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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 3, 5-6, 8, 15, 18 and 20 are amended in view of applicant’s response filed 6/30/2026. Claims 1-2, 4, 9-14 are canceled. New claims 21-26 are added. Therefore, claims 3, 5-8 and 15-26 are currently under examination.
Status of Previous Rejections
The rejection of claims 3-4, 8, 10-11, 15 and 20 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, has been withdrawn in view of applicant’s claim amendments in applicant’s response filed 6/30/2026.
The rejection of claims 1-2, 4 and 6-15 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP1,378,580(EP580) and further in view of CN107641757(CN757) has been withdrawn in view of applicant’s claim amendments in applicant’s response filed 6/30/2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 26 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 2 of Claim 26 recites “the steel bars 3”. The number 3 seems to be a typo and should not be part of the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
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 3 and 22-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 3 is amended to recite “the ferrite is present in an amount of 28%-40% by area based on all micro-structural constituents of the steel bar”. However, the instant specification does not explicitly specify that the ferrite amount is measured by area based on all micro-structural constituents of the steel bar. Therefore, the amended feature includes new matter.
Claims 22-26 are also rejected since they depend on claim 3, therefore, also comprises new matter.
Claim 18 is 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.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the square billet continuous casting working procedure" in lines 16 and 32. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8, 15-17 and 19-21 are allowed for the same reasons set forth in section 10 of the previous Non-Final Rejection mailed 4/7/2026.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhang, Zhenwei, et al. "Analysis of Standard GB/T 10561-2023: Determination of Content of Nonmetallic Inclusions in Steel-Micrographic Method Using Standard Diagrams", Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium, Vol. 45, No.1, February 2024. Zhang et al. discusses the differences between previous version of GB/T10561-2005 and the current version of GB/T10561-2023.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LOIS L ZHENG whose telephone number is (571)272-1248. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:15-4:45.
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LOIS ZHENG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1733
/LOIS L ZHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1733
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