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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 08/08/2023, 09/06/2023, and 03/21/2024 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Response to Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election with traverse of Invention I (claims 1-12) in the reply filed on 07/08/2026 is acknowledged. Invention II (claims 13-18) is withdrawn from consideration.
It is noted that Applicant did not provide any arguments to the restriction requirement set forth in the Office Action dated 05/12/2026 – see details on page 8 of the Remarks dated 07/08/2026, the Examiner would like to insist the requirement for restriction set forth in the Office Action dated 05/12/2026 is proper because Invention I (claims 1-12), drawn to an electric discharge machine, classified in B23H1/10; however, Invention II (claims 13-18), drawn to an electric discharge machining method, classified in B23H7/101. According to MPEP § 806.05(e), the inventions are independent or distinct, each from the other because Inventions I and II are related as process and apparatus for its practice. The inventions are distinct if it can be shown that either: (1) the process as claimed can be practiced by another and materially different apparatus or by hand, or (2) the apparatus as claimed can be used to practice another and materially different process. (MPEP § 806.05(e)). In this case, the process as claimed in Invention II can be practiced by another and materially different apparatus that does not require a pump controller, a jetting pump controller, and a feeding pump controller as claimed in Claim 1 of the Invention I. Furthermore, the process as claimed in Invention II can be practiced by another and materially different apparatus such as an electrochemical cleaning system.
Furthermore, there would be a serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because one or more of the following reasons apply:
(A) Separate classification thereof: This shows that each invention has attained recognition in the art as a separate subject for inventive effort, and also a separate field of search. Patents need not be cited to show separate classification.
(B) A separate status in the art when they are classifiable together: Even though they are classified together, each invention can be shown to have formed a separate subject for inventive effort when the examiner can show a recognition of separate inventive effort by inventors. Separate status in the art may be shown by citing patents which are evidence of such separate status, and also of a separate field of search.
(C) A different field of search: Where it is necessary to search for one of the inventions in a manner that is not likely to result in finding art pertinent to the other invention(s) (e.g., searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search queries, a different field of search is shown, even though the two are classified together. The indicated different field of search must in fact be pertinent to the type of subject matter covered by the claims. Patents need not be cited to show different fields of search.
Therefore, the requirement for restriction set forth in the Office Action dated 05/12/2026 is deemed proper. Accordingly, the non-elected Invention II (claims 13-18) is withdrawn from consideration, and the elected Invention I (claims 1-12) will be examined as follows.
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 2, 5, 10-11 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 2 recites the limitation “the flow rate of the feeding pump is relatively reduced when the flow rate of the jetting pump is relatively high” in lines 3-4. The term “relatively high” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “relatively high” 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. It is unclear under what condition, the flow rate of the feeding pump needs to be reduced. To be more specific, it is unclear how high the flow rate of the jetting pump needs to reach to make the flow rate of the feeding pump to be reduced.
Claim 2 recites the limitation “the flow rate of the feeding pump is relatively increased when the flow rate of the jetting pump is relatively low” in lines 4-6. The term “relatively low” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “relatively low” 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. It is unclear under what condition, the flow rate of the feeding pump needs to be increased. To be more specific, it is unclear how low the flow rate of the jetting pump needs to reach to make the flow rate of the feeding pump to be increased.
Claim 5 recites the limitation “when the flow rate of the circulation pump exceeds an appropriate flow rate” in lines 3-4. The term “appropriate” in claim 5 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “appropriate” 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. For examination purposes, the limitation “when the flow rate of the circulation pump exceeds an appropriate flow rate” recited in claim 5 will be interpreted as when the flow rate of the circulation pump exceeds a predetermined flow rate.
Claim 10 recites “it” in line 3. It is unclear what is meant by this limitation because it is unclear what “it” refers to. For examination purposes, “it” will be interpreted as the work fluid. If “it” means “the work fluid”, “it” should be changed to “the work fluid”.
Claim 11 recites “it” in line 4. It is unclear what is meant by this limitation because it is unclear what “it” refers to. For examination purposes, “it” will be interpreted as the work fluid. If “it” means “the work fluid”, “it” should be changed to “the work fluid”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 7 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kasai et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0273601 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kasai discloses an electric discharge machine (electric discharge machine as shown in Kasai Fig. 1 because Kasai Par.0025 discloses: “FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a wire electric discharge machine with a machining fluid supply device according to the present invention.”), comprising:
a work tank (machining tank 3, Kasai Fig.1) for accommodating a workpiece (“workpiece (not shown)”, Kasai Par.0026) (Kasai Par.0026 discloses: “a workpiece (not shown) is placed in a machining tank 3”);
a jetting nozzle (“nozzles (not shown)”, Kasai Par.0010) for jetting a work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0010) toward a gap formed by the workpiece (“workpiece”, Kasai Par.0014) and a tool electrode (“wire electrode”, Kasai Par.0014) (Kasai Par.0010 discloses: “The machining fluid discharged from the machining tank 3 into the dirty tank 2 contains machining chips of a workpiece and the wire electrode generated by electric discharge machining. The machining fluid is supplied from a clean water tank 1 to the machining tank 3. The machining fluid to be supplied to the clean water tank 1 is supplied from the dirty tank 2 through a filtration filter 5. The filtration filter 5 removes the machining chips from the machining fluid supplied from the dirty tank 2 to the clean water tank 1. A machining fluid pump 7 draws up the machining fluid from the clean water tank 1 and supplies it to nozzles (not shown) of the machining tank 3. A controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b.”, Kasai Par.0014 discloses: “A first aspect of a wire electric discharge machine according to the present invention comprises a machining tank having therein an electric discharge machining part configured to perform electric discharge machining of a workpiece by means of a wire electrode, a dirty tank in which a machining fluid in the machining tank is collected and stored, a filtration filter configured to filter machining chips of the workpiece and the wire electrode generated by the electric discharge machining from the machining fluid in the dirty tank and supply the filtered machining chips to a clean water tank, a sealing portion configured to prevent the machining fluid from flowing out of the machining tank through an opening in the machining tank, a feed water pump configured to deliver the machining fluid in the clean water tank to the sealing portion, a nozzle through which the machining fluid is jetted against the workpiece during the electric discharge machining, and a machining fluid pump configured to deliver the machining fluid in the clean water tank to the nozzle.”; therefore, Kasai discloses jetting nozzle for jetting a work fluid toward a gap formed by the workpiece and the wire electrode);
