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 .
Status of Application
Claims 1-6 and 8-21 are pending and presented for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6 and 8-21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
1. Claims 1-6 and 8-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 1 and 19 recite “if diffused Pt is present within the bond coat layer, aluminising the component”. This recitation makes the step (h) optional. However, this is not supported by the original disclosure which appears to require all the steps (a)-(k). Therefore, claims 1 and 19 fail to comply with the written description requirement. Claims 2-6, 8-18, 20 and 21 depend from claim 1 or 19 and fail to comply with the written description requirement for the same reasons. The Examiner recommends amending the language of step (h) to “aluminising the component, wherein if any diffused Pt is present in the bond coat layer it is converted to Pt-Al in the aluminising”
Allowable Subject Matter
2. Claims 1-6 and 8-21 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: If claims 1 and 19 are amended as suggested above, the claims would be allowable. The prior art fails to teach or suggest the process of claims 1 and 19. The closest prior art, Delfan-Azari (EP 3708697), teaches the steps (a)-(e) but fails to teach or suggest the additional steps (g)-(k). Therefore, claims 1 and 19 would be allowable and dependent claims 2-6, 8-18, 20 and 21 would be allowable for the same reasons.
Conclusion
Claims 1-6 and 8-21 are pending.
Claims 1-6 and 8-21 are rejected.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT S WALTERS JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5351. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5.
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/ROBERT S WALTERS JR/
September 9, 2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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