DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu et al. (CN 111390498) in view of Haas et al. (6,578,399). Zhu discloses a lightweight working vehicle arm boom section forming method [0012] comprising cutting a plate (1) according to design dimensions ([0014],[0042]) so as to obtain a boom section base plate (Fig. 2), and sequentially dividing the boom section base plate into a first boom section top plate portion, a first boom section side plate portion, a boom section bottom plate portion, a second boom section side plate portion, and a second boom section top plate portion from one side to the other side of the boom section base plate (1, [0015]) by determining positions of two bending lines (A,B; b,a) which are marked, performing pre-bending ([0016],[0043], lines 1-4) of a first left bending line (A) and a first right bending line (a) comprising a first boom section top plate (left edge of plate 1 to first left bending line A; Fig. 2) and a second boom section top plate (right edge of plate 1 to first right bending line a; Fig. 2) so that the first boom section top plate portion and the second boom section top plate portion are bent oppositely by a preset angle (β, Fib. 3) according to the marked positions (A,a), performing pre-bending ([0017],[0043], lines 5-10) of a second left bending line (B) and a second right bending line (b) comprising a first boom section side plate (A to B; Fig. 4), a second boom section side plate (a to b; Fig. 4) are bent oppositely by a preset angle (λ) and performing closed bending [0018] with a boom section bottom plate portion (B to b; Fig. 4) to obtain a formed boom (100; Fig. 7). Zhu discloses ([0043], lines 5-8) step by step bending of the top boom plate sections (Fig. 3) and side boom plate sections (Fig. 4) by operation of a movable die (2) and a stationary die (3) which are configured to bend the plate (1) into the closed boom (100) with the top boom plate sections welded (102). Regarding claim 10, Zhu discloses a boom section (100) which is formed. Zhu does not specifically recite that the bending is a hot bending operation.
Haas teaches a reconfigurable die (230,310) for forming a workpiece (200). The die includes a heating function (col. 2, lines 45-52, col. 4, lines 64-67 and col. 8, lines 45-48) for heating the workpiece (200) and die (230,310) by the heating function (250,260; col. 8, lines 40-44) of the die. Regarding claims 3-6, Haas teaches that a stationary die (310) and a reconfigurable die (230) are configured to perform hot bending on the workpiece multiple times since the reconfigurable die (230) is moved to different positions (col. 8, lines 26-30) for bending by automatic control (col. 10, lines 39-45). Regarding claim 8, Haas teaches (col. 6, lines 10-11) that cooling gas (air) is suppled to cool the workpiece and the die. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to heat the die bending tooling and workpiece of Zhu as taught by Haas in order to reduce bending force parameters during bending through heating of the sheet metal material.
Regarding claim 2, Zhu and Haas teach the bending of lightweight sheet metal materials wherein Zhu recites lightweight steel and Haas teaches aluminum material.
Regarding claim 9, Zhu discloses that the punch tip (Fig. 4) is triangular and Haas teaches that the reconfigurable molds are square, rectangular, hexagonal (col. 9, lines 13-15) and arc-shaped molds (concave or convex; col. 8, lines 30-31).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu et al. (CN 111390498) in view of Haas et al. (6,578,399) and further in view of Killian et al. (6,415,369). Zhu in view of Haas discloses heating by gas, oil, electric by conduction, convection or radiative (Hass, col. 8, lines 45-48) but does not specifically recited laser heating and tracking. Killian teaches (col. 4, lines 43-49) that a laser (6) is used to heat a sheet metal workpiece (1) on a bend line (8) and the workpiece is bent by a punch (3) and die (2), the laser being focused to an area (9) around the bend line with a tracking system (10,11,12,13,14; col. 4, lines 64-66). It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to heat the sheet metal workpiece of Zhu in view of Haas with a laser as taught by Killian so that a specific area of the sheet metal workpiece around a bending line is zone heated.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yang et al. (CN 109226329) teaches a method of pre-bending a plate (Figs. 2 and 3) and bending the plate (Fig. 11) to form a closed beam (Fig. 6) which is seam welded wherein the plate is heated [0055] during the pre-bending and bending.
Ford (2020/0078843) teaches a reconfigurable forming die having die parts (1410,1440,1450,1460,1480) which are movable into position to pre-bend a plate (114) at an angle (1466; Fig. 15) and then bend the plate into a closed beam (1690; Fig. 16). The forming means are configurable into position to pre-bending the plate (Fig. 15) and are movable and reconfigured to bend the plate to the closed beam shape (Fig. 16).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD THOMAS TOLAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4525. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5.
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/EDWARD T TOLAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
