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 .
Claims 1-11 are currently pending. Claims 1-11 are rejected.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 13, 2025 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 2-3 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding Claim 2, Line 11 recites “the leading edge side”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim, since it has not been previously introduced. It is believed Applicant intended to introduce this limitation, i.e. reciting “a leading edge side”.
Claim 3 is subsequently objected to for its dependency upon a previously objected claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b)
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.
Claims 1-11 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.
Regarding Claims 1-2 and 4-5, Line 9 of the claims recite “is provided closest to a leading edge of the airfoil”. It is unclear closest compared to what. The term “closest” is comparative and requires multiple subjects. So far the only subject is the “connection position” recited in Line 8. It is unclear what “closest” would refer to. Is the claim comparing distances of connection positions from each other? Is it intending to say the connection position in Line 8 is closest to the leading edge compared to the trailing edge?
Claims 3 and 6-11 are subsequently rejected for their dependencies upon a previously rejected claim.
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)(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 2-4, as far as they are definite and understood, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mizukami et al. (JP 2010276010 A), hereinafter Mizukami. References to the text of Mizukami will refer to the machine translation provided with this action.
Regarding Claim 2, Figures 1-3 of Mizukami disclose a turbine stator vane (see paragraph [0042]) comprising: a first partition wall and a second partition wall that partition an internal space (20b) of an airfoil (10); and a plurality of through-holes (11c, d, e) that penetrate vane walls (20) constituting the airfoil (10), wherein the first partition wall is a partition wall that extends from a pressure surface side connection position (see intersection of first partition with pressure side), which is a connection position between the first partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a pressure surface side of the airfoil (10), to a suction surface side connection position (see intersection of first partition with suction side), which is a connection position between the first partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a suction surface side of the airfoil (10), and is provided closest to a leading edge of the airfoil (10), the second partition wall extends from a leading edge side connection position (see intersection of second partition and leading), which is a connection position between the second partition wall and the vane wall (20) on the leading edge side of the airfoil (10), to a trailing edge side connection position (see intersection of second partition wall with first partition wall), which is a connection position between the second partition wall and the first partition wall, and partitions the internal space (20b) into a pressure surface side leading edge cavity (20b to left of second partition wall in Figure 1) and a suction surface side leading edge cavity (20b to right of second partition wall in Figure 1), of angles of intersection between a first virtual straight line (line extending along first partition wall) that passes through the pressure surface side connection position and the suction surface side connection position and an extending direction of the vane wall (20) at the suction surface side connection position, an angle of intersection that is on the leading edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is an obtuse angle, and an angle of intersection that is on a trailing edge side of the airfoil with respect to the first virtual straight line is an acute angle as seen in a vane height direction of the airfoil, the through-holes (11c, d, e) include pressure surface side through-holes (see Figure 2) that open into the pressure surface side leading edge cavity and suction surface side through-holes (not shown due to view in Figure 3, note cooling holes 11c, d, e are formed connected 11b [0041]) that open into the suction surface side leading edge cavity, and a third partition wall that extends toward the trailing edge side from the trailing edge side connection position and that partitions the internal space (20b) is provided [0040-0044]. See also annotated Figures 1’ and 1’’ below. Figure 1’ is an annotation with two orthogonal lines, clarifying the angle of intersection that is on the leading edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is obtuse.
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Regarding Claim 3, Mizuki discloses the turbine stator vane as set forth in Claim 2.
Figure 1 of Mizuki discloses wherein, of angles of intersection between a fourth virtual straight line (along third partition) connecting the trailing edge side connection position and an end portion of the third partition wall on the trailing edge side to each other and the first virtual straight line (along first partition), an angle of intersection (see at intersection between first and third partition, left angle in Figure 1) that is on the pressure surface side with respect to the fourth virtual straight line and that is on the trailing edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is an acute angle, and an angle of intersection (see at intersection between first and third partition, right angle in Figure 1) that is on the suction surface side with respect to the fourth virtual straight line and that is on the trailing edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is an obtuse angle as seen in the vane height direction (view in Figure 1). See also annotated Figure 1’’ above.
