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 .
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.
Claims 1-5 and 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aragaki et al. (JP 2012-184497-A, hereafter “Aragaki”, see translation of record) in view of Fukushima (WO 2018159370 A1). US 2020/0230673 is taken to be the English-equivalent of the above WO document and portions cited below refer to the US publication.
Regarding claim 1, Aragaki discloses a method of producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet (abstract, [0015]), comprising: subjecting a steel material to hot rolling to obtain a hot-rolled steel sheet [0015, 0038]; subjecting the hot-rolled steel sheet to either a single cycle or multiple cycles of cold rolling with intermediate annealing in between [0039-0040], to obtain a cold-rolled sheet having a final sheet thickness [0040]; and then subjecting the cold-rolled sheet to decarburization annealing [0045-0046] followed by secondary recrystallization annealing [0047]. The cold rolling is performed with a biting temperature T (<800°C) and a strain rate e of 150 (s-1) [0040] that satisfies the recited condition: 0.0378e2 + 0.367e + 37.2 > T [Wingdings font/0xE0] 0.0378*(150)2 + 0.367*(150) + 37.2 = 942 > 800°C.
With respect to cold rolling, Aragaki does not disclose heating at the entry side, cooling and thereafter introducing into the first pass of the cold rolling tandem mill. However, such technique is known in the art. Fukushima (also directed to cold rolling of steel sheet) discloses performing cold rolling using a tandem mill (fig. 3, [0035]), wherein an edge heater is arranged at an upstream entry side of the cold rolling mill, followed by a cooling jetting device, and thereafter introducing into the roll bite of the tandem mill (see fig. 3, [0038-0041]. Fukushima teaches heating so that a temperature of the steel sheet at the entry side is above the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of 60°C, preferably not lower than 80°C [0041]; in one example the heating temperature is 190 °C [0046]. The heating temperature of above 80°C to 190°C falls within the recited heating range of 70-200°C. In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990), MPEP 2144.05. In this manner, by controlling the cold rolling entry side condition, the steel sheet breakage generating rate is reduced (rolling condition 3- Table 1, [0059-0060]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to apply heating followed by jet cooling prior to entry side in the cold rolling tandem mill similar to Fukushima in the method of Aragaki because doing so would reduce steel sheet breakage rate, as suggested by Fukushima. Examiner also notes that Aragaki as modified by Fukushima encompasses cold rolling in a tandem mill, wherein the steel introduced to the entry side into a first pass roll bite of the tandem mill satisfies the recited biting temperature and strain rate condition.
As to claim 2, Aragaki discloses that primary recrystallization & decarburization annealing includes heating at a heating rate of 50 °C/s or higher in a temperature from 500-700°C ([0019], claim 5), which overlaps with recited rate and temperature range from 400-700°C.
As to claims 3-5, Aragaki discloses that the steel material comprises a chemical composition containing, by mass%: C: 0.01 % to 0.10 %, Si: 2.0 % to 4.5 %, Mn: 0.01 % to 0.50 %, Al: 0.0100 % to 0.0400 %, one or both of S and Se: 0.01 % to 0.05 % in total and N: 0.0050 % to 0.0120 %, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities [0015, 0020]. The steel composition further contains at least one selected from the group consisting of Sb: 0.005 % to 0.500 %,Cu: 0.01 % to 1.50 %, P: 0.005 % to 0.500 %, Cr: 0.01 % to 1.50 %, Ni: 0.005 % to 1.500 %, Sn: 0.01 % to 0.50 %, Nb: 0.0005 % to 0.0100 % [0022]. The respective amount of each element disclosed by Aragaki falls within the recited range, thereby rendering the claims obvious.
As to claims 8-12, Aragaki discloses that the steel material comprises a chemical composition containing, by mass%: C: 0.01 % to 0.10 %, Si: 2.0 % to 4.5 %, Mn: 0.01 % to 0.50 %, Al: 0.0100 % to 0.0400 %, one or both of S and Se: 0.01 % to 0.05 % in total and N: 0.0050 % to 0.0120 %, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities [0015, 0020]. The steel composition further contains at least one selected from the group consisting of Sb: 0.005 % to 0.500 %,Cu: 0.01 % to 1.50 %, P: 0.005 % to 0.500 %, Cr: 0.01 % to 1.50 %, Ni: 0.005 % to 1.500 %, Sn: 0.01 % to 0.50 %, Nb: 0.0005 % to 0.0100 % [0022]. The respective amount of each element disclosed by Aragaki falls within the recited range, thereby rendering the claims obvious.
As to claim 13, Aragaki discloses subjecting the hot-rolled steel sheet to two or more cycles of cold rolling with intermediate annealing in between [0039].
Response to Amendment and Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim 1 have been considered but are moot in light of new grounds of rejection set forth above. The current 103 rejection now includes new reference of Fukushima, which addresses the matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEVANG R PATEL whose telephone number is (571) 270-3636. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, EST.
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/DEVANG R PATEL/
Primary Examiner, AU 1735
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