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 .
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 10-13 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by US 11,731,779 B2 to Speller et al.
Regarding claim 1:
Speller teaches a propulsion system (ducted fan assembly 107a/107b) for an aircraft (rotorcraft 101), comprising:
a propulsor rotor (fan 112a/112b);
a drivetrain (200) coupled to the propulsor rotor (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13; see fig. 4);
a first power unit (considered as indicated in the examiner-added annotations to fig. 4 in Item A below) including a first overrunning clutch (209) and a first electric motor (208), the first overrunning clutch configured to selectively couple the first electric motor to the drivetrain (c. 5, ℓ. 14-41), and the first electric motor configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the first overrunning clutch and the drivetrain (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13); and
a second power unit (see Item A below) including a second overrunning clutch (209) and a second electric motor (208), the second overrunning clutch configured to selectively couple the second electric motor to the drivetrain (c. 5, ℓ. 14-41), and the second electric motor configured to drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor through the second overrunning clutch and the drivetrain (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13).
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Item A: detail from Speller FIG. 4, with examiner-added annotations
Regarding claim 2:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the first overrunning clutch and the second overrunning clutch each comprise a sprag clutch (c. 5, ℓ. 22-41: each electric motor 208 is mounted to input shaft 206 via a sprag clutch 209).
Regarding claim 3:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the first overrunning clutch and the second overrunning clutch each comprise a passively actuated clutch (c. 5, ℓ. 42-57: the sprag clutches are passively actuated).
Regarding claim 4:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein
the first overrunning clutch is configured to couple the first electric motor to the drivetrain when the first electric motor is powered up (c. 5, ℓ. 22-41), and the first overrunning clutch is configured to decouple the first electric motor from the drivetrain when the first electric motor is powered down (c. 5, ℓ. 42-57: in the event of failure, each electric motor 208 is allowed to freewheel on input shaft 206 by its sprag clutch 209); and
the second overrunning clutch is configured to couple the second electric motor to the drivetrain when the second electric motor is powered up (c. 5, ℓ. 22-41), and the second overrunning clutch is configured to decouple the second electric motor from the drivetrain when the second electric motor is powered down (c. 5, ℓ. 42-57).
Regarding claim 5:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the first electric motor and the second electric motor are configured to concurrently drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor (c. 5, ℓ. 42-57: “each electric motor 208 of the plurality of electric motors 208 may simultaneously operate to provide torque to input shaft 206”).
Regarding claim 6:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein
the first electric motor is configured to drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor while the second electric motor is depowered (c. 5, ℓ. 42-57: “In the event of a failure of one electric motor 208 of the plurality of electric motors 208, the failed electric motor 208 is allowed to freewheel on input shaft 206 by its sprag clutch 209 while the remaining electric motors 208 continue to provide torque to input shaft 206. In other aspects, only a single electric motor 208 of the plurality of electric motors 208 may be operated to provide torque to input shaft 206 while the remaining electric motors 208 of the plurality of electric motors 208 are permitted to freewheel by their respective sprag clutches 209. In the event of a failure of the first electric motor 208 (or if additional torque is needed), one or both of the remaining electric motors 208 may be operated to provide torque to input shaft 206.”); and
the second electric motor is configured to drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor while the first electric motor is depowered (c. 5, ℓ. 42-57).
Regarding claim 8:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein
the first electric motor comprises a first rotor rotatable about an axis (fig. 4: axis of shaft 206; c. 5, ℓ. 14-16: an axial flux, disc, or pancake motor; c. 3, ℓ. 52-56: central housing 119 configured to support and house components such as a rotor); and
the second electric motor comprises a second rotor rotatable about the axis (fig. 4: motors 208 are coaxial).
Regarding claim 10:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, further comprising a housing structure housing the first electric motor and the second electric motor (c. 4, ℓ. 40-56: drivetrain 200, including the plurality of electric motors 208, is housed in central housing 119; a common interior of a housing structure for motors 208 is shown unlabeled in fig.).
Regarding claim 11:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 10, wherein the first overrunning clutch and the second overrunning clutch are housed within the housing structure (c. 4, ℓ. 40-56: drivetrain 200, including the plurality of electric motors 208, is housed in central housing 119; a common interior of a housing structure for motors 208 is shown unlabeled in fig.).