a dirty fluid tank (dirty tank 2, Kasai Fig.1) for storing the work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0029) discharged from the work tank (machining tank 3, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0029 discloses: “The machining fluid is discharged into the dirty tank 2 through the drain portion 15. The machining fluid discharged from the machining tank 3 into the dirty tank 2 contains machining chips of the workpiece and the wire electrode generated by electric discharge machining.”);
a filter (filter 5, Kasai Fig.1) for filtering the work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0029) (Kasai Par.0029 discloses: “The machining fluid containing the machining chips collected in the dirty tank 2 is drawn up by a filter pump 8 and delivered to a clean water tank 1 through a filtration filter 5. The filtration filter 5 removes the machining chips from the machining fluid supplied from the dirty tank 2 to the clean water tank 1.”);
a circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) (It is noted that pump 8 is circulation pump because pump 8 performs the function of circulating machining fluid within the disclosed fluid system. Specifically, Kasai Par.0029 discloses that pump 8 draws machining fluid collected in the dirty tank 2 and circulates the machining fluid through the filtration filter 5 to the clean water tank 1, thereby returning the machining fluid to the machining-fluid supply system for reuse.) for pressure-feeding the work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0029) in the dirty fluid tank (dirty tank 2, Kasai Fig.1) to the filter (filter 5, Kasai Fig.1) at a flow rate corresponding to an inverter frequency (flow rate corresponding to an inverter frequency by inverter 11a, Kasai Fig.1 & Par.0029) (Kasai Par.0029 discloses: “The machining fluid containing the machining chips collected in the dirty tank 2 is drawn up by a filter pump 8 and delivered to a clean water tank 1 through a filtration filter 5. The filtration filter 5 removes the machining chips from the machining fluid supplied from the dirty tank 2 to the clean water tank 1. The controller 6 drivingly controls the filter pump 8 through an inverter 11 a.”);
a clean fluid tank (clean water tank 1, Kasai Fig.1) for storing the work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0029) filtered by the filter (filter 5, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0029 discloses: “The machining fluid containing the machining chips collected in the dirty tank 2 is drawn up by a filter pump 8 and delivered to a clean water tank 1 through a filtration filter 5. The filtration filter 5 removes the machining chips from the machining fluid supplied from the dirty tank 2 to the clean water tank 1.”);
a jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) for pressure-feeding the work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0010) in the clean fluid tank (clean water tank 1, Kasai Fig.1) to the jetting nozzle (“nozzles (not shown)”, Kasai Par.0010) at a flow rate corresponding to an inverter frequency (flow rate corresponding to an inverter frequency by inverter 11b, Kasai Fig.1 & Par.0010) (Kasai Par.0010 discloses: “A machining fluid pump 7 draws up the machining fluid from the clean water tank 1 and supplies it to nozzles (not shown) of the machining tank 3. A controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b.”);
a feeding pump (feed water pump 9, Kasai Fig.1) for pressure-feeding the work fluid (“machining fluid”, Kasai Par.0032) in the clean fluid tank (clean water tank 1, Kasai Fig.1) to the work tank (machining tank 3, Kasai Fig.1) at a flow rate corresponding to an inverter frequency (flow rate corresponding to an inverter frequency by inverter 11c, Kasai Fig.1 & Par.0032) (Kasai Par.0032 discloses: “the machining fluid stored in the clean water tank 1 is drawn up by a feed water pump (circulation pump) 9 and supplied to the sealing portion 4 of the machining tank 3. The controller 6 drivingly controls the feed water pump 9 through an inverter 11 c.”);
a pump controller (controller 6, Kasai Fig.1) for performing inverter control of the jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1), the feeding pump (feed water pump 9, Kasai Fig.1), and the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0026 discloses: “A controller 6 is a numerical controller for controlling the entire wire electric discharge machine including the machining fluid supply device. In FIG. 1, the controller 6 is shown as a controller for controlling the machining fluid supply device.”, Kasai Par.0029 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the filter pump 8 through an inverter 11 a.”, Kasai Par.0010 discloses: “A controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b.”, and Kasai Par.0032 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the feed water pump 9 through an inverter 11 c.”),
wherein the pump controller (controller 6, Kasai Fig.1) comprises:
a jetting pump controller (portion of the controller 6 that controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b, Kasai Par.0010 discloses: “A controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b.”. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to both the claimed jetting pump controller and feeding pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller and the feeding pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85 and feeding pump controller 86 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b and separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c. Further, controller 6 determines the flow supplied by the feed water pump 9 based on the measured flow associated with the nozzle-side machining fluid. Therefore, the portion of controller 6 performing inverter control of the machining fluid 7 corresponds to the claimed jetting pump controller, while the portion of controller 6 controlling the feed water pump 9 based on the nozzle-side flow corresponds to the claimed feeding pump controller. The use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) configured to set the inverter frequency of the jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0010 discloses: “A controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b.”; therefore, Kasai discloses jetting pump controller associated with controller 6 [as explained in detail above] configured to set the inverter frequency of the jetting pump); and
a feeding pump controller (portion of the controller 6 that controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c, Kasai Par.0032 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the feed water pump 9 through an inverter 11 c.”. