DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
Claims 1-3 are pending and presented for examination on the merits.
Claim 1 is currently amended.
Status of Previous Claim Rejections Under 35 USC § 112
The previous rejections of claims 1-3 under 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) and 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) are withdrawn in view of the amendment to claim 1 that deleted the limitation at issue.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation reciting that “heat form the blade portion is dissipated to the exterior of the jig via the jig in contact with the blade portion” is new matter because the limitation is not disclosed in the specification as originally filed. The specification refers to portions of the blade radiating heat via the jig (para. [0030]), but no discussion of heat dissipated to the exterior of the jig. Thus, the specification does not support the amendment to the claim.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, the claims are likewise rejected, as they include all limitations of rejected claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2015/0037163 (A1) to Ikegaya et al. (“Ikegaya”) in view of US 2013/0125607 (A1) to Samek et al. (“Samek”), further in view of US 2015/0352623 (A1) to Yamamoto et al. (“Yamamoto”), and further in view of US 2,910,269 (A) to Haworth et al. (“Haworth”), with evidence from Ashby et al., Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design, Second ed., "Material Profiles: Stainless Steels," 2010, p. 231 (“Ashby”) and Mondragón Rodríguez et al., “Oxynitride c-Al0.7Cr0.3OxN(1-x) arc-PVD hard-coatings, processing, mechanical properties & stability at high temperatures,” Surface Coatings & Technology, 449, 2022, 128973 (“Mondragón Rodríguez”).
Regarding claim 1, Ikegaya teaches a method of manufacturing blades and vanes for an axial flow compressor used in mechanical equipment, such as a gas turbine engine (blade manufacturing method). Title; abstract; para. [0003], [0010]. The method includes the following steps:
(a) metal injection molding process for forming a green body by loading kneading material comprising metal particles into a cavity of an injection die (mold) that corresponds to the shape approximate to the shape of the final product, the final product being a blade unit (blade) (1) comprising platform section (blade root portion) (2) and airfoil section (blade portion) (3) (molding step of injecting a metal particle toward a mold and shaping a blade having a blade root portion and blade portion through metal injection molding) (para. [0024], [0027]-[0029], [0033], [0039]); and
(b) correcting process in which the shape is forcibly corrected or rectified by sandwiching the blade surface with a pair of correcting jigs that are shaped so as to correspond to the shape of the front and rear shapes of the blade surface (jig attaching step of sandwiching the blade portion of a mold different from the mold of the molding step, the jig being divided into at least two parts and serving as a mold in which a shape of the blade portion is formed, the jig mold formed on the surface and attached to the blade portion) (para. [0056], [0057]).
Ikegaya teaches a step of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) (heat treatment step) to collapse large voids and cracks and enhance the mechanical strength of the product. Para. [0054]. In addition to HIP, annealing (also a heat treatment step) is performed to render the hardness of the product suitable for the correcting process. Para. [0056]. HIP can take place at a temperature of 1160°C (para. [0054]), which falls within the claimed range.
It is not clear in Ikegaya whether the HIP and/or annealing takes place while the product resides in the correcting jigs.
Because Ikegaya’s correction jigs correspond to the shape of the blade surface and can maintain the position of the blade, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have used the correction jigs to hold the blade in place during HIP and/or annealing in order to ensure stability and support of the blade as well as to minimize warping during heating (performing heat treatment on the blade to which the jig is attached with an entire outer surface of the blade portion in contact with the jig).
Samek discloses a method for producing a structural part from iron-manganese steel sheet. Para. [0001]. The method includes a step of producing a workpiece by heating the workpiece to an elevated temperature and holding the workpiece in a calibration die (corresponds to jig or mold). Para. [0006]-[0008]. The calibrating die may be a calibrating press comprising die pressing faces that have a surface geometry that correspond to the final shape of the workpiece or has a very near-net shape. Para. [0031]. Heat is dissipated via the die (heat is dissipated to the exterior of the jig via the jig in contact with the workpiece). Para. [0032]. In Samek, the workpiece is in a homogenized heated state in the calibration, enabling it to be evenly treated, formed, and corrected in shape to produce a workpiece with desired mechanical properties throughout the workpiece. Para. [0008], [0011], [0031], [0032], [0036], [0037], [0042].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have carried out the correction process of Ikegaya, which utilizes a correction jig, under heated conditions, as disclosed in Samek, in order to make the metal more malleable, to facilitate shaping, and produce a part with even properties. It would have further been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have combined or continuously carried out the HIP and/or annealing steps of Ikegaya with the correction step in Ikegaya such that the product is heated and remains held by the correction jig/mold during these steps because this would increase process efficiency by eliminating the need to transfer the blade to a different holding device or to a furnace, as demonstrated by Samek in which furnace and calibrating die are in the same station.
