DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2019-038159, filed on 03/04/2019.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1, 3, 6, and 9 are amended. Claims 4-5 and 7 are as previously presented. Claims 2 and 8 are cancelled. Therefore, claims 1, 3-7, and 9 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on October 26, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 8-11, filed 10/26/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-7 and 9 under U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of applicant’s amendment regarding the specific particle size for d10 and d50 and newly found prior art regarding those features
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3-7, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolf et al. (WO 2018108208 A1, hereinafter Wolf) in view of Narita et al. (JP 2010001558 A, hereinafter Narita) and Nagatomi et al. (CN 107709586 A, hereinafter Nagatomi) and Sugahara (US 20190017151 A1) and Ibe et al. (WO 2017110828 A1, hereinafter Ibe) and Maesawa (JP 2018123375 A).
Regarding claim 1, Wolf discloses a Ni-based corrosion resistant alloy powder for additive manufacturing (Page 1, Para. 3, “nitrogen-alloyed nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy for the coating of steels, which has a high corrosion resistance to aggressive media, which can arise during thermal utilization.”), composed of a powder of a Ni-based alloy having a component composition including (Page 1, Para. 2, “nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy”), in mass%,
Cr: 14.5 to 23.9% (Page 2, “Cr 20.0 - 23.0%”),
Mo: 14.0 to 23.0% (Abstract, “Mo 18.5 - 21.05%”),
Fe: 0.01 to 7.00% (Abstract, “Fe ≤ 1.5%”),
Co: 0.001 to 2.500% (Page 2, “Co <0.3%”),
N: 0.040% or less (Page 2, “N 0.03 - 0.15%”),
Mn: 0.001 to 0.50% (Page 2, “Mn <0.5%”),
Si: 0.001 to 0.200% (Abstract, “Si ≤ 0.1%”),
Al: more than 0 and 0.50% or less (Page 2, “AI <0.4%”),
Ti: 0.001 to 0.500% (Page 2, “Ti <0.02%”),
Cu: 0.250% or less (Page 2, “Cu <0.5%”),
V: 0.001 to 0.300% (Page 2, “V <0.3%”), and
with the remainder being Ni and unavoidable impurities (Page 2, “Ni remainder as well as smelting-related impurities as a cladding material”),
wherein C, S, and P are contained as the unavoidable impurities (C: less than 0.05%, S: less than 0.01% and P: less than 0.01%) (Page 2, “C <0.01% P <0.015% S <0.01%”).
Wolf does not disclose:
where Mg: 0.010% or less, B: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, and O: 0.0010 to 0.0300%;
Zr: 0.0001 to 0.0099% and
wherein a repose angle of the Ni-based alloy powder is 48 degrees or less;
wherein, in the Ni-based alloy powder, in a cumulative distribution curve showing the relationship between a particle size and a cumulative volume from a small particle size side obtained by a laser diffraction method, a particle size d10 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 10 volume% of the powder is 7 µm or more and 25 µm or less,
a particle size d50 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 50 volume% of the powder is 10 µm or more and 40 µm or less, and
a particle size d90 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 90 volume% of the powder is 20 µm or more and 98 µm or less.
However, Narita discloses, in the similar field of Ni-based corrosion resistant material (Page 3, Para. 2, “…a valve member for a cylinder for a halogen gas and a halogen compound gas that has excellent die forgeability and further excellent corrosion resistance against hydrohalic acid…”), where a similar alloy includes Mg: 0.010% or less (Page 5, Para. 5 from end, “Therefore, the Mg content is set to 0.001 to 0.05% (more preferably 0.01 to 0.04%).”), where B: 0.0001 to 0.0050% (Page 3, Para. 3, “B: 5 to 50 ppm”, where 50 ppm is 0.0050%) . It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder alloy in Wolf to include the element values as taught by Narita.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of using Mg to prevent forging cracks and using B to improve deformability at high temperatures while suppressing cracking, as stated by Narita, Page 5, Para. 5 from end, “Mg content is less than 0.001%, there is no effect of suppressing μ phase formation, and therefore, excessive μ phase generation is allowed during high temperature forging, and as a result, forging cracks are likely to occur, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the content exceeds 0.05%, the μ phase generation is accelerated, and forging cracks are caused. Therefore, the Mg content is set to 0.001 to 0.05% (more preferably 0.01 to 0.04%).”,
Page 6, Para. 2, “B is added because it has the effect of improving deformability at high temperature and suppressing cracking due to die forging to improve dimensional accuracy, but if its content is less than 5 ppm, the desired effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, B contained in excess of 50 ppm is not preferred because it tends to segregate at the grain boundaries and cracks easily occur. Therefore, the B content is set to 5 to 50 ppm. A more preferable range of the B content is 5 to 40 ppm.”.
