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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 6/5/26 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
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 of this title, 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 1-4 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aljubran et al. (US2019/0345812) in view of Calefati et al. (US2022/0314366).
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Regarding claim 1, Aljubran teaches an in-situ cladding method, comprising: providing a pipe (104) with a target surface, wherein the target surface comprises a defected area (paragraph [0013]); lowering an in-situ cladding system (200) into the pipe, wherein the in-situ cladding system comprises a laser (202) and a wire feeding system (connected to filler material 206), the laser comprises a primary beam (204), lowering the wire feeding system into the pipe (Fig. 2); feeding a cladding wire onto the target surface; melting the cladding wire onto the target surface with the primary beam (paragraph [0017]); blowing gas onto the cladding wire using a purging system (222, paragraph [0018]).
Aljubran fails to teach the laser is a dual head laser, wherein the dual head laser comprises a primary beam and a secondary beam; the purging system integrally formed with the secondary beam switching off the primary beam and switching on the secondary beam, and welding the first layer and the second layer together using the secondary beam and the purging system.
In an analogous art, Calefati teaches a laser processing system. Calefati teaches a dual head laser with primary (12) and secondary (14) laser beams, with a gas nozzle (46) attached depending on the laser processing operation (abstract), where the primary or secondary beam are selected based on the type of laser processing operation selected (abstract).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Aljubran and change it so that the laser is a dual head laser, wherein the dual head laser comprises a primary beam and a secondary beam; the purging system integrally formed with the secondary beam switching off the primary beam and switching on the secondary beam, and welding the first layer and the second layer together using the secondary beam and the purging system as taught by Calefati to use lasers that are adapted for different laser processing operations.
Aljubran fails to explicitly teach forcing melting of the cladding wire in a first desired direction to form a first layer; forcing melting of the cladding wire in a second desired direction to form a second layer. However, Aljubran teaches determining parameters of the cladding that include filler amount, shape, size and others (paragraph [0013]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Aljubran and change it so that it includes steps of forcing melting of the cladding wire in a first desired direction to form a first layer; forcing melting of the cladding wire in a second desired direction to form a second layer to provide the desired filler amount, shape and size to fix the damaged pipe.
Regarding claim 2, Aljubran as modified teaches the method is repeated for a plurality of layers such that an entirety of the defected area is cladded (Aljubran as modified teaches determining the needed filler amount and shape to fix the defected area).
Regarding claim 3, Aljubran as modified teaches detecting a beginning of a cavity of the defected area; switching off the primary beam; feeding the cladding wire across the cavity; detecting an end of the cavity and a beginning of the target surface; switching on the primary beam; and melting the cladding wire onto the target surface with the primary beam (see paragraphs [0013-0017]).
Regarding claim 4, Aljubran as modified teaches the primary beam is directed onto the cladding wire in a direction normal to the target surface (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, Aljubran as modified teaches providing the pipe in a downhole environment or a contained and restricted area.
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aljubran in view of Calefati and Ma (US2018/0104759).
Regarding claims 7-8, Aljubran as modified teaches the in-situ cladding method of claim 1, but fails to teach the cladding wire is composed of a super alloy, wherein the cladding wire is composed of Inconel.
In an analogous art, Ma teaches a laser welding process for oil, gas and petrochemical applications. Ma teaches the use of the superalloy Inconel (paragraph [0083]) in the process.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Aljubran as modified and change it so that the cladding wire is composed of a super alloy, wherein the cladding wire is composed of Inconel as taught by Ma as a known material in oil, gas and petrochemical welding applications.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aljubran in view of Calefati and Colby et al. (US2012/0100313).
Regarding claims 5-6, Aljubran as modified teaches the in-situ cladding method of claim 1, but fails to teach the secondary beam is directed onto the cladding wire at an angle relative to an axis parallel with a central axis of the pipe, wherein the angle ranges from 20º to 160º.
In an analogous art, Colby teaches a laser cladding system for pipes. Colby teaches directing a laser beam at an angle of 30-60 degrees for energy efficiency (paragraph [0082]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Aljubran as modified and change it so that the secondary beam is directed onto the cladding wire at an angle relative to an axis parallel with a central axis of the pipe, wherein the angle ranges from 20º to 160º as taught by Colby for energy efficiency.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See the attached PTO-892 for references related to laser processing and wellbore applications.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CAMERON A CORDAY whose telephone number is (571)272-0383. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4 EST.
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/CAMERON A CORDAY/ Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/COURTNEY D HEINLE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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