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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 10, 13, 17 and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities: all these claims include the term “annealing material”, however because annealing is generally the process of heat treating a material, it is suggested to replace the phrase “annealing an annealing material” with --annealing a material--.
In claim 19, lines 2-3, it is suggested to replace “the respective cooling gas inlet (9)” with --the at least one cooling gas inlet--, so as to be consistent with the recitation in the base claim 17 from which claim 19 depends from. 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1-17 are indefinite in that, each claim includes the term “hood-type”, however, it has been held that adding the word “type” to an otherwise definite limitation/expression extends the scope of the expression so as to render it indefinite. Also see MPEP 2173.05(b). III.E.
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.
Claims 10-12 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Soliman (US Patent No. 4,846,674).
Regarding claim 10, Soliman teaches a hood-shaped annealing furnace (100, see figure 1, abstract, column 1, lines 5-31, column 4, lines 28-40 and column 6, lines 25-41) for a material (i.e., workpiece in a form of a metallic coil D, see figures 1-3, column 1, lines 17-31 and column 5, lines 38-46) comprising: a base (i.e., base means A with base member 12, see figures 1&2, and column 4, lines 28-45), having a site (i.e. support member 60, see figure 2 and column 5, lines 43-46) on which a batch of the material (i.e. work item D, see figures 1-3, column 5, lines 38-46 and column 6, lines 53-61) is able to be arranged; a protective hood (i.e., cover means B with a cylindrical body portion 70, see figures 1-3 , column 4, lines 38-46, and column 5, lines 47-66) with which the material arranged on the site (see figures 1-3) is able to be covered, forming an annealing space (i.e., work space 59, see figures 1 and 2, column 5, lines 38-42 and column 6, lines 47-52) enclosed by the protective hood and the site (see figures 1-3); a heating hood (i.e., a furnace hood or heating hood C, see figure 1 , column 4, lines 28-39 and column 6, lines 25-41) with which the protective hood (B) is able to be covered (see figure 1 and column 2, lines 18-35) , forming an intermediate space (105, see figures 1 and 2 and column 6, lines 25-41) arranged between the heating hood (C, see figures 1 and 2) and the protective hood (B, see figures 1 and 2) and bounded at a bottom by the base (i.e., base means A with base member 12, see figures 1&2, and column 4, lines 28-45).
Regarding the claimed cooling system as in claim 1, Soliman teaches a cooling hood (E, see figure 3 and column 6, line 67-column 7, line 48) that covers the protective hood (i.e., cover means B, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 1-25) and an intermediate cooling space (143, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 1-48) defined therebetween during the cooling phase of the material or workpiece (D, see figure 3); and a cooling fluid system (i.e., meaning would encompasses both liquid and gas) that is communicably connected or connectable to the intermediate cooling space (143) by a cooling fluid conduit (140, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 10-16) having an inlet pipeline install at the base (see figure 3) and an outlet (i.e., outlet means of funnel 92, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 30-35) also formed at the base (see figure 3).
Soliman, therefore differs from the instant claim only by the fact that the heating hood (C, see figure 1) is replaceable by a cooling hood (E, see figure 3) with an intermediate cooling space (143, see figure 3) defined between said cooling hood and the protective hood (i.e., cover means B, see figure 3) when the cooling system is connected for cooling the annealed material. However, Soliman, at the background of the invention also shows that for a hood-shaped annealing furnace, it is known in the art to maintain the same heating hood to cover the protective hood, and serving as a cooling hood during the cooling phase (see column 1, lines 25-31), meaning the same cooling system can be connectable to the intermediate space defined between the heating hood and the protective hood during the cooling phase without necessarily replacing the heating hood with a cooling hood. Therefore, based on the background teaching, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to maintained the same heating hood to cover the protective hood as a cooling hood during the cooling phase in the apparatus of Soliman as known in the art since doing so would reasonable yield substantially the same expected result.
