the vanes comprising blades (Bentley: Figure 2, No. 240; Barbe: Figure 3, No. 66) and platforms (Bentley: 230, 234; Barbe: 92) comprising disc portions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L SEHN whose telephone number is (571)270-3564. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM-6 PM, every other Friday off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Courtney Heinle can be reached at 571-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL L SEHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
