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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/23/2022 and 1/24/2024 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claimed “computer-readable storage medium” is not limited to just non-transitory mediums. Nowhere in the claims or specification of the instant patent application are transitory mediums (carrier waves for example) excluded for the claimed “computer-readable storage medium”. Accordingly, claim 12 is not directed to non-statutory subject matter.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pickens (US PGPub 2016/0092041).
As to claim 1
Pickens discloses a simulation system for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for a workpiece to be manufactured (object) having amorphous properties, the system comprising:
- an input unit (user interface 30, see Fig. 1) for inputting a requirements profile (object component 22, see Fig. 1/electronic information that represents an object) for the workpiece to be manufactured (Step 402, see Fig. 4),
- at least one memory unit (electronic storage 50, see Fig. 1) which is designed to store information data (material property component 24, see Fig. 1), wherein the information data specify information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys for producing workpieces having amorphous properties and information concerning manufacturing methods (see paragraph 0023, lines 1-8), and wherein the requirements profile specifies geometric and/or mechanical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured (see paragraph 0022, lines 1-8),
- an analysis unit (processor 20, see Fig. 1) which is designed
to simulate a plurality of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data to create simulation data (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4),
to assess the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4 and paragraph 0050, lines 1-4),
to select an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured on the basis of the assessment (Step 506, see Fig. 5; also see paragraph 0046, lines 1-6),
- an output unit (user interface 30, see Fig. 1) which is designed to output the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method (Steps 408 and 410, see Fig. 4).
As to claim 2
Pickens discloses the simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit comprises a first simulation unit which is designed to simulate, depending on the alloy and according to the requirements profile and the calculated properties, a mechanical load on the workpiece to be manufactured and to add information concerning the simulated mechanical load to the simulation data (paragraph 0042, lines 1-4).
As to claim 3
Pickens discloses the simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit comprises a second simulation unit which is designed to simulate, depending on the alloy and according to the requirements profile and the information data, chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured and to add information concerning the simulated chemical properties to the simulation data (paragraph 0042, lines 1-4).
As to claim 4
Pickens discloses the simulation system according to claim1, wherein the information data specify information concerning at least one physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical property, in particular selected from:
- thermal properties of the alloy,
- media resistance of the alloy,
- chemical properties,
- amorphicity on the basis of a degree of contamination,
- load-dependent aging phenomena and/or
- cooling behavior of the alloy (see paragraph 0023, lines 18-28).
As to claim 5
Pickens discloses the simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is designed to make, according to the requirements profile, a preselection from alloys stored within the at least one memory unit and/or from manufacturing methods stored within the at least one memory unit, and a selection of an alloy and/or a manufacturing method takes place on the basis of the preselection (see paragraph 0026, lines 1-23).
As to claim 6
Pickens discloses the simulation system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is designed
- to generate a data pair by associating the selected alloy (L) and the selected manufacturing method (V) with the requirements profile (A),
- to store the generated data pair in the at least one memory unit,
- to specify an alloy associated with the requirements profile and a manufacturing method associated with the requirements profile when a requirements profile stored in the memory unit is input (see paragraph 0026, lines 1-23).
As to claim 7
Pickens discloses a method for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for a workpiece to be manufactured (object) having amorphous properties, comprising the steps of:
- inputting a requirements profile (object component 22, see Fig. 1/electronic information that represents an object) of the workpiece to be manufactured, in particular by means of an input unit (user interface 30, see Fig. 1), wherein the requirements profile specifies geometric and/or mechanical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured (Step 402, see Fig. 4),
- calculating mechanical and/or chemical and/or physical parameters, and comparing the calculated parameters with stored information data (material property component 24, see Fig. 1) which contains information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys for producing workpieces having amorphous properties (see paragraph 0022, lines 1-8 and paragraph 0023, lines 1-8),
- simulating a plurality of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4),
- creating simulation data on the basis of the simulations (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4), and
- assessing the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4 and paragraph 0050, lines 1-4),
- selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured on the basis of the assessment (Step 506, see Fig. 5; also see paragraph 0046, lines 1-6),
- outputting the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method (Steps 408 and 410, see Fig. 4).
As to claim 8
Pickens discloses the method according to claim 7, wherein calculating properties of the workpiece to be manufactured which are specified by the requirements profile (paragraph 0042, lines 1-4).
As to claim 9
Pickens discloses the method according to claim7, wherein in that the information data specify information concerning at least one physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties, in particular selected from:
- thermal properties of the alloy,
- media resistance of the alloy,
- chemical properties,
- amorphicity on the basis of a degree of contamination,
- load-dependent aging phenomena and/or
- cooling behavior of the alloy (see paragraph 0023, lines 18-28).
As to claim 10
Pickens discloses the method according to claim7, wherein
- making a preselection from stored alloys and/or stored manufacturing methods according to the requirements profile,
- selecting an alloy and/or a manufacturing method on the basis of the preselection (see paragraph 0026, lines 1-23).
As to claim 11
Pickens discloses the method according to claim7, wherein
- generating a data pair by associating the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method with the requirements profile,
- storing the generated data pair,
- outputting an alloy associated with a stored requirements profile and a manufacturing method associated with the requirements profile if the requirements profile is already stored (see paragraph 0026, lines 1-23).
As to claim 12
Pickens discloses a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that cause at least one processor to implement a method according to claim 7 when the method is executed by the at least one processor (see paragraph 0039, lines 1-10).
As to claim 13
Pickens discloses a manufacturing plant for manufacturing a workpiece having amorphous properties, comprising:
- a simulation system for selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured according to claim 1 (see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4) and
- a manufacturing unit (additive manufacturing device; see paragraph 0032, line 21) which is designed to manufacture a workpiece using the simulation system (see paragraph 0032, lines 8-24).
As to claim 14
Pickens discloses a manufacturing plant according to claim 13, wherein the manufacturing unit is designed as an injection-molding device or as an additive manufacturing device (see paragraph 0032, lines 18-24).
As to claim 15
Pickens discloses a control method for controlling a manufacturing plant for manufacturing a workpiece having amorphous properties, for controlling a manufacturing plant according to claim 13, wherein in that the manufacturing plant is operated with an alloy and a manufacturing method which are selected using a method comprising the steps of:
- inputting a requirements profile of the workpiece to be manufactured, in particular by means of an input unit, wherein the requirements profile specifies geometric and/or mechanical and/or chemical properties of the workpiece to be manufactured (Step 402, see Fig. 4),
- calculating mechanical and/or chemical and/or physical parameters, and comparing the calculated parameters with stored information data which contains information concerning physical and/or chemical and/or mechanical properties of a plurality of alloys for producing workpieces having amorphous properties (see paragraph 0022, lines 1-8 and paragraph 0023, lines 1-8),
- simulating a plurality of workpieces according to the requirements profile and the information data (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4),
- creating simulation data on the basis of the simulations (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4), and
- assessing the simulated workpieces on the basis of the simulation data and the requirements profile (Step 406, see Fig. 4; also see paragraph 0042, lines 1-4 and paragraph 0050, lines 1-4),
- selecting an alloy and a manufacturing method for the workpiece to be manufactured on the basis of the assessment (Step 506, see Fig. 5; also see paragraph 0046, lines 1-6),
- outputting the selected alloy and the selected manufacturing method (Steps 408 and 410, see Fig. 4).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael J. Brown whose telephone number is (571)272-5932. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday from 5:30am-4:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Lee can be reached at (571)272-3667. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Michael J Brown/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115