Nagatomi discloses, in the similar field of corrosion resistant Ni-based alloys (Page 3, Para. 3, “Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a Ni based superalloy powder”), where the O component of the Ni-based alloy is between 0.0010 to 0.0300% (Page 5, Para. 5, “O and Fe, Ti and Al to obtain oxide, caused by reduced intensity and ductility, so preferably the content thereof is below 0.02%.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Nagatomi.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage being able to limit the amount of oxygen present within the alloy, where excessive oxygen can lead to oxides that reduce intensity and ductility within the alloy, as stated by Nagatomi, Page 5, Para. 5, “O and Fe, Ti and Al to obtain oxide, caused by reduced intensity and ductility, so preferably the content thereof is below 0.02%.”.
Sugahara discloses, in the similar field of corrosion resistant Ni-based alloys (Abstract, “Provided is a high strength and high corrosion-resistance Ni-based alloy”), where the Zr component of the Ni-based alloy is between 0.0001 to 0.0099% (Abstract, “0.001 to 0.050% of Zr”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Sugahara.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to reduce cracking during hot forging, where higher concentrations of Zr result in high chances of cracking, as stated by Sugahara, Para. 0055-0058, “Zr and B are effective for improving the deformability in hot forging in a temperature range of 1100° C. or more, and thereby the cracking during hot forging can be reduced… comparable effect can be achieved when 0.001 % or more of Zr is contained. However, if the content of Zr exceeds 0.050%, then the deformability might decrease, and accordingly, cracking during hot forging might be induced. Thus, the content of Zr is set to be 0.001 to 0.050%.”.
Further, Ibe discloses, in the similar field of powder material consisting of Ni-based alloys (Page 4, Para. 5, “For example, Ni-20Cr alloy, Ni-50Cr alloy, Inconel”), where the repose angle for the Ni-based powder alloy is 48 degrees or less (Page 10, Para. 4 from end, “In addition, it is also a preferable aspect that the repose angle of the modeling material disclosed herein is less than 39 degrees.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder alloy in modified Wolf to include the specific repose angle limitations as taught by Ibe.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of using a repose angle that allows for the powder particles to have high fluidity, which produces a homogeneous three dimensional structure with higher productivity, as stated by Ibe, Page 10, Para. 4 from end, “Therefore, by defining the angle of repose to be small, a modeling material with high fluidity can be realized. As a result, it may be a modeling material that can produce a homogeneous three dimensional structure with higher productivity.”.
Maesawa discloses, in the similar field of nickel based powders (Page 2, Para. 3 from end, “As a method for producing a porous powder whose material is nickel, copper or the like”), where the cumulative distribution curve of the powder particle size includes a d10 between 7 to 25 µm (Page 6, Para. 3 from end, “The particle diameter D10 at which the cumulative curve becomes 10% is preferably 0.1 µm or more. A powder having a particle diameter D10 of 0.1 µm or more can be easily kneaded with a resin or the like.”, where being 0.1 µm or more would fall within the range of 7-25 µm), a d50 between 10 to 40 µm (Page 6, Para. 5 from end, “The average particle diameter D50 of this powder is preferably 3 µm or more and 50 µm or less.”), and a d90 between 20 to 98 µm (Page 6, Para. 2 from end, “The particle diameter D90 at which the cumulative curve becomes 90% is preferably 70 µm or less.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the particle size cumulative distribution of the powder in modified Wolf to include the particle size values as taught by Maesawa.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use the powder as conductive filler, where the particle sizes allow for easier kneading with resin while still having conductivity, as stated by Maesawa, Page 6, Para. 5 from end, “The powder having an average particle diameter D50 of 50 µm or less can contribute to the conductivity of the composition.”, and Page 6, Para. 3 from end, “A powder having a particle diameter D10 of 0.1 µm or more can be easily kneaded with a resin or the like.”.
