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 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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moe et al. (US 2005/0236372, hereafter “Moe”) in view of Zelahy et al. (US 4144433, hereafter “Zelahy”), and further as evidenced by Bliault et al. (WO 98/33619 A1, see attached).
Regarding claim 1, Moe discloses a method of joining cladded pipes (figs. 1-4, forge welding- [0001-0003]) comprising: (a) providing first and second cladded pipes 11-12 (fig. 3) or 20-21 (fig. 4) having respective first and second base elements and first and second cladding elements 13 or 24 (inner cladding, [0029], [0032]) secured to the first and second base elements respectively, the first and second base elements including respective first and second pockets (concave/wedges- [0030-0031]) formed at least one of first and second ends of the first and second cladded pipes (fig. 3-4); (b) positioning the first and second cladded pipes to locate the first end of the first pipe opposite the second end of the second pipe, wherein the first and second ends are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween; (g-h) moving one of the first and second cladded pipes relative to the other, wherein at least portions of the heated parts of the first and second cladding elements are extruded into the first and second pockets (figs. 2, 4, [0010, 0027]).
Moe discloses heating of the pipe ends to be joined using any known heating technique, including induction/EM, infrared [0002-0003], but does not specifically show positioning at least one heating element in the gap for heating the pipe ends. Nonetheless, Zelahy (also drawn to metal bonding) discloses formed pockets 32a/32b at both first and second ends 12a/12b of the first and second components 10a-10b to be joined by forging, wherein the first and second ends are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween (see fig. 5). Zelahy teaches (c) positioning a heating element 24 (induction coil- fig. 5, col. 3, lines 52-55) in the gap between end parts of the first and second components 12a-12b and heating to a hot working temperature at which the heated parts are plastically deformable (col. 4, lines 1-20); (d) covering the heated parts with an inert atmosphere (examiner takes official notice with respect to providing an inert atmosphere for the heated parts, at least at the interface, since such feature is conventionally known and doing so would prevent oxidation- see evidence Bliault WO 98/33619 A1- inert gas sealed chamber 17/18- fig. 1); (e) energizing said at least one heating element/coil, to heat the heated parts to the hot working temperature; (f) removing said at least one heating element from the gap (retracting from the gap- col. 3, line 61); (g) while the heated parts are at the hot working temperature, engaging the first and second ends together; (h) while the heated parts are at the hot working temperature, and while the first and second ends are engaged, moving one or both of the first and second components relative to the other, wherein at least portions of the heated parts of the first and second components are extruded into the first and second pockets. Given teachings of Zelahy, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide facing portions of two pipe ends having pockets in order to provide interference fit and to position a heating element in the gap for the purpose of supplying necessary heating at the interface as desired in the joining method of Moe. Thus, Moe as modified by Zelahy renders the claimed steps obvious.
Regarding claims 2-4, Moe discloses a method of joining cladded pipes (figs. 1-4; forge welding- [0001-0003]) comprising: providing a first cladded pipe 11/20/30, the first cladded pipe including a first cladded pipe base element and a first cladded pipe cladding element secured to the first cladded pipe base element, the first cladded pipe base element including a pocket (concave wedges- [0030-0031]) adjacent a first cladded pipe extension end of the first cladded pipe cladding element (note that term “extension end” is broad and not limited by any dimensions), the first cladded pipe extension end located at a connection end of the first cladded pipe; providing a second cladded pipe 12/21/31, the second cladded pipe including a second cladded pipe base element and a second cladded pipe cladding element secured to the second cladded pipe base element, the second cladded pipe extension end located at a connection end of the second cladded pipe; positioning the first and second cladded pipes such that the connection ends of the first and second cladded pipes face each other and define a gap therebetween (figs. 2-3); heating sections of the connection ends of the first and second cladded pipes to a hot working temperature (note that “hot working temperature” is open and not limited by any range), the sections seen as heated parts of the first and second cladded pipes; engaging the connection ends of the first and second cladded pipes; and moving at least one of the first and second cladded pipes relative to the other, wherein at least portions of the first cladded pipe extension end and the second cladded pipe extension end are extruded into the pockets of the first cladded pipe and the second cladded pipe respectively (figs. 2, 4, [0010, 0027, 0032]). Examiner takes official notice with respect to providing an inert atmosphere for the heating sections of the connection ends of both pipes since such technique is conventional and doing so would prevent oxidation (see evidence Bliault WO 98/33619 A1- inert gas sealed chamber 17/18- fig. 1).
Moe discloses heating of the pipe ends to be joined using any known heating technique, including induction/EM, infrared [0002-0003], but does not specifically show positioning at least one heating element in the gap for heating the pipe ends. Nonetheless, Zelahy (also drawn to metal bonding) discloses formed pockets 32a/32b at both first and second ends 12a/12b of the first and second components 10a-10b to be joined by forging, wherein the first and second ends are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween (see fig. 5). Zelahy teaches positioning a heating element 24 (induction coil- fig. 5, col. 3, lines 52-55) in the gap between end parts of the first and second components 12a-12b and heating to a hot working temperature at which the heated parts are plastically deformable (col. 4, lines 1-20); energizing said at least one heating element/coil, to heat the heated parts to the hot working temperature; engaging the connection ends together; and moving one or both of the first and second components relative to the other, wherein at least portions of the heated parts of the first and second components are extruded into the first and second pockets. Given teachings of Zelahy, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide facing connection ends of the two cladded pipes having pockets in order to provide interference fit and to position a heating element in the gap for the purpose of supplying necessary heating at the interface as desired in the joining method of Moe. Thus, Moe as modified by Zelahy renders the claimed steps obvious.
As to claims 5-6, both Mor and Zelahy shows that engaging the connection ends of the first and second cladded pipes comprises applying a translocation motion or an engagement motion to at least one of the first cladded pipe or second cladded pipe (Moe- pressing [0016, 0030]; Zelahy- fig. 5- see movement arrow 28). A person of ordinary skill would readily recognize that one or both cladded pipes are moved so as to apply the necessary force/pressure for forge welding in Moe & Zelahy, thereby rendering the claims obvious.
Information Disclosure Statement
No information disclosure statement (IDS) has been submitted. Applicant is reminded of candor duty to disclose all information material to patentability. See MPEP 2001 and CFR 1.56).
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEVANG R PATEL whose telephone number is (571) 270-3636. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, EST.
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/DEVANG R PATEL/
Primary Examiner, AU 1735
