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
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.
Claim(s) 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 6,401,506 to Ogawa et al (Ogawa).
Concerning claim 15, Ogawa discloses a rolling mill comprising:
a pair of upper and lower work rolls (28, 32);
one or more pairs of upper and lower rolls (24, 36) that are provided on sides of the work rolls that are opposite to a rolled material; and
a controller (12) configured to perform driving control of the rolls such that the work rolls are driven by supplying rolling torque Tr from the rolls to the work rolls, wherein the controller has:
a first acquiring section configured to obtain a mill longitudinal rigidity coefficient K of the rolling mill (as it is able to perform these functions);
a first calculating section (S10) configured to determine a kiss roll load Pk of the work rolls in relation to a work roll angle Ox of a tip position of the rolled material between a start of biting of the rolled material and completion of the biting, the first calculating section determining the kiss roll load Pk by using the acquired mill longitudinal rigidity coefficient K and a rolling condition (as it is able to perform these functions);
a second calculating section (S14 and S16) configured to determine a rolling load Pr and the rolling torque Tr in relation to the work roll angle Ox of the tip position of the rolled material between a start of biting of the rolled material and completion of the biting; a traction coefficient calculating section configured to determine a traction coefficient prt between the work rolls and the rolls, and a maximum value prtmax of the traction coefficient in relation to the work roll angle Ox of the tip position in a state in which a hypothetical work roll balance force Pb is applied, the traction coefficient calculating section determining the traction coefficient prt between the work rolls and the rolls, and the maximum value prtmax of the traction coefficient from a sum P of the kiss roll load Pk, the rolling load Pr and the hypothetical work roll balance force Pb, and the rolling torque Tr between a start of biting of the rolled material and completion of the biting (as it is able to perform these functions);
a second acquiring section (S18) configured to obtain a tolerated value prtcr of the traction coefficient prt of the rolling mill (as it is able to perform these functions);
a step comparing section (S20) configured to compare the maximum value prtmax determined by the traction coefficient calculating section with the tolerated value prtcr (as it is able to perform these functions);
and a setting section (S22, 14) configured to reset a work roll balance force at a start of biting of the rolled material to a value which is equal to or larger than the work roll balance force that is required when the traction coefficient prt assumes the maximum value prtmax, and equal to or smaller than the work roll balance force that is a limit based on a constraint in terms of strength of the rolling mill, when the tolerated value prtcr is equal to or larger than the maximum value prtmax (as it is able to perform these functions).
Concerning claim 16, Ogawa discloses bearings (26, 30) that support each of the work rolls (28, 32); a housing (20) that has therein the work rolls and the bearings; and a pressing device (40 or 70) that presses the bearings against the housing; wherein the controller (12) is configured to control the pressing device to press the bearings against the housing before the rolled material is bitten by the work rolls.
Concerning claim 17, Ogawa discloses the controller (12) further includes: a deciding section configured to decide whether or not the tolerated value prtcr is equal to or larger than the maximum value prtmax; and a selecting section configured to: select a direct driving mode of driving a pair of second upper and lower work rolls themselves with a diameter larger than a diameter of the work rolls when the tolerated value prtcr is decided as being smaller than the maximum value prtmax; and select an indirect driving mode of driving the work rolls by supplying the rolling torque Tr from the rolls to the work rolls when the tolerated value prtcr is decided as being equal to or larger than the maximum value prtmax (as it is able to perform these functions).
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) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102((a)(1)) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over JPS59185508A to Kajiwara et al (Kajiwara) in view of Ogawa.
Concerning claim 18, Kajiwara discloses a rolling mill comprising:
a pair of upper and lower work rolls (20, 24);
one or more pairs of upper and lower rolls (21, 25) that are provided on sides of the work rolls that are opposite to a rolled material; and
a controller (discussed throughout the specification) configured to perform driving control of the rolls such that the work rolls are driven by supplying rolling torque Tr from the rolls to the work rolls (as it is able to perform said functions including those added by claim 17)
roll-side couplings of universal joints (8, 10) coupled with axial end sections of the rolls (43, 44) or the second work rolls (46, 47); and axial end sections of the rolls whose outer diameter is smaller than axial end sections of the second work rolls; wherein the rolling mill includes gap filling members (see figure 3) configured to be attached to and detached from portions where the roll-side couplings and the axial end sections of the rolls are fit.
In the event applicant argues that Kajiwara does not disclose a controller able to perform these functions claimed, Ogawa discloses such a controller.
Because both these references are concerned with a similar problem, i.e. rolling mills, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to add the controller and it’s required components of Ogawa to the rolling mill of Kajiwara. In KSR (KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007)) the courts held that combination of familiar elements according to known methods is likely to be obvious when it does no more than yield predictable results. Accordingly a simple addition of the controller and it’s required components of Ogawa to the rolling mill of Kajiwara will obtain predictable results and is therefore obvious and proper combination of the references is made. The predictable results being able to create the required end products.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-14 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not actually discloses the method steps claimed. While Ogawa and Kajiwara are able to perform those steps they do not disclose actually performing said steps. As the claims simply recite a controller “configured to perform…” as well as “section configured to…” the prior art currently read on the apparatus claims above. However, they would not read on these claims if applicant were instead to positively claim performing these steps which would result from deleting “configured to” and in some cases changing the function to claim that these elements are actually performing said functions such as “a first acquiring section which obtains .
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Other prior art includes U.S. Patent No. 11,400,499 which discloses a similar apparatus to Ogawa. Other prior art cited on the PTO-892 are other rolling mills with similarities to applicant’s invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew Katcoff whose telephone number is (571)270-1415. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 8-4, Fri: Flex.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Templeton can be reached at (571) 270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Matthew Katcoff/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725 04/28/2026
Prosecution Insights