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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 (Takahashi et al., WO 2013187322) in view of D2 (Lv et al., CN 202145157).
For claim 1, D1 discloses a mechanical seal including a rotary side unit (includes 8, 22, 20) provided on a rotary shaft (3) of a rotary machine so as to be rotatable therewith and having a rotary sealing ring (8), and a stationary side unit (includes 7, 14, 5) provided on a casing (2), of the rotary machine, surrounding the rotary shaft (3), the stationary side unit having a stationary sealing ring (7) on which the rotary sealing ring (8) slides, sliding portions of the rotary sealing ring and the stationary sealing ring being cooled by a flushing fluid (the sealing and sliding faces of 7 and 8 are cooled by cooling fluid that flows from 28 to 29. P5, last paragraph.), the mechanical seal comprising:
a first temperature detection part (40) provided in the stationary side
unit and configured to detect a first temperature of the flushing fluid before cooling the sliding portions; and
a second temperature detection part provided separately from the
first temperature detection part in the stationary side unit and configured to detect a second temperature of the flushing fluid after cooling the sliding portions.
D2 teaches a method of measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling fluid (abstract) for effective controlling of the sealing assembly. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify D1 with a first temperature detection part provided in the stationary side unit and configured to detect a first temperature of the flushing fluid before cooling the sliding portions; and a second temperature detection part provided separately from the first temperature detection part in the stationary side unit and configured to detect a second temperature of the flushing fluid after cooling the sliding portions, as taught by D2 with a reasonable expectation of success of effective controlling of the seal assembly.
D1 modified with teachings of D2 teaches the claimed limitations.
For claim 2, D1 discloses the mechanical seal according to claim 1, wherein the stationary side unit further has a tubular seal case (housing 2 is tubular, Figure 1) for partitioning an inside region and an outside region of the rotary machine, a first flow passage (28) formed at a predetermined location in a circumferential direction in the seal case and configured to supply the flushing fluid before cooling the sliding portions, to the inside region (Figure 1), and an adapter ring (11) provided on the seal case in the inside region and having a second flow passage formed therein for supplying the flushing fluid from the first flow passage (28) toward a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the sliding portions (Figure 1), the adapter ring has a mounting hole into which the second temperature detection part is inserted from a radially outer side toward a radially inner side of the adapter ring, and a tapered inner circumferential surface is formed at an opening end portion on the radially outer side of the mounting hole such that a hole diameter of the mounting hole gradually increases from the radially inner side toward the radially outer side (41 is disposed between tapering surfaces, Figure 1. D2 teaches a method of measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling fluid [abstract]. D1 modified with D2 teaches the claimed limitations.)
For claim 3, D1 discloses the mechanical seal according to claim 2, wherein the adapter ring (11) further has an inflow passage (28) arranged on the radially outer side with respect to the mounting hole and communicating with the mounting hole, and a pressure loss portion (The width of the fluid flow is smaller than the width of the space into which the fluid flows in, and hence there is a pressure loss. The portion where pressure loss occurs defines the pressure loss portion. Figure 1.) configured to cause pressure loss in the flushing fluid flowing into the inflow passage from the radially outer side of the inflow passage (Figure 1.)
For claim 4, the combination teaches the mechanical seal according to claim 2, wherein, in a state where the second temperature detection part is inserted into the mounting hole, a temperature measurement point of the second temperature detection part is located on the inside region side with respect to the sliding portions (D2 teaches a method of measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling fluid [abstract]. D1 modified with D2 teaches the claimed limitations.)
For claim 5, D1 discloses the mechanical seal according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of holes that can be used as the first flow passage are formed in the seal case so as to be arranged in the circumferential direction, one of the plurality of holes is the first flow passage (The pace between 33 toward 28 defines the plurality of holes.), and at least another one of the plurality of holes is an insertion hole into which the second temperature detection part is inserted (The pace between 33 toward 29 defines the plurality of holes. Figure 1.)
For claim 6, D1 discloses the mechanical seal according to claim 1, wherein the stationary side unit further has a tubular seal case (2 is tubular) for partitioning an inside region and an outside region of the rotary machine (Figure 1), a first flow passage (28) formed at a predetermined location in a circumferential direction in the seal case and configured to supply the flushing fluid before cooling the sliding portions, to the inside region (Figure 1), and an adapter ring (11) provided on the seal case in the inside region and having a second flow passage (29) formed therein for supplying the flushing fluid from the first flow passage toward a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the sliding portions (Figure 1), the second flow passage (29) is formed on a radially outer side of the adapter ring (11) and has an annular flow passage through which the flushing fluid flows in the circumferential direction before being supplied to the sliding portions (Figure 1), and a temperature measurement point of the first temperature detection part is located within the annular flow passage (D2 teaches a method of measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling fluid [abstract]. D1 modified with D2 teaches the claimed limitations.)
For claim 7, D1 discloses the mechanical seal according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of holes that can be used as the first flow passage (28) are formed in the seal case (2) so as to be arranged in the circumferential direction, one of the plurality of holes (space between each 33) is the first flow passage, and at least another one of the plurality of holes is an insertion hole into which the first temperature detection part is inserted(D2 teaches a method of measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling fluid [abstract]. D1 modified with D2 teaches the claimed limitations.)
Conclusion
Prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and provides example of invention. A few of the prior art cited but not applied includes Pedersen (US 5,605,436); Johnston (US 3,741,679); and Itadani (US Pub. 2017-0299063).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN CUMAR whose telephone number is (571)270-3112. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, KRISTINA FULTON can be reached at 571-272-7376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHAN CUMAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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