Appeal No. 2002-0538
Application 09/220,468
said compressor section having a plurality of rows of rotating
blades alternating with a plurality of rows of stationary vanes,
said gas turbine engine comprising:
a groove formed in said engine case of said compressor
section and extending substantially circumferentially
therethrough,1 said groove being substantially adjacent to one
row of said plurality of rows of rotating blades, said groove
being in fluid communication with said turbine section for
channeling cooling air from said compressor section to said
turbine section to increase stability of said gas turbine engine.
10. A gas turbine engine having a compressor section, a
combustor section, and a turbine section enclosed in an outer
shroud with an annular flow path extending axially therethrough,
said compressor section having a plurality of rows of rotating
blades alternating with a plurality of rows of stationary vanes,
each said row of rotating blades includes a plurality of blades,
each said blade having a blade tip defining a tip clearance
between said tips of said blades and said outer shroud, said gas
turbine engine comprising:
said outer shroud of said compressor section defining an
opening, said opening being substantially adjacent to one row of
said plurality of rows rotating blades, said opening being in
fluid communication with said turbine section for extracting air
from said tip clearance of said row of rotating blades of said
compressor section to be routed to said turbine section to
increase stability of said gas turbine engine.
1 Reading the claims in light of the underlying disclosure
(see specification page 5 and drawing Figures 3 and 4), we
understand the somewhat inaccurate recitation in claim 1 that the
groove in the engine case extends substantially circumferentially
“therethrough,” and the comparable recitations in independent
claims 14 and 21, as requiring the groove to extend substantially
circumferentially “in” or “within” the case. In the event of
further prosecution, the appellant should amend the claims to
eliminate this discrepancy with the disclosure.
2
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