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 office action is in response to the request for continued examination filed on 04/13/2026.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/13/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Pilarczyk (US 4,028,888).
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In regards to Independent Claim 22, and with reference to Figures 1-3 with marked-up figure 3 shown immediately above, Pilarczyk discloses a fuel injector manifold for a turbine engine, the fuel injector manifold having a longitudinal centerline axis (longitudinal axis through the center of the fuel manifold ring 300, refer to figure 2), the fuel injector manifold comprising:
a fuel manifold ring 300 defining an annular fuel manifold flowpath (as shown in marked-up figure 3 above) therewithin, the annular fuel manifold flowpath receiving a fuel (fuel received via fuel inlet 306) flow from a fuel system (fuel source for feeding the engine with fuel) of the turbine engine 16; and
a plurality of fuel injectors 46 in fluid communication with the annular fuel manifold flowpath, each of the plurality of fuel injectors 46 receiving the fuel flow from the annular fuel manifold flowpath, each of the plurality of fuel injectors 46 having a pressure atomizer (shown in marked-up figure 3; similar to the pressure atomizer 640 in figure 14B of the instant application; a device having at least one orifice therethrough) and one or more fuel injector flowpaths, each pressure atomizer having one or more atomizer flowpaths (flowpath through the pressure atomizer) that are in fluid communication with the annular fuel manifold flowpath, the one or more atomizer flowpaths directing the fuel flow to the one or more fuel injector flowpaths, and each pressure atomizer atomizing the fuel flow directed to the one or more fuel injector flowpaths (as shown in marked-up figure 3),
wherein each pressure atomizer is disposed within an atomizer cavity (cavity receiving the pressure atomizer, refer to figure 3) that is located in a radial direction between the fuel manifold ring and the one or more fuel injector flowpaths with respect to the longitudinal centerline axis of the fuel injector manifold
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The following reference(s) are also relevant for at least claim 22.
Radrapatna et al. (US 7,703,289). Particularly refer to figure 2-5.
Ryon et al. (US 11,753,996). Particularly refer to figure 1-4.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 7-15 and 17-21 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With respect to independent claims 1 and 11, the prior art of record neither discloses nor makes obvious the combination set forth in the independent claim, particularly "wherein the one or more atomizer flowpaths include at least a first atomizer flowpath and a second atomizer flowpath, and the first atomizer flowpath is spaced from the second atomizer flowpath in a circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal centerline axis of the fuel injector manifold ", in combination with the other claim limitations.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM H RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4831. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30-6:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Phutthiwat Wongwian can be reached at 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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/William H Rodriguez/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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