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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I, claims 1-9, in the reply filed on May 7, 2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 10-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Drawings
Figures 1-2 are required to be designated by a legend identifying the drawings as “Prior Art” because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Interpretation
Claims 3-4, 6 and 9 are directed to a method that recites conditional language such as “when a digital light processing (DLP) method is performed,” “when a stereolithography apparatus (SLA) method is used,” “when the distribution of the widths,” “when it is determined,” and “when the separation force,” “when bottom-up additive manufacturing is performed.” The conditional nature of this claim language allows for an interpretation where prior art meets the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim without the conditional language occurring.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 4, the parentheses render the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation “planar density” within the parentheses are part of the claimed invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kobayashi et al. (US 2016/0368223).
Claim 1: Kobayashi et al. discloses a method for generating an assistant support (abstract). The method includes slicing a 3D model into a plurality of 2D layers (¶¶ 90, 132; fig. 10; planar polygons 76a are determined); calculating a position of an assistant support based on widths of the sliced 2D layers (¶¶ 90, 132; fig. 10; the most distant triangular polygon from the center of gravity 74 of the target object model 72 is the polygon 76a, which calculates a width of the polygon, and a position of an assistant support is calculated based on the widths); and generating an assistant support based on a result of calculating (¶¶ 90-93, 132).
Claim 2: Kobayashi et al. discloses dividing an output area of the sliced 2D layers and calculating widths of each area; and calculating a distribution of the widths of each area and calculating the position of the assistant support based on the calculated distribution (¶¶ 90-93, 132).
Claims 3-4: The cited embodiments of Kobayashi et al. do not rely on DLP or SLA methods.
Claim 5: Kobayashi et al. discloses calculating the position of the assistant support according to when the calculated distribution of the widths of each area are uniform (¶¶ 90, 132; fig. 10).
Claims 6-8: Kobayashi et al. discloses the widths being uniform (¶¶ 90, 132; fig. 10).
Claim 9: Kobayashi et al. discloses the assistant support being used to make a separation force uniform when the separation force between a cured area and a liquid material is not uniform in a process of lifting a cured 2D layer when bottom-up additive manufacturing is performed (¶¶ 90-93, 132; figs. 10, 16-19).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY THROWER whose telephone number is (571)270-5517. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm MT M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Susan Leong can be reached at 571-270-1487. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LARRY W THROWER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754