DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II (claims 8-10) in the reply filed on 03/03/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-7 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/03/2026.
Status of Claims
Pending: claims 1-10
Withdrawn: claims 1-7
Under examination: claims 8-10
Rejected: claims 8-10
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 (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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sulzer et al. (US 20080083524 A1).
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Regarding claim 8, with regard to the claimed “A continuous casting system, comprising: a pair of moving opposed casting surfaces;” Sulzer teaches that the invention relates to the continuous casting of molten metals, and a method of introducing the molten metal into the casting cavity of a continuous caster and the design of a metal feeder used for this purpose [0001]. The invention may be used with both horizontal and vertical continuous casting machines, e.g. twin-belt casters [0002], [0026]. The belts are casting surfaces [0002], and are “confronting” (i.e. “opposed”) to each other [0002], [0014] (also see Fig. 1 below).
With regard to the claimed “a casting cavity between the pair of moving opposed casting surfaces;” Sulzer teaches that there is a pair of endless casting surfaces confronting each other across a casting cavity [0014].
With regard to the claimed “and a molten metal injector having a molten metal injector nozzle, wherein a top or bottom surface of the molten metal injector nozzle has a distal most end that is positioned at a vertical distance above at least one moving casting surface of the pair of moving opposed casting surfaces” Sulzer teaches that the feeder comprises a nozzle having a projecting tip including at least one wall provided with a molten-metal-contacting inner surface, an outer surface, and an end surface at an outer extremity of the tip extending between the inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface and the end surface interconnect at a line and form an included angle of less than 88 degrees. The wall has a thickness adjacent to the line in the range of 0.5 to 3 mm, and the line is positioned during casting at a spacing from an adjacent casting surface within the range of 0.5 to 3 mm.” [0014], Fig. 2-4, [0040], [0041].
Regarding claim 9, with regard to the claimed “The continuous casting system of claim 8, wherein the vertical distance between the distal most end of the molten metal injector nozzle and the at least one moving casting surface is about 1.4 mm or less.”, Sulzer teaches that “The minimum distance is controlled by restrictions placed on the tip by methods of construction and the need for the tip to be spaced slightly from the casting surface. The preferred spacing (take-off line to casting surface) is about 1 mm+0.5 mm. However, the invention is effective with normal nozzle wall thicknesses (usually about 1 mm or 1/32 inch) and a spacing up to about 3 mm” [0023], which is sufficiently specified in [0048] and [0053]-[0054] (e.g. 1 mm spacing) to anticipate the claimed range of 1.4 mm or less (MPEP 2131.03 I-II.).
Regarding claim 10, with regard to the claimed “The continuous casting system of claim 8, wherein the pair of moving opposed casting surfaces is a pair of moving opposed belts”, Sulzer teaches that twin belt caster 10 has upper and lower endless rotating metal belts 12 and 14 arranged so that closely spaced moving confronting casting surfaces 16, 18 of the belts are disposed essentially parallel to each other through a region where they define a casting cavity (casting mold) 20 from a cavity entrance 21 to a cavity exit 22 [0040], Fig. 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Adil Siddiqui whose telephone number is (571)272-8047. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10AM-6PM CST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Walker can be reached at 571-272-3458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADIL A. SIDDIQUI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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