Regarding claim 3, modified Wolf teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein, in the cumulative distribution curve, the uniformity represented by (d90-d10)/d50 is 1.5 or less (Teaching from Maesawa, d90 is 70, d50 is 50, and d10 can be 10, where (70-10)/50 is 1.2, which would be less than 1.5).
Regarding claim 4, modified Wolf teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above.
Modified Wolf does not disclose:
wherein the component composition of the Ni-based alloy further includes Ta: 2.5% or less.
However, Nagatomi discloses where the Ni-based alloy can further include Ta: 2.5% or less (Page 4, last Para., “Ta carbide, and formed such that γ ' is reinforced, the strength is increased, so it can make it contains 0.1% or more according to the need… However, if too many phase is generated, the strength is reduced, so the content of each is less than 6.0%. preferably”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Nagatomi.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage being able to use Ta to improve the strength of the alloy, as stated by Nagatomi, Page 4, last Para., “Ta carbide, and formed such that γ ' is reinforced, the strength is increased, so it can make it contains 0.1% or more according to the need”.
Regarding claim 5, modified Wolf teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the component composition of the Ni-based alloy further includes W: 5.0% or less (Wolf, Page 2, “W <0.25%”).
Regarding claim 6, Wolf discloses a method of manufacturing a product (Page 1, Para. 3, “The invention relates to the use of a nitrogen-alloyed nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy for the coating of steels”), comprising
wherein the Ni-based corrosion resistant alloy powder making the product is composed of a powder of a Ni-based alloy (Page 3, Para. 3 from end, “The application of the plating layers can be done except by build-up welding, for example, by flame or plasma spraying by means of powder or wire.”) having a component composition including, in mass%,
Cr: 14.5 to 23.9% (Page 2, “Cr 20.0 - 23.0%”),
Mo: 14.0 to 23.0% (Abstract, “Mo 18.5 - 21.05%”),
Fe: 0.01 to 7.00% (Abstract, “Fe ≤ 1.5%”),
Co: 0.001 to 2.500% (Page 2, “Co <0.3%”),
N: 0.040% or less (Page 2, “N 0.03 - 0.15%”),
Mn: 0.001 to 0.50% (Page 2, “Mn <0.5%”),
Si: 0.001 to 0.200% (Abstract, “Si ≤ 0.1%”),
Al: more than 0 and 0.50% or less (Page 2, “AI <0.4%”),
Ti: 0.001 to 0.500% (Page 2, “Ti <0.02%”),
Cu: 0.250% or less (Page 2, “Cu <0.5%”),
V: 0.001 to 0.300% (Page 2, “V <0.3%”), and
with the remainder being Ni and unavoidable impurities (Page 2, “Ni remainder as well as smelting-related impurities as a cladding material”),
wherein C, S, and P are contained as the unavoidable impurities (C: less than 0.05%, S: less than 0.01% and P: less than 0.01%) (Page 2, “C <0.01% P <0.015% S <0.01%”).
Wolf does not disclose:
a method of manufacturing an additive manufacturing product using the powder, where alternately repeating following steps: a step of forming a metal powder layer using a Ni-based corrosion resistant alloy powder for additive manufacturing as a raw material powder; and
a step of emitting a laser or an electron beam to a predetermined area of the metal powder layer to melt and solidify the metal powder in the predetermined area,
where Mg: 0.010% or less, B: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, and O: 0.0010 to 0.0300%;
Zr: 0.0001 to 0.0099% and
wherein a repose angle of the Ni-based alloy powder is 48 degrees or less;
wherein, in the Ni-based alloy powder, in a cumulative distribution curve showing the relationship between a particle size and a cumulative volume from a small particle size side obtained by a laser diffraction method, a particle size d10 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 10 volume% of the powder is 7 µm or more and 25 µm or less,
a particle size d50 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 50 volume% of the powder is 10 µm or more and 40 µm or less, and
a particle size d90 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 90 volume% of the powder is 20 µm or more and 98 µm or less.