Regarding claims 11 and 12, Soliman teaches hood annealing furnace (100, see figures 1-3) in which the cooling fluid system comprises a cooling fluid feed (i.e., the cooling fluid pipeline comprising (conduit 140 and shower head 142, see figure 3) communicably connected to the cooling gas outlet (i.e., outlet means of funnel 92,see figure 3) via the intermediate cooling pace (143, see figure 3) and a cooling unit having fluid feed or source (see figure 3) fluid inlet and a fan (56, see figures 1 and 3) arranged at the base (A, see figures 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 17, Soliman teaches a method for cooling an material (i.e., workpiece in a form of a metallic coil D, see figures 1-3, and column 5, lines 38-46) located in a hood-shaped annealing furnace (100, see figure 1, abstract, and column 4, lines 28-40), comprising: arranging a protective hood (i.e., cover means B with a cylindrical body portion 70, see figures 1-3 , column 4, lines 38-46) to cover the material (D, see figures 1-3) arranged on a site (i.e. support member 60, see figure 2 and column 5, lines 43-46) of a base (i.e., base means A with base member 12, see figures 1&2, and column 4, lines 28-45) of the hood-shaped annealing furnace (100) and thereby forming an annealing space (i.e., work space 59, see figures 1 and 2, column 5, lines 38-42) enclosed by the protective hood (B) and the site (60, see figure 2); arranging a heating hood (i.e., a furnace hood or heating hood C, see figure 1 , column 4, lines 28-39) to cover the protective hood (B), thereby forming an intermediate space (105, see figures 1 and 2 and column 6, lines 25-41) between the protective hood (B) and the heating hood (C) that is bounded at a bottom by the base ( i.e., base member 12, see figures 1 and 2).
Regarding the claimed cooling step by passing a cooling gas for cooling material, as in claim 17, Soliman teaches removing the heating hood ( C) and replacing with a cooling hood (E, see figure 3 and column 6, line 67-column 7, line 48) that covers the protective hood (B) such that an intermediate cooling space (143, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 1-48) is defined therebetween the cooling hood ( E) and the protective hood (B), and passing a cooling fluid (i.e., meaning would encompasses both liquid and gas, see figure 3 , column 6, lines 67-column 7, line 48), for cooling the material, through the intermediate space (143); extracting used cooling gas from the intermediate space via at least one cooling gas outlet (i.e., outlet means of funnel 92, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 30-35) formed on the base ( i.e., base member 12, see figures 1 and 2); and introducing fresh cooling fluid (i.e., by a cooling fluid conduit 140, see figure 3 and column 7, lines 10-16) into the intermediate space via at least one inlet formed on the base (see figure 3).
Soliman, therefore differs from the instant claim only by the fact that the heating hood (C, see figure 1) is replaceable by a cooling hood (E, see figure 3) and the intermediate cooling space (143, see figure 3) defined between said cooling hood and the protective hood (i.e., cover means B, see figure 3). However, Soliman, at the background of the invention also shows that for a hood-shaped annealing furnace, it is known in the art to maintain the same heating hood to cover the protective hood, and serving as a cooling hood during the cooling phase (see column 1, lines 25-31), meaning the same cooling system can be connectable to the intermediate space defined between the heating hood and the protective hood during the cooling phase without necessarily replacing the heating hood with a cooling hood. Therefore, based on the background teaching, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to maintained the same heating hood to cover the protective hood as a cooling hood during the cooling phase in the method of Soliman as known in the art since doing so would reasonable yield substantially the same expected result.
Regarding claim 18, Soliman teaches a method in which a base fan is provided for (see column 8, lines 13-16 and lines 60-68) further cools the fresh cooling fluid directed from the base, and as such provides substantially similar effect as the claimed cooling unit.
Regarding claim 19, Soliman teaches a method in which at least a control valve is provided on the cooling fluid conduit (140, see figure 3) and therefore adjusting the volume flow rate of cooling fluid leading to the intermediate cooling space (143, see figure 3) by said control valve during the cooling step would reasonably be expected in the process of Soliman.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Soliman differs from the instant claimed invention by failing to teach and/or adequately suggest as in claim 13: at least two protective hoods, each covering one of at least two sites in which respective batches of material are arranged, each protective hood being dedicated to forming an annealing space enclosed by the respective protective hood, a single heating hood covering the at least two protective hoods, and forming an intermediate space between the heating hood and the at least two protective hoods that is bounded at a bottom by the base, and a cooling gas system that is communicably connected or connectable to the intermediate space by a cooling gas outlet formed on the base and by a cooling gas inlet formed on the base for each of the at least two sites.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ebner et al. (US 8,790,115), Hemsath (US 5,380,378), Ebner et al. (US 2012/0018931), Zwickel (US 9,297,585) and Bhadurt et al. (US 9,303,922) are also cited in PTO-892.
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/M.A/Examiner, Art Unit 1733
/JESSEE R ROE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759