Appeal No. 2001-1041 Page 4
Application No. 09/219,475
housing for reducing fluid pressure downstream of the flow
restriction member to less than 40% of the pressure upstream
from the flow restriction; and
providing an upper rotary seal between the rotatable
inner housing and an upper portion of the stationary outer
housing and downstream from the flow restriction for sealing
the reduced pressure fluid within the stationary outer
housing from an upper end of the bore in the outer housing.
A review of the file of the original application shows that
claims 1 to 20 were allowed in the first Office action (Paper No.
3, mailed May 13, 1996). The claims allowed were as originally
filed. Page 2 of the action included the following paragraph
under the heading of EXAMINER'S STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR
ALLOWANCE:
Claims 1 to 15 have been allowed primarily because the
prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a rotatable
blowout preventer for use in a hydrocarbon recovery
operation, having a lower rotary seal between a rotatable
piston and a lower portion of a stationary outer housing for
sealing pressurized fluid within the stationary outer
housing from a lower end of the bore in the outer housing; a
flow restriction member between the rotatable inner housing
and an upper portion of the stationary outer housing for
reducing fluid pressure downstream of the flow restriction
member to less than 400 of the pressure upstream from the
flow restriction member; and an upper rotary seal between
the rotatable inner housing and-the upper portion of the
stationary outer housing--and downstream from the flow
restriction member for sealing the reduced pressure fluid
within the outer housing from an upper end of the bore in
the outer housing, as specifically called for in the
respective claimed combinations. Claims 16 to 20 have been
allowed primarily because the prior art of record fails to
disclose or suggest the steps of providing the above-noted
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