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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/15/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 16-27, 29-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Christman et al. US 20040011927.
Regarding claim 16, Christman discloses: A guiding system for a wind turbine blade component (Fig 2), the guiding system comprising:
a guide member (220) configured to guide the wind turbine blade component (202) relative to an inner surface (Inner surface of 201) of a blade shell (201); and
a base (240) removably attached to the guide member (240 attaches to 220),
wherein the base is connected to the inner surface of the blade shell (240 connects to the inner surface of 201 through 220).
Regarding claim 17, Christman discloses:
wherein the base comprises one or more base engaging portions to engage a corresponding guide member engaging portion for removably attaching the guide member to the base (Fig 2: 252/251 of 240 engages 232/231 of 220).
Regarding claim 18, Christman discloses:
wherein at least one of the base engaging portions and the corresponding guide member engaging portion comprises a snap-fit joint (Fig 2; Par 25: arrows 244 and 224, 223 and 243 shows the pressure of the members to for a snap fit).
Regarding claim 19, Christman discloses:
wherein at least one of the one or more base engaging portions and the corresponding guide member engaging portion comprises a protrusion (Fig 2: 240 has projections 252/251) and the other one comprises a corresponding depression (232/231 is a depression) to mate with the protrusion.
Regarding claim 20, Christman discloses:
wherein at least one of the one or more base engaging portions comprises the protrusion (Fig 2: 240 has projections 252/251).
Regarding claim 21, Christman discloses:
wherein the base comprises a first protrusion (Fig 2: 252) and a second protrusion (251) arranged at opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the base (252 and 251 are opposite sides).
Regarding claim 22, Christman discloses:
wherein at least one of the first protrusion or the second protrusion comprises an L-shaped profile (Fig 2: L shaped profiled refers to a right angle formed and is disclosed in fig 2 as seen below).
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Regarding claim 23, Christman discloses:
wherein the first protrusion comprises a snap-fit cantilever having a cantilever arm connected to an end hook (Fig 2: 252 is a snap fit cantilever with an extended arm that connects to a hook 232).
Regarding claim 24, Christman discloses:
wherein the base comprises a width extending along a lateral direction, the lateral direction being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (Fig 2: 240 has a width going in the direction of the arrows of 244 and 243 direction), and
wherein the first protrusion is to deform under a predetermined force in the lateral direction to remove the guide member from the base (252 and 251 deform in the direction of 244 and 243).
Regarding claim 25, Christman discloses:
wherein the second protrusion comprises an L-shaped retainer having a retainer arm connected to a projection to be inserted into a depression of the guide member (Fig 2: 251 is in a L shaped retainer and is an arm that is inserted into depression 231).
Regarding claim 26, Christman discloses:
wherein the wind turbine blade component comprises a shear web (Fig 2: 202 is known in the art as a shear web).
Regarding claim 27, Christman discloses: A method for mounting a wind turbine blade component within a wind turbine blade (Fig 8), the method comprising:
connecting a base of a guiding system to an inner surface of a blade shell of the wind turbine blade (Fig 2: 240 connects to the inner surface of 201 through 220);
guiding the wind turbine blade component through a guiding region inside the wind turbine blade with a guide member of the guiding system (202 is guided into a region between 227 and 228),
wherein the guide member is removably attached to the base; and removing the guide member from the base (240 is attached and removed from 220).
Regarding claim 29, Christman discloses:
connecting a plurality of bases of a plurality of guiding systems to the inner surface of the blade shell (Fig 2 and 6: 240 connects to the inner surface of 201 through 220);
guiding the wind turbine blade component with a plurality of guide members of the plurality of guiding systems (202 is guided into a region between 227 and 228); and
removing the plurality of guide members from the corresponding plurality of bases of the plurality of guiding systems (240 is attached and removed from 220).
Regarding claim 30, Christman discloses: A wind turbine blade (Fig 8), comprising:
a blade shell (Fig 2: 201);
a wind turbine blade component (202);
a guiding system for the wind turbine blade component (Fig 2), the guiding system comprising:
a guide member (220) configured to guide the wind turbine blade component (202) relative to an inner surface (Inner surface of 201) of the blade shell (201); and
a base (240) removably attached to the guide member (240 attaches to 220),
wherein the base is connected to the inner surface of the blade shell (240 connects to the inner surface of 201 through 220).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 28 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.
Claim 28 recites “wherein the wind turbine blade component is attached to a first half blade shell part and the base is connected to a second half blade shell part, the method further comprising: bringing the first half blade shell part and the second half blade shell part together while guiding the wind turbine blade component with the guide member of the guiding system; and attaching the wind turbine blade component to the second half blade shell part” and is considered allowable subject matter. Christman et al. US 20040011927 is the closest prior art but does not discloses attaching the shell to the bade and the shear web to the other shell part. This method of attaching the shear web with the guiding member is not taught.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Smith et al. US 20210102523 discloses a similar guide that could read onto the instant application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Andrew J Marien whose telephone number is (469)295-9159. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am- 6:00 pm CST, Monday through Friday.
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/Andrew J Marien/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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