Appeal No. 2004-1340
Application No. 09/585,061
The subject matter on appeal relates to a method of
producing on-demand, semi-solid material for a metal alloy
casting process. Further details of this appealed subject
matter are recited in representative claim 1 reproduced below:
1. A method of producing on-demand, semi-solid
material for a casting process, said method comprising
the following steps:
heating a metal alloy until it reaches a molten
state;
transferring an amount of said metal alloy, while
in said molten state, to a vessel;
cooling said amount of metal alloy in said
vessel;
applying an electromagnetic field to said amount
of metal alloy for creating a flow pattern of said
metal alloy within said vessel while said cooling
continues in order to create a slurry billet of the
desired thixotropic solid to liquid ratio for casting;
and
discharging said slurry billet from said vessel,
directly and immediately, into a shot sleeve of a
casting machine, without any intermediate stage of
holding said slurry billet between said vessel and
said shot sleeve and without any heating step
subsequent to said discharging from said vessel.
The examiner relies on the following prior art reference as
evidence of unpatentability:
Brauer et al. 5,098,487 Mar. 24, 1992
(Brauer)
Claims 1 through 19, 24 through 26, and 31 through 38 on
appeal stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as unpatentable
2
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