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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lingnau (US 2010/0038404) as evidenced by Lingnau ‘642 (US 6,637,642).
With respect to the limitations of claim 10, Lingnau teaches a method of induction-kinetic joining of two metal parts (title, abstract), said method comprising: retaining in an apparatus (Figs 1-5, apparatus 10, 0026) a first metal part having a first endface to be joined with a second endface of a second metal part (work-pieces 130, 132, 0039), the apparatus is adapted to move at least the first endface in one degree of freedom relative to X, Y, Z translational axes, motion only occurs along the Z axis and does so in a bidirectional manner while the Z axis projects through a center of the first endface and the second endface (0036, the linear offset is accomplished through a fluid actuated expandable actuator, such as a hydraulic ram 116, that displaces the motive assembly in the direction of arrow 12 to bring the lower and upper chucks 102A, 102B, 104A and 104B toward and away from each other), the apparatus provides for moving the first endface in translational Z motion relative to the second endface (0036); in a controlled, non-reactive atmosphere (0027, welding atmosphere; as evidenced by Lingnau ‘642, the atmosphere is a non-oxidizing atmosphere, Col 5, Lines 35-40), rapidly heating the first endface and the second endface with an induction heater (Figs 10, 14, step 212, heat parts, 0066) to a temperature suitable for induction kinetic welding (as evidenced by Lingnau ‘642, Col 5, Lines 34-45); rapidly forcing the first endface onto the second endface and with the apparatus motioning the first endface in exactly one translational reciprocating motion with the second endface (Fig 12, step 216, 0068) until a dynamic recrystallization occurs (as evidenced by Lingnau ‘642, Col 9, Lines 20-45, recyrstallization point or a temperature) within a viscoplastic flow gradient of the first endface and second endface, the first endface is joined to the second endface.
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.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Lingnau (US 2010/0038404) in view of Lingnau ‘642 (US 6,637,642).
With respect to the limitations of claim 10, Lingnau teaches a method of induction-kinetic joining of two metal parts (title, abstract), said method comprising: retaining in an apparatus (Figs 1-5, apparatus 10, 0026) a first metal part having a first endface to be joined with a second endface of a second metal part (work-pieces 130, 132, 0039), the apparatus is adapted to move at least the first endface in one degree of freedom relative to X, Y, Z translational axes, motion only occurs along the Z axis and does so in a bidirectional manner while the Z axis projects through a center of the first endface and the second endface (0036, the linear offset is accomplished through a fluid actuated expandable actuator, such as a hydraulic ram 116, that displaces the motive assembly in the direction of arrow 12 to bring the lower and upper chucks 102A, 102B, 104A and 104B toward and away from each other), the apparatus provides for moving the first endface in translational Z motion relative to the second endface (0036); in a controlled, non-reactive atmosphere (0027, welding atmosphere), rapidly heating the first endface and the second endface with an induction heater (Figs 10, 14, step 212, heat parts, 0066) to a temperature suitable for induction kinetic welding; rapidly forcing the first endface onto the second endface and with the apparatus motioning the first endface in exactly one translational reciprocating motion with the second endface (Fig 12, step 216, 0068) until a dynamic recrystallization occurs within a viscoplastic flow gradient of the first endface and second endface, the first endface is joined to the second endface.
Lingnau discloses the claimed invention except for explicitly showing the atmosphere is a non-reactive atmosphere; rapidly forcing until a dynamic recrystallization occurs within a viscoplastic flow gradient of the first endface and second endface.
However, Lingnau ‘642 discloses the atmosphere is a non-reactive atmosphere (Col 5, Lines 35-40, the atmosphere is a non-oxidizing atmosphere); rapidly forcing until a dynamic recrystallization occurs (Lingnau ‘642, Col 9, Lines 20-45, recyrstallization point or a temperature) within a viscoplastic flow gradient of the first endface and second endface is known in the art. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the method of induction-kinetic joining of two metal parts of Lingnau silent to a non-reactive atmosphere with the atmosphere is a non-reactive atmosphere of Lingnau ‘642 for the purpose of providing a known protected gas atmosphere that significantly improves the resultant weld (Col 6, Lines 5-10). Additionally, it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to adapt the method of induction-kinetic joining of two metal parts of Lingnau silent to the recited recrystallization with the rapidly forcing until a dynamic recrystallization occurs within a viscoplastic flow gradient of the first endface and second endface of Lingnau ‘642 for the purpose of achieving a recrystallization point during induction-kinetic joining prevents strain hardening of the workpiece (Col 9, Lines 20-45), thereby achieving a strong weld.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 11-21 are allowed.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: allowance of the claims is indicated because none of the prior art of record, alone or in combination, appears to teach, or fairly suggest or render obvious the invention of the claims or recited allowable subject matter in claims 1 and 11.
Claim 1 recites a method of induction-kinetic joining of two metal parts, said method comprising: retaining a first metal part having a first endface in association with a first stage of an apparatus; retaining a second metal part having a second endface in association with a second stage of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises a plurality of linear actuators between the first stage and the second stage, wherein the first stage is in six degrees of freedom of motionable association with the second stage, wherein the apparatus is adapted to rapidly and precisely motion with high forces the first endface and the second endface in six degrees of freedom relative to an X, Y, Z axes, wherein the Z axis projects through a center of the first endface and the second endface, wherein the apparatus provides for motioning the first endface and the second endface translationally in an X, Y, and Z direction and rotationally in a Roll, Pitch and Yaw (R, P, Y) motion relative to each other; in a controlled, non-reactive atmosphere, heating the first endface and the second endface with an induction heater to a temperature suitable for induction-kinetic welding; forcing the first endface onto the second endface and motioning the first endface and the endface in at least one of translationally and rotationally until a dynamic recrystallization occurs within a viscoplastic flow gradient of the first endface and second endface, wherein the first endface is joined to the second endface.
Claim 11 recites a parallel robotics apparatus for induction-kinetic welding, the apparatus comprising: a first stage and a second stage movably disposed in a frame, wherein the first stage aligns with a first plane and the second stage aligns with a second plane; a plurality of linear actuators having an outer tube containing a coaxial articulating rod, wherein the tube is a first end and a distal end of the coaxial articulating rod is a second end of the linear actuators, wherein one of the first end and the second end of the plurality of linear actuators are movably disposed in the first stage and the other of the first end and the second end are movably disposed in the second stage, wherein the first stage and the second stage are movable within six degrees of freedom of each other including where the first plane and the second plane are co-planer; a first chuck disposed in a middle portion of the first stage and a second chuck disposed in a middle portion of the second stage, wherein the first chuck is adapted to retain a first workpiece to be induction-kinetic welded to a second workpiece retained in the second chuck, wherein the apparatus is adapted to motion the first chuck and the second chuck translationally in an X, Y, and Z direction and rotationally in a Roll, Pitch and Yaw (R, P, Y) motion relative to each other which the closest prior art of record of Lingnau (US 2010/0038404) in view of Lingnau ‘642 (US 6,637,642) and Fu (CN105880882) fails to disclose or render obvious the limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN S TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7745. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday [8:00-4:00].
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/THIEN S TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 10/9/2025