However, Narita discloses, in the similar field of Ni-based corrosion resistant material (Page 3, Para. 2, “…a valve member for a cylinder for a halogen gas and a halogen compound gas that has excellent die forgeability and further excellent corrosion resistance against hydrohalic acid…”), where a similar alloy includes Mg: 0.010% or less (Page 5, Para. 5 from end, “Therefore, the Mg content is set to 0.001 to 0.05% (more preferably 0.01 to 0.04%).”), where B: 0.0001 to 0.0050% (Page 3, Para. 3, “B: 5 to 50 ppm”, where 50 ppm is 0.0050%) . It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder alloy in Wolf to include the element values as taught by Narita.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of using Mg to prevent forging cracks and using B to improve deformability at high temperatures while suppressing cracking, as stated by Narita, Page 5, Para. 5 from end, “Mg content is less than 0.001%, there is no effect of suppressing μ phase formation, and therefore, excessive μ phase generation is allowed during high temperature forging, and as a result, forging cracks are likely to occur, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the content exceeds 0.05%, the μ phase generation is accelerated, and forging cracks are caused. Therefore, the Mg content is set to 0.001 to 0.05% (more preferably 0.01 to 0.04%).”,
Page 6, Para. 2, “B is added because it has the effect of improving deformability at high temperature and suppressing cracking due to die forging to improve dimensional accuracy, but if its content is less than 5 ppm, the desired effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, B contained in excess of 50 ppm is not preferred because it tends to segregate at the grain boundaries and cracks easily occur. Therefore, the B content is set to 5 to 50 ppm. A more preferable range of the B content is 5 to 40 ppm.”.
Nagatomi discloses, in the similar field of corrosion resistant Ni-based alloys (Page 3, Para. 3, “Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a Ni based superalloy powder”), where the O component of the Ni-based alloy is between 0.0010 to 0.0300% (Page 5, Para. 5, “O and Fe, Ti and Al to obtain oxide, caused by reduced intensity and ductility, so preferably the content thereof is below 0.02%.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Nagatomi.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage being able to limit the amount of oxygen present within the alloy, where excessive oxygen can lead to oxides that reduce intensity and ductility within the alloy, as stated by Nagatomi, Page 5, Para. 5, “O and Fe, Ti and Al to obtain oxide, caused by reduced intensity and ductility, so preferably the content thereof is below 0.02%.”.
Sugahara discloses, in the similar field of corrosion resistant Ni-based alloys (Abstract, “Provided is a high strength and high corrosion-resistance Ni-based alloy”), where the Zr component of the Ni-based alloy is between 0.0001 to 0.0099% (Abstract, “0.001 to 0.050% of Zr”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Sugahara.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to reduce cracking during hot forging, where higher concentrations of Zr result in high chances of cracking, as stated by Sugahara, Para. 0055-0058, “Zr and B are effective for improving the deformability in hot forging in a temperature range of 1100° C. or more, and thereby the cracking during hot forging can be reduced… comparable effect can be achieved when 0.001 % or more of Zr is contained. However, if the content of Zr exceeds 0.050%, then the deformability might decrease, and accordingly, cracking during hot forging might be induced. Thus, the content of Zr is set to be 0.001 to 0.050%.”.
Further, Ibe discloses, in the similar field of powder material consisting of Ni-based alloys (Page 4, Para. 5, “For example, Ni-20Cr alloy, Ni-50Cr alloy, Inconel”), where the repose angle for the Ni-based powder alloy is 48 degrees or less (Page 10, Para. 4 from end, “In addition, it is also a preferable aspect that the repose angle of the modeling material disclosed herein is less than 39 degrees.”), where an additive manufacturing process is more explicitly stated to create an additive manufacturing product, where metal powder is injected as a raw material powder forward of a laser and then the laser irradiates the metal powder to melt and solidify the metal powder (Page 13, Para. 3, “Supply a modeling material to the modeling area of the powder additive manufacturing apparatus. (2) Deposit the supplied modeling material uniformly and thinly on the modeling area. This forms a thin layer of modeling material. (3) The process of giving the energy means for fuse | melting a modeling material to the formed thin layer of the modeling material, and couple | bonding a modeling material. (4) Supply new modeling material on the solidified modeling material (step (1) above), and then repeat steps (2) to (4) to stack the target three-dimensional modeling Get things.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder alloy in modified Wolf to include the specific repose angle limitations and the commonly known additive manufacturing steps as taught by Ibe.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of using a repose angle that allows for the powder particles to have high fluidity, which produces a homogeneous three dimensional structure with higher productivity, as stated by Ibe, Page 10, Para. 4 from end, “Therefore, by defining the angle of repose to be small, a modeling material with high fluidity can be realized. As a result, it may be a modeling material that can produce a homogeneous three dimensional structure with higher productivity.”, and to produce a variety of three dimensional shapes as stated by Ibe, Page 13, Para. 3, “Supply new modeling material on the solidified modeling material (step (1) above), and then repeat steps (2) to (4) to stack the target three-dimensional modeling”.
