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 .
Receipt and entry of Applicant’s Preliminary Amendment dated February 13, 2025 is acknowledged.
Drawings
Figure 7 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Appropriate correction is required.
In paragraph 79, line 4, “L3” should be changed to -- L4 --.
In paragraph 79, line 4, “L3/10” should be changed to -- L4/10 --.
In paragraph 80, line 5, “L3/10” should be changed to -- L4/10 --.
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 and 7 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 recites that the deepest point is located within a range shifted by L4/10 from a position of the throat in the first direction. This is unclear, because a range has a defined start point and a defined end point, however claim 5 only recites one point.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Otero 2013/0232991.
Disclosed is a heat exchange bulkhead for air-cooling a high-temperature component 24 of an aircraft engine 10, the heat exchange bulkhead comprising: a wall 140 that defines a cooling flow path between a cooling surface (interior of wall 142) of the high-temperature component and the wall, through which cooling air flows along a first direction from 136 to 138; at least one fin 154 that is provided on the cooling surface of the high-temperature component, the fin having a curved shape in which a front surface 164, including at least a leading edge, is convex toward an upstream side of the first direction when viewed from a direction facing the cooling surface; and an upstream fillet 162 that extends along the upstream side of the first direction from the front surface of the at least one fin to a connection with the cooling surface and that has a curved surface that is concavely curved (claim 1).
When an imaginary straight line 5B-5B passing through the leading edge and a trailing edge of the at least one fin is defined as a first line, an imaginary straight line orthogonal to the first line and passing through both ends that define a maximum width of the at least one fin in a direction orthogonal to the first direction is defined as a second line, a length from an intersection where the first line and the second line intersect with each other to the leading edge of the at least one fin is defined as L1, and a length from the leading edge of the at least one fin to an upstream end of the upstream fillet on the upstream side of the first direction is defined as L2, the intersection is closer to the leading edge than to the trailing edge of the at least one fin, and L2 >0.7L1 is satisfied, as the location of the imaginary straight line may adjusted along the first direction to meet this relationship (claim 2).
The heat exchange bulkhead further comprises: a downstream fillet 162 that extends along a downstream side of the first direction from a rear surface including at least a trailing edge of the at least one fin to a connection with the cooling surface and that has a rear curved surface that is concavely curved (claim 3).
The high-temperature component includes a turbine blade 24 that comes into contact with combustion gas discharged from a combustor 16 of the aircraft engine (claim 9).
Note the annotated figures below.
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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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Otero 2013/0232991 in view of Bunker et al. 2005/0106021.
Otero discloses a heat exchange bulkhead substantially as claimed as set forth above, but does not disclose that the at least one fin includes a first fin and a second fin separate from the first fin, the first fin and the second fin being disposed to overlap each other in the first direction and to be spaced apart from each other in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, and when a portion of a gap formed between the first fin and the second fin that has a shortest length is defined as a throat, a concave portion is formed in a gap surface of the cooling surface that faces the gap in the first direction to overlap a range in which the throat is formed.
Bunker et al. (figures 1-4) shows a heat exchange bulkhead 10 having an upstream first fin 18 and a downstream second fin 18 separate from the first fin, the first fin and the second fin being disposed to overlap each other in the first direction and to be spaced apart from each other in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, and when a portion of a gap formed between the first fin and the second fin that has a shortest length is defined as a throat, a concave portion 24 is formed in a gap surface of the cooling surface that faces the gap in the first direction to overlap a range in which the throat is formed, for the purpose of setting up a fluid vortex in cooling flow to cause mixing near a component wall 12, thereby enhancing heat transfer at the wall and at the fins.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to form the heat exchange bulkhead of Otero such that the at least one fin includes a first fin and a second fin separate from the first fin, the first fin and the second fin being disposed to overlap each other in the first direction and to be spaced apart from each other in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, and when a portion of a gap formed between the first fin and the second fin that has a shortest length is defined as a throat, a concave portion is formed in a gap surface of the cooling surface that faces the gap in the first direction to overlap a range in which the throat is formed, as taught by Bunker et al., for the purpose of setting up a fluid vortex in cooling flow to cause mixing near the wall, thereby enhancing heat transfer at the wall and at the fins.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Otero 2013/0232991 in view of Rao 2017/0030201.
Otero discloses a heat exchange bulkhead substantially as claimed as set forth above, but does not disclose that the high-temperature component includes a combustor panel facing the combustion space of the combustor 16 of the aircraft engine 10.
Rao (paragraphs 2 and 3, for example) shows a heat exchange bulkhead with fins and teaches that the fins may be applied to either turbine blades or a combustion chamber wall (a panel), for the purpose of improving the cooling capacity of the combustor panel.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to form the heat exchange bulkhead of Otero such that the high-temperature component having the fin is a combustor panel facing the combustion space of the combustor 16 of the aircraft engine 10, as taught by Rao, for the purpose of improving the cooling capacity of the combustor panel.
Examiner’s Comment
Although claims 5 and 7 are not rejected based on prior art, any indication of allowable subject matter for claim 5 is reserved until the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is overcome.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ghigliotty Rosado is cited to show a turbine blade with fins having fillets. This reference could also have been applied as it anticipates at least claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102, but is not applied at this time in order to avoid multiple rejections.
Wakita et al. is cited to show a combustor panel having airfoil-shaped fins.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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 in claim 6:
The combination of Otero 2013/0232991 and Bunker et al. 2005/0106021 shows a heat exchange bulkhead substantially as claimed as set forth above with regard to claim 4, but does not disclose or suggest that the concave portion is formed in the gap surface such that a rate of change in a size of a flow path cross section when the gap is cut in the direction orthogonal to the first direction is 5% or less.
Such a relationship makes the velocity of the compressed air G1 flowing through the gap to become approximately constant, and reduces friction loss between the compressed air and the gap surface while suppressing separation of the compressed air due to changes in the velocity of the compressed air, and is not obvious based on the prior art of record.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Verdier whose telephone number is (571)272-4824. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:30.
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/Christopher Verdier/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745