Regarding claim 12:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein
the drivetrain comprises a shaft (input shaft 206) coaxial with the first electric motor and the second electric motor (as shown in fig. 4);
the first overrunning clutch is configured to selectively couple the first electric motor to the shaft (c. 5, ℓ. 22-57); and
the second overrunning clutch is configured to selectively couple the second electric motor to the shaft (c. 5, ℓ. 22-57).
Regarding claim 13:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 12, wherein the shaft projects axially through a bore of the first electric motor (as shown in figs. 4-5).
Regarding claim 17:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the propulsor rotor is an open rotor (c. 2, ℓ. 37-39: “some or all of ducted fan assemblies 107a-107d may be ductless”).
Regarding claim 18:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the propulsor rotor is a ducted rotor (c. 2, ℓ. 40-65; as shown in figs. 1-3).
Regarding claim 19:
Speller teaches a propulsion system (ducted fan assembly 107a/107b) for an aircraft (rotorcraft 101), comprising:
a propulsor rotor (fan 112a/112b);
a drivetrain (200) coupled to the propulsor rotor (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13; see fig. 4);
a first power unit (considered as indicated in examiner-added annotations to fig. 4 in Item A above regarding claim 1) including a first clutch (209) and a first electric motor (208), the first clutch configured to selectively couple the first electric motor to the drivetrain (c. 5, ℓ. 14-41), and the first electric motor configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the first clutch and the drivetrain (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13; see fig. 4); and
a second power unit including a second clutch and a second electric motor, the second clutch configured to selectively couple the second electric motor to the drivetrain (c. 5, ℓ. 14-41), and the second electric motor configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the second clutch and the drivetrain (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13), wherein the second power unit is coaxial with the first power unit (as shown in fig. 4).
Regarding claim 20:
Speller teaches a propulsion system (ducted fan assembly 107a/107b) for an aircraft (rotorcraft 101), comprising:
a propulsor rotor (fan 112a/112b);
a drivetrain (200) coupled to the propulsor rotor (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13; see fig. 4);
a first power unit including a first clutch (209) and a first electric motor (208), the first clutch configured to selectively couple the first electric motor to the drivetrain (c. 5, ℓ. 14-41), and the first electric motor configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the first clutch and the drivetrain (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13; see fig. 4);
a second power unit including a second clutch (209) and a second electric motor (208), the second clutch configured to selectively couple the second electric motor to the drivetrain (c. 5, ℓ. 14-41), and the second electric motor configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through the second clutch and the drivetrain (c. 4, ℓ. 57–c. 5, ℓ. 13; see fig. 4); and
a housing structure, the first electric motor and the second electric motor disposed in a common interior of the housing structure (c. 4, ℓ. 40-56: drivetrain 200, including the plurality of electric motors 208, is housed in central housing 119; a common interior of a housing structure for motors 208 is shown unlabeled in fig. 4).
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11,731,779 B2 to Speller et al. in view of US 11,724,815 B2 to Mackin et al.
Regarding claim 7:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1. Speller states that “[e]ach electric motor 208 of the plurality of electric motors 208 is a relatively small and compact motor that is sometimes referred to as an axial flux, disc, or “pancake” motor” (c. 5, ℓ. 14-16), but does not specifically disclose permanent magnet electric motors.
Mackin teaches an aircraft propulsion system comprising electric motors (120, 124) configured to drive rotation of a propulsor rotor through clutches (144,446,304) and a drivetrain (c. 14, ℓ. 27-44; see fig. 6A, fig. 1), in which the electric motors “can be implemented as any type of electric motor (e.g., an induction motor, a DC/AC permanent magnet motor, etc.)” and “it is understood that other types of electric motors can be similarly used” (c. 14, ℓ. 47-54).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the propulsion system of Speller such that the first electric motor and the second electric motor each comprise a permanent magnet electric motor, using the teachings of Mackin, for reduced cost and complexity compared with non-permanent magnet or electromagnet electric motors, and as the use of a known electric motor recognized in the art to be suitable for the same purpose.
Claim(s) 9 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11,731,779 B2 to Speller et al. in view of US 11,565,803 B2 to Heironimus et al.
