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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claims 10 and 11 encompass signals per se under broadest reasonable interpretation.
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(s) 1-2, 4, 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hewitt (US PUB. 20030114997) in view of Aghili (US PUB. 20170244344).
Regarding claim 1, Hewitt teaches A control method for a casting machine, the casting machine comprising a plurality of roller components and a plurality of motors for driving the plurality of roller components to rotate, wherein motors are in one-to-one correspondence with the roller components (0010 0012), and the method comprises:
acquiring, within a preset first detection time interval, a running characteristic signal of each roller component (0027 “The sensor may be provided in any suitable form where the signal recorded can be converted into computer readable form. Existing technologies include electromagnetic sensors, radioactive sensors and light sensors. The computer programme may also receive an input related to the casting speed. When stable casting speed conditions are recognised, the programme applies an appropriate mathematical transform to the mould level versus time function to identify underlying periodic influences which relate to roll behaviour. Once the periodic influences are identified the programme may compare the recorded data against the predicted harmonics to locate problem areas”);
conducting, based on the running characteristic signal of each roller component, a running difference analysis of the plurality of roller components to obtain a running difference analysis result (fig. 4 0013 “The expected frequency of a harmonic for a particular roller at a particular casting speed over the period sampled can be calculated from simple formulae. Any significant increase in amplitude of the transformed signal at a frequency harmonic can provide an indication of the type of damage or other problem with the roller generating that harmonic” 0027 “Once the periodic influences are identified the programme may compare the recorded data against the predicted harmonics to locate problem areas”);
wherein the running difference analysis comprises at least one of a running synchronization analysis and a running similarity analysis (fig. 4 0013 “The expected frequency of a harmonic for a particular roller at a particular casting speed over the period sampled can be calculated from simple formulae. Any significant increase in amplitude of the transformed signal at a frequency harmonic can provide an indication of the type of damage or other problem with the roller generating that harmonic” 0027 “Once the periodic influences are identified the programme may compare the recorded data against the predicted harmonics to locate problem areas”).
The cited prior art do not teach conducting, based on the running difference analysis result, control on the casting machine.
Aghili teaches conducting, based on the running difference analysis result, control on the casting machine (0008 0051 0045 “The primary control input v.sub.p receives a main control signal that controls the electromagnetic torque”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the teachings of Hewitt with the teachings of Aghili since Aghili teaches a means for control torque of the system in order to maximize efficiency (abstract).
Regarding claim 2, the cited prior art teach The control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
The cited prior art teach wherein the running characteristic signal of the roller component comprises a running torque signal (Aghili 0006) of the roller component and a rotational speed signal of the roller component (Hewitt 0013).
Regarding claim 4, the cited prior art teach the control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
Hewitt teaches wherein the running similarity analysis comprises: for each of the plurality of roller components: performing a waveform analysis on the running characteristic signal of the roller component to determine running similarity data of the roller component (0034 “FIG. 1 shows a sample of mould levels recorded over a period of 512 seconds. The vertical axis of the graph shown depicts the mould level measured and the horizontal axis depicts time elapsed over the monitored period. As can be seen the signal has periodic components. A Fast Fourier Transformation is applied to the mould level versus time function and calculates the simplistic periodic waveforms which can be summed up to obtain the original more complex waveform. Large periodic influences on the mould level signal, such as that which may be caused by damaged or misaligned rollers are highlighted as large peaks in the Fast Fourier transform frequency distribution as shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen a large peak has occurred around 0.1 Hz; this is indicative of an irregularity with respect to a roller.”);
determining, based on the running similarity data of the roller component and a preset similarity threshold, a running similarity state of the roller component to obtain a similarity analysis result; and wherein the running similarity state is a normal similarity state or an abnormal similarity state (0034 “FIG. 1 shows a sample of mould levels recorded over a period of 512 seconds. The vertical axis of the graph shown depicts the mould level measured and the horizontal axis depicts time elapsed over the monitored period. As can be seen the signal has periodic components. A Fast Fourier Transformation is applied to the mould level versus time function and calculates the simplistic periodic waveforms which can be summed up to obtain the original more complex waveform. Large periodic influences on the mould level signal, such as that which may be caused by damaged or misaligned rollers are highlighted as large peaks in the Fast Fourier transform frequency distribution as shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen a large peak has occurred around 0.1 Hz; this is indicative of an irregularity with respect to a roller.”, 0035).
