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 9-18, in the reply filed on 1/28/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 1-8, drawn to a nonelected invention, are withdrawn from further consideration. Because Applicant did not traverse the restriction requirement, it is hereby deemed proper and made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Claims 9-13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 9-13 recite “hot-stamping steel sheet” which should be “hot-stamped steel sheet”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang et al. (US 2018/0250766) in view of Tabata et al. (US 2022/0002830).
Regarding claims 9-13, Hwang discloses a projection weld joint between hardware and a hot stamped steel sheet (¶ 2). The steel sheet has an Al-played layer thereon (¶ 10). Hwang does not expressly teach the steel sheet has a tensile strength of at least 1.5 GPa. Tabata teaches it is desirable to use steel having a tensile strength of at least 1.5 GPa, preferably 2.0 GPa, for vehicle components in order to provide sufficient strength in the event of a collision (¶¶ 11-12). It would have been obvious at the effective time of filing for the claimed invention for one of ordinary skill in the art to use a high strength steel such as that disclosed in Tabata for the projection weld joint of Hwang because Hwang is directed to making components for vehicles and there is motivation to use a steel which provides maximum protection to passengers in event of collision, as taught by Tabata.
Hwang does not expressly teach the projection weld has a hardness profile as claimed in claims 9-13. However, the process of projection welding in Hwang is substantially identical to the projection welding process used to make the claimed projection weld joint. The present specification states the projection weld is formed by applying a pressing and first energization whose parameters are not particularly limited (Spec., ¶¶ 114-115). This is followed by a quenching (Spec., ¶ 116) having a cooling step which is at least 332 ms (Spec., ¶ 132). A second energization is performed (Spec., ¶ 119) such that I2×t2 is at least 0.5 times I1×t1 (Spec., ¶¶ 134-135), where In and tn represent the average current and time of energizing in the nth energization.
Hwang teaches a two-stage current application for projection welding (¶ 14), which includes a first current application whose value is at least the value of the second current application (¶ 18), preferably 100%-150% (¶ 19). Cooling is performed slowly after the first current application (¶ 24), which one of ordinary skill in the art would expect to take longer than 332 ms. Hwang teaches the first current application is applied for up to 5 cycles (¶ 22), which is 1/12 of a second (see ¶ 49 equating one cycle to 1/60 of a second). Hwang also suggests applying the second current application for longer than the first current application (see ¶ 53 and Fig. 3). It is hence apparent in Hwang that I2×t2 is at least I1×t1. Since the process of Hwang is substantially identical to the process for obtaining the claimed invention, one of ordinary skill in the art would expect the projection weld joint of Hwang to also exhibit the claimed hardness profile, absent objective evidence to the contrary. See MPEP 2112.
Regarding claims 14-18, Hwang teaches the component having a projection weld joint is a vehicle body panel (¶ 38).
Claims 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gan (JP 2004-050280) in view of Hwang et al. (US 2018/0250766).
Regarding claims 9-18, Gan discloses a projection weld joint between two steel components (¶¶ 7-9). Gan teaches the steel sheet has a tensile strength of at least 1.3 GPa (¶ 11). This overlaps the claimed range, creating a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP 2144.05 I.
Gan does not expressly teach the projection weld has a hardness profile as claimed in claims 9-13. However, the process of projection welding in Gan is substantially identical to the projection welding process used to make the claimed projection weld joint. The present specification states the projection weld is formed by applying a pressing and first energization whose parameters are not particularly limited (Spec., ¶¶ 114-115). This is followed by a quenching (Spec., ¶ 116) having a cooling step which is at least 332 ms (Spec., ¶ 132). A second energization is performed (Spec., ¶ 119) such that I2×t2 is at least 0.5 times I1×t1 (Spec., ¶¶ 134-135), where In and tn represent the average current and time of energizing in the nth energization.
Gan teaches a multi-stage current application for projection welding, which includes a first energization whose current and time is less than the current and time of the second energization (¶ 16). The time of the first energization is less than 700 ms, and the time of the second energization is less than 1000 ms (¶ 18). Gan teaches the ratio of the second current to the first current is 1.2:1 to 4.0:1 (¶ 20). A stop time between energizations is 500 ms (¶ 21), which necessarily corresponds to a cooling time. It is hence apparent in Gan that I2×t2 is at least 0.5 times I1×t1 since I2>I1 and t2>t1. Additionally, Gan discloses various examples where I2×t2 is several times the value of I1×t1 (see Table 1). Since the process of Gan is substantially identical to the process for obtaining the claimed invention, one of ordinary skill in the art would expect the projection weld joint of Hwang to also exhibit the claimed hardness profile, absent objective evidence to the contrary. See MPEP 2112.
Gan does not expressly teach the steel is an Al-plated hot stamped steel sheet. However, Gan teaches the component having a projection weld joint is a vehicle body component (¶ 11). Hwang teaches a projection weld joint between a vehicle body panel and hardware (¶ 38). Hwang teaches such vehicle body panels are hot stamped steel sheets having an Al-Si plated layer (¶ 38). It would have been obvious at the effective time of filing for the claimed invention for one of ordinary skill in the art to use an Al-Si plated hot stamped steel sheet for the vehicle body component of Gan because Hwang teaches such materials are conventionally used in the art to make a vehicle body component having a projection weld joint.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XIAOBEI WANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5705. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM EST.
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/XIAOBEI WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1784
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