With respect to the duration of the HIP and/or annealing and/or correction/calibration step, Ikegaya teaches an example HIP time of 3 hours. Ikegaya does not expressly teach a duration of 10-100 hours. However, it is well known that heating time is dependent on material composition and structural morphology (dimensions and shape). Ikegaya at para. [0061]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have adjusted the duration of the HIP and/or annealing in Ikegaya, such as increasing the heating time for a larger/thicker part, because this parameter is dependent on physical attributes and compositional makeup of the part, and adjustments are necessary to achieve the same effect for parts that differ in size and/or material type.
Ikegaya does not teach a jig (mold) formed of an insulator layer on the surface of the jig that comes into contact with the blade during the heat treatment steps of correction, HIP, and/or annealing.
Yamamoto is directed to a hard coating film that is insusceptible to adhesion to soft metal. Abstract; para. [0005]. The insulating properties of the hard coating film are enhanced by the inclusion of oxygen in the film (insulator layer). Para. [0017]. The film can be deposited using various techniques on the surface of a die-jig, jig-tool, or die (mold formed of an insulator layer on a surface coming into contact with the blade portion). Para. [0006], [0014], [0016], [0026], [0029]. The film can be applied to dies (molds) in forging, extrusion, cutting, drilling, milling, blanking punching, and hot working/hot pressing. Para. [0016], [0034].
Yamamoto teaches that the film is heat resistant and oxidation resistant. Para. [0021]. Because of the film’s anti-adhesion property, it is possible to control the adhesion of soft metal on the surface of the jig-tool, which enables it to be stably and repeatedly used in the long term. Para. [0016]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have applied the hard coating film, as suggested by Yamamoto, to the inner surfaces of the correcting jigs of Ikegaya because the hard coating film would prevent any softened metal from sticking to the die and protect the dies from oxidation and heat damage, thereby prolonging their in-service lifetime and decreasing the frequency with which they would need to be replaced or repaired.
With respect to the relative hardness between the insulator layer and blade, metals generally become more malleable (softer) at elevated temperatures, and Yamamoto teaches that the coating film is hard and heat resistant even when deforming steel sheet at high hot working temperatures (para. [0021]). It follows that the hard coating film (an oxide or oxynitride – Yamamoto at Tables 1 and 3) would have a higher hardness compared to stainless steel at elevated temperatures in the heat treatment step of Ikegaya.
In Ikegaya, the metal powder for making the blade can be a stainless alloy that is Fe-based (stainless steel) (para. [0033]), which has a Vickers hardness (HV) ranging from 130 to 600 (Ashby at p. 231 – Technical Attributes section). The hard coating films of Yamamoto include AlCrON oxynitrides, which have a hardness of about 29 GPa (2957 HV) in the as-coated state and about 20.7 GPa (2111 HV) after exposure at 950oC (Mondragón Rodríguez at Fig. 7; p. 8 – Section 3.3). Therefore, the hardness of the insulator layer is higher than the hardness of the molded blade.
Ikegaya teaches that the blade unit (blade) (1) comprises a platform section (blade root portion) (2) and airfoil section (blade portion) (3) (FIGS. 1-3; para. [0024]-[0029], but is silent regarding a shroud portion.
Haworth is directed to axial-flow fluid machines, such as axial-flow compressors and turbines of gas-turbine engines. Col. 1, lines 15-17. The rotor blades (10, 11, 12) preferably have integral shrouds at their tips (24, 25, 26). Col. 1, lines 52-65; col. 2, lines 7-12, 34-48; sole figure. This solves the difficulties encountered when an annular shroud encircles rotor blades, which must take thermal expansion and distortion into account. Col. 1, lines 43-52. Fluid flow may also be controlled with the tip shroud setup. Col. 1, lines 56-72; col. 2, lines 1-2.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have added a tip shroud on the blade of Ikegawa, as taught by Haworth, because shrouds placed at the tip portion of the blade would address the problems of an annular shroud and provide a manner of controlling gas flow. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to have manufactured the blade unit, including platform, airfoil, and tip shroud, in a metal injection molding process because this aligns with the need to have the tip shroud integrally formed (Haworth at col. 1, lines 56-57) and metal injection molding molds may take on the shape of the final article to be manufactured (Ikegawa at para. [0027], [0029]).
Regarding claim 2, Ikegaya teaches attaching a hydraulic press or a mechanical press (pressing units) onto the blade during the correction process when jigs are attached (pressing units are attached to the jig, the pressing unit capable of pressing the jig in a direction sandwiching the blade attached to the jig in a state where the jig sandwiches the blade). Para. [0057]. Annealing can be performed to render the body to have a hardness suitable for correction, making it possible to suppress generation of cracking during the correction. Para. [0056].
