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 § 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, 5, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watson et al., US 2020/0025133, in view of Ayyagari, US 4,077,206.
Regarding Claim 1
Watson discloses a gas turbine engine comprising:
a tail cone (35, converging end portion) (Watson, [0067], Figures 1-2);
an exhaust nozzle (26, exhaust hood) covering the tail cone (35) from outside in a radial direction, with an exhaust gas passage (24) defined between the exhaust nozzle (26) and the tail cone (35) (Watson, [0061]-[0062], Figures 1-2);
a tubular support casing (21, nacelle) that supports the exhaust nozzle (26) movably in a forward/rearward direction, the tubular support casing (21) having a downstream end that is located upstream of an upstream end of the exhaust nozzle (26) (Watson, [0062], Figures 1-2); and
an actuator [actuator] that is mounted on the exhaust nozzle (26) or the support casing (21) and that moves the exhaust nozzle (26) relative to the tail cone (35) in the forward/rearward direction to change a cross-sectional area of the exhaust gas passage (Watson, [0077], Figures 1-2).
However, Watson does not disclose that the downstream end of the tubular support casing has an inner diameter equal to an inner diameter of the upstream end of the exhaust nozzle.
Ayyagari teaches a gas turbine engine (Ayyagari, Abstract), comprising an exhaust nozzle (32) covering a tail cone (40) from outside in a radial direction; a tubular support casing (30) that supports the exhaust nozzle (32) movably in a forward/rearward direction [they are mounted together], the tubular support casing (30) having a downstream end that is located upstream of an upstream end of the exhaust nozzle (32), wherein the downstream end of the tubular support casing (30) has an inner diameter equal to an inner diameter of the upstream end of the exhaust nozzle (32) (Ayyagari, Column 5, Lines 8-29, Figures 1 and 3).
At the time the claimed invention was filed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the gas turbine engine of Watson such that the downstream end of the tubular support casing has an inner diameter equal to an inner diameter of the upstream end of the exhaust nozzle as is taught by Ayyagari as a well-known means of fixing a tubular support casing and exhaust nozzle together. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute one known connection for another.
Regarding Claim 5
Watson and Ayyagari teach the gas turbine engine according to claim 1. Watson further discloses that the tail cone (35) is located downstream of a turbine (17, 18, 19) of the gas turbine engine (10), and an outer diameter of the tail cone (35) decreases rearward over an entirety of a portion of the tail cone (35) [interpreted as a part of the tail cone (35)] that is covered by the exhaust nozzle (26) from outside in the radial direction (Watson, Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 6
Watson and Ayyagari teach the gas turbine engine according to claim 5. Watson further discloses that the tail cone (35) has a shape of a circular cone having a smaller outer diameter at a rear than at a front thereof (Watson, Figure 1), the exhaust nozzle (26) includes a nozzle main body having a shape of a circular truncated cone having a larger inner diameter at a front than at a rear thereof (Watson, Figure 1), and a rear end of the exhaust nozzle (26) is located forward of a rear end of the tail cone (35) (Watson, Figures 1-2).
Claim(s) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watson et al., US 2020/0025133, in view of Ayyagari, US 4,077,206, and further in view of Kuroki, JP 2003314209 A.
Regarding Claim 2
Watson and Ayyagari teach the gas turbine engine according to claim 1. However, Watson and Ayyagari do not explicitly disclose an extendable/retractable seal, extendable and retractable in the forward/rearward direction, the extendable/retractable seal having an upstream end fixed to the tubular support casing and a downstream end fixed to the exhaust nozzle.
Kuroki teaches a gas turbine engine with a casing (12) that is supported to move in a frontward/rearward direction [axial direction] via an actuator (14, casing drive device) (Kuroki, [0018]-[0020], Figure 1), and that an extendable/retractable seal (18, flexible seal) is provided in a movable portion (Kuroki, [0019], Figure 1).
At the time the claimed invention was filed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide an extendable/retractable seal at the annular mounting portion (25) of Watson/Ayyagari, such that an upstream end of the seal is fixed to the support casing and the downstream end is fixed to the exhaust nozzle, in order to prevent leakage of fluids to due the movement of the casing as is taught by Kuroki (Kuroki, [0013])
Regarding Claim 3
Watson, Ayyagari, and Kuroki teach the gas turbine engine according to claim 2. Kuroki further teaches that the extendable retractable seal (18) is fixed at a first fixing portion (A, annotated Figure 1 of Kuroki below), and a second fixing portion (B, annotated Figure 1 of Kuroki below). Kuroki further teaches that the actuator (14) is also fixed to the second fixing portion (B) (Kuroki, annotated Figure 1 below), and a variable nozzle structure including the actuator (14), the extendable/retractable seal (18), the first fixing portion (A), and the second fixing portion (B) is located outside the exhaust gas passage in the radial direction (Kuroki, annotated Figure 1 below).
Therefore, in the combination of Watson, Ayyagari, and Kuroki, the exhaust nozzle includes the first fixing portion and the tubular support casing includes the second fixing portion such that the actuator, extendable/retractable seal, first fixing portion, and second fixing portion are located outside the exhaust gas passage in the radial direction in order to prevent leakage of fluids due to the movement of the casing as is taught by Kuroki (Kuroki, [0013])
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Figure 1: Annotated Figure 1 of Kuroki
Regarding Claim 4
Watson, Ayyagari, and Kuroki teach the gas turbine engine according to claim 3. In the combination of Watson, Ayyagari, and Kuroki, Watson discloses that in a front view of the gas turbine engine (10), the variable nozzle structure (actuator, seal, first/second fixing portions as taught by Kuroki) is located inside an outer edge (at the annular mounting portion (25)) of the gas turbine engine (10) excluding the variable nozzle structure (Watson, Figures 1-2).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the claim objections have been fully considered and are persuasive. The claim objections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) has been withdrawn. However, Applicant’s amendments to the claim have initiated a new grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103.
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection of claims 2-4 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered. However, Applicant’s amendments to the claim(s) have initiated a new grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KELSEY L STANEK whose telephone number is (571)272-3565. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:30am-3:00pm.
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/K.L.S/Examiner, Art Unit 3741 /DEVON C KRAMER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3741
