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.
Claim Status
Claims 1-10 are pending, claim 1 is independent.
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.
Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 5, it is indefinite how the inhibition layer can be between the oxide layer and the zinc based coating when claim 1 from which claim 5 depends states that the zinc-based coating layer adjoined to the oxide layer. The verb adjoined means next to or joined directly together, so it is indefinite how a layer (inhibition layer) can be between these two layers.
Regarding claims 6 and 7, these claims are rejected for their incorporation of the above due to their respective dependencies on claim 5.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4 and 8-10 are allowed and claims 5-7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b), set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: and an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Kawakami et al. (CN113195776 A, herein referring to the Google Patents May 26, 2026 machine translation), hereinafter Kawakami (original and translation provided herewith). Kawakami teaches a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet with a zinc coating layer on the surface of the steel sheet with an internal oxide layer located between the surface layer of the steel sheet and the steel sheet base material portion (claims 1 and 2), the internal oxide layer is SiO2 and includes grain boundary oxides and intra-grain (intra crystalline) oxides (Pg. 3 [13]).
Kawakami does not teach or suggest, alone or in combination with the prior art, a thickness of the oxide layer ranging from 3-10 microns nor a mass fraction of the grain boundary silicon oxide in the oxide layer of 4.0-8.0%.
Further, Kawakami does not teach substantially identical processing to that which applicant discloses as producing these properties. Applicant teaches the criticality of three different dew point ranges (table 4; [0109]-[0116]) to forming the desired oxide layer. Kawakami does not teach a dew point criticality, let alone three different dew points. Therefore, the coated steel of Kawakami does not necessarily have the claimed properties. As Kawakami does not teach a substantially identical process to that applicant teaches is critical to forming the claimed oxide layer parameters, it cannot be concluded that this is inherently present. Thus, the claims are allowed/would be allowable.
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 KATHERINE CHRISTY whose telephone number is (303)297-4363. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 7am-4pm MT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Humera Sheikh can be reached at 571-272-0604. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KATHERINE A CHRISTY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1784
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