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 1-20 of the claim set received 06/02/2025 are pending.
Claim Objections
Applicant is advised that should claim 10 be found allowable, claim 15 will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 7 recitation of “exit” should be written “exiting”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 1 and 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 4 recitation of “a high-pressure turbine” should be written “a high-pressure turbine (HPT)” to provide antecedence for the further use of HPT in the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Napoli (US 4,466,239).
Regarding Claim 1, Napoli discloses in Fig. 2, a gas turbine engine having an axial centerline, comprising:
a high-pressure compressor (HPC) 18 having an HPC discharge 46 at an aft end of the HPC;
a combustor section having a combustor 21;
a high-pressure turbine (HPT) 19;
wherein a core gas path extends through the HPC, the combustor section, and the HPT;
wherein the HPC 18 is configured to allow a gas leakage flow (into 33 as read in col. 3, ll. 34-37) to separate from a core gas flow passing through the core gas path and exit the HPC;
a bypass tangential on board injector (TOBI) system that extends circumferentially around the engine axial centerline, the bypass TOBI system having a plurality of nozzles 61, an inner radial side (as shown in the annotation of Fig. 4 below), an outer radial side (as shown in the annotation), a plurality of first passages (a first subset of the passages through elements 71), and a plurality of second passages (a second subset of the passages through elements 71);
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wherein the HPC discharge 46 and the combustor 21 are configured such that a portion of the core gas flow that exits the HPC discharge is directed to the bypass TOBI system as a diffuser inner diameter (ID) flow (see flow through 50 and 61 above) and the bypass TOBI system is configured so that the diffuser ID flow passes through the plurality of nozzles 61; and
wherein the plurality of first passages (the first subset of passages through elements 71) are disposed to receive the gas leakage flow (that of chamber 36 shown above) and direct the gas leakage flow from the inner radial side to the outer radial side along a first path (through one of the first passages) without mixing with the diffuser ID flow; and
wherein the plurality of second passages (the second subset of passages through elements 71) are disposed to receive the gas leakage flow and direct the gas leakage flow from the inner radial side to the outer radial side along a second path (through one of the second passages) without mixing with the diffuser ID flow, wherein the second path is different than the first path (the first path through a first passage and the second path through a second passage); and
wherein the plurality of first passages and the plurality of second passages 71 are configured to produce a pressure balance between a first chamber 70 or 62 and a second chamber 62 or 72, respectively, of the bypass TOBI system (in the same manner as the respective first chambers 92 or 116 and second chamber 90 of instant application).
Regarding Claim 2, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4 as annotated above, wherein the inner radial side is disposed between the plurality of nozzles 61 and the engine axial centerline, and the plurality of nozzles 61 are disposed between the engine axial centerline and the outer radial side.
Regarding Claim 3, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4 as annotated above, wherein the first chamber 70 is disposed on the inner radial side and the second chamber 62 is disposed on the outer radial side.
Regarding Claim 4, Napoli discloses in Figs. 2 and 4, wherein a first inner radial seal (see annotation of the figure below) is disposed to seal between the first chamber 70 and the second chamber 62.
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Regarding Claim 5, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the first inner radial seal and a second inner radial seal (see annotation of Fig. 4 above; substantially equivalent to the first 102 and second seal 104 of the instant application as shown in Fig. 4 of the instant application) define boundaries of the first chamber 70 (in the same manner as seals 102 and 104 define boundaries of first chamber 116 of the instant application shown in Fig. 4 of the instant application).
Regarding Claim 6, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the first inner radial seal and the second inner radial seal that define boundaries of the first chamber are disposed contiguous with and radially inward of an annular body 58+74+75 containing the plurality of nozzles 61.
Regarding Claim 7, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein a portion of the second chamber 62 is disposed contiguous with and radially outward of the annular body 58+74+75 containing the plurality of nozzles 61.
Regarding Claim 8, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein a boundary of the second chamber 62 is defined by a first outer radial seal (see annotation of the figure below).
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Regarding Claim 9, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles 61 are in fluid communication with the second chamber 62.
Regarding Claims 10 and 15, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4 and the two annotations of the figure above, wherein the first inner radial seal, the second inner radial seal, and the first outer radial seal are knife edge seals.
Regarding Claim 11, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the first chamber 62 and the second chamber 72 are disposed on the outer radial side (see defined outer radial side in the annotation of Fig. 4 above; pressure balance between the chambers is produced by the first and second passageways through element 71 providing pressurized air into second chamber 72 that will reduce any possible leakage through seal 63).
Regarding Claim 12, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein a first inner radial seal and a first outer radial seal define boundaries of the first chamber 62 (see annotation of Fig. 4 below).
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Regarding Claim 13, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4 as annotated below, wherein the first outer radial seal and a second radial outer seal define boundaries of the second chamber 72.
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Regarding Claim 14, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles 61 are in fluid communication with the first chamber 62.
Regarding Claim 16, Napoli discloses in Figs. 2 and 4, a gas turbine engine having an axial centerline (conventional rotational axis of the engine), comprising:
a high-pressure compressor (HPC) 18 having an HPC discharge 46 at an aft end of the HPC;
a combustor section having a combustor 21;
a high-pressure turbine (HPT) 19;
wherein a core gas path extends through the HPC, the combustor section, and the HPT;
wherein the HPC 18 is configured to allow a gas leakage flow (into 33 as read in col. 3, ll. 34-37) to separate from a core gas flow passing through the core gas path and exit the HPC; and
a bypass tangential on board injector (TOBI) system that extends circumferentially around the engine axial centerline, the bypass TOBI system having an annular body 58+74+75 that includes a plurality of nozzles 61 circumferentially spaced apart from one another, a plurality of first passages (a first subset of the passages through elements 71) extending from an inner radial side of the annular body to an outer radial side of the annular body, and a plurality of second passages (a second subset of the passages through elements 71) extending from the inner radial side of the annular body to the outer radial side of the annular body (see defined side in the annotation of Fig. 4 below), wherein the first passages and the second passages are circumferentially spaced apart from one another (formed of distinct tube 71);
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wherein the plurality of first passages and the plurality of second passages 71 are configured to produce a pressure balance between a first chamber 70 or 62 and a second chamber 62 or 72, respectively, of the bypass TOBI system (in the same manner as the respective first chambers 92 or 116 and second chamber 90 of instant application).
Regarding Claim 17, Napoli discloses in the annotation of Fig. 4 above, wherein the first chamber 70 is disposed on the inner radial side and the second chamber 62 is disposed on the outer radial side.
Regarding Claim 18, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles 61 are in fluid communication with the second chamber 62.
Regarding Claim 19, Napoli discloses wherein the first chamber 62 and the second chamber 72 are disposed on the outer radial side (see annotation of Fig. 4 above).
Regarding Claim 20, Napoli discloses in Fig. 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles 61 are in fluid communication with the first chamber 62.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be found in the attached Notice of References Cited.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RENE D FORD whose telephone number is (571)272-8140. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Phutthiwat Wongwian can be reached on (571) 270-5426. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/R.D.F/Examiner, Art Unit 3741
/PHUTTHIWAT WONGWIAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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