In Samek, the workpiece is in a heated state in the calibration die (corresponds to a correction jig of Ikegaya) such that the workpiece is homogenized, enabling it to be evenly treated, formed, and corrected in shape to produce a workpiece with desired mechanical properties throughout the workpiece. Para. [0008], [0011], [0031], [0032], [0036], [0037], [0042]. The heating furnace and calibrating die can be coupled to a furnace such that they are in the same press station. Para. [0033]. The calibrating die may be a calibrating press that holds the workpiece, imparting a desired and final shape to the workpiece. Para. [0031]. The surface geometry of the pressing faces of the die corresponds to the final shape of the workpiece or has a very near-net shape. Para. [0031].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have carried out the correction process of Ikegaya, which uses a correction jig, under heated and pressed conditions in order to make the metal more malleable and to facilitate shaping. Furthermore, it would have further been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have combined or continuously carried out the HIP and/or annealing steps of Ikegaya with the correction step in Ikegaya such that the product is heated and remains held by the correction jig/mold during these steps because this would increase process efficiency by eliminating the need to transfer the blade to a different holding device or to a furnace, as disclosed by Samek.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikegaya in view of Samek, Yamamoto, and Haworth, with evidence from Ashby and Mondragón Rodríguez, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2007/0017817 (A1) to Mueller et al. (“Mueller”), with evidence from US 2001/0022946 (A1) to Tetsui et al. (“Tetsui”).
Regarding claim 3, Ikegaya teaches stainless powder, such as Fe-based metal powders, for the kneading material for the injection molding step (para. [0033]), but does not disclose titanium aluminum particle powders.
Mueller is directed to a method for manufacturing components of a gas turbine engine. Title; abstract; para. [0002]. Gas turbine engine parts include vane blades. Para. [0037]. Important materials used in aircraft engines or other gas turbine engines are titanium alloys, nickel alloys, and high-strength steels (Fe-based alloys). Para. [0004]. Injection molding materials for injection molding processes include nickel base alloy powder, steel alloy (Fe-based) powder, titanium base alloy powder, or intermetallic alloy powder and TiAl (titanium aluminum) alloy powder. Para. [0016], [0034]; claim 13.
It has been held that it is obvious to substitute known equivalents for one another if used for the same purpose. See MPEP § 2144.06(II). In the present instance, steel or Fe-based powders and TiAl powders are materials both known in the production of parts for gas turbine engines and shown to be suitable for metal injection molding. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have used TiAl powders in the method of Ikegaya because their equivalency is recognized in the art. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have used any suitable metal powder, such as TiAl powder particles, for the manufacture of a blade in the method of Ikegaya because of the suitability of titanium-based alloys in the manufacture of gas turbine parts, as noted by Mueller at para. [0004]. See MPEP § 2144.07.
With respect to the relative hardness between insulating material and molded metal particles, metals generally become more malleable (softer) at elevated temperatures, and Yamamoto teaches that the coating film is hard and heat resistant even when deforming steel sheet at high hot working temperatures (para. [0021]). It follows that the hard coating film (an oxide or oxynitride – Yamamoto at Tables 1 and 3) would have a higher hardness compared to stainless steel at elevated temperatures in the heat treatment step of Ikegaya.
In Mueller, the molded metal particle material for making the blade can be TiAl (titanium aluminum) alloy (para. [0016], [0034]; claim 13), which may have a Vickers hardness (Hv) ranging from 290 to 400 (Tetsui at Table 2 – Examples 1 and 2-5). The hard coating films of Yamamoto include AlCrON oxynitrides, which have a hardness of about 29 GPa (2957 HV) in the as-coated state and about 20.7 GPa (2111 HV) after exposure at 950oC (Mondragón Rodríguez at Fig. 7; p. 8 – Section 3.3). Therefore, the hardness of the insulator layer is higher than the hardness of a molded blade made of TiAl alloy.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/06/2026 have been fully considered.
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection including new reference to Samek.
With respect to the argument that Ikegaya fails to teach the recited heat treatment step, the argument is not persuasive because Ikegaya teaches hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and annealing, both of which are forms of heat treatment. The HIP, for example, can take place at a temperature of 1160°C (para. [0054]), which falls within the claimed range. Although the example HIP time is 3 hours (para. [0054]), it is a universal principle that heating time is dependent on material composition and structural morphology (dimensions and shape), e.g., Ikegaya at para. [0061]. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would been motivated to have increased the HIP time for a thicker part or a part with higher consolidation temperature to achieve the same effect for a thinner part with a lower consolidation temperature.
With respect to the argument that Ikegaya fails to teach or suggest titanium aluminum particles, the argument is not persuasive because it attacks the references individually. See MPEP § 2144(IV). Ikegaya teaches stainless powder, such as Fe-based metal powders, for the kneading material for the injection molding step to make the blade (para. [0033]). Muller discloses that vane blades can be made of nickel base alloy powder, steel alloy (Fe-based) powder, titanium base alloy powder, or intermetallic alloy powder and TiAl (titanium aluminum) alloy powder (para. [0016], [0034]; claim 13). Since steel or Fe-based powders and TiAl powders are materials both known in the production of parts for gas turbine engines and shown to be suitable for metal injection molding, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to substitute one for the other based on the desired final composition of the blade. See MPEP § 2144.07.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/VANESSA T. LUK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1733
June 14, 2026
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