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 Objections
Claims 1 and 5-16 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 1 and 5-16, “i.e.” should be deleted.
In claim 1, last line, “content (mass %)” should read –content, in mass %,–.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “high strength” in claims 1-16 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “high strength” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. It is unclear what degree of strength would and would not be considered “high-strength,” which renders the metes and bounds of the claims indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-16 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the prior art fails to disclose or fairly suggest the method for producing a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet as recited. In particular, the closest prior art, Yamamoto et al. (US 2025/0197984), as cited in the IDS dated 5/19/2025, hereinafter “Yamamoto,” teaches method for producing a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet is disclosed. In the method, in a direct-fired furnace, in an early stage, a steel sheet is heated to a temperature of not less than 400° C. and not more than 670° C. in an atmosphere containing 1000 ppm by volume or more of O.sub.2 and 1000 ppm by volume or more of H.sub.2O, and in a later stage, the steel sheet is heated to a temperature of not less than 600° C. and not more than 700° C. in an atmosphere containing 500 ppm by volume or less of O.sub.2, and in an annealing furnace including a radiant tube-type heating and holding furnace, the steel sheet is held at a temperature of not less than 650° C. and not more than 900° C. for at least 90 seconds in an atmosphere which satisfies certain conditions (Abstract).
However, Yamamoto does not teach or adequately suggest a method for producing a high strength molten zinc-plated steel sheet in which after continuous annealing of a cold-rolled steel sheet obtained by hot-rolling and cold-rolling, molten zinc plating is applied, wherein the winding after hot-rolling is performed at a prescribed temperature as set forth in claim 1, and the continuous annealing is performed under prescribed conditions using a prescribed annealing furnace as set forth in claim 1. In particular, Yamamoto fails to teach or suggest wherein an annealing furnace comprising a direct-fired heating furnace and a radiant tube-type heating/holding furnace is used for the continuous annealing, wherein: the steel sheet is heated in the former stage of the direct-fired heating furnace to 400-670°C in an atmosphere comprising at least 1000 ppm by volume of 02, and at least 1000 ppm by volume of H2O, and heated in the latter stage of the direct-fired heating furnace to 600-700°C in an atmosphere comprising 500 ppm by volume or less of 02; and in the radiant tube-type heating/holding furnace, the temperature is held for at least 90 seconds at a temperature such that the steel sheet temperature becomes 650-900°C in an atmosphere in which the H2O concentration is 5000-40000 ppm by volume, the H2 concentration is 2-20 volume%, and the log of the ratio of the H2O partial pressure (PH2O) to the H2 partial pressure (PH2), log(PH2O/PH2) is -1.1 to 0.5, as required by claim 1. Thus, claim 1 is distinct over the teachings of the prior art. Claims 2-16 further limit the subject matter of claim 1 and are thus also distinct over the teachings of the prior art.
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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY M LIANG whose telephone number is (571)272-0483. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Johnson can be reached at (571)272-1177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY M LIANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1734
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