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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/17/2024 and 03/13/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 4-6 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fujiyama [JP2004270011], applicant cited prior art.
Claim 4, Fujiyama discloses a soft magnetic steel component [see magnetic compositions 23/24 in table 4], comprising, in mass percentage: Fe; C in a range of from 0 to 0.075% [0.0031]; Si in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0.80/0.55]; Mn in a range of from 0.10 to 1.00% [0.25/0.26]; P in a range of from 0 to 0.100% [0/0]; S in a range of from 0 to 0.100% [0.0040/0.0025]; Cu in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; Ni in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; Cr in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; Al in a range of from 0 to less than 0.030% [0.0004/0.0002]; N in a range of from 0 to 0.0200% [0.0024/0.0021]; Sn in a range of from 0.002 to 0.050% [0.015/0.015], wherein the soft magnetic steel component comprises ferrite at an area ratio of 80% or more [abs, the balance of the mass available for ferrite in compositions 22 and 23 when adding all the components as shown in table 4 is over 80%], wherein the ferrite has a crystal grain size number of 5.0 or less [equivalent to 20-30 μm; wherein 6 to 50 μm are disclosed in paragraph 0054], and wherein the soft magnetic steel component has a Vickers hardness of HV 140 or less [Vickers hardness (Hv) to 100 to 170; paragraph 0054].
Claim 5, Fujiyama discloses the component of claim 4, comprising, in mass percentage: (a) the Si in a range of from 0 to 0.50% [0.80/0.55]; (b) Mo in a range of from greater than 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; (c) Ti in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% [0.0004/0.0002], V in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% [0.0020/0.0025], and/or Nb in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% [0.001/0.002]; and/or (d) B in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.0050% [0/0].
Claim 6, Fujiyama discloses the component of claim 4, wherein the area ratio of the ferrite is 90% or more [abs, the balance of the mass available for ferrite in compositions 22 and 23 when adding all the components as shown in table 4 is over 90%].
Claim 17, Fujiyama discloses the component of claim 5, wherein the area ratio of the ferrite is 90% or more [abs, the balance of the mass available for ferrite in compositions 22 and 23 when adding all the components as shown in table 4 is over 90%].
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.
Claims 1-3, 7, 8 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujiyama [JP2004270011], applicant cited prior art.
Claim 1, Fujiyama discloses a soft magnetic steel material, comprising, in mass percentage: Fe; C in a range of from 0 to 0.075% [0.0031]; Si in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0.80/0.55]; Mn in a range of from 0.10 to 1.00% [0.25/0.26]; P in a range of from 0 to 0.100% [0/0]; S in a range of from 0 to 0.100% [0.0040/0.0025]; Cu in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; Ni in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; Cr in a range of from 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; Al in a range of from 0 to less than 0.030% [0.0004/0.0002]; N in a range of from 0 to 0.0200% [0.0024/0.0021]; Sn in a range of from 0.002 to 0.050% [0.015/0.015], wherein the soft magnetic steel material comprises ferrite at an area ratio of 80% or more [abs, the balance of the mass available for ferrite in compositions 22 and 23 when adding all the components as shown in table 4 is over 80%], wherein the ferrite has a crystal grain size number of 5.0 or less [equivalent to 20-30 μm; wherein 6 to 50 μm are disclosed in paragraph 0054], and wherein the soft magnetic steel component has a Vickers hardness of HV 140 or less [Vickers hardness (Hv) to 100 to 170; paragraph 0054].
Fujiyama fails to teach that the soft magnetic steel material is in the form of a soft magnetic wire rod or soft magnetic steel bar.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the soft magnetic steel material of Fujiyama in the shape of a wire rod or steel bar in order to create different shaped components since a simple substitution of one known element for another [form a material in a desired shape], producing a predictable result, renders the claim obvious.
Claim 2, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 1, comprising, in mass percentage: (a) the Si in a range of from 0 to 0.50% [0.80/0.55]; (b) Mo in a range of from greater than 0 to 1.00% [0/0]; (c) Ti in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% [0.0004/0.0002], V in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% [0.0020/0.0025], and/or Nb in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% [0.001/0.002]; and/or (d) B in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.0050% [0/0].
Claim 3, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 1, wherein the area ratio of the ferrite is 90% or more [abs, the balance of the mass available for ferrite in compositions 22 and 23 when adding all the components as shown in table 4 is over 90%].
Claim 7, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 2, wherein the area ratio of the ferrite is 90% or more [abs, the balance of the mass available for ferrite in compositions 22 and 23 when adding all the components as shown in table 4 is over 90%].
Claim 8, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 1, comprising the Si in a range of from 0 to 0.50% by mass.
Claim 10, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 1, further comprising: Ti in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% by mass [0.0004/0.0002; table 4 compositions 22/23].
Claim 11, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 1, further comprising: V in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% by mass [0.0020/0.0025; table 4 compositions 22/23].
Claim 12, Fujiyama as modified discloses the rod or bar of claim 1, further comprising: Nb in a range of from greater than 0 to 0.100% by mass [0.0020/0.0025; table 4 compositions 22/23].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 13-16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bernard Rojas whose telephone number is (571)272-1998. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. thru Fri. 7:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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/BERNARD ROJAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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