Maesawa discloses, in the similar field of nickel based powders (Page 2, Para. 3 from end, “As a method for producing a porous powder whose material is nickel, copper or the like”), where the cumulative distribution curve of the powder particle size includes a d10 between 7 to 25 µm (Page 6, Para. 3 from end, “The particle diameter D10 at which the cumulative curve becomes 10% is preferably 0.1 µm or more. A powder having a particle diameter D10 of 0.1 µm or more can be easily kneaded with a resin or the like.”, where being 0.1 µm or more would fall within the range of 7-25 µm), a d50 between 10 to 40 µm (Page 6, Para. 5 from end, “The average particle diameter D50 of this powder is preferably 3 µm or more and 50 µm or less.”), and a d90 between 20 to 98 µm (Page 6, Para. 2 from end, “The particle diameter D90 at which the cumulative curve becomes 90% is preferably 70 µm or less.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the particle size cumulative distribution of the powder in modified Wolf to include the particle size values as taught by Maesawa.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use the powder as conductive filler, where the particle sizes allow for easier kneading with resin while still having conductivity, as stated by Maesawa, Page 6, Para. 5 from end, “The powder having an average particle diameter D50 of 50 µm or less can contribute to the conductivity of the composition.”, and Page 6, Para. 3 from end, “A powder having a particle diameter D10 of 0.1 µm or more can be easily kneaded with a resin or the like.”.
Regarding claim 7, modified Wolf teaches the method according to claim 6, as set forth above.
Modified Wolf does not disclose:
wherein the additive manufacturing product is a member for semiconductor manufacturing device.
However, Narita discloses where the alloy is used as a member of a semiconductor manufacturing device (Page 1, last Para, “As semiconductor manufacturing process gases, it is known that high-purity halogen compound gases having strong corrosive properties such as HCl, HF, HBr, and NF”, and Abstract, “To provide a member for producing a valve fitted to a cylinder for charging, storing and carrying halogen compound gas having strong corrosiveness such as HCl, HF, HBr and NF”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder in modified Wolf to be used in the semiconductor area as taught by Narita.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of benefits from Wolf’s powder in preventing cracking and the additional elements of Narita to provide cracking and corrosion resistance, where this combination allows for a user to have greater market applicability as the powder could be applied to more consumer areas, as stated by Narita, Page 3, Para. 1, “Therefore, the present inventors conducted research to develop a valve member for a cylinder for a halogen gas and a halogen compound gas that has excellent die forgeability and further excellent corrosion resistance against hydrohalic acid”, and Page 1, Para. 2, “As semiconductor manufacturing process gases, it is known that high-purity halogen compound gases having strong corrosive properties such as HCl, HF, HBr, and NF”.
Regarding claim 9, Wolf discloses a method of manufacturing a product (Page 1, Para. 3, “The invention relates to the use of a nitrogen-alloyed nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy for the coating of steels”), comprising following steps:
wherein the Ni-based corrosion resistant alloy powder (Page 3, Para. 3 from end, “The application of the plating layers can be done except by build-up welding, for example, by flame or plasma spraying by means of powder or wire.”) for manufacturing is composed of a powder of a Ni-based alloy having a component composition including, in mass%,
Cr: 14.5 to 23.9% (Page 2, “Cr 20.0 - 23.0%”),
Mo: 14.0 to 23.0% (Abstract, “Mo 18.5 - 21.05%”),
Fe: 0.01 to 7.00% (Abstract, “Fe ≤ 1.5%”),
Co: 0.001 to 2.500% (Page 2, “Co <0.3%”),
N: 0.040% or less (Page 2, “N 0.03 - 0.15%”),
Mn: 0.001 to 0.50% (Page 2, “Mn <0.5%”),
Si: 0.001 to 0.200% (Abstract, “Si ≤ 0.1%”),
Al: more than 0 and 0.50% or less (Page 2, “AI <0.4%”),
Ti: 0.001 to 0.500% (Page 2, “Ti <0.02%”),
Cu: 0.250% or less (Page 2, “Cu <0.5%”),
V: 0.001 to 0.300% (Page 2, “V <0.3%”), and
with the remainder being Ni and unavoidable impurities (Page 2, “Ni remainder as well as smelting-related impurities as a cladding material”),
wherein C, S, and P are contained as the unavoidable impurities (C: less than 0.05%, S: less than 0.01% and P: less than 0.01%) (Page 2, “C <0.01% P <0.015% S <0.01%”).
