Appeal 2007-0571
Application 10/277,004
through a fluid conduit 114 to the flow control valve 68, which directs the air into a
Y-conduit 124 in communication with first and second exhaust manifolds 14, 16
(Bailey, col. 5, ll. 38 - col. 6, l. 3). As such, in the system of Bailey, backflow
from one exhaust manifold can enter another exhaust manifold because there are
no check valves in the Y-conduit 124. Further, when the directional flow control
valve 68 is open to discharge port 92, a portion of the flow from the conduit 60 is
bled from the conduit 60 and fed back to exhaust manifolds 14 and 16. Thus,
Bailey does not disclose a method of inhibiting all backflow from entering the first
divided exhaust manifold and the second divided exhaust manifold when the boost
pressure is higher than exhaust pressure at one or more of the exhaust manifolds.
Rather, Bailey purposely directs some backflow to the exhaust manifolds.
Sumser discloses an internal combustion engine 1 including an exhaust
turbocharger 2 and an exhaust-gas recirculation device 9 (Sumser, Abstract).
Sumser discloses that the internal combustion engine 1 has banks of cylinders 1a,
1b and exhaust gases from the cylinders of each bank are discharged into two
independent exhaust lines 4a and 4b and fed to the exhaust turbine 3 of the
turbocharger 2 (Sumser, col. 3, l. 66 – col. 4, l. 3, Figure 1).
Faletti discloses an exhaust gas recirculation system 50 having fluid lines 52
and 54 from exhaust manifolds 18 and 20, respectively. Faletti teaches that flows
from fluid lines 52 and 54 are combined in a single EGR fluid line 60 having an
EGR cooler 62 therein (Faletti, col. 3, ll. 54-61 and Figure). As such, Faletti
teaches that it was well known at the time of the invention to put an EGR cooler in
a combined EGR path from two separate EGR paths.
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