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to both the claimed jetting pump controller and feeding pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller and the feeding pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85 and feeding pump controller 86 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b and separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c. Further, controller 6 determines the flow supplied by the feed water pump 9 based on the measured flow associated with the nozzle-side machining fluid. Therefore, the portion of controller 6 performing inverter control of the machining fluid 7 corresponds to the claimed jetting pump controller, while the portion of controller 6 controlling the feed water pump 9 based on the nozzle-side flow corresponds to the claimed feeding pump controller. The use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) configured to acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) and set the inverter frequency of the feeding pump (feed water pump 9, Kasai Fig.1) based on the flow rate of the inverter-controlled jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0031 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b. A flowmeter 10 b is attached to a duct that extends between the machining fluid pump 7 and the machining tank 3. The flowmeter 10 b measures the flow rate of the machining fluid drawn up from the clean water tank 1 by the machining fluid pump 7 and supplied to the machining tank 3. The output of the flowmeter 10 b is delivered to the controller 6. A velocity meter may be used in place of the flowmeter 10 b. Means for measuring the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles is not limited to the flowmeter 10 b or the velocity meter and may alternatively be pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles. Further, distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the workpiece and the nozzles may be used instead, since there is a correlation between this distance and the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles.”, Kasai Par.0035 discloses: “The flow rate storage unit 6A stores the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4 in association with that of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles. The flow rate setting unit 6B reads the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4 from the flow rate storage unit 6A and sets it, based on the measured flow rate. The flow rate control unit 6C controls the flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to the sealing portion 4 based on the flow rate set by the flow rate setting unit 6B. The flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to the sealing portion 4 can be controlled by controlling the inverter 11 c by means of the flow rate control unit 6C.”, and Kasai Par.0041 discloses: “The amount of replenishment for the sealing portion 4 may be extremely reduced if the flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to an electric discharge machining part is high enough to maintain the fluid level of the machining tank 3. For example, this situation may occur during roughing (generally with the machining fluid supplied at a high set flow rate to the electric discharge machining part) or open machining (with the workpiece and the nozzles kept wide apart from one another). In some cases (e.g., if the flow rate of the machining fluid is higher than a predetermined value), the replenishment may be stopped so that the flow rate storage unit 6A of the controller 6 is stored with 0 as the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4. When the machining fluid is not supplied to the electric discharge machining part (e.g., in a non-machining state), it is necessary only that an optimal amount of replenishment just sufficient to maintain the surface level in the machining tank 3 be supplied.”. Therefore, Kasai discloses controlling the inverter-driven feeding pump based on the acquired flow rate of the inverter-driven jetting pump.).
Regarding claim 2, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai also discloses:
wherein the feeding pump controller (portion of the controller 6 controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c, as cited and explained in detail in the rejection of claim 1 above. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to both the claimed jetting pump controller and feeding pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller and the feeding pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85 and feeding pump controller 86 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b and separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c. Further, controller 6 determines the flow supplied by the feed water pump 9 based on the measured flow associated with the nozzle-side machining fluid. Therefore, the portion of controller 6 performing inverter control of the machining fluid 7 corresponds to the claimed jetting pump controller, while the portion of controller 6 controlling the feed water pump 9 based on the nozzle-side flow corresponds to the claimed feeding pump controller. The use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) is configured to set the inverter frequency of the feeding pump (feed water pump 9, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0032 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the feed water pump 9 through an inverter 11 c.”) such that the flow rate of the feeding pump (feed water pump 9, Kasai Fig.1) is relatively reduced when the flow rate of the jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) is relatively high, and the flow rate of the feeding pump (feed water pump 9, Kasai Fig.1) is relatively increased when the flow rate of the jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) is relatively low (Kasai Par.0031 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b. A flowmeter 10 b is attached to a duct that extends between the machining fluid pump 7 and the machining tank 3. The flowmeter 10 b measures the flow rate of the machining fluid drawn up from the clean water tank 1 by the machining fluid pump 7 and supplied to the machining tank 3. The output of the flowmeter 10 b is delivered to the controller 6. A velocity meter may be used in place of the flowmeter 10 b. Means for measuring the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles is not limited to the flowmeter 10 b or the velocity meter and may alternatively be pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles. Further, distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the workpiece and the nozzles may be used instead, since there is a correlation between this distance and the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles.”, Kasai Par.0035 discloses: “The flow rate storage unit 6A stores the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4 in association with that of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles. The flow rate setting unit 6B reads the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4 from the flow rate storage unit 6A and sets it, based on the measured flow rate. The flow rate control unit 6C controls the flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to the sealing portion 4 based on the flow rate set by the flow rate setting unit 6B. The flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to the sealing portion 4 can be controlled by controlling the inverter 11 c by means of the flow rate control unit 6C.”, and Kasai Par.0041 discloses: “The amount of replenishment for the sealing portion 4 may be extremely reduced if the flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to an electric discharge machining part is high enough to maintain the fluid level of the machining tank 3. For example, this situation may occur during roughing (generally with the machining fluid supplied at a high set flow rate to the electric discharge machining part) or open machining (with the workpiece and the nozzles kept wide apart from one another). In some cases (e.g., if the flow rate of the machining fluid is higher than a predetermined value), the replenishment may be stopped so that the flow rate storage unit 6A of the controller 6 is stored with 0 as the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4. When the machining fluid is not supplied to the electric discharge machining part (e.g., in a non-machining state), it is necessary only that an optimal amount of replenishment just sufficient to maintain the surface level in the machining tank 3 be supplied.”. Thus, Kasai discloses an inverse relationship between the flow rate of the feeding pump 9 and the flow rate of the machining fluid pump 7. Specifically, Kasai Par.0041 discloses that when the machining fluid flow supplied to the electric discharge machining part is relatively high, the replenishment flow supplied to sealing portion 4 is reduced, and may be reduced to zero. Conversely, Kasai discloses that when the machining fluid is not supplied to the electric discharge machining part, an optimal replenishment amount sufficient to maintain the fluid level of machining tank is supplied. Therefore, Kasai discloses the flow rate of the feeding pump 9 is relatively reduced when the flow rate of the machining fluid pump 7 is relatively high, and the flow rate of the feeding pump 9 is relatively increased when the flow rate of the machining fluid pump 7 is relatively low).
