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 1-9 are pending. Claims 1-2 and 9 are presented for this examination. Claims 3-8 are withdrawn. Claims 1 and 9 are amended.
Status of Previous Rejection
Art rejection over Wang in view of Bae are withdrawn from previous office action of 09/25/2025 in view of amendment of claim 1.
Art rejection over Fujikura in view of Kawamata are maintained.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on 08/23/2023, 06/10/2024 and 05/15/2025 and is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim interpretation
Instant claim 1 and 9 required limitation after “when viewing a cross section which is parallel to a rolling direction and a thickness direction” is optional limitation due to conditional term “when”.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujikura (US20140238558 from IDS 08/03/2023) in view of Kawamata (JP2002219916A from IDS 06/10/2024).
As for claims 1-2 and 9, Fujikura discloses a non-oriented electrical steel sheet produced by hot rolling. Steel No A8 (Table 2) has C=0.003%, SI=0.5%, Mn=0.2%, P=0.08%, Al=0.3%, and Sn=0.1% and N=0% all within presently claimed composition ranges.
With respect to instant claims 1 and 9 required wherein clause, first, they are optional limitation according to claim interpretation above.
Second, Fujikura discloses AIN number density for the same Steel No A8 (table 2 of Col 6)is 2 piece/ µm3.
Since thickness of the steel sheet remains constant throughout the same observed area, number density of AlN per unit area is expected to be the same as number density of AlN per volume. Hence, Steel No A8 is expected to have AlN density of 2 piece/ µm2 which is within claimed density range.
As the structure of the steel sheet is made of ferrite grains. AlN precipitates is expected to exist in a grain and at a grain boundary of ferrite grains.
Fujikura differs from instant claims 1 and 9 such that it does not disclose present of Ti, Nb, V and Zr as claimed.
Kawamata discloses that Ti, Nb, V and Zr are well known impurities (paragraph [0037]) which Ti <=0.003%, V<=0.005%, Nb<=0.003% and Zr<=0.003%. (paragraph [0023])
Fujikura discloses presence of inevitable impurities. Kawamata evidences impurities such as Ti, Nb, V and Zr need to be controlled within claimed ranges. Table 2 (paragraph [0034]) explicitly discloses Ti, V, Nb and Zr should be controlled at 0.0011% (Inventive Example of Table 2)
Hence, it would have been obvious to one skill in the art, at the time the invention is made to control impurities of Ti, Nb, V and Zr at 0.0011% as suggested by Kawamata, in the hot rolled steel sheet of Fujikura for reducing inevitable impurities because Kawamata suggests controlling inevitable impurities such as Ti, Nb, V and Zr improved magnetic properties.
Response to Argument
In response to argument filed on 12/22/2025 that examiner’s calculated number density based on Wang no longer overlaps with the claimed ranges, argument is moot since Wang is withdrawn.
In response to argument that Fujikura’558 disclosed number density of the AlN is expected to be zero, argument is not persuasive because Table 2 of Col 6 in Fujikura discloses Inventive Steel No A8 has number density of AlN of 2 at final rolling temperature of 960 degree C.
Conclusion
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 Jenny Wu whose telephone number is (571)270-5515. The examiner can normally be reached on 9am-5:30pm Monday through Thursday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Hendricks can be reached on (571)272-1401. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JENNY R WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1733