Regarding claim 9:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1. Speller teaches a planetary gear set in which the input and output shafts are axially coaxially aligned, but states that other arrangements may be used, such as coupling the input and output shafts via beveled gears (c. 5, ℓ. 6-13). Speller does not specifically disclose the second electric motor as comprising a second rotor rotatable about a second axis that is parallel with and laterally offset from the rotation axis of the first electric motor.
Heironimus teaches an aircraft propulsion system driving a propulsor rotor (via rotor shaft 406/604) and comprising a plurality of electric motors (402/602), wherein each rotor may be rotatable about the same axis (as shown in fig. 6) or about axes which are parallel and laterally offset (as shown in figs. 4A-4C).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the propulsion system of Speller such that the first electric motor comprises a first rotor rotatable about a first axis; and the second electric motor comprises a second rotor rotatable about a second axis that is parallel with and laterally offset from the first axis, using the teachings of Heironimus, for the purpose of reducing the axial length of the propulsion assembly, or as the use of an alternative motor arrangement known to be suitable for the same purpose.
Regarding claim 14:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the drivetrain comprises a geartrain (gearbox 202; planetary gear set 214).
Speller teaches a planetary gear set in which the input and output shafts are axially coaxially aligned, but states that other arrangements may be used, such as coupling the input and output shafts via beveled gears (c. 5, ℓ. 6-13). Speller does not specifically disclose first and second shafts coupling the first and second clutches to the geartrain independent of each other.
Heironimus teaches an aircraft propulsion system driving a propulsor rotor (via rotor shaft 406/604) and comprising a plurality of electric motors (402/602), wherein each rotor may be rotatable about the same axis and drive a common shaft (as shown in fig. 6) or about axes which are parallel and laterally offset (as shown in figs. 4A-4C) and drive separate respective shafts (shown coupled to planet gears 405B).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the propulsion system of Speller such that the drivetrain comprises a first shaft and a second shaft; the first shaft couples the first overrunning clutch to the geartrain independent of the second shaft; and the second shaft couples the second overrunning clutch to the geartrain independent of the first shaft, using the teachings of Heironimus, for the purpose of reducing the axial length of the propulsion assembly, or as the use of an alternative motor arrangement known to be suitable for the same purpose.
Claim(s) 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11,731,779 B2 to Speller et al. in view of US 2018/0163558 A1 to Vondrell et al.
Regarding claim 15:
Speller teaches the propulsion system of claim 1, but does not specifically disclose a thermal engine configured to drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor through the drivetrain.
Vondrell teaches a propulsion system (10) with a propulsor rotor (70) and comprising (see fig. 7) an electric motor (14) configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor through a drivetrain (¶ 0047-0048: electric machine 14 is configured to drive propeller 70 through gearbox 76; see also ¶ 00291: electric machine 14 may be configured “as an electric motor configured to add power to the propulsion system 10 (i.e., to drive or assist in driving the driveshaft 72 of the propulsor 12)”), and
further comprising a thermal engine (18) configured to drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor through the drivetrain (¶ 0047-0048: turboshaft engine 18 is configured to drive propeller 70 through gearbox 76 and output shaft 24).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the propulsion system of Speller to further comprise a thermal engine configured to drive the rotation of the propulsor rotor through the drivetrain, using the teachings of Vondrell, for the purpose of providing a source of secondary power to supplement or substitute the power provided by the first and second power units (Vondrell ¶ 0003-0004).
Regarding claim 16:
Speller, as modified, provides the propulsion system of claim 15. In applying the teachings of Vondrell, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the propulsion system with a third overrunning clutch configured to selectively couple the thermal engine to the drivetrain, using the teachings of Speller and Vondrell, for the purpose of allowing for a more sustainable and efficient propulsion system (Vondrell ¶ 0041) or permitting the thermal engine to freewheel in the event of failure (Speller c. 5, ℓ. 42-57).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 10,407,178 B2 to Regev and US 11,781,544 B2 to Beall et al. teach aircraft propulsion systems having electric motors coupled through clutches to drive propulsor rotors in rotation.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Richard Green whose telephone number is (571)270-5380. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00 MT.
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, Kimberly Berona can be reached at (571) 272-6909. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Richard Green/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3647
1 Note Vondrell paragraph [0047]: the propulsion system depicted in FIG. 7 “may be configured in substantially the same manner as exemplary propulsion system 10 described above with reference to FIG. 1.”
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