Regarding claim 7, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai also discloses:
wherein the pump controller (controller 6, Kasai Fig.1):
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the jetting pump from the inverter frequency of the jetting pump and an inverter current value of the jetting pump;
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the jetting pump from a pressure of the work fluid sent by the jetting pump, which is measured by a pressure sensor; or
acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1), which is measured by a flowmeter (flowmeter 10b, Kasai Fig.1) (It is noted that claim 7 is written in alternative form; therefore, only one of three alternative is required during examination. In this case, Kasai discloses the controller 6 acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the jetting pump, which is measured by a flowmeter because Kasai Par.0031 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b. A flowmeter 10 b is attached to a duct that extends between the machining fluid pump 7 and the machining tank 3. The flowmeter 10 b measures the flow rate of the machining fluid drawn up from the clean water tank 1 by the machining fluid pump 7 and supplied to the machining tank 3. The output of the flowmeter 10 b is delivered to the controller 6.”).
Regarding claim 12, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai also discloses:
wherein the tool electrode (“wire electrode”, Kasai Pars.0010 & 0014) is a wire electrode (Kasai Pars.0010 & 0014 discloses wire electrode, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 1 above) (Kasai Par.0010 discloses: “The machining fluid discharged from the machining tank 3 into the dirty tank 2 contains machining chips of a workpiece and the wire electrode generated by electric discharge machining. The machining fluid is supplied from a clean water tank 1 to the machining tank 3. The machining fluid to be supplied to the clean water tank 1 is supplied from the dirty tank 2 through a filtration filter 5. The filtration filter 5 removes the machining chips from the machining fluid supplied from the dirty tank 2 to the clean water tank 1. A machining fluid pump 7 draws up the machining fluid from the clean water tank 1 and supplies it to nozzles (not shown) of the machining tank 3. A controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b.”, and Kasai Par.0014 discloses: “A first aspect of a wire electric discharge machine according to the present invention comprises a machining tank having therein an electric discharge machining part configured to perform electric discharge machining of a workpiece by means of a wire electrode, a dirty tank in which a machining fluid in the machining tank is collected and stored, a filtration filter configured to filter machining chips of the workpiece and the wire electrode generated by the electric discharge machining from the machining fluid in the dirty tank and supply the filtered machining chips to a clean water tank, a sealing portion configured to prevent the machining fluid from flowing out of the machining tank through an opening in the machining tank, a feed water pump configured to deliver the machining fluid in the clean water tank to the sealing portion, a nozzle through which the machining fluid is jetted against the workpiece during the electric discharge machining, and a machining fluid pump configured to deliver the machining fluid in the clean water tank to the nozzle.”).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 3-5, 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kasai et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0273601 A1) in view of Schmied (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0331119 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai also discloses further comprising:
a circulation pump controller (portion of the controller 6 that controls the pump 8 via inverter 11a, Kasai Par.0029 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the filter pump 8 through an inverter 11 a.”. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to three claimed jetting pump controller, feeding pump controller, and circulation pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller, the feeding pump controller, and the circulation pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85, feeding pump controller 86, and circulation pump controller 87 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b, separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c, and separately controls the pump 8 through inverter 11a. Thus, the use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) configured to acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled jetting pump (machining fluid pump 7, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai Par.0031 discloses: “The controller 6 drivingly controls the machining fluid pump 7 through an inverter 11 b. A flowmeter 10 b is attached to a duct that extends between the machining fluid pump 7 and the machining tank 3. The flowmeter 10 b measures the flow rate of the machining fluid drawn up from the clean water tank 1 by the machining fluid pump 7 and supplied to the machining tank 3. The output of the flowmeter 10 b is delivered to the controller 6. A velocity meter may be used in place of the flowmeter 10 b. Means for measuring the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles is not limited to the flowmeter 10 b or the velocity meter and may alternatively be pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles. Further, distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the workpiece and the nozzles may be used instead, since there is a correlation between this distance and the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles.”, Kasai Par.0035 discloses: “The flow rate storage unit 6A stores the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4 in association with that of the machining fluid delivered to the nozzles. The flow rate setting unit 6B reads the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4 from the flow rate storage unit 6A and sets it, based on the measured flow rate. The flow rate control unit 6C controls the flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to the sealing portion 4 based on the flow rate set by the flow rate setting unit 6B. The flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to the sealing portion 4 can be controlled by controlling the inverter 11 c by means of the flow rate control unit 6C.”, and Kasai Par.0041 discloses: “The amount of replenishment for the sealing portion 4 may be extremely reduced if the flow rate of the machining fluid supplied to an electric discharge machining part is high enough to maintain the fluid level of the machining tank 3. For example, this situation may occur during roughing (generally with the machining fluid supplied at a high set flow rate to the electric discharge machining part) or open machining (with the workpiece and the nozzles kept wide apart from one another). In some cases (e.g., if the flow rate of the machining fluid is higher than a predetermined value), the replenishment may be stopped so that the flow rate storage unit 6A of the controller 6 is stored with 0 as the flow rate of the machining fluid delivered to the sealing portion 4. When the machining fluid is not supplied to the electric discharge machining part (e.g., in a non-machining state), it is necessary only that an optimal amount of replenishment just sufficient to maintain the surface level in the machining tank 3 be supplied.”. Therefore, Kasai discloses acquire the flow rate of machining fluid pump 7.), and set the inverter frequency of the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) (Kasai discloses set the inverter frequency of the pump 8 because Kasai Par.0011 discloses controlling the pump 8 through the inverter 11a)
Kasai does not explicitly disclose:
acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled feeding pump, and set the inverter frequency of the circulation pump based on a sum of the flow rate of the inverter-controlled jetting pump and the flow rate of the inverter-controlled feeding pump.