Wolf does not disclose:
a method of manufacturing an additive manufacturing product using the powder, a step of continuously injecting a metal powder using a Ni-based corrosion resistant alloy powder for additive manufacturing as a raw material powder at a forward position in a direction in which a laser or an electron beam is moved; and
a step of irradiating the metal powder with the laser or the electron beam to melt and solidify the metal powder,
where Mg: 0.010% or less, B: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, and O: 0.0010 to 0.0300%;
Zr: 0.0001 to 0.0099% and
wherein a repose angle of the Ni-based alloy powder is 48 degrees or less;
wherein, in the Ni-based alloy powder, in a cumulative distribution curve showing the relationship between a particle size and a cumulative volume from a small particle size side obtained by a laser diffraction method, a particle size d10 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 10 volume% of the powder is 7 µm or more and 25 µm or less,
a particle size d50 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 50 volume% of the powder is 10 µm or more and 40 µm or less, and
a particle size d90 corresponding to a cumulative frequency of 90 volume% of the powder is 20 µm or more and 98 µm or less.
However, Narita discloses, in the similar field of Ni-based corrosion resistant material (Page 3, Para. 2, “…a valve member for a cylinder for a halogen gas and a halogen compound gas that has excellent die forgeability and further excellent corrosion resistance against hydrohalic acid…”), where a similar alloy includes Mg: 0.010% or less (Page 5, Para. 5 from end, “Therefore, the Mg content is set to 0.001 to 0.05% (more preferably 0.01 to 0.04%).”), where B: 0.0001 to 0.0050% (Page 3, Para. 3, “B: 5 to 50 ppm”, where 50 ppm is 0.0050%) . It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder alloy in Wolf to include the element values as taught by Narita.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of using Mg to prevent forging cracks and using B to improve deformability at high temperatures while suppressing cracking, as stated by Narita, Page 5, Para. 5 from end, “Mg content is less than 0.001%, there is no effect of suppressing μ phase formation, and therefore, excessive μ phase generation is allowed during high temperature forging, and as a result, forging cracks are likely to occur, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the content exceeds 0.05%, the μ phase generation is accelerated, and forging cracks are caused. Therefore, the Mg content is set to 0.001 to 0.05% (more preferably 0.01 to 0.04%).”,
Page 6, Para. 2, “B is added because it has the effect of improving deformability at high temperature and suppressing cracking due to die forging to improve dimensional accuracy, but if its content is less than 5 ppm, the desired effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, B contained in excess of 50 ppm is not preferred because it tends to segregate at the grain boundaries and cracks easily occur. Therefore, the B content is set to 5 to 50 ppm. A more preferable range of the B content is 5 to 40 ppm.”.
Nagatomi discloses, in the similar field of corrosion resistant Ni-based alloys (Page 3, Para. 3, “Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a Ni based superalloy powder”), where the O component of the Ni-based alloy is between 0.0010 to 0.0300% (Page 5, Para. 5, “O and Fe, Ti and Al to obtain oxide, caused by reduced intensity and ductility, so preferably the content thereof is below 0.02%.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Nagatomi.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage being able to limit the amount of oxygen present within the alloy, where excessive oxygen can lead to oxides that reduce intensity and ductility within the alloy, as stated by Nagatomi, Page 5, Para. 5, “O and Fe, Ti and Al to obtain oxide, caused by reduced intensity and ductility, so preferably the content thereof is below 0.02%.”.
