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 . This action is made non-final.
Claims 1-10 filed on 05/15/2023 have been reviewed and considered by this office action.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed on 05/15/2023, 07/11/2024, 09/29/2025, and 12/04/2025 have been reviewed and considered by this office action.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 05/15/2023 have been reviewed and are considered acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 05/15/2023 has been reviewed and is considered acceptable.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 9 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 4 and 7 detail specific methods of controlling cold press pressure output, which are not found in the prior art cited or any other prior art that was found.
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.
Claim 9 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.
Regarding claim 9, the claim recites, “when the reacquired latest current thickness satisfies preset reasonable thickness conditions, and the reacquired latest current rolling speed satisfies preset reasonable speed condition.” The term “reasonable” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “reasonable“ is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Examiner interprets this to mean that the thickness satisfies a preset threshold thickness condition and the rolling speed satisfies preset threshold speed condition.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maeda et al. (JP 2011088172 A) (Note: a machine translation is used for mapping, attached to this action), in view of Cho et al. (Cho, S., Cho, Y., & Yoon, S. (1997). “Reliable roll force prediction in cold mill using multiple neural networks.” IEEE transactions on neural networks, 8(4), 874-882.), herein Cho.
Regarding claim 1, Maeda teaches a cold press pressure control method, comprising:
acquiring a current thickness of a cold-pressed pole piece ([0032]: “real-time roller gap position information on the drive side and operating side are displayed on the main page,” which corresponds to current thickness) and a current rolling speed of a cold press at the moment ([0080]: “referring to Figure 3, the preset target parameters include roll speed”);
determining a cold press output pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness of the cold-pressed pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press at the moment, as well as a preset first association relationship; or, determining a cold press adjust pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness of the cold-pressed pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press at the moment, as well as a preset second association relationship ([0023-0024]: “the plate thickness control device 20 is equipped with a gain determination means 22 that determines the proportional gain used in the AGC control unit 21 according to the rolling speed of the rolling stand 1, a lock-on means 23 that sets a reference rolling load (lock-on load) for each rolling stand 1 in order to calculate the deviation of the rolling load, and a lock-on memory unit 24 that stores the lock-on load set by the lock-on means 23. The AGC control unit 21 controls the roll gap of each rolling stand 1 with a predetermined proportional gain in order to compensate for the amount of roll gap change that accompanies the deviation of the rolling load in each rolling stand 1”),
wherein the first association relationship is an association relationship among a pole piece thickness, a rolling speed of a cold press and the cold press output pressure, and the second association relationship is an association relationship among a pole piece thickness, a rolling speed of a cold press and the cold press adjust pressure ([0023-0024]: “the plate thickness control device 20 is equipped with a gain determination means 22 that determines the proportional gain used in the AGC control unit 21 according to the rolling speed of the rolling stand 1, a lock-on means 23 that sets a reference rolling load (lock-on load) for each rolling stand 1 in order to calculate the deviation of the rolling load, and a lock-on memory unit 24 that stores the lock-on load set by the lock-on means 23. The AGC control unit 21 controls the roll gap of each rolling stand 1 with a predetermined proportional gain in order to compensate for the amount of roll gap change that accompanies the deviation of the rolling load in each rolling stand 1”); and
controlling the cold press to perform pressure output according to the cold press output pressure or the cold press adjust pressure, so that at the next moment, the cold press performs cold pressing on the pole piece according to the cold press output pressure ([0002]: “control is performed to adjust the roll gap based on ΔS=−α(ΔP/M) using a tuning rate α, which is a proportional gain. Here, ΔP is the load fluctuation of the rolling stand, M is the mill rigidity of the rolling stand, and ΔS is the fluctuation amount (operation amount) of the roll gap”).
While Maeda teaches controlling the roll gap, Maeda does not explicitly teach controlling cold press pressure output.
Cho teaches that controlling roll gap determines pressure output (Page 875, Fig. 1 caption: “The gap between upper/lower rolls determines how much pressure or force is applied”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the method of Maeda to incorporate the teachings of Cho so as to include controlling cold press pressure output. Doing so would allow accurate prediction of control parameters with the aim of outputting appropriate pressure (Cho, Page 874, Section I: “Of a particular interest is the accurate prediction of the roll force, since that is the prerequisite of the accurate setting of the roll gap”).
Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maeda et al. (JP 2011088172 A), in view of Cho, and in view of Wang (CN 110614274 A) (Note: a machine translation is used for mapping, attached to this action).
Regarding claim 2, Maeda in view of Cho teaches the cold press pressure control method according to claim 1.