Regarding claim 6, the cited prior art teach the control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
Hewitt teaches wherein conducting control on the casting machine based on the running difference analysis result comprises: generating and sending alarm information under a condition where the running difference analysis result indicates that a certain roller component is in an abnormal synchronization state and/or an abnormal similarity state (0026 “is desirable to monitor the casting speed. Conveniently, the apparatus used to implement the method may incorporate an alarm for alerting the system user to a variation in casting speed”).
Regarding claim 7, the cited prior art teach the control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
further comprising an abnormality detection process, the abnormality detection process comprising: for at least one roller component of the plurality of roller components: acquiring, within a preset second detection time interval, a running characteristic signal of the roller component (0027 “The sensor may be provided in any suitable form where the signal recorded can be converted into computer readable form. Existing technologies include electromagnetic sensors, radioactive sensors and light sensors. The computer programme may also receive an input related to the casting speed. When stable casting speed conditions are recognised, the programme applies an appropriate mathematical transform to the mould level versus time function to identify underlying periodic influences which relate to roll behaviour. Once the periodic influences are identified the programme may compare the recorded data against the predicted harmonics to locate problem areas”);
generating, based on the running characteristic signal of the roller component, performance characteristic data of the roller component; comparing the performance characteristic data with a preset performance threshold range, and determining a running performance state of the roller component based on the comparison result; wherein the running performance state comprises a normal running state and an abnormal running state (fig. 4 0013 “The expected frequency of a harmonic for a particular roller at a particular casting speed over the period sampled can be calculated from simple formulae. Any significant increase in amplitude of the transformed signal at a frequency harmonic can provide an indication of the type of damage or other problem with the roller generating that harmonic” 0027 “Once the periodic influences are identified the programme may compare the recorded data against the predicted harmonics to locate problem areas”).
Regarding claim 8, the cited prior art teach the control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
Hewitt teaches wherein the roller component comprises a plurality of sub-components, and each sub-component further comprises a plurality of sub-composing parts (0003 “Any change in the diameter, circularity, linearity, eccentricity, alignment of a roll or failure of support bearings may lead to variations in the set distance between pairs of the rollers resulting in consequent variations in the thickness of the partially molten cast strand”);
and the method further comprise a fault diagnosis process, the fault diagnosis process comprising: for at least one roller component of the plurality of roller components: acquiring, within a preset third detection time interval, a running characteristic signal of the roller component (0003 “Any change in the diameter, circularity, linearity, eccentricity, alignment of a roll or failure of support bearings may lead to variations in the set distance between pairs of the rollers resulting in consequent variations in the thickness of the partially molten cast strand”);
performing a spectrum analysis on the running characteristic signal to obtain a plurality of sub-spectrum characteristics corresponding to the running characteristic signal (0034 “A Fast Fourier Transformation is applied to the mould level versus time function and calculates the simplistic periodic waveforms which can be summed up to obtain the original more complex waveform. Large periodic influences on the mould level signal, such as that which may be caused by damaged or misaligned rollers are highlighted as large peaks in the Fast Fourier transform frequency distribution as shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen a large peak has occurred around 0.1 Hz; this is indicative of an irregularity with respect to a roller”);
wherein each sub-spectrum characteristic is associated with a performance state of the corresponding sub- composing part of the roller component; comparing, for each sub-spectrum characteristic, the sub-spectrum characteristic with a preset fault spectrum characteristic range of the corresponding sub-composing part (0010 “comparing the frequency of the periodic influences of step ii) with predicted frequency harmonics based on a normal operation of the casting process and highlighting by comparison of the predicted and actual frequencies characteristics indicative of irregularities in roller behaviour”);
determining, under a condition where the sub-spectrum characteristic falls within the preset fault spectrum characteristic range, that the sub-component comprising the sub-composing part is in a fault state, and determining the fault type of the sub-component as a fault of the sub- composing part (0003 “Any change in the diameter, circularity, linearity, eccentricity, alignment of a roll or failure of support bearings may lead to variations in the set distance between pairs of the rollers resulting in consequent variations in the thickness of the partially molten cast strand”, 0011 “preferred means for identifying the large periodic influences in step ii) is by applying a mathematical transformation, preferably a Fourier transform, most preferably a Fast Fourier transform. This transform separates the complex mould signal enabling highlighting of periodic influences in the signal by separating out background noise, thus allowing easier identification of periodic and unexpected influences due to the asymmetric operation of a damaged or misaligned roller’, 0010 “comparing the frequency of the periodic influences of step ii) with predicted frequency harmonics based on a normal operation of the casting process and highlighting by comparison of the predicted and actual frequencies characteristics indicative of irregularities in roller behaviour”).