Schmied teaches a pump system, and controlling system configured to control the pump system (Schmied Abstract):
acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled feeding pump, and set the inverter frequency of the circulation pump based on a sum of the flow rate of the inverter-controlled jetting pump and the flow rate of the inverter-controlled feeding pump (Schmied teaches acquiring a plurality of individual pump/consumer flow rates and controlling another circulation pump based on the sum thereof. Specifically, Schmied Par.0080 teaches the total flow corresponds to the sum of the individual consumer-circuit flow rates; Schmied Par.0081 teaches the individual flow rates can be directly measured, calculated, or estimated; additionally, Schmied Par.0082 teaches the primary-side centrifugal pump is controlled such that its delivery flow corresponds to the sum of the consumer-circuit flow rates; and furthermore, Schmied Par.0085 discloses the pump electronics system calculates the set flow rate from the individual flow rates.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai, by adding the teaching of acquiring the flow rate of the feeding pump, and set the inverter frequency of the circulation pump based on a sum of the flow rate of the inverter-controlled jetting pump and the flow rate of the inverter-controlled feeding pump, as taught by Schmied, in order to operate the circulation pump according to the actual total fluid demand of the system. The modification would allow the amount of machining fluid returned to the clean water tank to more closely correspond to the total amount being supplied, thereby maintaining fluid balance while avoiding unnecessarily high circulation pump output, reducing energy consumption and reducing unnecessary flow through the filtration filter.
Regarding claim 4, Kasai in view of Schmied teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 3, also teaches:
wherein the circulation pump controller (portion of the controller 6 controls the pump 8, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to three the claimed jetting pump controller, feeding pump controller, and circulation pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller, the feeding pump controller, and the circulation pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85, feeding pump controller 86, and circulation pump controller 87 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b, separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c, and separately controls the pump 8 through inverter 11a. Thus, the use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) is configured to set the inverter frequency of the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) such that the flow rate of the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) is equal to or greater than the sum (It is noted that the primary reference Kasai already teaches the circulation pump controller, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. In this case, the secondary reference Schmied Par.0080 teaches that the secondary-side total flow is the sum of the individual flow rates; and Schmied Par.0082 teaches controlling circulation pump based on that summed flow; additionally, Schmied Par.0021 teaches controlling the circulation pump flow to equal that total, including a = 1, and further teach a ratio of 1.0-1.3; therefore, making the circulation pump flow equal to or greater than the summed flow. Furthermore, Schmied Par.0022 teaches a positive offset b, also resulting in a flow greater than the summed flow. Therefore, in combination, Kasai in view of Schmied teaches wherein the circulation pump controller is configured to set the inverter frequency of the circulation pump such that the flow rate of the circulation pump is equal to or greater than the sum).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai in view of Schmied, by adding the teaching of controlling the circulation pump such that the flow rate of the circulation pump is equal to or greater than the sum, as taught by Schmied, in order to maintain the fluid balance of the machining fluid system while providing sufficient circulation reserve to ensure that the clean water tank is adequately replenished under changing operating conditions. Therefore, the modification would help avoid an insufficient return flow while also preventing unnecessarily excessive operation of the circulation pump and filtration system.