Maeda further teaches determining the cold press output pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness and the current rolling speed, as well as the first association relationship corresponding to the current operating condition ([0023-0024]: “the plate thickness control device 20 is equipped with a gain determination means 22 that determines the proportional gain used in the AGC control unit 21 according to the rolling speed of the rolling stand 1, a lock-on means 23 that sets a reference rolling load (lock-on load) for each rolling stand 1 in order to calculate the deviation of the rolling load, and a lock-on memory unit 24 that stores the lock-on load set by the lock-on means 23. The AGC control unit 21 controls the roll gap of each rolling stand 1 with a predetermined proportional gain in order to compensate for the amount of roll gap change that accompanies the deviation of the rolling load in each rolling stand 1”); and
determining the cold press adjust pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness and the current rolling speed, as well as the second association relationship corresponding to the current operating condition ([0023-0024]: “the plate thickness control device 20 is equipped with a gain determination means 22 that determines the proportional gain used in the AGC control unit 21 according to the rolling speed of the rolling stand 1, a lock-on means 23 that sets a reference rolling load (lock-on load) for each rolling stand 1 in order to calculate the deviation of the rolling load, and a lock-on memory unit 24 that stores the lock-on load set by the lock-on means 23. The AGC control unit 21 controls the roll gap of each rolling stand 1 with a predetermined proportional gain in order to compensate for the amount of roll gap change that accompanies the deviation of the rolling load in each rolling stand 1”).
While Maeda teaches determining a current operating condition of the cold press according to the current rolling speed ([0080]: “referring to Figure 3, the preset target parameters include roll speed”), Maeda does not explicitly teach “determining a current operating condition of the cold press according to the current rolling speed and a rolling speed at the previous moment.”
Wang further teaches wherein: the determining a cold press output pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness of the cold-pressed pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press at the moment, as well as a preset first association relationship comprises: determining a current operating condition of the cold press according to the current rolling speed and a rolling speed at the previous moment ([0047]: “step S1 further includes: storing the real-time acquired thickness measurement values of the strip at the inlet thickness gauge, thickness measurement values at the outlet thickness gauge, rolling inlet speed V0, and rolling outlet speed V1 into a buffer queue, with the acquisition period being the PLC scanning period, for example, 4ms or 8ms”); and
the determining a cold press adjust pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness of the cold-pressed pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press at the moment, as well as a preset second association relationship comprises: determining a current operating condition of the cold press according to the current rolling speed and a rolling speed at the previous moment ([0047]: “step S1 further includes: storing the real-time acquired thickness measurement values of the strip at the inlet thickness gauge, thickness measurement values at the outlet thickness gauge, rolling inlet speed V0, and rolling outlet speed V1 into a buffer queue, with the acquisition period being the PLC scanning period, for example, 4ms or 8ms”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the method of Maeda in view of Cho to incorporate the teachings of Wang so as to include determining a current operating condition of the cold press according to the current rolling speed and a rolling speed at the previous moment. Doing so would allow accurate determination of operating conditions with the aim of improving control performance (Wang, [0006]: “the traditional flow rate control method does not use an outlet thickness gauge. Instead, it assumes that the inlet and outlet speeds are accurate enough, calculates the theoretical outlet thickness and the outlet thickness deviation, and then calculates the roll gap control amount. In actual production, some single-stand rolling mills use encoders for speed measurement, which have limited accuracy; while some single-stand rolling mills use laser velocimeters, the measurement accuracy of the laser velocimeters is unstable due to reasons such as untimely maintenance. All of these will cause the actual control effect of the second flow rate control to fall short of expectations”).
Regarding claim 3, Maeda in view of Cho teaches the cold press pressure control method according to claim 1.
Maeda does not explicitly teach the method of claim 3.
