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 .
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-2 and 4-20 remain pending in the application.
The claim objection is withdrawn in response to the amendment.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the rejection of claim 1 under 35 USC 103 as unpatentable over Read have been fully considered. The rejection is withdrawn because Read fails to teach the newly amended “first coating”. A new rejection is provided below. The “stiffness transition” in claim 1 is broad and does not capture the allowable subject matter found in claim 2, for example.
The rejection of claim 15 and its dependents is withdrawn in response to Applicant’s amendment and arguments. Read as modified fails to teach the second stiffness is between the first stiffness of the three-dimensional woven core and the third stiffness of the sheath to define a stiffness transition among the three- dimensional woven core, the laminate skin, and the sheath.
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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1, 4 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Read et al. (US2013/0029117) in view of Hazel (US7354651), as evidenced by Zhang (US2013/0210299).
Regarding claim 1, Read teaches a turbine engine comprising: a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement (see paragraph [0015] describing an axial gas turbine engine), and defining an engine centerline; and an airfoil (1), provided in one of the fan section, the compressor section, or the turbine section, the airfoil including an outer wall having a pressure side (6) and a suction side (8), and the airfoil rotatable about the engine centerline, the airfoil comprising: a core (30) having a first stiffness and a first elasticity; a laminate skin (26) having a second stiffness and a second elasticity, the laminate skin being located exterior of the core; and a sheath (22, the outer layer of Read is interpreted as a sheath because it is a protective cover) having a third stiffness and a third elasticity, the sheath being located exterior of the laminate skin.
Read fails to explicitly teach a stiffness transition or an elasticity transition is defined among the core, the laminate skin, and the sheath.
However, Read teaches using a material with an intermediate stiffness between the
composite layers mediates the stiffness differences and reduces the possibility of delamination
(paragraph [0025]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the invention to modify the gas turbine engine of Read and change it so that a stiffness transition or an elasticity transition is defined among the core, the laminate skin, and the sheath, wherein the stiffness transition or the elasticity transition includes a decreasing stiffness or a decreasing elasticity that decreases from the core to the laminate skin and to the sheath to reduce the possibility of delamination.
Read fails to teach a first coating provided exterior of the sheath.
Hazel teaches a turbine blade (Fig. 1) having first and second coatings (74, 58) with an adhesive layer (66) between them to provide corrosion and thermal protection (abstract). The layer 66 is interpreted to be adhesive because it holds the coating layers together by surface attachment that resists separation.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the airfoil of Read as modified and change it to have a first coating provided exterior of the sheath as taught by Hazel to provide corrosion and thermal protection.
Zhang is provided as evidence that it is known in the art that environmental barrier coatings (EBC) can be provided on the exterior of foreign impact layers. Zhang teaches an impact layer 110 with EBC generally indicated as 108 to provide oxidation and/or thermal resistance (see Fig. 1 and paragraph [0022]).
Regarding claims 4 and 8, Read as modified teaches the turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the first coating has a fourth stiffness and a fourth elasticity, but fails to teach a second coating being located exterior of the first coating.
Hazel teaches a turbine blade (Fig. 1) having first and second coatings (74, 58) with an adhesive layer (66) between them to provide corrosion and thermal protection (abstract). The layer 66 is interpreted to be adhesive because it holds the coating layers together by surface attachment that resists separation.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the airfoil of Read as modified and change it to have a second coating located exterior of the first coating as taught by Hazel to provide corrosion and thermal protection.
Zhang is provided as evidence that it is known in the art that environmental barrier coatings (EBC) can be provided on the exterior of foreign impact layers. Zhang teaches an impact layer 110 with EBC generally indicated as 108 to provide oxidation and/or thermal resistance (see Fig. 1 and paragraph [0022]).
Regarding claim 7, Read as modified teaches the first coating and the sheath define a bi-layer (Read as modified teaches the coating applied to the sheath), and wherein the airfoil further comprises a set of bi-layers of at least two bi-layers including the bi-layer defined by the first coating and the sheath, wherein each bi-layer includes one coating and one sheath (Read as modified teaches the coating applied to the sheath).
Claims 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Read in view of Hazel, Zhang and Lallo et al. (US5248242).
Regarding claims 11-14, Read as modified teaches turbine engine of claim 1, but fails to teach the core includes an inner core and an outer core, and wherein the first stiffness is defined as an inner core stiffness for the inner core and an outer core stiffness for the outer core, wherein the inner core is a foam core, wherein the outer core is a woven core.
In an analogous art, Lallo teaches a rotor blade. Lallo teaches an inner core (100) formed of foam, and an outer core (32, 34) formed of woven composite.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
date of the invention to modify the gas turbine engine of Read as modified and change it so that the core includes an inner core and an outer core, and wherein the first stiffness is defined as an inner core stiffness for the inner core and an outer core stiffness for the outer core, wherein the inner core is a foam core, wherein the outer core is a woven core as taught by Lallo to form the core from strong, lightweight materials.
Read as modified fails to explicitly teach the inner core stiffness is greater than the outer core stiffness. However, Read teaches using a material with an intermediate stiffness between the
composite layers mediates the stiffness differences and reduces the possibility of delamination (paragraph [0025]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the turbine engine of Read and change it so that the inner core stiffness is greater than the outer core stiffness to reduce the possibility of delamination.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-20 are allowed.
Claims 2, 5-6 and 9-10 are 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.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/CAMERON A CORDAY/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/COURTNEY D HEINLE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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