Regarding Claim 4, Figures 1-3 of Mizukami disclose a turbine stator vane (see paragraph [0042]) comprising: a first partition wall and a second partition wall that partition an internal space (20b) of an airfoil (10); and a plurality of through-holes (11c, d, e) that penetrate vane walls (20) constituting the airfoil (10), wherein the first partition wall is a partition wall that extends from a pressure surface side connection position (see intersection of first partition with pressure side), which is a connection position between the first partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a pressure surface side of the airfoil (10), to a suction surface side connection position (see intersection of first partition with suction side), which is a connection position between the first partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a suction surface side of the airfoil (10), and is provided closest to a leading edge of the airfoil (10), the second partition wall extends from a leading edge side connection position (see intersection of second partition and leading), which is a connection position between the second partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a leading edge side of the airfoil (10), to a trailing edge side connection position (see intersection of second partition wall with first partition wall), which is a connection position between the second partition wall and the first partition wall, and partitions the internal space (20b) into a pressure surface side leading edge cavity (20b to left of second partition wall in Figure 1) and a suction surface side leading edge cavity (20b to right of second partition wall in Figure 1), of angles of intersection between a first virtual straight line (line extending along first partition wall) that passes through the pressure surface side connection position and the suction surface side connection position and an extending direction of the vane wall (20) at the suction surface side connection position, an angle of intersection that is on the leading edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is an obtuse angle, and an angle of intersection that is on a trailing edge side of the airfoil with respect to the first virtual straight line is an acute angle as seen in a vane height direction of the airfoil, the through-holes (11c, d, e) include pressure surface side through-holes (see Figure 2) that open into the pressure surface side leading edge cavity and suction surface side through-holes (not shown due to view in Figure 3, note cooling holes 11c, d, e are formed connected 11b [0041]) that open into the suction surface side leading edge cavity, and the first partition is linearly formed along the first virtual straight line as seen in the vane height direction (view in Figure 1) [0040-0044]. See also annotated Figures 1’ and 1’’ above. Figure 1’ is an annotation with two orthogonal lines, clarifying the angle of intersection that is on the leading edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is obtuse.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 5-11, as far as they are definite and understood, would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Regarding Claims 1 and 5, Mizuki teaches a turbine stator vane (see paragraph [0042]) comprising: a first partition wall and a second partition wall that partition an internal space (20b) of an airfoil (10); and a plurality of through-holes (11c, d, e) that penetrate vane walls (20) constituting the airfoil (10), wherein the first partition wall is a partition wall that extends from a pressure surface side connection position (see intersection of first partition with pressure side), which is a connection position between the first partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a pressure surface side of the airfoil (10), to a suction surface side connection position (see intersection of first partition with suction side), which is a connection position between the first partition wall and the vane wall (20) on a suction surface side of the airfoil (10), and is provided closest to a leading edge of the airfoil (10), the second partition wall extends from a leading edge side connection position (see intersection of second partition and leading), which is a connection position between the second partition wall and the vane wall (20) on the leading edge side of the airfoil (10), to a trailing edge side connection position (see intersection of second partition wall with first partition wall), which is a connection position between the second partition wall and the first partition wall, and partitions the internal space (20b) into a pressure surface side leading edge cavity (20b to left of second partition wall in Figure 1) and a suction surface side leading edge cavity (20b to right of second partition wall in Figure 1), of angles of intersection between a first virtual straight line (line extending along first partition wall) that passes through the pressure surface side connection position and the suction surface side connection position and an extending direction of the vane wall (20) at the suction surface side connection position, an angle of intersection that is on the leading edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is an obtuse angle, and an angle of intersection that is on a trailing edge side of the airfoil with respect to the first virtual straight line is an acute angle as seen in a vane height direction of the airfoil, the through-holes (11c, d, e) include pressure surface side through-holes (see Figure 2) that open into the pressure surface side leading edge cavity and suction surface side through-holes (not shown due to view in Figure 3, note cooling holes 11c, d, e are formed connected 11b [0041]) that open into the suction surface side leading edge cavity [0040-0044]. See also annotated Figures 1’ and 1’’ above. Figure 1’ is an annotation with two orthogonal lines, clarifying the angle of intersection that is on the leading edge side with respect to the first virtual straight line is obtuse.
Mizuki does not expressly teach the turbine stator vane also having the limitations of of angles of intersection between a second virtual straight line that passes through the leading edge side connection position and the trailing edge side connection position and a third virtual straight line that passes through the pressure surface side connection position and the trailing edge side connection position, an angle of intersection that is on the pressure surface side with respect to the second virtual straight line and that is on the leading edge side with respect to the third virtual straight line is equal to or greater than 80 degrees and equal to or smaller than 100 degrees as seen in the vane height direction (Claim 1) or the first partition wall is bent at the trailing edge side connection position as seen in the vane height direction, and the trailing edge side connection position is positioned to be closer to the trailing edge side than the first virtual straight line is (Claim 5) as claimed.
With respect to Claim 1, while Mizuki illustrates an angle being present (see top left sector in Figure 1 at intersection with second partition wall with first partition wall), there is no discussion of such angle and it is not sufficiently clear from the figures the angle is necessarily in the claimed range. The art of record does not indicate such a modification to be obvious either. Paragraph [0043] of the Specification of the instant application filed March 13, 2025 notes the desired angle at the specific location more efficiently allows the first partition wall (71) to suppress deformation of the second partition wall (72). Thus, this improves the arrangement of the partition walls of the claimed turbine stator vane.
With respect to Claim 5, Figure 1 of Mizuki illustrates the first partition wall as being straight (see annotated Figure 1’’ above). Paragraph [0047] of the Specification of the instant application notes the bend with connection position arrangement helps further optimize the flow rate of cooling air ejected. While Figure 3 of Hada et al. (US 2011/0044822 A1) exemplifies bent partition walls (25) are known in the art, Hada does not provide sufficient motivation to place the bend at the specifically claimed location with the positioning of the trailing edge side connection position. The bent partition wall is not connected to any other partition at the bend location. As such, Claim 5 is considered allowable in view of the art of record.
Claims 6-11 subsequently depend upon Claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Propheter-Hinckley et al. (US 2019/0234218 A1), Hada et al. (US 2011/0123351 A1), Bubnick et al. (US 2014/0321977 A1) exemplify other known vanes with partition walls.
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/ELTON K WONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745