Regarding claim 5, Kasai in view of Schmied teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 4, also teaches:
wherein the circulation pump controller (portion of the controller 6 controls the pump 8, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to three the claimed jetting pump controller, feeding pump controller, and circulation pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller, the feeding pump controller, and the circulation pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85, feeding pump controller 86, and circulation pump controller 87 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b, separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c, and separately controls the pump 8 through inverter 11a. Thus, the use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) is configured to acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1), and when the flow rate of the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) exceeds an appropriate flow rate, reduce the inverter frequency of the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) within a range in which the flow rate of the circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) is equal to or greater than the sum (It is noted that the primary reference Kasai already teaches the circulation pump controller, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. Kasai discloses the pump 8 circulates machining fluid from the dirty tank 2 through filter 5 to the clean water tank 1m and controller 6 controls the pump 8 through the inverter 11a, as cited and explained in detail in the rejection of claim 1. The secondary reference Schmied Par.0075 teaches that, for controlling primary-side pump 17, the current conveying flow rate of pump 17 is used as the actual value, and that this actual flow rate can be directly measured by a volume-flow sensor or alternatively calculated or estimated from other physical quantities. Thus, Schmied explicitly teaches acquiring the actual flow rate of the controlled circulation pump. Schmied further teaches controlling the speed of pump 17 so that its flow approaches the actual system demand. Specifically, Schmied Par.0071 teaches controlling the speed of the primary-side circulation pump 17 in such a way that the primary volume flow rate is approximated to the demand. Schmied further explains that this demand-based control is intended to provide sufficient flow while preventing the flow from being unnecessarily high in order to save energy. Schmied also teaches the lower boundary for such reduction. Schmied Par.0080 teaches that the total secondary-side flow corresponds to the sum of the individual consumer-circuit flow rates, and Schmied Par.0082 teaches controlling the circulation pump 17 based on the summed flow. Further, as explained previously in the rejection of claim 3 above, Schmied Par.0022 teaches controlling the circulation pump flow based on offset b that is greater than zero. Thus, the circulation pump flow is maintained greater than the summed downstream flow demand. Therefore, Kasai in view of Schmied teaches wherein the circulation pump controller is configured to acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled circulation pump, and when the flow rate of the circulation pump exceeds an appropriate flow rate, reduce the inverter frequency of the circulation pump within a range in which the flow rate of the circulation pump is equal to or greater than the sum).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai in view of Schmied, by adding the teaching of acquiring the flow rate of the circulation pump, and when the flow rate of the circulation pump exceeds an appropriate flow rate, reduce the inverter frequency of the circulation pump within a range in which the flow rate of the circulation pump is equal to or greater than the sum, as taught by Schmied, in order to prevent unnecessarily excessive circulation flow and unnecessarily energy consumption while still maintaining sufficient circulation capacity to satisfy the total fluid demand and preserve the desired fluid balance.
Regarding claim 8, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai also discloses the pump controller (controller 6, Kasai Fig.1), but Kasai does not explicit disclose wherein the pump controller:
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the feeding pump from the inverter frequency of the feeding pump and an inverter current value of the feeding pump;
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the feeding pump from a pressure of the work fluid sent by the feeding pump, which is measured by a pressure sensor; or
acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the feeding pump, which is measured by a flow meter.
Schmied teaches a pump system, and controlling system configured to control the pump system (Schmied Abstract):
wherein the pump controller (“pump electronics system”, Schmied Par.0085):
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the feeding pump from the inverter frequency of the feeding pump and an inverter current value of the feeding pump;
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the feeding pump from a pressure of the work fluid sent by the feeding pump, which is measured by a pressure sensor; or
acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the feeding pump (pump 12, Schmied Par.0083), which is measured by a flow meter (“volume flow rate sensors”, Schmied Par.0083) (It is noted that claim 8 is written in alternative form; therefore, only one of three alternative is required during examination. In this case, Schmied Par.0083 teaches the flow rates of pumps 12 can be determined from independent volume flow rate measuring devices or from volume flow rate sensors inside the consumer circuit pumps 12. Thus, Schmied explicitly teaches acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the feeding pump, which is measured by a flow meter.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai, by adding the teaching of the pump controller acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the feeding pump, which is measured by a flow meter, as taught by Schmied, in order to provide feedback for more accurate control of the feeding pump flow rate and to permit the controller to adjust the inverter operation based on the actual amount of fluid being delivered. Therefore, improve the accuracy and reliability of the inverter-based flow control.
Regarding claim 9, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai also discloses the pump controller (controller 6, Kasai Fig.1), but does not explicit disclose wherein the pump controller:
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the circulation pump from the inverter frequency of the circulation pump and an inverter current value of the circulation pump;
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the circulation pump from a pressure of the work fluid sent by the circulation pump, which is measured by a pressure sensor; or
acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the circulation pump, which is measured by a flow meter.
