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 with traverse of invention III, claims 15-20, in the reply filed on 8/4/26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that with the new amendments, claims 1, 3, 5, 8-10, 12, and 14 encompass species B and sub-species B3. However, this is a restriction requirement to inventions I, II, and III – a discussion of the species should be saved for the species election requirement. Applicant has not addressed the reasons for this restriction requirement, or challenged why the claims should not be restricted. Applicant merely makes the statement that the claims are directed to a single embodiment. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Next, a requirement for a species election was made. Applicant’s election without traverse of Species B, sub-species B3, in the reply filed on 8/4/26 is acknowledged.
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.
(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) 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Smith (US 4458863 A).
For claim 15, Smith discloses a gas turbine engine 12 configured to be coupled to a pylon 14, the gas turbine engine defining a roll axis, a yaw axis, and a pitch axis, the gas turbine engine comprising:
a first thrust linkage Fig. 3-4: 84 to couple the gas turbine engine to a first attachment point on the pylon;
a second thrust linkage 86 to couple the gas turbine engine to a second attachment point on the pylon, the second thrust linkage displaced along a first axis from the first thrust linkage Fig. 3: vertically displaced, the first thrust linkage and the second thrust linkage to react a first moment generated during operation of the gas turbine engine Col 6, line 67 - Col 7: “components of the pitch moment are transferred directly to the strut 14 via the tetrahedral linkage comprising links 84, 86, and 88”, wherein the first attachment point and the second attachment point are separated by a vertical displacement Fig. 3, and the first moment is a moment about the pitch axis of the gas turbine engine see above; and
a third thrust linkage 88 (seemingly mislabeled 188 in Fig. 4) to couple the gas turbine engine to a third attachment point on the pylon, the third thrust linkage displaced from the first thrust linkage along a second axis, the second axis perpendicular to the first axis Fig. 4: horizontally displaced, the third thrust linkage and the first thrust linkage to react a second moment Col 8, lines 54-58: “Yaw moments (those moments acting in a horizontal plane) are transferred from the inlet to the strut via the coupled force system including the triangular and tetrahedral linkages”, the second moment applied in a direction perpendicular to the first moment yaw moment, compared to pitch moment, wherein the second moment is applied about the yaw axis of the gas turbine engine, wherein the third and second attachment points are separated by the vertical displacement Fig. 3, and wherein the second thrust linkage is laterally between the first thrust linkage and the second thrust linkage at a same location along an axial direction defined by the gas turbine engine Fig. 4.
For claim 16, Smith discloses the gas turbine engine of claim 15, further including an engine carcass Fig. 1: core case 18 section between front and aft of engine disposed between a first frame section and a second frame section of the gas turbine engine Fig. 1, wherein the first thrust linkage and the second thrust linkage prevent a pitch moment from being transferred through the engine carcass “components of the pitch moment are transferred directly to the strut 14 via the tetrahedral linkage comprising links 84, 86, and 88”; therefore these pitch moments are not transferred through the carcass.
For claim 17, Smith discloses the gas turbine engine of claim 16, further including a first mount Fig. 1: 28 to couple the gas turbine engine to the pylon.
For claim 18, Smith discloses the gas turbine engine of claim 17, wherein the gas turbine engine includes at least an upstream section Fig. 1: 26 and a downstream section 20, and wherein the first mount is to couple the upstream section of the gas turbine engine to the pylon 28 coupled to inlet portion 26.
For claim 19, Smith discloses the gas turbine engine of claim 17, further including a second mount 30a/b to couple the gas turbine engine to the pylon, the second mount downstream of the first mount Fig. 1.
For claim 20, Smith discloses the gas turbine engine of claim 19, wherein the gas turbine engine includes at least an upstream section and a downstream section Fig. 1, and wherein the second mount is to couple the downstream section of the gas turbine engine to the pylon 30a/b coupled at rear, section 20.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLIN N M ZOHOORI whose telephone number is (571)272-7996. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JOSHUA J MICHENER can be reached at (571)272-1467. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/COLIN ZOHOORI/Examiner, Art Unit 3642
/PHILIP J BONZELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642 8/21/2026
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