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 . Claims 1-10 filed on 8/18/2023 have been reviewed and considered by this office action.
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. CN2023102723894, filed on 3/20/2023.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 8/18/2023 have been reviewed and are considered acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 8/18/2023 has been reviewed and is considered acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed towards an abstract idea without significantly more. Claim 1 recites, “analyzing product quality by using a composition quality analysis control model.”, which analyzed under Step 2A Prong One, provides analysis of product quality using a product quality model, which per the specification filed on 8/18/2023, paragraph [0080], simply receives input as to content of each component produced and a determination is made as to whether the component deviates from a target component, which is an act that one can reasonably perform in the human mind given the same data, and thus, falls within the, “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. Claim 1 additionally includes the limitations of, “the integrated control center is configured for sending detection results to the display device for display;”, which analyzed under Step 2A Prong Two, simply sends detection results to be displayed on a device, which just simply applies the use of the judicial exception (see MPEP 2106.05(f)). Claim 1 further includes the limitations of, “the automatic sample detection system is configured for detecting element composition of the turn-milled samples according to a detection instruction from the integrated control center, sending a detection result to the integrated control center, and conveying detected samples to the sample filing and warehousing system for filing and warehousing;” and “the data fusion system is configured for collecting sampling information, sample delivery information of the pneumatic sample conveying system, preparation information of the automatic sample preparation system, detection information of the automatic sample detection system and warehousing information of the sample filing and warehousing system, and obtaining a proportioning adjustment scheme according to the sampling information, the sample delivery information, the preparation information, the detection information and the warehousing information by using an aluminum alloy proportioning model and an aluminum ingot proportioning model,”, which analyzed under Step 2A Prong Two, includes limitations of gathering and sending data which adds insignificant extra solution activity in the form of mere data gathering (see MPEP 2106.05(g)). Continuing, claim 1 includes the limitations of, “An intelligent integrated equipment for a whole process of quality inspection and testing of aluminum alloy and aluminum ingots, comprising a pneumatic sample conveying system, an automatic sample preparation system, an automatic sample detection system, a sample filing and warehousing system, an integrated control center, a display device and a data fusion system;”, “wherein the integrated control center is connected with the automatic sample preparation system, the automatic sample detection system and the display device; the data fusion system is connected with the pneumatic sample conveying system, the automatic sample preparation system, the automatic sample detection system and the sample filing and warehousing system;”, “the pneumatic sample conveying system is configured for pneumatically conveying samples taken out from a mixing furnace or a holding furnace to the automatic sample preparation system;”, and “the automatic sample preparation system is configured for turn-milling the samples according to a sample preparation instruction from the integrated control center, and conveying turn-milled samples to the automatic sample detection system; the turn-milled samples are aluminum alloys or aluminum ingots to be detected;”, which analyzed under Step 2A Prong Two, merely describes a plurality of systems, their associated functions, and how they are connected within the system which just simply directs the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use (see MPEP 2106.05(h)).
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because as analyzed under Step 2B, the additional elements merely amount to gathering product production and composition data of metals/alloys and sending the data over a network. Analyzed under Berkheimer, the act of gathering and sending data over a network has been deemed as well-understood, routine, and conventional by the courts (see MPEP 2106.05(d)(II), “sending/receiving data over a network”).
Review of the dependent claims reveals that claims 3 and 5 each include limitations of transmitting/receiving of gathered data, which analyzed under Step 2A Prong Two, adds insignificant extra solution activity in the form of mere data gathering (see MPEP 2106.05(g)).
Further, claims 2-10, each include detailed descriptions regarding the physical aspects as well as construction of the various machines/stations of the present analysis system, which analyzed under Step 2A Prong Two, just simply links the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use (see MPEP 2106.05(h)).
As such, none of the dependent claims, alone or in combination, provide additional support that would represent more than the abstract idea itself.
