DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim(s) 14 and 18-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495). Ishimori discloses a hot stamping die (Fig. 2(b)) comprising a die body (13) including an upper die (13a) and lower die (13b) having a work face which is in contact with a blank (21) for cooling of the blank during a hot stamping operation in a stamping press (1; Fig. 1). The die (13a,13b) includes at least one porous die portion (31; [0033], lines 3 and 4) having a corresponding porous work face portion ([0034], lines 1-4), the porous die body portion (31) is configured to be a cooling medium storage reservoir section ([0037], lines 2-3) comprising a container [0041] within the lower die (13b) in communication with an external supply (refrigerant tank; [0035], line 4) which supplies the cooling medium (refrigerant, 41). The porous die body portion (31) is equipped with (connected to) a pressurizer (pump; [0035], lines 1 and 2) that is activated (the water supply pump is driven; [0036], line 2) to increase a pressure of the cooling medium ([0035], lines 2-3) within the cooling medium reservoir section (31) above a threshold ejection pressure ([0036], lines 2-3) wherein the cooling medium is supplied through ejection channels (32) which are holes in the porous die body to supply the cooling medium to the blank. The pressurizer is deactivated ([0034], lines 9-10) to release additional pressure on the cooling medium within the coolant storage reservoir section wherein the die (13) does not comprise any discharge channels to evacuate excess ejected cooling medium from the dies after hot stamping since the supply holes (32) are in the form of nozzle so that the cooling medium doesn’t flow out when the threshold ejection pressure is deactivated.
Regarding claims 18 and 19, Ishimori discloses that the porous die portion (31) is stainless steel ([0040], lines 7-8).
Regarding claim 20, Ishimori discloses that the porous die portion (31) is a cavity in the lower die (Fig. 2(b)) in the peripheral wall section (35) of the lower die (13b).
Regarding claim, 21 Ishimori discloses that the upper die (13a) and lower die (13b) are closed in a stamping direction (vertical arrow; Fig. 1) and Fig. (2(b)) shows that the porous portion of the lower die (13b) is contacting the blank in directions along the stamping direction (vertical walls of the hat shaped blank), the corners of the blank and along the horizontal top of the blank which extends in a direction perpendicular to the stamping direction.
Regarding claim 22, Ishimori discloses that each of the upper die (13a) and lower die (13b) are porous ([0039], lines 5-6).
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) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495) in view of Lee (KR 2013-0058322). Ishimori discloses that the ejection channels are holes in the porous die body that extend from the porous die body to the porous work face portion ([0036], lines 2-4) but does not explicitly recite that the ejection channels are cylindrical. Lee teaches a stamping die (Fig. 2) including at least one porous die portion ([0031],[0033]) comprising a cooling water channel that is circular in cross-section [0054]. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to construct the coolant ejection channel of Ishimori to be cylindrical as taught by Lee in order to pass the coolant through a pipe shape to the working face of the porous die body.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495) in view of Lee (KR 2013-0058322) and further in view of Shima et al. (EP 1990109). Ishimori discloses that the ejection channel is a nozzle ([0034], line 9) but Ishimori in view of Lee does not disclose that the ejection channel is frustoconical. Shima teaches a coolant ejection channel comprising a nozzle (13; Fig. 6) in a lower die (2) of a hot forming die (Fig. 1) for supplying coolant to a blank (4) during pressing. Shima teaches that the nozzle shape (13a; Fig. 6, [0082]) is frustoconical or cylindrical (Fig. 3, 11a; [0043], lines 4-5). Regarding claim 17, the coolant ejection channel is It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to construct the coolant ejection channel of Ishimori in view of Lee to be frustoconical as taught by Shima so as to efficiently eject the coolant from a small diameter hole.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495) in view of Lee (KR 2013-0058322) and further in view of Kurisu et al. (EP 1671715). Ishimori in view of Lee does not disclose a diameter of the ejection channel. Kurisu teaches a cylindrical ejection coolant ejection hole (4) with a diameter between 0.01mm and 10mm [0016]. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to construct the coolant ejection channel of Ishimori in view of Lee to be between 0.01-10mm as taught by Kurisu so as to supply a sufficient amount of coolant to the blank for cooling.
Claim(s) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495) in view of Haller (3,705,509). Ishimori does not disclose that the entire die is porous. Haller teaches that an entire forming die (20) is comprised of porous metal (22; col. 2, lines 22-26). It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to construct the entire die of Ishimori to be porous metal as taught by Lee in order to have cooling medium flowing through an entirety of the die surface for maximum cooling efficiency so as to increase a working life of the die.
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495) in view of Schleichert et al. (WO 2021/217266). Ishimori does not disclose manufacturing the porous die portion by additive manufacturing. Schleichert teaches ([0028], lines 6-7) that a stamping apparatus comprising a lower die and an upper die are formed with at least porous section (107) by 3D printing or metal deposition. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to construct porous portion of the die of Ishimori by additive manufacturing as taught by Schleichert to permit rapid manufacturing of the die without machining removal of material.
Claim(s) 25-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimori et al. (JP 2007-144495). Ishimori discloses a method of operating a die (Fig. 2(b)) comprising a die body (13) including an upper die (13a) and lower die (13b) having a work face which is in contact with a blank (21) for cooling of the blank during a hot stamping operation in a stamping press (1; Fig. 1). The die (13a,13b) includes at least one porous die portion (31; [0033], lines 3 and 4) having a corresponding porous work face portion ([0034], lines 1-4), the porous die body portion (31) is configured to be a cooling medium storage reservoir section ([0037], lines 2-3) comprising a container [0041] within the lower die (13b) in communication with an external supply (refrigerant tank; [0035], line 4) which supplies the cooling medium (refrigerant, 41). The porous die body portion (31) is equipped with (connected to) a pressurizer (pump; [0035], lines 1 and 2) that is activated (the water supply pump is driven; [0036], line 2) to increase a pressure of the cooling medium ([0035], lines 2-3) within the cooling medium reservoir section (31) above a threshold ejection pressure ([0036], lines 2-3) wherein the cooling medium is supplied through ejection channels (32) which are holes in the porous die body to supply the cooling medium to the blank. The pressurizer is deactivated ([0034], lines 9-10) to release additional pressure on the cooling medium within the coolant storage reservoir section wherein the die (13) does not comprise any discharge channels to evacuate excess ejected cooling medium from the dies after hot stamping since the supply holes (32) are in the form of nozzle so that the cooling medium doesn’t flow out when the threshold ejection pressure is deactivated. The last two lines of claim 25 are constructed with “can” language which is not a positive recitation that the steps (i)-(vi) must proceed in the claimed order. The hot stamping press (1) is activated with a heated blank positioned in each of the dies (11,12,13) and each cycling of the press (1) produces a finished workpiece after cooling in the stamping die (13), Ishimori discloses [0018] that the cooling medium is waiting in the mold and that the cooling medium does not flow out when internal pressure from the pressurizer is not applied ([0034], lines 7-8). It is an obvious method step to pressurize the cooling medium to cool the part to a temperature of about 200°C as Ishimori teaches in ([0036], lines 3 and 4) with the cooling medium filled in the mold and to deactivate the pressurizer when the cooled temperature is reached since the pressurizer of Ishimori is a pump which is activatable and deactivated.
Regarding claims 26 and 27, Ishimori discloses that the cooling medium is water or a water solution (emulsion) ([0034], lines 5-6).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD THOMAS TOLAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4525. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5.
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/EDWARD T TOLAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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