Cho further teaches wherein the acquiring a current thickness of a cold-pressed pole piece at the moment comprises:
acquiring a current first thickness of the pole piece at an operating side of the cold press and a current second thickness of the pole piece at a transmission side of the cold press at the moment ([0035]: “The strip steel is uncoiled from one side of the uncoiling and coiling equipment, passes through the guide roller, enters the space between the upper and lower rolls after passing through the inlet speed measuring device and the inlet thickness measuring instrument, and then reaches the outlet thickness measuring instrument and the outlet speed measuring device”);
the determining a cold press output pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness of the cold-pressed pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press at the moment, as well as a preset first association relationship comprises: determining a first cold press output pressure corresponding to the operating side according to the current first thickness and the current rolling speed, as well as a preset first association relationship corresponding to the operating side ([0012-0014]: “The calculation method for roll gap adjustment ΔS is as follows:
Δ
S
=
C
p
+
Q
Q
⋅
h
r
-
k
h
⋅
H
c
d
e
l
a
y
⋅
V
0
V
1
In the formula: △S is the roll gap adjustment; Hcdelay is the strip thickness measurement value at the inlet thickness gauge; hr is the current exit thickness setting value; V0 is the rolling inlet speed; V1 is the rolling exit speed; kh is the correction coefficient, with an initial value of 1; Q is the strip plasticity coefficient; Cp is the mill stiffness coefficient”); and
determining a second cold press output pressure corresponding to the transmission side according to the current second thickness and the current rolling speed, as well as a preset first association relationship corresponding to the transmission side ([0012-0014]: “The calculation method for roll gap adjustment ΔS is as follows:
Δ
S
=
C
p
+
Q
Q
⋅
h
r
-
k
h
⋅
H
c
d
e
l
a
y
⋅
V
0
V
1
In the formula: △S is the roll gap adjustment; Hcdelay is the strip thickness measurement value at the inlet thickness gauge; hr is the current exit thickness setting value; V0 is the rolling inlet speed; V1 is the rolling exit speed; kh is the correction coefficient, with an initial value of 1; Q is the strip plasticity coefficient; Cp is the mill stiffness coefficient”);
the determining a cold press adjust pressure corresponding to the current thickness of the pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press according to the current thickness of the cold-pressed pole piece and the current rolling speed of the cold press at the moment, as well as a preset second association relationship comprises: determining a first cold press adjust pressure corresponding to the operating side according to the current first thickness and the current rolling speed, as well as a preset second association relationship corresponding to the operating side ([0012-0014]: “The calculation method for roll gap adjustment ΔS is as follows:
Δ
S
=
C
p
+
Q
Q
⋅
h
r
-
k
h
⋅
H
c
d
e
l
a
y
⋅
V
0
V
1
In the formula: △S is the roll gap adjustment; Hcdelay is the strip thickness measurement value at the inlet thickness gauge; hr is the current exit thickness setting value; V0 is the rolling inlet speed; V1 is the rolling exit speed; kh is the correction coefficient, with an initial value of 1; Q is the strip plasticity coefficient; Cp is the mill stiffness coefficient”); and
determining a second cold press adjust pressure corresponding to the transmission side according to the current second thickness and the current rolling speed, as well as a preset second association relationship corresponding to the transmission side ([0012-0014]: “The calculation method for roll gap adjustment ΔS is as follows:
Δ
S
=
C
p
+
Q
Q
⋅
h
r
-
k
h
⋅
H
c
d
e
l
a
y
⋅
V
0
V
1
In the formula: △S is the roll gap adjustment; Hcdelay is the strip thickness measurement value at the inlet thickness gauge; hr is the current exit thickness setting value; V0 is the rolling inlet speed; V1 is the rolling exit speed; kh is the correction coefficient, with an initial value of 1; Q is the strip plasticity coefficient; Cp is the mill stiffness coefficient”); and
the controlling the cold press to perform pressure output according to the cold press output pressure or the cold press adjust pressure comprises: controlling the operating side of the cold press to perform pressure output according to the first cold press output pressure or the first cold press adjust pressure ([0015]: “The roll gap control system adjusts the roll gap according to the calculated roll gap adjustment amount”); and
controlling the transmission side of the cold press to perform pressure output according to the second cold press output pressure or the second cold press adjust pressure ([0015]: “The roll gap control system adjusts the roll gap according to the calculated roll gap adjustment amount”).
The reasons to combine Wang into Maeda in view of Cho are the same as articulated in claim 2 above.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maeda et al. (JP 2011088172 A), in view of Yan (CN 108958071 A) (Note: a machine translation is used for mapping, attached to this action).
Regarding claim 10, while Maeda teaches a control device, Maeda does not explicitly teach “an electronic device, comprising: a processor, a memory and a communication bus; the communication bus being configured to realize connection and communication between the processor and the memory.”
Yan further teaches an electronic device, comprising: a processor, a memory and a communication bus; the communication bus being configured to realize connection and communication between the processor and the memory ([0104]: “When the processor 20 executes the computer program, it implements the electrode roller press control method according to any embodiment of the present invention. Optionally, the electrode roll press control device may also include a network interface 23 and a bus 22 that connects the network interface 23, the processor 20 and the memory 21 for communication. The network interface 23 is used to realize data communication with the electrode roll press”); and
the processor being configured to execute one or more programs stored in the memory, so as to implement the cold press pressure control method according to claim 1 (see claim 1 rejection above).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adapt the method of Maeda to incorporate the teachings of Yan so as to include an electronic device, comprising: a processor, a memory and a communication bus; the communication bus being configured to realize connection and communication between the processor and the memory. Doing so would allow communication between system components with the aim of allowing for hardware implementation (Yan, [0105]: “Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 5,142,891: Measures thickness at the entry and exit side and adjusts pressure to control thickness
US 2010/0050721 A1: Measures thickness and speed of material to be rolled
DE 3925104 A1: Associates speed and thickness through the mass flow equation
CN 203437408 U: Adjusts roll gap pressure to a desired thickness
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/M.I.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2117
/ROBERT E FENNEMA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2117