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 Claims and Application
This final action on the merits is in response to the remarks and amendments received by the office 30 October 2025. Claims 2-21 are pending. Claim 1 is cancelled. Claim 21 is newly added. Claim 2 is amended.
Response to Amendment
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 2-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0173203 to Freer et al. (‘203 hereafter), made of record per applicant disclosure in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0118467 to Neboian et al. (‘467 hereafter).
Regarding claim 2, ‘203 teaches a method of tracking use of a 3D print filament wound on a print spool, comprising: reading, at a 3D printer, a first data indicative of at least a distributed ledger for the spool, wherein the distributed ledger is indicative of how much filament was wound on the spool and how much filament wound on the spool has been already used (paragraph 0039); transmitting, from the 3D printer across a network, at least the first data and a second data indicative of a 3D print (paragraph 0039); receiving, at the 3D printer from the network, third data indicative of a validation of the 3D print based on the first and second data (paragraph 0036); selectively printing the 3D print, by the 3D printer, dependently on the received third data (paragraph 0038); and updating, at the 3D printer, the first data indicative of the distributed ledger to reflect the 3D print (paragraph 0039). ‘203 does not teach enhanced print algorithms as claimed.
In the same field of endeavor, additive manufacturing, ‘467 teaches an additive manufacturing method utilizing enhanced print algorithms unlocking enhanced capabilities of the 3D printer, dependent on the received third data indicating the presence of acceptable proprietary filament remaining on the print spool and the enhanced print algorithms associated with the acceptable proprietary filament employable by the 3D printer (paragraph 0077) for the benefit of tailoring apparatus operating parameters to the material used. It would have been obvious to one possessed of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to combine the teaching of ‘203 with those of ‘467 for the benefit of tailoring apparatus operating parameters to the material used.
Regarding claim 3, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the reading the first data comprises reading a tag (paragraphs 0032 and 0038).
Regarding claim 4, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the tag comprises a scannable tag that is attached to the spool (paragraphs 0032 and 0038).
Regarding claim 5, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the tag is an RFID tag (paragraph 0032).
Regarding claim 6, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the tag displays an optically scannable code (0032).
Regarding claim 7, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the first data is further indicative of at least one setting for the 3D printer, wherein the selective printing comprises selectively using the at least one setting (paragraph 0007).
Regarding claim 8, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the first data is further indicative of at least one setting for the 3D printer, wherein the selective printing comprises not using the at least one setting (paragraph 0044 – by positively controlling allowable manufacturing media for build files, the data disallows other manufacturing media).
Regarding claim 9, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the distributed ledger comprises one or more blocks, wherein each of the blocks are associated with respective hashes (paragraph 0041).
Regarding claim 10, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the respective hashes are cryptographic such that the distributed ledger is immutable (paragraph 0036).
Regarding claim 11, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the distributed ledger is permissionless as open (paragraph 0022).
Regarding claim 12, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the distributed ledger utilizes public/private key cryptography, wherein one or more users of the distributed ledger are each associated with a respective public/private key pair (paragraphs 0028 and 0036).
Regarding claim 13, ‘203 teaches the method wherein one public key of the respective public/private key pairs comprises an address on the blockchain (paragraph 0027).
Regarding claim 14, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the distributed ledger comprises one or more blocks, wherein each of the blocks are associated with respective transactions (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 15, ‘203 teaches the method wherein one of the respective transactions is sent to an address (paragraph 0028).
Regarding claim 16, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the address comprises a public key (paragraph 0028).
Regarding claim 17, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the address comprises a hash of the public key (paragraphs 0028 and 0045).
Regarding claim 18, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the one of the respective transaction is sent to the respective block using a private key of a user (paragraph 0027).
Regarding claim 19, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the respective block is verifiable using a public key corresponding to the private key of the user used to send the respective block (paragraph 0028).
Regarding claim 20, ‘203 teaches the method wherein the distributed ledger comprises smart contracts (paragraph 0009 – examiner’s note: the term ‘smart contract’ is understood to mean an instruction or set of instructions saved on a distributed ledge which is/are executed automatically when conditions defined within it are met. In the instant case, the prior art object verification meets this sense of the term insofar as the object manufactured is validated when the specified relationship between build file creator and media manufacturer is confirmed.).
Regarding claim 21, ‘203 is silent with respect to speed. In the same field of endeavor, additive manufacturing, ‘467 teaches the method wherein the enhanced capabilities of the 3D printer comprises running at optimum speed (paragraph 0077). It would have been obvious to one possessed of ordinary skill in the art to select an optimum speed which is higher because that is one of the three available options for a settable speed. The other two being lower or unchanging. One possessed of ordinary skill at the time of effective filing would have been motivated to combine the teachings of ‘203 with those of ‘467 for the benefit of optimizing process operating conditions for the material used.
Response to Arguments
In support of the patentability of the instant application, applicant argues that the previously applied prior art does not teach the claims as amended. Examiner agrees. Accordingly, an updated search was conducted and newly relevant prior art identified and applied in a modified rejection above.
Conclusion
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 John P Robitaille whose telephone number is (571)270-7006. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30AM-6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Galen Hauth can be reached at (571) 270-5516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JPR/Examiner, Art Unit 1743
/GALEN H HAUTH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1743