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 1-5 and 8-12) in the reply filed on 12/08/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 6-7 are withdrawn. Claims 1-5 and 8-12 are examined herein.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1-5 and 8-12 are 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 1 recites an iron alloy sheet comprising Co, N and V in line 1-3. Claim 1 also recites a reminder consisting of iron and impurities in line 4. “Comprising” is an open-ended transitional phrase, which does not exclude additional elements. “Consisting of” is a closed transitional phrase, which excludes additional elements. Using both comprising and consisting of in reciting the alloy composition causes confusion whether additional elements are excluded. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 1 recites “in the surface layer region, a thickness is 1% or more and 30% or less from both main surfaces of the soft magnetic iron alloy sheet and iron-nitride martensite having a tetragonal structure is formed” in last 3 lines. It is unclear whether the recited thickness ratio is relative to the surface layer thickness or the alloy sheet thickness. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5 and 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Furukimi (Materials Transactions, Vol. 57, No. 9, 2016, Page 1587-1592).
Regarding claim 1, Furukimi teaches a soft magnetic steel sheet having a size of 1.2 mm in thickness, 10 mm in length and 10 mm in width and the steel sheet contains a nitride surface layer formed by nitriding a pure iron sheet (Abstract; Page 1587, right column, 2nd paragraph; Page 1588, right column, last paragraph; Table 1; Fig. 5, Steel C), which meets the soft magnetic alloy sheet limitation recited in claim 1. Furukimi discloses that the steel sheet is made from pure iron sheet containing no Co and V (Table 1), which meets the recited amount of Co and V in claim 1. Furukimi further discloses that the nitride surface layer has a thickness of about 90 µm and the nitrogen content in the nitride surface layer is 0.1-1.7 mass% (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which converts to 2.735-6.453 at% and meets the surface layer nitrogen composition and the iron nitride martensite tetragonal structural limitation recited in claim 1. Furukimi further discloses that the nitrogen enriched surface layer contains iron nitride martensite (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which meets the limitation that the surface layer contains iron nitride martensite tetragonal structure recited in claim 1.
The total nitrogen content in the steel sheet can be estimated based on the nitrogen distribution in the depth direction from steel surface provided in Fig. 5 of Furukimi:
Fig. 5 (Steel C) shows that the nitride layer has a thickness of ~90 µm and the nitrogen content in the nitride layer is 0.1-1.7 mass% (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which converts to 2.735-6.453 at%. There is two nitride surface layers perpendicular to the thickness direction of the steel sheet.
Fig. 5 (Steel C) also shows that the average nitrogen concentration of the internal region at a depth greater than 90 µm from the surface of Steel C is close to 0 at %.
Based on Fig. 5 (Steel C) and the fact that the steel sheet has a thickness of 1.2 mm (i.e. 1200 µm), the average nitrogen content in the steel sheet is estimated to be 0.41 at% to 0.97 at% (calculated by (2.735 at.% x 90 x 2) /1200 to (6.453 at% x 90 x 2) /1200), which meet the recited nitrogen amount in the alloy sheet in claim 1.
The ratio of the nitride layer thickness to the steel sheet thickness is 90/1200=7.5%, which meets the recited thickness percentage in claim 1.
Since Furukimi meets all the limitations recited in claim 1, claim 1 is anticipated by Furukimi.
Regarding claim 2, Furukimi discloses that the nitrogen content in the nitride surface layer is 0.1-1.7 mass% (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which converts to 2.735-6.453 at%. Furukimi further discloses that the average nitrogen concentration of the internal region at a depth greater than 90 µm from the surface of the steel sheet is close to 0 at % (Fig. 5, Steel C). Thus, Furukimi meets the limitation that the average nitrogen concentration of the surface layer region is higher than the average nitrogen concentration of the internal region by 0.5 at % or more.
Regarding claim 3, Furukimi discloses that the nitriding only occurs in a thickness of 90 µm from the surface of pure iron sheet and little or no nitriding occurs in the internal region at a depth greater than 90 µm from the surface of the pure iron sheet (Fig. 5, Steel C). Thus, the internal region is made of pure iron and pure iron is known to be ferrite having a cubic structure. Thus, claim 3 is anticipated by Furukimi.
Regarding claims 4 and 8, Furukimi discloses that the average nitrogen concentration of the internal region at a depth greater than 90 µm from the surface of the steel sheet is close to 0 at % (Fig. 5, Steel C), which meets the limitation recited in claims 4 and 8.
Regarding claims 5 and 9-12, Furukimi is silent on the recited magnetic properties. However, the recited magnetic properties depend on the alloy composition and the nitride layer composition, thickness and structure. In view of the fact that Furukimi teaches a steel composition that meets the recited composition in claim 1 and a nitride layer that meets the recited composition, thickness, and structure of the surface layer in claim 1, one of ordinary skill in the art would expect that the steel sheet disclosed by Furukimi to meet the limitation that a saturation magnetic flux density is 2.3 T or more, and an iron loss under conditions of a magnetic flux density of 1.0 T and 400 Hz is less than 50 W/kg as recited in claims 5 and 9-12. “Where the claimed and prior art products are identical or substantially identical in structure or composition, or are produced by identical or substantially identical processes, a prima facie case of either anticipation or obviousness has been established.” In re Best, 562 F.2d 1252, 1255, 195 USPQ 430, 433 (CCPA 1977). See MPEP 2112.01 I.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Xiaowei Su whose telephone number is (571)272-3239. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Hendricks can be reached at 5712721401. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/XIAOWEI SU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1733
Prosecution Insights