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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by INST METAL RESEARCH CAS (CN 109482885 A; herein after “METAL RESEARCH”).
Regarding claim 1, METAL RESEARCH teaches a method for forming a contact piece for a circuit breaker (see “The invention belongs to the field of metal-based composite materials, in particular to a copper-based contact material with a microscopic directional structure and a preparation method thereof” abstract), the contact piece comprising a reinforcement phase and a conductive phase (“The material is composed of a matrix phase (copper or copper alloy) and a second phase (chromium, chromium alloy, tungsten carbide or silicon carbide) with a mass fraction of 5% to 85%, and the two phases are microscopically interphase along the freezing direction of the preparation process.” see abstract; paragraphs 2 - 11), the method comprising:
providing a slurry of the reinforcement phase in liquid (see Step A, paragraphs 2-11) ; freeze casting the slurry to form a cast comprising a frozen liquid structure and a reinforcement phase structure (Step B, see paragraph 2-11); removing the frozen liquid structure from the cast to form a foam comprising the reinforcement phase structure (also in step B, see paragraph 8-9); sintering the foam to form a sintered foam (Step C, see paragraph 10); and infiltrating the sintered foam with the conductive phase to form a piece part (Step D, see paragraph 11).
As for claim 2, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein providing the slurry of the reinforcement phase in liquid comprises mixing a powder of the reinforcement phase and liquid (see Step A, paragraph 2-8).
As for claim 3, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein freeze casting the slurry comprises freezing the slurry to form the frozen liquid structure comprising frozen liquid lamellas (step B, see paragraph 2- 9, and the Figures).
As for claim 4, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein freeze casting the slurry comprises freezing the slurry to form the reinforcement phase structure comprising an anisotropic foam of the reinforcement phase (porous structure, see paragraph 2-9).
As for claims 5-6, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein freeze casting the slurry comprises freezing the slurry on a surface of a cold plate to form the cast (see paragraph 13 and 33 which discloses use of a mold); wherein a contact surface of the contact piece corresponds to a surface of the cast facing away from the surface of the cold plate (any of the faces of the contact piece manufactured with this method can be used as the contact surface).
As for claim 7, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein freeze casting the slurry comprises controlling a cooling rate of the slurry to control one or more structure sizes of the frozen liquid structure (paragraph 20-33).
As for claim 8, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein the frozen liquid structure comprises frozen liquid lamellas, and wherein the freeze casting the slurry comprises controlling the cooling rate of the slurry to control a thickness of the frozen liquid lamellas (paragraph 20-33).
As for claim 9, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein controlling the cooling rate of the slurry further controls a spacing between the frozen liquid lamellas (the cooling rate of the slurry influences the structure of the final product, paragraph 33).
As for claim 10, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein the cooling rate of the slurry is controlled by a temperature of the cold plate and/or a rate of change of temperature of the cold plate (paragraph 33 and throughout).
As for claim 11-12, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein removing the frozen liquid comprises sublimating the frozen liquid from the cast; wherein removing the frozen liquid comprises freeze drying the cast (paragraph 33).
As for clam 13, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein the reinforcement phase comprises W, or WC, or Cr (see claim 1).
As for claim 14, METAL RESEARCH further teaches wherein the conductive phase comprises Cu, or Ag (see claim 1).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 15 – 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over INST METAL RESEARCH CAS (CN 109482885 A; herein after “METAL RESEARCH”) in view of INAGAKI KOUICHI (US 4,530,815 A).
Regarding claim 16, METAL RESEARCH teaches a method for forming a contact piece for a circuit breaker (see “The invention belongs to the field of metal-based composite materials, in particular to a copper-based contact material with a microscopic directional structure and a preparation method thereof” abstract), the contact piece comprising a reinforcement phase and a conductive phase (“The material is composed of a matrix phase (copper or copper alloy) and a second phase (chromium, chromium alloy, tungsten carbide or silicon carbide) with a mass fraction of 5% to 85%, and the two phases are microscopically interphase along the freezing direction of the preparation process.” see abstract; paragraphs 2 - 11), the method comprising:
providing a slurry of the reinforcement phase in liquid (see Step A, paragraphs 2-11) ; freeze casting the slurry to form a cast comprising a frozen liquid structure and a reinforcement phase structure (Step B, see paragraph 2-11); removing the frozen liquid structure from the cast to form a foam comprising the reinforcement phase structure (also in step B, see paragraph 8-9); sintering the foam to form a sintered foam (Step C, see paragraph 10); and infiltrating the sintered foam with the conductive phase to form a piece part (Step D, see paragraph 11).
However, METAL RESEARCH fails to teach the contact comprising a contact piece and contact stem and connecting the contact piece to the contact stem.
In the same field of endeavor, pertaining to composite that is a sintered article, including, contact device, INAGAKI teach the contact comprising a contact piece and contact stem and connecting the contact piece to the contact stem (see Fig. 3 molded contact device including contact stem and connecting the contact piece to the contact stem, see col 2 lines 35-65), for the purpose of using in switch, thereby, obtaining an article having desired functional properties (see experimental example 2; and col 3 lines 20-55).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time of the applicant’s invention to combine the process of forming a contact as taught by METAL RESEARCH with the contact having a contact stem and a connecting the contact stem to a contact piece, as taught by INAGAKI, for the benefit of making a desired structure for further use as switch (see abstract).
Regarding claim 15, METAL RESEARCH teaches all the limitation to the claim invention as discussed above, however, fails to teach machining the contact piece to form a finished contact piece.
In the same field of endeavor, pertaining to composite that is a sintered article, including, contact device, INAGAKI teach machining the contact piece to form a finished contact piece (see claim 1 which discloses machining the sintered produced to a desired shape). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art at the time of the Applicant’s invention was made to modify the process taught by METAL RESEARCH with further including machining, as taught by INAGAKI, for providing a article with desired shape.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2017/0100857 A1 – uses freeze casting technique for forming lamellar structures with controlled cooling rate (see [0053]).
US 2002/0144773 A1 – composite bonded structure and method of making, uses freeze casting, infiltration, and firing, similar to as claimed (see [0067]).
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NAHIDA SULTANA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1743
/NAHIDA SULTANA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743