Sugahara discloses, in the similar field of corrosion resistant Ni-based alloys (Abstract, “Provided is a high strength and high corrosion-resistance Ni-based alloy”), where the Zr component of the Ni-based alloy is between 0.0001 to 0.0099% (Abstract, “0.001 to 0.050% of Zr”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the alloy in modified Wolf to include the element values as taught by Sugahara.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to reduce cracking during hot forging, where higher concentrations of Zr result in high chances of cracking, as stated by Sugahara, Para. 0055-0058, “Zr and B are effective for improving the deformability in hot forging in a temperature range of 1100° C. or more, and thereby the cracking during hot forging can be reduced… comparable effect can be achieved when 0.001 % or more of Zr is contained. However, if the content of Zr exceeds 0.050%, then the deformability might decrease, and accordingly, cracking during hot forging might be induced. Thus, the content of Zr is set to be 0.001 to 0.050%.”.
Further, Ibe discloses, in the similar field of powder material consisting of Ni-based alloys (Page 4, Para. 5, “For example, Ni-20Cr alloy, Ni-50Cr alloy, Inconel”), where the repose angle for the Ni-based powder alloy is 48 degrees or less (Page 10, Para. 4 from end, “In addition, it is also a preferable aspect that the repose angle of the modeling material disclosed herein is less than 39 degrees.”), where an additive manufacturing process is more explicitly stated to create an additive manufacturing product, where metal powder is injected as a raw material powder forward of a laser and then the laser irradiates the metal powder to melt and solidify the metal powder (Page 13, Para. 3, “Supply a modeling material to the modeling area of the powder additive manufacturing apparatus. (2) Deposit the supplied modeling material uniformly and thinly on the modeling area. This forms a thin layer of modeling material. (3) The process of giving the energy means for fuse | melting a modeling material to the formed thin layer of the modeling material, and couple | bonding a modeling material. (4) Supply new modeling material on the solidified modeling material (step (1) above), and then repeat steps (2) to (4) to stack the target three-dimensional modeling Get things.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the powder alloy in modified Wolf to include the specific repose angle limitations and the commonly known additive manufacturing steps as taught by Ibe.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of using a repose angle that allows for the powder particles to have high fluidity, which produces a homogeneous three dimensional structure with higher productivity, as stated by Ibe, Page 10, Para. 4 from end, “Therefore, by defining the angle of repose to be small, a modeling material with high fluidity can be realized. As a result, it may be a modeling material that can produce a homogeneous three dimensional structure with higher productivity.”, and to produce a variety of three dimensional shapes as stated by Ibe, Page 13, Para. 3, “Supply new modeling material on the solidified modeling material (step (1) above), and then repeat steps (2) to (4) to stack the target three-dimensional modeling”.
Maesawa discloses, in the similar field of nickel based powders (Page 2, Para. 3 from end, “As a method for producing a porous powder whose material is nickel, copper or the like”), where the cumulative distribution curve of the powder particle size includes a d10 between 7 to 25 µm (Page 6, Para. 3 from end, “The particle diameter D10 at which the cumulative curve becomes 10% is preferably 0.1 µm or more. A powder having a particle diameter D10 of 0.1 µm or more can be easily kneaded with a resin or the like.”, where being 0.1 µm or more would fall within the range of 7-25 µm), a d50 between 10 to 40 µm (Page 6, Para. 5 from end, “The average particle diameter D50 of this powder is preferably 3 µm or more and 50 µm or less.”), and a d90 between 20 to 98 µm (Page 6, Para. 2 from end, “The particle diameter D90 at which the cumulative curve becomes 90% is preferably 70 µm or less.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the particle size cumulative distribution of the powder in modified Wolf to include the particle size values as taught by Maesawa.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use the powder as conductive filler, where the particle sizes allow for easier kneading with resin while still having conductivity, as stated by Maesawa, Page 6, Para. 5 from end, “The powder having an average particle diameter D50 of 50 µm or less can contribute to the conductivity of the composition.”, and Page 6, Para. 3 from end, “A powder having a particle diameter D10 of 0.1 µm or more can be easily kneaded with a resin or the like.”.
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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/KEVIN GUANHUA WEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
01/05/2026
/IBRAHIME A ABRAHAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761