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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-6, 8-11, and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 2018/0154586 A1, hereinafter Wang) in view of Bruggeman et al. (US 2017/0348911 A1, hereinafter Bruggeman).
Regarding Claims 1 and 14-15, Wang teaches as best understood by Figure 6 a method for receiving and dispensing a 3D printer filament, the method comprising:
per [0055]-[0056], receiving the 3D printer filament using a nozzle having a barrel and an end tip 202, the barrel including an internal bore 20s, an exterior surface and a heat break defined in the exterior surface of the barrel (the necked down portion between the bottom heat source 241 and top of retaining cap 230, the necked down portion thus functioning as a heat break by reducing a transfer of heat along the barrel by the heat break), wherein the internal bore has a filament receiving end and a filament discharge end, the end tip 202 being positioned proximate to the filament discharge end;
heating the 3D printer filament with a heating element 240 proximate the filament discharge end,
dispensing the 3D printer filament through a discharge orifice of the end tip 202.
However, Wang is silent on the heating element including a heating wire wrapped around the exterior surface of the barrel.
In analogous art pertaining to nozzles, Bruggeman teaches in [0053]-[0056] that it is known to deliver heat to a filament with an induction coil 105 wrapped around an exterior of a barrel so the coil heats a susceptive element 103 that, since it is responsible for generating heat, qualifies as a heating coil portion of a heating element.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention’s filing to use a heating coil per Bruggeman on the exterior of the nozzle barrel as a known way to achieve filament heating as the filament heating element, since such a substitution would be replacing one known element with another to yield the predictable result of filament heating.
Regarding Claims 2-3 and 16-17, Wang’s retaining cap 230 mechanically retains the end tip to the barrel within a first open end of the retaining cap, wherein the end tip extends through the retaining cap.
Regarding Claims 4-5 and 18-19, a first shank of the barrel 270 is mechanically retained to a second shank of the barrel 210 as defined in part by the positioning of the heating element 240 on that second shank.
Regarding Claims 6 and 20, the previous combination remains as applied above, and while Wang is silent on temperature sensors, Bruggeman teaches in [0075] and Figure 7a that a known way to monitor nozzle temperature is with a channel/cavity 703 made to accommodate a temperature sensor 702 in order to ensure the sensor is in close proximity to the material being supplied through the nozzle to control the process.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention’s filing to include a temperature sensor in a channel on the exterior of the nozzle barrel as a known way to achieve temperature monitoring with the benefit of being in close proximity to the printing material in the previous combination to yield the predictable result of controlled heating.
Regarding Claims 8-11, the barrel has any number of diameter portions, including four that match the claimed relative size requirements.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Bruggeman as applied to Claim 1 above, and in view of Hetke et al. (US 2018/0353750 A1, hereinafter Hetke).
Regarding Claim 7, the previous combination teaches the nozzle as applied above, but is silent on micro-welding two shanks of the barrel to retain them together.
In art reasonably pertinent to the problem being solved of how to retain shanks, Hetke teaches in [0049] that micro-welding is a known way to do so.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill prior to the invention’s filing to retain the first shank of the barrel to the second shank by micro-welds, since this would be applying a known technique to yield the predictable result of retaining a shank.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Bruggeman as applied to Claim 1 above, and in view of Sterman (US 2015/0321434 A1, hereinafter Sterman).
Regarding Claims 12-13, the previous combination teaches the nozzle as applied above, but is silent on attaching temperature sensors to the exterior surface of the barrel.
In analogous art pertaining to nozzles, Sterman teaches in [0067] that it is known to be useful to use temperature sensors to monitor the temperature outside of a nozzle at one or more parts to use those results as a proxy for the temperature of the material.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill prior to the invention’s filing to attach a plurality of temperature sensors to the exterior of the previous combination’s barrel in a channel (as taught by Bruggeman above to be a place to locate a temperature sensor) for the benefit of taking proxy readings to estimate the temperature of the material within the nozzle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYAN M OCHYLSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-7009. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-6.
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/RYAN M OCHYLSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743