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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, species A (claims 1-9) in the reply filed on 2/20/26 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 6/19/25 fails to comply with 37 CFR 1.98(a)(2), which requires a legible copy of each cited foreign patent document; each non-patent literature publication or that portion which caused it to be listed; and all other information or that portion which caused it to be listed (emphasis added). It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered.
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) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GARCIA ET AL (US 2023/0112854).
With respect to claim 1, GARCIA ET AL discloses a well system comprising: a base pipe 18 disposed in a wellbore 14; an acoustic sensor (in 50) disposed in the wellbore adjacent to the base pipe; and a housing assembly disposed in the wellbore and surrounding a portion of the base pipe, the housing assembly comprising a housing (about 50), a turbine [0020], [0028] disposed between the housing and the base pipe, and an acoustic feature (transmitter 152), wherein rotation of the turbine causes the acoustic feature to emit an acoustic signal 151, the acoustic signal detectable. See especially [0014-0024]. However, GARCIA ET AL fails to explicitly teach the acoustic signal detectable “by the acoustic sensor” as claimed.
GARCIA ET AL teaches the acoustic signal being received by the receiver 154 (including sensors [0023-0024]). See also GARCIA ET AL in part “[0020] The downhole acoustic transmitter 152 of the first acoustic telemetry component 150 may convey the first acoustic signal 151 to the uphole acoustic receiver 154 by inducing vibrations such that compressional, torsional, rotational and/or flexural waves are propagated through the conduit 18 disposed within the wellbore 14; or by interrupting a flow of fluid within an annulus of the wellbore 14 to generate a pressure pulse at a predetermined frequency such that waves corresponding to the predetermined frequency propagate through the fluid to the uphole acoustic receiver 154….In at least one example, the vibrations may be induced by impacting the conduit or by opening or closing a valve or by altering rotation of a turbine to affect fluid flow to generate a pressure pulse. The waves generated by the downhole acoustic transmitter 152 may include components such as, for example, longitudinal components, flexural components, axial components, torsional components, frequencies, phases, amplitudes, velocities, accelerations, angular velocities, angular accelerations, angular displacement, and/or displacement.”
Therefore, it would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the are before the effective filing date of the present application to provide for an acoustic system arranged to send/receive acoustic signals between sensors/receivers/features as designed by the operator.
With respect to claim 2, GARCIA ET AL fails to explicitly teach wherein the acoustic feature is a tab mounted on an interior surface of the housing as claimed. It would be considered an obvious expedient to provide for a feature according to the design choice.
With respect to claims 3-5, GARCIA ET AL fails to explicitly teach wherein the turbine is mounted to an interior surface of the housing; wherein the turbine is mounted in an annulus between the housing and an outer surface of the base pipe; and wherein the turbine is further mounted between a screen and an inflow port of the base pipe. GARCIA ET AL teaches in part “[0020] The waves may propagate through the conduit 18, along an annulus of the wellbore 14, along the annulus of the wellbore 14 through a fluid, annulus of the conduit 18 disposed within the wellbore 14, or along the annulus of the conduit 18 through a fluid. In at least one example, the vibrations may be induced by impacting the conduit or by opening or closing a valve or by altering rotation of a turbine to affect fluid flow to generate a pressure pulse.”
Therefore, it would be considered obvious expedient to place the turbine wherever needed in order to allow for waves to propagate where desired.
With respect to claim 6, GARCIA ET AL teaches wherein a frequency of the acoustic signal correlates to a rate of fluid flow over the turbine [0020], [0025-0026], [0028].
With respect to claim 7, GARCIA ET AL teaches the acoustic sensor is a microphone or a fiber optic acoustic sensor [0030], [0059].
With respect to claim 8, GARCIA ET AL teaches wherein the acoustic sensor is attached to one of the base pipe or a casing within the wellbore (Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 9, GARCIA ET AL teaches wherein rotation of the turbine generates electricity used to power a downhole tool 50. See also [0020], [0028].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2020/0370426 teaches a downhole system that includes a downhole string having a flow channel therethrough, a first turbine generator for generating electrical energy when a flow rate of a fluid through the flow channel is within a first flow rate range, and a second turbine generator for generating electrical energy when a flow rate of the fluid through the flow channel is within a second flow rate range. A first pulser at a downhole location in the downhole string transmits a pressure pulse communicative of data generated downhole using electrical energy generated by one of the first turbine generator and the second turbine generator. A sensor at a surface location receives the pressure pulse, and a control unit performs the operational action based on the data communicated by the pressure pulse.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKIYA W BATES whose telephone number is (571)272-7039. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am - 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Doug Hutton can be reached at 5712724137. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZAKIYA W BATES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674 5/14/2026
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