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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/08/2023. 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
Claims 1-2 and 3-9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 1 and 3:
The term “the method” should be changed to --the process--.
“(i)” and “(ii)” should be removed.
Appropriate 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 AIA 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.
Claims 1-2 and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peters et al. (US 20150183044 A1) in view of Lin (US 20200016825 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Peters discloses
A process, wherein the process includes the steps of:
forming a meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025) on an already-existing part of the article (workpiece 115, fig.2) using heat supplied to the article (workpiece 115) by a gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213, fig.2) having one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211, fig.2) [Par.0027 cited: “…GTAW systems use high current levels to generate an arc between an electrode and the workpiece, into which a consumable is added…”], and moving the meltpool (molten puddle) relative thereto [Par.0025 cited: “…welding electrode 211 is delivered to a molten puddle via the wire feeder 215 and the torch 212…”];
simultaneously feeding into the moving meltpool (molten puddle):
the one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211) of the gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213) to provide a first material feed rate into the meltpool (molten puddle), and
(ii) a non-electrode (filler wire 140, fig.2), supplementary feedstock to provide a second material feed rate into the meltpool (molten puddle) [Pars.0020, 0058], whereby a layer of material is deposited and fused on the already-existing part [fig.2, and Par.0005 cited: “…arcing events can aid in controlling the heat input into the process, as well as increase the performance of the process…”]; and
wherein the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is varied in performance of the feeding step [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”, Par.0058 cited: “…frequency of the respective pulses are adjusted…”].
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However, Peters does not disclose repeating the forming and moving, and the feeding steps to build up successive layers of material, and thereby produce the 3D article.
Lin discloses a process for producing a 3D article by additive manufacture (Tittle cited: “…additive manufacturing method…”) comprises the step repeating the forming and moving, and the feeding steps to build up successive layers of material[Abstract cited: “…repeating formation of the second stacked layer until a required amount of the second stacked layers are additively laminated on the first stacked layer to obtain a final three-dimensional (3D) article…”].
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 a process of Peters, by including the step of repeating the forming and moving, and the feeding steps to build up successive layers of material, as taught by Lin, in order to produce the 3D article.
Regarding claim 2, Peters discloses
the total feed rate is the sum of the first material feed rate and the second material fed rate, exterior parts of the article (workpiece 115, fig.2) being built up at relatively low total feed rates and interior parts of the article being built up at relatively high total feed rates [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”].
Regarding claim 10, Peters discloses
A system (system 200, fig.2) for producing a meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025) is formed on an already-existing part of the article (workpiece 115, fig.2) using heat supplied to the article (workpiece 115) by a gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213, fig.2) having one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211, fig.2) [Par.0027 cited: “…GTAW systems use high current levels to generate an arc between an electrode and the workpiece, into which a consumable is added…”], the meltpool (molten puddle) is moved relative to the already-existing part to deposit and fuse a layer of material on the already-existing part [Par.0025 cited: “…welding electrode 211 is delivered to a molten puddle via the wire feeder 215 and the torch 212…”], the system comprising:
the gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213) having the one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211) which provide a first material feed rate into the meltpool (molten puddle);
a feedstock directing arrangement for feeding a non-electrode (filler wire 140, fig.2), supplementary feedstock into the meltpool (molten puddle) simultaneously with the one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211), the supplementary feedstock providing a second material feed rate into the meltpool (molten puddle); and
a computer controller (sensing and current control subsystem 195, fig.2) configured to control movement of the gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213) and the feedstock directing arrangement relative to the already-existing part, and to control the first and second feed rates [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”]; wherein the computer controller (sensing and current control subsystem 195) is further configured such that the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is variable while controlling the first and second feed rates [Par.0058 cited: “…frequency of the respective pulses are adjusted…”].
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However, Peters does not disclose a 3D article by additive manufacture; and feeding are repeated to build up successive layers of material, and thereby produce the 3D article.
Lin discloses a process for producing a 3D article by additive manufacture (Tittle cited: “…additive manufacturing method…”) comprises the step feeding are repeated to build up successive layers of material [Abstract cited: “…repeating formation of the second stacked layer until a required amount of the second stacked layers are additively laminated on the first stacked layer to obtain a final three-dimensional (3D) article…”].
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 a process of Peters, by including the step of the step feeding are repeated to build up successive layers of material, as taught by Lin, in order to produce the 3D article.
Regarding claim 11, Peters discloses
the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is varied to vary the power supplied by the gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213, fig.2) for a given combined sum of the first and second material feed rates [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”].
Regarding claim 12, Peters discloses
the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is varied by varying the second material feed rate for a given first material feed rate, and wherein the computer controller (sensing and current control subsystem 195, fig.2) is further configured to simultaneously vary the travel speed of the meltpool so that the ratio of the sum of the first material feed rate and the second material fed rate to the travel speed is kept constant [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”].
Regarding claim 13, Peters discloses
a measuring device (sensor device 701, fig.3) for measuring a local temperature of the article, wherein the computer controller (sensing and current control subsystem 195, fig.2) is further configured such that the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is variable based on the measured local temperature [Par.0053 cited: “…sensor device can be a thermal sensor which monitors the temperature of the puddle and/or workpiece and the feedback from the sensor device is used by the power supply 310 to control the start of the hot wire process and/or the hot wire process itself…”].
