Appeal No. 2003-0304
Application 09/703,302
rocket engine which includes a gaseous-fuel duct defining a
gaseous-fuel intake (30), a gaseous-fuel compressor (3) for
compressing gaseous fuel, a turbine assembly (6) disposed in an
annular chamber (8) and including at least one turbine rotor
blade (7) operatively associated with each of the compressor
blades, a source of liquid oxygen (24), a pump (25) for
transporting the liquid oxygen from the source to the annular
chamber so as to rotate the turbine, an oxygen exhaust path (16)
from the annular chamber, and one or more injectors (at 17) for
directing the oxygen into the gaseous-fuel duct for mixing with
the compressed gaseous fuel. By contrast, the air-hydrogen
turbo-jet engines of Figures 1-8 in the Mirville patent do not
include “a source of liquid oxygen” and “at least one pump for
transporting the liquid oxygen from the source into the annular
chamber so as to rotate the turbine rotor stage.”
Like appellant, we view claim 1 as being directed to a
combination, wherein a source of liquid oxygen is positively set
forth as part of the combination, along with at least one pump
for transporting the liquid oxygen from the source into the
annular chamber so as to rotate the turbine rotor stage. Since
the engines of Mirville have no “source of liquid oxygen” or pump
6
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