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 I in the reply filed on 8/4/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 4-7, 11, and 12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 8/4/26.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 8, 13, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Furukimi “Wear Resistance of Industrial Pure Iron Treated by Nitriding and Quenching Followed by Aging Process” in view of Inoue JPH06-267722A (see machine English translation).
1. Regarding claims 1, 2, 8, 13, Furukimi teaches a soft magnetic steel sheet containing a nitride surface layer formed by nitriding a pure iron sheet (Abstract; Page 1587, right column, 2nd paragraph; Page 1588, right column, last paragraph; Table 1; Fig. 5, Steel C), which meets the soft magnetic alloy sheet limitation recited in instant claim 1. Furukimi discloses that the steel sheet is made from pure iron (ferrite; primary phase) sheet containing no Co and V (Table 1), which meets the recited amount of V in instant claim 1. Furukimi further discloses that the nitride surface layer has a nitrogen content in the nitride surface layer is 0.1-1.7 mass% (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which converts to 2.735-6.453 at% and meets the surface layer nitrogen composition recited in claim 1. Furukimi further discloses that the nitrogen enriched surface layer contains iron nitride martensite (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which meets the limitation that the surface layer contains iron nitride tetragonal structure recited in claim 1. Thus, the two layers together correspond to the laminate of instant Claims 8 and 13.
The total nitrogen content in the steel sheet can be estimated based on the nitrogen distribution in the depth direction from steel surface provided in Fig. 5 of Furukimi:
Fig. 5 (Steel C) shows that the nitride layer has a thickness of ~90 µm and the nitrogen content in the nitride layer is 0.1-1.7 mass% (Page 1588, right column, last paragraph), which converts to 2.735-6.453 at%. There is two nitride surface layers perpendicular to the thickness direction of the steel sheet.
Fig. 5 (Steel C) also shows that the average nitrogen concentration of the internal region at a depth greater than 90 µm from the surface of Steel C is close to 0 at %.
Based on Fig. 5 (Steel C) and the fact that the steel sheet has a thickness of 1.2 mm (i.e. 1200 µm), the average nitrogen content in the steel sheet is estimated to be 0.41 at% to 0.97 at% (calculated by (2.735 at.% x 90 x 2) /1200 to (6.453 at% x 90 x 2) /1200), which meet the recited nitrogen amount in the alloy sheet in claim 1.
The ratio of the nitride layer thickness to the steel sheet thickness is 90/1200=7.5%, which meets the recited thickness percentage in claim 1.
2. However, Furukimi does not disclose the claimed cobalt concentration.
3. Inoue teaches an alloy having composition of (Fe100-xCox)100-yNy (1≤x≤20, 0<y≤15), wherein the alloy is made by nitriding a Fe-Co alloy (Page 3 and 4). JP’722 discloses that compared to pure iron (ferrite), addition of Co in Fe increases the formation of Fe16N2 phase (Page 3-4).
4. Thus, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to add Co to Fe as taught by JP’722 in the material of Furukimi in order to increase formation of Fe16N2 phase as disclosed by Furukimi. JP’722 discloses an example containing Fe90Co10 (Example 1 and 2), which meets the recited amount of Co in claim 1.
5. Although the claimed tensile strain, saturation magnetic flux density is not explicitly disclosed it would be expected for it to be inherently found given that Furukimi in view of Ionue teaches all of the claimed limitations.
6. Regarding Claims 9, 14, Furukimi in view of Ionue suggests making electronic devices (corresponds to claimed electric machines) (Inoue: paragraph 0001).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 10 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
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/TAHSEEN KHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781 August 13, 2026
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