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 .
Response for Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-5 and 14) in the reply filed on 01/14/2026 is acknowledged. Non-elected Groups II, III, and IV are withdrawn from consideration. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/30/2023, 02/28/2025, and 09/12/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 3: the term: “the other of them” as cited in line 3, should be changed to --the other--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
In claims 1 and 14: the term “substantially”, is indefinite because it is unclear how much degree of substantially is. Correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishimura (US 20190337086 A1), in view of Byun et al. (US 20110244309 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Nishimura discloses
A dissimilar metal welded body (bimetal 1, fig.2) comprising:
a first member (high thermal expansion layer 2, fig.2);
a second member (low thermal expansion layer 3, fig.2);
a welded portion (clad material joined, Par.0018) formed by pressure-welding an end face of the first member and an end face of the second member to each other [Par.0018 cited: “…high thermal expansion layer 2 and the low thermal expansion layer 3 constitute a clad material joined through rolling, diffusion annealing, and the like…”]; and
a metal film (corrosion resistant plating layer 4, fig.2) that continuously covers a substantially entire part of the first member (high thermal expansion layer 2) and at least a part of the second member (low thermal expansion layer 3),
However, Nishimura does not disclose a first member made of a metal containing aluminum as a main component; a second member made of a metal containing copper as a main component; and the metal film is a film made of a metal containing copper as a main component.
Byun discloses a first member (bus bar 33, fig.5) made of a metal containing aluminum as a main component; a second member (negative electrode rivet 13, fig.5) made of a metal containing copper (negative electrode rivet 13 is copper, fig.5) as a main component; and the metal film (rivet terminal 23, fig.5) is a film made of a metal containing copper as a main component [Par.0049 cited: “…rivet terminal 23 formed of a copper material and the bus bar 33 formed of an aluminum material …”].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify dissimilar metal welded body of Nishimura, by including a first member made of a metal containing aluminum as a main component; a second member made of a metal containing copper as a main component; and the metal film is a film made of a metal containing copper as a main component, as taught by Byun, in order to improve a method for forming materials.
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Regarding claim 2, the modification of Nishimura and Byun does not disclose the metal film has a thickness of 3 μm or less.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the metal film Nishimura, has a thickness of 3 μm or less, as it well known in the art of manufacturing design choice purpose, in order suitable for the user application.
Regarding claim 3, Byun discloses
one of the first member (bus bar 33, fig.5) and the second member (negative electrode rivet 13, fig.5) is an electroconductive component [bus bar 33, fig.5, is an electroconductive], and the other (negative electrode rivet 13) is a terminal, a wiring, or an electrode of the electroconductive component [negative electrode rivet 13, fig.5, is an electrode].
Regarding claim 4, Byun discloses
the first member (bus bar 33, fig.5) and the second member (negative electrode rivet 13, fig.5) are each any one among a coil, a terminal, and a busbar [bus bar 33, fig.5, is a busbar, and negative electrode rivet 13 is a terminal].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify dissimilar metal welded body of Nishimura, by including a first member made of a metal containing aluminum as a main component; a second member made of a metal containing copper as a main component; and the metal film is a film made of a metal containing copper as a main component, as taught by Byun, in order to improve a method for forming materials.
Regarding claim 5, the modification of Nishimura and Byun does not disclose a resin film is provided on the metal film.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the metal film Nishimura, by including a resin film, as it well known in the art of manufacturing design choice purpose, in order to protect the metal film.
Regarding claim 14, Nishimura discloses
the metal film (corrosion resistant plating layer 4, fig.2) continuously covers a region that occupies substantially 100% of an entire outer surface of the first member (high thermal expansion layer 2, fig.2) and at least a part of the second member (low thermal expansion layer 3, fig.2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUONG T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1834. The examiner can normally be reached 9.00am-5.00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Crabb can be reached on 571-270-5095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUONG T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
01/25/2026