Allowable Subject Matter
The office would like to first mention that the present identified claim has an outstanding 35 U.S.C. 101 issue that must be resolved prior to consideration for allowance.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 1 of the present application recites, “An intelligent integrated equipment for a whole process of quality inspection and testing of aluminum alloy and aluminum ingots, comprising a pneumatic sample conveying system, an automatic sample preparation system, an automatic sample detection system, a sample filing and warehousing system, an integrated control center, a display device and a data fusion system;
wherein the integrated control center is connected with the automatic sample preparation system, the automatic sample detection system and the display device; the data fusion system is connected with the pneumatic sample conveying system, the automatic sample preparation system, the automatic sample detection system and the sample filing and warehousing system;
the pneumatic sample conveying system is configured for pneumatically conveying samples taken out from a mixing furnace or a holding furnace to the automatic sample preparation system;
the automatic sample preparation system is configured for turn-milling the samples according to a sample preparation instruction from the integrated control center, and conveying turn-milled samples to the automatic sample detection system; the turn-milled samples are aluminum alloys or aluminum ingots to be detected;
the automatic sample detection system is configured for detecting element composition of the turn-milled samples according to a detection instruction from the integrated control center, sending a detection result to the integrated control center, and conveying detected samples to the sample filing and warehousing system for filing and warehousing;
the integrated control center is configured for sending detection results to the display device for display;
the data fusion system is configured for collecting sampling information, sample delivery information of the pneumatic sample conveying system, preparation information of the automatic sample preparation system, detection information of the automatic sample detection system and warehousing information of the sample filing and warehousing system, and obtaining a proportioning adjustment scheme according to the sampling information, the sample delivery information, the preparation information, the detection information and the warehousing information by using an aluminum alloy proportioning model and an aluminum ingot proportioning model, and analyzing product quality by using a composition quality analysis control model.”
The closet prior art of record is Kim et al. (US PGPUB 20100230065). Kim discloses a project management system for molten aluminum which tracks and records various details of aluminum during a production process. The system includes recording quality data of the aluminum post production in the melting furnace as well as heat retaining furnace and provides recorded data to respective servers to track quality of the molten aluminum. However, Kim merely discloses quality information gathering of molten aluminum, but does not utilize any models or data for analysis that can then be utilized to display results. Further, Kim lacks a lot of the physical features utilized in the quality gathering process that is expressed in the present application. As such, Kim is silent on, “An intelligent integrated equipment for a whole process of quality inspection and testing of aluminum alloy and aluminum ingots, comprising a pneumatic sample conveying system, an automatic sample preparation system, an automatic sample detection system, a sample filing and warehousing system, an integrated control center, a display device and a data fusion system;
wherein the integrated control center is connected with the automatic sample preparation system, the automatic sample detection system and the display device; the data fusion system is connected with the pneumatic sample conveying system, the automatic sample preparation system, the automatic sample detection system and the sample filing and warehousing system;
the pneumatic sample conveying system is configured for pneumatically conveying samples taken out from a mixing furnace or a holding furnace to the automatic sample preparation system;
the automatic sample preparation system is configured for turn-milling the samples according to a sample preparation instruction from the integrated control center, and conveying turn-milled samples to the automatic sample detection system; the turn-milled samples are aluminum alloys or aluminum ingots to be detected;
the automatic sample detection system is configured for detecting element composition of the turn-milled samples according to a detection instruction from the integrated control center, sending a detection result to the integrated control center, and conveying detected samples to the sample filing and warehousing system for filing and warehousing;
the integrated control center is configured for sending detection results to the display device for display;
the data fusion system is configured for collecting sampling information, sample delivery information of the pneumatic sample conveying system, preparation information of the automatic sample preparation system, detection information of the automatic sample detection system and warehousing information of the sample filing and warehousing system, and obtaining a proportioning adjustment scheme according to the sampling information, the sample delivery information, the preparation information, the detection information and the warehousing information by using an aluminum alloy proportioning model and an aluminum ingot proportioning model, and analyzing product quality by using a composition quality analysis control model.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sugita et al. (US PGPUB 20110300397): disclose a system and method for casting aluminum alloy rods wherein the system includes a quality evaluation unit for detecting a plurality of inspection points regarding the aluminum rods.
Zhao (CN 116090805A): disclose an alloy manufacturing system and method which employs an AI algorithm for collecting real-time casting quality feedback, and providing real-time manufacturing adjustments to address the quality issues.
Genna et al. (US Patent 5,030,577): disclose an in-line sampling method for use in an alloy production system.
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/CHRISTOPHER W CARTER/Examiner, Art Unit 2117