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 .
This action is in response to the application filed on 05/14/25.
Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/14/25 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 § 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(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Loyd (3,677,352) in view of Chatterjea (DE 4000185 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Loyd discloses a transmission system for a drilling machine (Fig. 1), the transmission system comprising: a drive pump (60; Fig. 6); a motor (64) driven by the drive pump (60); a first fluid line (66) that fluidly couples the motor (64) with the drive pump (60); a second fluid line (68) that fluidly couples the motor (64) with the drive pump (60); a charge pump (72) in fluid communication with the drive pump (60); a fluid charge line (82; Fig. 6) that fluidly couples the charge pump (72) with the drive pump (60); and an accumulator (70), wherein, in an event of a change in a load on the transmission system, the accumulator is adapted to supply additional fluid towards at least the second fluid line (68) to prevent a reduction in a pressure operating level of at least one of the drive pump and the motor (col. 4, lines 41-57); a frame (Fig. 1); and at least one drilling component (drilling pipe; col. 1, lines 20-24), but fails to disclose wherein the accumulator is disposed in the fluid charge line and in selective fluid communication with the first fluid line and the second fluid line. Chatterjea discloses a transmission comprising a drive pump (10; Fig. 1), a motor (20), a charge pump (30) with a charge line (35, 65) that fluidly couples the charge pump (30) with the drive pump (10), and an accumulator (80) disposed in the fluid charge line (35, 65) and in selective fluid communication with first and second fluid lines (16, 16’) for the purpose of supplying and maintaining proper pressure in the fluid lines. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Loyd accumulator disposed in the fluid charge line and in selective fluid communication with first and second fluid lines, as taught by Chatterjea in order to maintain a proper pressure in the fluid lines during operation of the drill.
Regarding claims 2 and 11, Chatterjea also discloses a valve (60; Fig. 1) disposed upstream of the drive pump (10) and adapted to provide fluid communication between the fluid charge line (35, 65) and the drive pump (10).
Regarding claims 3 and 12, Chatterjea discloses a first supply line (as shown in annotated Fig. 1 below) that provides fluid communication between the first fluid line (16) and the fluid charge line (65), wherein the first valve (60) is disposed in the first supply line, and wherein the first valve (60) allows selective fluid flow from the fluid charge line (65) towards the first fluid line (16) via the first supply line.
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Regarding claims 4 and 13, Chatterjea discloses a second valve (60’) disposed upstream of the drive pump (10) and adapted to provide fluid communication between the fluid charge line (65) and the drive pump (10).
Regarding claims 5 and 14, Chatterjea discloses a second supply line (as shown in annotated Fig. 1 above) that provides fluid communication between the second fluid line (16’) and the fluid charge line (65), wherein the second valve (60’) is disposed in the second supply line, and wherein the second valve allows selective fluid flow from the fluid charge line towards the second fluid line via the second supply line (as shown in annotated Fig. 1 above).
Regarding claims 6 and 15, Chatterjea discloses wherein, upon the supply of the additional fluid by the accumulator, the pressure in at least one of the first fluid line and the second fluid line is at least equal to a charge pressure in the fluid charge line (note that charge pump 30 is a constant displacement pump and one of its functions is to replenish fluid that has been lost though leak).
Regarding claims 7 and 16, Loyd discloses wherein the drive pump (60) includes a bi-directional pump (as shown in Fig. 6). Chatterjea also discloses wherein the drive pump is a bi-directional pump (10; Fig. 1).
Regarding claims 8-9 and 17, Loyd discloses wherein the motor is adapted to operate at least one drilling component (54) of the drilling machine (Fig. 2); wherein the at least one drilling component includes a drill pipe (col. 1, lines 20-24; Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18, Loyd discloses a method of operating a transmission system of a drilling machine (Fig. 1), the method comprising: operating a drive pump (60) of the transmission system, wherein the transmission system further includes a charge pump (72) and a fluid charge line (82) that are in fluid communication with the drive pump (60); operating a motor (64) of the transmission system based on operation of the drive pump, wherein the transmission system further includes a first fluid line (66) that fluidly couples the motor with the drive pump and a second fluid line (68) that fluidly couples the motor with the drive pump; and operating, in an event of a change in a load on the transmission system, an accumulator (70) of the transmission system to supply additional fluid towards at least one of the first fluid line (66) and the second fluid line (680 to prevent a reduction in a pressure in at least one of the first fluid line and the second fluid line below a recommended operating level of at least one of the drive pump and the motor, but fails to disclose wherein the accumulator is disposed in the fluid charge line. Chatterjea discloses a transmission system comprising an accumulator (80) disposed on a fluid charge line (35, 65) of a charge pump (30; Fig. 1) for the purposes of supplying and maintaining a desired pressure to the system during operation of the machine, avoiding cavitation. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided Loyd’s accumulator disposed on the fluid charge line of the tcharge pump, as taught by Chatterjea in order to supply and maintaine a desired pressure to the system during operation of the machine.
Regarding claim 19, Chatterjea discloses wherein, upon the supply of the additional fluid by the accumulator, the pressure in at least one of the first fluid line and the second fluid line is at least equal to a charge pressure in the fluid charge line (note that charge pump 30 is a constant displacement pump and one of its functions is to replenish fluid that has been lost though leak).
Regarding claim 20, Loyd discloses operating, by the motor (Fig. 6), at least one drilling component (i.e. drilling pipe) of the drilling machine based on the operation of the motor (col. 1, lines 20-24).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4464. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna Kinsaul can be reached at (571) 270 - 1926. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHELLE LOPEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731