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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-4 are currently under examination.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO2020/129402, whose English equivalent is Yoshioka et al. US 2022/0056549 (Yoshika).
Yoshika teaches a cold-rolled steel sheet(abstract,[0082)] having a chemical composition that applies to the claimed chemical composition as followed:
Chemical Composition
Instant Claim 1 (mass%)
Yoshioka
(mass%) (claim 1)
Table 1,
Steel No. B
C
0.200-0.450
0.13-0.40
0.39
Si
0.01-2.50
≤ 1.5
0.4
Mn
0.6-3.5
≤ 1.7
0.9
Al
0.001-0.100
≤ 0.20
0.044
Ti
0.001-0.100
0.002-0.10
0.024
N
≤ 0.0100
≤ 0.0025
0.0028
P
≤ 0.0400
≤ 0.01
0.006
S
≤ 0.0100
0.0010
O
≤ 0.0060
≤ 0.0025
0.0011
B
0-0.0100
0.0002-0.0035
0.0024
Mo
0-0.500
Nb
0-0.200
0.002-0.030
0.0012
Cr
0-2.00
V
0-0.500
Co
0-0.500
Ni
0-1.000
Cu
0-1.000
W
0-0.100
Ta
0-0.100
Sn
0-0.050
Sb
0-0.050
As
0-0.050
Mg
0-0.050
Ca
0-0.040
Y
0-0.050
Zr
0-0.050
La
0-0.050
Ce
0-0.050
Remainder
Fe & Impurities
Fe & impurities
Fe & impurities
Metallographic structure
At ¼ to ¾ sheet thickness:
Retained Austenite:
0-10%
Martensite and/or tempered martensite: 90.0-100%
Retained Austenite:
0-5%
Martensite+bainite:
95-100%
[0056] teaches martensite may be 100%
Martensite+bainite:
100%
P content
at prior γ grain boundary:
≤ 10.0 mass%
At ¼ to ¾ sheet thickness:
≤ 0.060 mass%
0.022
Mn content
at prior γ grain boundary:
≤ 10.0 mass%
Tensile Strength
≥ 1310
≥ 1320
2075
Regarding claim 1, many of the Steel Nos. shown in Table 1 of Yoshioka have chemical compositions that read on the claimed chemical composition, as exemplified by Steel No. B, which also exhibits tensile strength that reads on the claimed tensile strength. Broader teaching of Yoshioka further discloses an embodiment wherein martensite may be present as 100%[0056]. Therefore, a cold-rolled steel sheet having a chemical composition, martensite amount and tensile strength that read on the claimed chemical composition is well withing the scope of Yoshioka’s teaching.
Alternatively, since the cold-rolled steel sheet of Yoshioka has the same chemical composition, same martensite amount and tensile strength as those of claimed cold-rolled steel sheet, one of ordinary skill in the art would have expected that the cold-rolled steel sheet to have the same or significantly similar metallographic structure, including the claimed amounts of retained austenite and martensite at ¼ to ¾ sheet thickness and the claimed P and Mn contents prior γ grain boundary, absent persuasive evidence to the contrary.
Regarding claim 4, Yoshioka further teaches that at least one of the steel sheets are welded , which reads on the claimed plurality of steel sheets are joined together, implying the presence of claimed welding joint.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The closest prior art is Yoshioka as discussed in section 4 above. However, Yoshioka discloses a manufacturing process that, either alone or in combination, does not include the claimed breakdown process, high-temperature heat treatment process and the claimed hot rolling process using a rolling mill with four or more stands as well as their corresponding process conditions as recited in claim 2.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
WO2020/039696 teaches cold-rolled steel sheet that comprises significantly similar chemical composition as claimed and a tensile strength that reads on the claimed tensile strength, but does not teach the claimed P and Mn content at prior γ grain boundary.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LOIS L ZHENG whose telephone number is (571)272-1248. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:15-4:45.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Hendricks can be reached at 571-272-1401. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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LOIS ZHENG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1733
/LOIS L ZHENG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1733
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