Claim 9 is rejected using similar reasoning as the rejection of claims 1 due to reciting similar limitations but directed towards a control system.
Regarding claim 10, the cited prior art teach A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are executed by a computer (Hewitt 0027), the method according to claim 1 is executed (see rejection of claim 1).
Regarding claim 11, the cited prior art teach A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are executed by a computer (Hewitt 0027), the method according to claim 8 is executed (see rejection of claim 8).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hewitt (US PUB. 20030114997) in view of Aghili (US PUB. 20170244344) in further view of Deng (US PUB. 20190360893).
Regarding claim 3, the cited prior art teach the control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
The cited prior art do not teach wherein the running synchronization analysis comprises: for each of the plurality of roller components: conducting a time domain analysis on the running characteristic signal of the roller component to determine running time domain deviation data of the roller component; determining, based on the running time domain deviation data of the roller component and a preset deviation threshold, a running synchronization state of the roller component, and obtaining a synchronization analysis result; and wherein the running synchronization state is a normal synchronization state or an abnormal synchronization state.
Deng teaches wherein the running synchronization analysis comprises: for each of the plurality of roller components: conducting a time domain analysis on the running characteristic signal of the roller component to determine running time domain deviation data of the roller component (0043 “the present disclosure uses time domain feature parameters of the vibration data of all the rollers in the normal state as the reference for performance evaluation, and collects the actual vibration data of the roll-to-roll device for processing flexible material in the actual working process to extract the time domain feature parameters of the vibration data. The membership degrees between the actual vibration features and the fuzzy prototypes (i.e., the similarity between the actual vibration data and the standard vibration) are computed through the membership degree functions”)
determining, based on the running time domain deviation data of the roller component and a preset deviation threshold, a running synchronization state of the roller component, and obtaining a synchronization analysis result; and wherein the running synchronization state is a normal synchronization state or an abnormal synchronization state (0044 0043).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the teachings of Hewitt and the teachings of Aghili with the teachings of Deng since Deng teaches a means for improving product quality of the material being processed (0006).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hewitt (US PUB. 20030114997) in view of Aghili (US PUB. 20170244344) in further view of Bellander et al (US PUB. 20170131184, herein Bellander).
Regarding claim 5, the cited prior art teach the control method for a casting machine according to claim 1.
Hewitt teaches wherein the control method of a casting machine further comprises a continuity analysis of roller components: acquiring, [after a certain roller component is replaced], within a preset first detection time interval, a running characteristic signal of the replaced roller component; conducting, based on the running characteristic signal of the previous roller component and the running characteristic signal of the replaced roller component, a continuity analysis of the previous roller component and the replaced roller component, and obtaining a continuity analysis result of the roller components ((0027 “The sensor may be provided in any suitable form where the signal recorded can be converted into computer readable form. Existing technologies include electromagnetic sensors, radioactive sensors and light sensors. The computer programme may also receive an input related to the casting speed. When stable casting speed conditions are recognised, the programme applies an appropriate mathematical transform to the mould level versus time function to identify underlying periodic influences which relate to roll behaviour. Once the periodic influences are identified the programme may compare the recorded data against the predicted harmonics to locate problem areas”, 0013, 0014).
The cited prior art do not teach after a certain roller component is replaced.
Bellander teaches after a certain roller component is replaced (0005 “When a machine component has failed, the whole machine may need to be stopped in order for the maintenance personnel to repair or replace the failed component”, 0026 “the machine component 105 may be for example a drum or a roller”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the teachings of Hewitt and Aghili with the teachings of Bellander since Bellander teaches a means for “increase its production because an unfavorable state of the machine component can be detected and controlled before a failure occurs” (0015).
Conclusion
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/TAMEEM D SIDDIQUEE/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2116