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.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andres EP 3789301 in view of Johnston et al. (US 8402776).
1. Andres discloses An ice protection system for use with an aircraft 30 including an electric motor 11 for driving a propulsion structure 20 of the aircraft, the ice protection system (generally shown in Fig. 2) comprising: a heat transfer structure 4 for heating a region of the aircraft prone to icing (inlet shown in Fig. 2), the heat transfer structure including a primary flow path (cooling circuit 1) and a secondary flow path (heating circuit 2 and bypass 6); a fluid conveyance arrangement for circulating heat transfer fluid heated by waste heat from an electrical component of the aircraft (electrical motor 11) through the heat transfer structure, the fluid conveyance arrangement including a valve arrangement 6; and a controller (para 22) that interfaces with the valve arrangement to control flow of the heat transfer fluid to and through the heat transfer structure (para 22),
Andres does not explicitly teach wherein the controller 109 is adapted control the valve arrangement such that during flight the primary flow path is adapted to provide an anti-icing function and the secondary flow path is adapted to provide a de-icing function.
Johnston teaches a controller is adapted control a valve arrangement (dual mode valve system – abstract) such that during flight a primary flow path 223 is adapted to operate in parallel or in series with a secondary flow path 243.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
2. Johnston further teaches The ice protection system of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is controlled by an inverter (abstract) and powered by a battery, wherein the inverter and the electric motor are cooled by a first cooling loop 223 and the battery (abstract) is cooled by a second cooling loop 243, and wherein the waste heat for heating the heat transfer fluid is provided from the first or second cooling loop (Clearly understood from the combination of Andres and Johnston).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
3-4. Johnston further teaches The ice protection system of claim 1, wherein the valve arrangement (249, 401, 403) is configured to allow flow through the primary and secondary flow paths to be separately controlled. wherein the controller 109 independently controls flow through the primary flow path and the secondary flow path (via the valve system).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
5. The combination of Andres and Johnston renders the following obvious The ice protection system of claim 1, wherein during flight the controller (109 of Johnston) operates the valve arrangement (249, 401, 403) such that the primary flow path 223 provides a first level of heat flux for providing the anti-icing function (as disclosed in Andres), and the secondary flow path 243 supplements the primary flow path with additional heat flux (when combined together) to provide a de-icing function.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
6. The combination of Andres and Johnston renders the following obvious The ice protection system of claim 1, wherein the controller 109 operates the primary flow
path to provide a different heat flux as compared to the secondary flow path (inherent in the heat generated by the components of each path 223 243).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
7. The combination of Andres and Johnston renders the following obvious The ice protection system of claim 1, wherein during flight the controller (in Andres) controls flow to the primary flow path 4 to provide relatively consistent heating to prevent formation of ice and in combination with Johsnton controls flow to the secondary flow path 243 to provide intermittent heating to promote ice shedding.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
8. Johnston further teaches The ice protection system of claim 1, further comprising a resistive electric heating structure (heaters taught 221, 241 under controller operation) used in combination with the heat transfer structure to heat the region.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of additional heaters as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
9. The combination of Andres and Johnston renders the following obvious The ice protection system of claim 2, wherein the controller of Johnston 109 selects between the first and second cooling loops 223, 243 for providing the heat transfer fluid to the heat transfer structure.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the teaching of dual loops selectively combining in series or used in parallel as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional heating means and control for the deicing and antiicing operations of Andres.
10. Johnston further teaches The ice protection system of claim 2, wherein the heat transfer fluid is routed to the heat transfer structure from the first cooling loop 223, wherein the first cooling loop includes an air cooled heat exchanger (radiator 233), and wherein the air cooled heat exchanger is sized taking into consideration a cooling capability of the heat transfer structure.
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the radiator as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional control of the heat exchange for the components of the aircraft.
11. Johnston further teaches The ice protection system of claim 2, wherein the heat transfer fluid is routed to the heat transfer structure from the second cooling loop 243, and wherein the second cooling loop is cooled by an evaporator of a refrigeration loop (evaporator 211, chiller 215).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention and with a reasonable expectation of success to use the refrigeration means as in Johnson in the invention of Andres to provide additional control of the heat exchange for the components of the aircraft.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 16-17 are allowed.
Claims 12-15 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.
The prior art of record, whether considered alone or in any combination reasonably suggested by the references, fails to teach or suggest the specific internal passage topology and special distribution recited for a wing ice-protection heat transfer structure as in claims 14-15
Regarding claims 12, 13, 16, and 17 the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest an aircraft-component ice-protection heat-transfer structure having all of the following features in the claimed combination:
a composite heat transfer structure including a manifold that defines flow passages corresponding to primary and secondary flow paths;
the manifold comprising a molded, lower-density, relatively low-conductivity structure and a higher-density, relatively high-conductivity heat transfer sheet that cooperate to define the flow passages; and
the heat transfer sheet being configured to be secured adjacent an inner surface of an aircraft skin to distribute heat to a region prone to icing.
The closest prior art is GB 2314887 which teaches a metal plate bonded to the composite skin of a leading edge and a supply of heated fluid. However, adding an additional flow path to include primary and secondary flow paths built into the manifold, would require significant redesign splitting the single chamber/volume into two distinct passage networks, add internal partitioning with manifold integration, and control and logic for separate operation. It would be in hindsight and non-obvious to include these features in the 887 reference.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure include deicing systems, and related flow paths of heat exchangers relevant to the invention claimed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN M BENEDIK whose telephone number is (571)270-7824. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00-3:00.
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/JUSTIN M. BENEDIK/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3642
/JUSTIN M BENEDIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642