Schmied teaches a pump system, and controlling system configured to control the pump system (Schmied Abstract):
wherein the pump controller (“pump electronics system”, Schmied Par.0085):
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the circulation pump from the inverter frequency of the circulation pump and an inverter current value of the circulation pump;
calculates and acquires the flow rate of the circulation pump from a pressure of the work fluid sent by the circulation pump, which is measured by a pressure sensor; or
acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the circulation pump (circulation pump 17, Schmied Par.0075), which is measured by a flow meter (“volume flow rate sensor”, Schmied Par.0075) (It is noted that claim 9 is written in alternative form; therefore, only one of three alternative is required during examination. In this case, the primary reference Kasai already teaches the circulation pump controller, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. Kasai discloses the pump 8 circulates machining fluid from the dirty tank 2 through filter 5 to the clean water tank 1m and controller 6 controls the pump 8 through the inverter 11a, as cited and explained in detail in the rejection of claim 1. The secondary reference Schmied Par.0075 teaches that, for controlling primary-side pump 17, the current conveying flow rate of pump 17 is used as the actual value, and that this actual flow rate can be directly measured by a volume flow rate sensor. Thus, Schmied explicitly teaches acquiring the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the circulation pump, which is measured by a flow meter.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai, by adding the teaching of the pump controller acquires the flow rate of the work fluid sent by the circulation pump, which is measured by a flow meter, as taught by Schmied, in order to accurately control the circulation flow through the filtration filter, and prevent unnecessarily excessive circulation flow and unnecessarily energy consumption while still maintaining sufficient circulation capacity to satisfy the total fluid demand and preserve the desired fluid balance.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kasai et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0273601 A1) in view of Schmied (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0331119 A1), and further in view of Klein et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2021/0039025 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Kasai in view of Schmied teaches the apparatus set forth in claim 3, also teaches:
wherein the circulation pump controller (portion of the controller 6 controls the pump 8, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. It is noted that Kasai controller 6 is considered to correspond to three the claimed jetting pump controller, feeding pump controller, and circulation pump controller because the Instant Application does not require the jetting pump controller, the feeding pump controller, and the circulation pump controller to be physically separate controllers. Rather, Fig.2 of the Instant Application shows that a single pump controller 8 including jetting pump controller 85, feeding pump controller 86, and circulation pump controller 87 as respective functional portions thereof. Similarly, the prior art Kasai discloses a single numerical controller 6 that performs respective control functions for different pumps. Specifically, controller 6 controls the machining fluid pump 7 through inverter 11b, separately controls the feed water pump 9 through inverter 11c, and separately controls the pump 8 through inverter 11a. Thus, the use of a common physical controller in the prior art Kasai is consistent with the controller architecture disclosed by the Instant Application.) is configured to acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled circulation pump (pump 8, Kasai Fig.1) (It is noted that the primary reference Kasai already teaches the circulation pump controller, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. Kasai discloses the pump 8 circulates machining fluid from the dirty tank 2 through filter 5 to the clean water tank 1m and controller 6 controls the pump 8 through the inverter 11a, as cited and explained in details in the rejection of claim 1. The secondary reference Schmied Par.0075 teaches that, for controlling primary-side pump 17, the current conveying flow rate of pump 17 is used as the actual value, and that this actual flow rate can be directly measured by a volume-flow sensor or alternatively calculated or estimated from other physical quantities. Thus, Schmied explicitly teaches acquiring the actual flow rate of the controlled circulation pump.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai in view of Schmied, by adding the teaching of acquiring the flow rate of the circulation pump, as taught by Schmied, in order to prevent unnecessarily excessive circulation flow and unnecessarily energy consumption while still maintaining sufficient circulation capacity to satisfy the total fluid demand and preserve the desired fluid balance.
Kasai in view of Schmied does not explicitly teach:
when the flow rate of the circulation pump falls below a threshold value, determine that a replacement of the filter is necessary
Klein teaches (Klein Fig.10):
when the flow rate of the circulation pump falls below a threshold value, determine that a replacement of the filter is necessary (Klein Par.0009 teaches: “One or more processing elements in communication with a plurality of flow sensors each fluidly connected to one of a plurality of filters at each unit of a plurality of units in a predetermined geographic area determine a flow rate through the filter at each unit of the plurality of units. For each unit of the plurality of units, the one or more processing elements determine if the flow rate through the filter at the unit is below a predetermined threshold. The one or more processing units transmit an alert to the water utility if the flow rate through the filter at a predetermined percentage of units of the plurality of units in the predetermined geographic area is below the predetermined threshold.”, and Klein Par.0055 teaches: “The threshold life cycle stage may indicate a stage in the life cycle where it may be desirable to replace the filter. Thus, when the filter approaches the threshold life cycle stage, it may indicate that a replacement may be necessary in the near future, and when the filter surpasses the threshold life cycle stage, it may indicate that the filter may need to be replaced. As one example, the threshold life cycle stage may be anywhere from 70-100% of the filter's total capacity. As another example, the threshold life cycle stage may be 85% capacity. In this example, if the system 100 determines at operation 208 that the filter is at 70% capacity, then the system 100 may determine that the filter may need replacement in the near future and send an alert to a user to replace the filter soon; however, if the system 100 determines that the filter is at 90% capacity, exceeding the 85% capacity threshold, then the system 100 may determine that the filter needs to be replaced and send an alert to a user to replace the filter now.”. It is noted that the primary reference Kasai already teaches the circulation pump controller, as cited and explained in the rejection of claim 3 above. Kasai discloses the pump 8 circulates machining fluid from the dirty tank 2 through filter 5 to the clean water tank 1m and controller 6 controls the pump 8 through the inverter 11a, as cited and explained in detail in the rejection of claim 1; and Kasai in view of Schmied teaches the circulation pump controller is configured to acquire the flow rate of the inverter-controlled circulation pump, as cited and explained above. Therefore, by adding the teaching of Klein, in combination, Kasai in view of Schmied and Klein teaches when the flow rate of the circulation pump falls below a threshold value, determine that a replacement of the filter is necessary.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai in view of Schmied, by adding the teaching of when the flow rate of the circulation pump falls below a threshold value, determine that a replacement of the filter is necessary, as taught by Klein, in order to accurately determine deterioration of the filter based on actual filtration performance and thereby permit timely replacement of the filter before inadequate filtration occurs. The modification would avoid replacing the filter unnecessarily early while also preventing continued operation with a deteriorated filter.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kasai et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0273601 A1) in view of Yoshizaki et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0083536 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai does not explicitly disclose further comprising:
a cooler for cooling the work fluid and discharging it to the clean fluid tank, wherein the feeding pump pressure-feeds the work fluid in the clean fluid tank to the cooler.