Regarding claim 14, Peters discloses
a cooling device (cooling, Par.0066) for applying cooling fluid to the article (workpiece 115, fig.2), wherein the computer controller (sensing and current control subsystem 195, fig.2) is further configured to control the cooling device [Par.0066 cited: “…hot wire portion of the welding process can be used to add material without over heating (or even cooling) the process so that the puddle will not come through the backside of the joint. This greatly enhances the productivity of welding operations…”].
Regarding claim 15, Peters discloses
a heating device (resistance-heated, Par.0020) for preheating the supplementary feedstock to a predetermined temperature before feeding into the meltpool (molten puddle), wherein the computer controller (sensing and current control subsystem 195, fig.2) is further configured to control the heating device (resistance-heated, Par.0020) [Par.0020 cited: “…During operation, the filler wire 140, which leads the laser beam 110, is resistance-heated by electrical current from the hot wire welding power supply 170 which is operatively connected between the contact tube 160 and the workpiece 115…”].
Claims 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peters et al. (US 20150183044 A1) in view of Gandy et al. (US 20030052110 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Peters discloses
A process for surface an article (workpiece 115, fig.2), wherein the process includes the steps of:
forming a meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025) on the surface of the article (workpiece 115, fig.2) using heat supplied to the article (workpiece 115) by a gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213, fig.2) having one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211, fig.2) [Par.0027 cited: “…GTAW systems use high current levels to generate an arc between an electrode and the workpiece, into which a consumable is added…”], and moving the meltpool (molten puddle) relative thereto [Par.0025 cited: “…welding electrode 211 is delivered to a molten puddle via the wire feeder 215 and the torch 212…”]; and
simultaneously feeding into the moving meltpool (molten puddle):
the one or more consumable electrodes (electrode 211) of the gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213) to provide a first material feed rate into the meltpool (molten puddle), and
(ii) a non-electrode (filler wire 140, fig.2), supplementary feedstock to provide a second material feed rate into the meltpool (molten puddle), [fig.2, and Par.0005 cited: “…arcing events can aid in controlling the heat input into the process, as well as increase the performance of the process…”];
wherein the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is varied in performance of the feeding step [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”, Par.0058 cited: “…frequency of the respective pulses are adjusted…”].
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However, Peters does not disclose a process for surface cladding an article; a cladding layer of material is deposited and fused on the surface of the article.
Gandy discloses a process for surface cladding an article (workpieces 26, fig.3); a cladding layer of material is deposited and fused on the surface of the article (workpieces 25, fig.1) [Par.0023 cited: “…arc-welder 13 is surfacing or cladding workpiece 26, by laying down layer 27…”].
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 a process of Peters, by using a process for surface cladding an article; a cladding layer of material is deposited and fused on the surface of the article, as taught by Gandy, in order to produce a cladding layer.
Regarding claim 4, Peters discloses
the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is varied to vary the power supplied by the gas metal arc welding device (GMAW system 213, fig.2) for a given combined sum of the first and second material feed rates [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”].
Regarding claim 5, Peters discloses
the second material feed rate is varied for a given first material feed rate to vary the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate, while simultaneously the travel speed of the meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025) is varied so that the ratio of the sum of the first material feed rate and the second material fed rate to the travel speed is kept constant [Par.0057 cited: “…controller 710 can control the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding to control the heat input into the weld. For example, if it is determined that additional heat is needed, the control can increase the ratio of arc welding to hot wire welding in the welding waveform…”].
Regarding claim 6, Peters discloses
measuring a local temperature of the article (workpiece 115, fig.2), wherein the ratio of the first material feed rate to the second material feed rate is varied based on the measured local temperature [Par.0053 cited: “…sensor device can be a thermal sensor which monitors the temperature of the puddle and/or workpiece and the feedback from the sensor device is used by the power supply 310 to control the start of the hot wire process and/or the hot wire process itself…”].
Regarding claim 7, Peters discloses
during the moving of the meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025), cooling fluid is applied to the article (workpiece 115, fig.2) [Par.0066 cited: “…hot wire portion of the welding process can be used to add material without over heating (or even cooling) the process so that the puddle will not come through the backside of the joint. This greatly enhances the productivity of welding operations…”].
Regarding claim 8, Peters discloses
preheating the supplementary feedstock to a predetermined temperature before feeding into the meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025) [Par.0020 cited: “…During operation, the filler wire 140, which leads the laser beam 110, is resistance-heated by electrical current from the hot wire welding power supply 170 which is operatively connected between the contact tube 160 and the workpiece 115…”]..
Regarding claim 9, Peters discloses
during the moving of the meltpool (molten puddle, Par.0025), the predetermined temperature is varied [Par.0053 cited: “…sensor device can be a thermal sensor which monitors the temperature of the puddle and/or workpiece and the feedback from the sensor device is used by the power supply 310 to control the start of the hot wire process and/or the hot wire process itself…”].
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
02/22/2026