Yoshizaki teaches an electric discharge machine (Yoshizaki Fig.1) comprising:
a cooler (refrigerator 13, Yoshizaki Fig.1) for cooling the work fluid and discharging it to the clean fluid tank (cleaned-fluid tank 7, Yoshizaki Fig.1) (Yoshizaki Par.0025 teaches: “The reservoir/circulation pump 17 draws up a cleaned fluid 10 from a cleaned-fluid tank 7. The first fluid circuit supplies the cleaned fluid 10 drawn up by the pump 17 to a working tank 5 through the first valve 18. The second fluid circuit supplies the cleaned fluid 10 drawn up by the pump 17 to an ion-exchange resin 12 and a refrigerator 13 through the second valve 19. The first and second valves 18 and 19 are provided in the first and second fluid circuits, respectively. The controller 20 performs open/close control of the first and second valves 18 and 19 to switch the supply of the cleaned fluid 10 drawn up by the pump 17 to either the first fluid circuit or the second fluid circuit.”, and Yoshizaki Par.0028 teaches: “the control by the controller 20 enables the reservoir/circulation pump 17 to be alternatively used as a reservoir pump for storing the cleaned fluid 10 in the working tank 5 or a circulation pump for supplying the cleaned fluid 10 in the cleaned-fluid tank 7 to the ion-exchange resin 12 and the refrigerator 13 and then returning it to the tank 7.”), wherein the feeding pump (pump 17, Yoshizaki Fig.1) pressure-feeds the work fluid in the clean fluid tank (cleaned-fluid tank 7, Yoshizaki Fig.1) to the cooler (refrigerator 13, Yoshizaki Fig.1) (Yoshizaki Par.0025 teaches: “The reservoir/circulation pump 17 draws up a cleaned fluid 10 from a cleaned-fluid tank 7. The first fluid circuit supplies the cleaned fluid 10 drawn up by the pump 17 to a working tank 5 through the first valve 18. The second fluid circuit supplies the cleaned fluid 10 drawn up by the pump 17 to an ion-exchange resin 12 and a refrigerator 13 through the second valve 19. The first and second valves 18 and 19 are provided in the first and second fluid circuits, respectively. The controller 20 performs open/close control of the first and second valves 18 and 19 to switch the supply of the cleaned fluid 10 drawn up by the pump 17 to either the first fluid circuit or the second fluid circuit.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai, by adding the cooler for cooling the work fluid and discharging it to the clean fluid tank, wherein the feeding pump pressure-feeds the work fluid in the clean fluid tank to the cooler, as taught by Yoshizaki, in order to adjust and maintain the temperature of the machining fluid at a condition suitable for stable and accurate electric discharge machining.
Regarding claim 11, Kasai discloses the apparatus set forth in claim 1, Kasai does not explicitly disclose further comprising:
a deionizer for adjusting a specific resistance of the work fluid and discharging it to the clean fluid tank, wherein the feeding pump pressure-feeds the work fluid in the clean fluid tank to the deionizer.
Yoshizaki teaches an electric discharge machine (Yoshizaki Fig.2) comprising:
a deionizer (ion-exchange resin 12, Yoshizaki Fig.2) for adjusting a specific resistance of the work fluid and discharging it to the clean fluid tank (cleaned-fluid tank 7, Yoshizaki Fig.2) (Yoshizaki Par.0008 teaches: “the cleaned fluid 10 in the cleaned-fluid tank 7 is drawn up by a circulation pump 3, delivered to an ion-exchange resin 12 for adjusting the electrical resistance of the working fluid and a refrigerator 13 for temperature adjustment, and returned to the cleaned-fluid tank 7. In this way, the cleaned fluid 10 is adjusted to be suitable for electric discharge machining”), wherein the feeding pump (pump 3, Yoshizaki Fig.2) pressure-feeds the work fluid in the clean fluid tank (cleaned-fluid tank 7, Yoshizaki Fig.2) to the deionizer (ion-exchange resin 12, Yoshizaki Fig.2) (Yoshizaki Par.0008 teaches: “the cleaned fluid 10 in the cleaned-fluid tank 7 is drawn up by a circulation pump 3, delivered to an ion-exchange resin 12 for adjusting the electrical resistance of the working fluid and a refrigerator 13 for temperature adjustment, and returned to the cleaned-fluid tank 7. In this way, the cleaned fluid 10 is adjusted to be suitable for electric discharge machining”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Kasai, by adding deionizer for adjusting a specific resistance of the work fluid and discharging it to the clean fluid tank, wherein the feeding pump pressure-feeds the work fluid in the clean fluid tank to the deionizer, as taught by Yoshizaki, in order to adjust and maintain the electrical resistance of the machining fluid at a condition suitable for stable and accurate electric discharge machining, as recognized by Yoshizaki [Yoshizaki, Par.0008].
Conclusion
The following prior art(s) made of record and not relied upon is/are considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Yoshida et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0092661 A1) discloses a wire electrical discharge machine that adjusts flow rate of working fluid based on machining state. A function to control a working fluid supply operation with use of two separate pumps is also provided so that the working fluid can be supplied, always at a steady flow rate, to an electrical discharge machining operation portion between the workpiece and the wire electrode.
Uneda (U.S. Pub. No. 2019/0262922 A1) discloses an electric discharge machining device comprising a dirty fluid tank of a machining fluid supply tank that has a capacity smaller than a machining tank and is arranged lower than the machining tank. An intermediate tank has a capacity smaller than the dirty fluid tank, selectively communicates with the dirty fluid tank. A clear fluid tank has a capacity smaller than the intermediate tank, is arranged above the dirty fluid tank and the intermediate tank. The sum of capacities of the dirty fluid tank and the intermediate tank is larger than the capacity of the machining tank.
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/THAO UYEN TRAN-LE/Examiner, Art Unit 3761 09/03/2026
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