DETAILED ACTION
The papers submitted on 22 December 2025, canceling claims 11-12, are acknowledged.
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 without traverse of group I, claims 1-10, 13-15, in the reply filed on 22 December 2025 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested:DOSSING FEEDER FOR DISPENSING POWDER FROM AN INTERMEDIATE RESERVOIR OF A POWDER-BED FUSION APPARATUS
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 3 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.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the frame" in line 2. Although there is antecedent basis for “the frame” in claim 2, claim 3 depends on claim 1; therefore there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 1-5, 8, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Flick et al. (US 2020/0147884 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Flick discloses a discrete supply hopper 340, equated with the claimed dosing feeder, for a powder-fusing apparatus 2, (title/abstract, ¶¶ 73+; FIG. 3-5); the dosing feeder comprising:
a powder inlet configured to receive powder from a discharge opening of a powder reservoir 342 (FIG. 26+; ¶¶ 109+),
a powder outlet configured to release powder to a recoater reservoir 368 of the powder-fusing apparatus (FIG. 28-30; ¶¶ 113+),
a planar mesh 352, equated with the claimed powder support, being located in between the powder inlet and the powder outlet and configured to convey the powder from the powder inlet to the powder outlet (FIG. 28-30 ¶¶ 110+),
wherein:
the powder support is coupled to an ultrasonic transmitter 362 and/or to a vibrational drive 364 (FIG. 26-28; ¶¶ 111+),
the powder support 352 comprises a grate coupled to the ultrasonic transmitter and/or to the vibrational drive, thereby being configured to enable a powder flow through the grate by exiting the grate by operation of the ultrasonic transmitter and/or the vibrational drive (¶¶ 113+).
Regarding claim 2, Flick discloses the powder support comprises a holder 354, equated with the claimed frame, wherein the mesh/grate 352 is supported by the frame (FIG. 28; ¶¶ 110+).
Regarding claim 3, Flick discloses a connecting element that connects the grate via the frame to the ultrasonic transmitter and/or to the vibrational drive (FIG. 26-27, 29).
Regarding claim 4, Flick discloses that the dosing feeder comprises a feeder housing with a powder channel having a channel wall, wherein
the powder channel connects the powder inlet and the powder outlet, and
the grate is positioned transverse to a longitudinal extension of the powder channel, thereby separating the powder channel into an inlet facing upper channel portion and an outlet facing lower channel portion (FIG. 28; ¶¶ 108+).
Regarding claim 5, Flick discloses the channel wall forms a recess, into which the powder support sealingly engages (FIG. 28).
Regarding claim 7, Flick discloses a plurality of elastic vibration isolation mounts 62/398 between the powder supply and the holder (¶¶ 76, 122).
Regarding claim 8, Flick discloses a powder-bed fusing apparatus (title/abstract), comprising:
the discrete supply hopper 340, equated with the claimed dosing feeder (FIG. 26+; ¶¶ 108+),
an enclosed printing station 4, equated with the claimed process chamber (FIG. 1; ¶ 71),
a powder reservoir 342, equated with the powder bunker with a powder release opening connecting a volume of the bunker with the process chamber (FIG. 26+; ¶¶ 108+), and
a supply hopper 368 of the recoater, equated with the recoater reservoir, in the process chamber (FIG. 30; ¶¶ 113),
wherein:
the powder inlet of the dosing feeder is positioned below the powder release opening of the powder bunker, and
the powder outlet of the dosing feeder is positioned above the recoater reservoir (FIG. 26-30).
Regarding claim 13, Flick discloses a plurality of elastic vibration isolation mounts 62/398 between the powder supply and the holder (¶¶ 76, 122).
Regarding claim 14, Flick discloses the grate has a mesh size that is greater than a size of powder grains for doing of which the dosing feeder is configured (¶¶ 89+, 127; FIG. 15A+).
Regarding claim 15, Flick discloses the dosing feeder of wherein the mesh size is smaller than a critical mesh size, and
wherein the critical mesh size is defined such that, when the grate of the dosing feeder is static and has the critical mesh size, the powder placed onto the grate falls through the grate (¶¶ 87+, 127; FIG. 15A+).
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.
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 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Flick et al. (US 2020/0147884 A1) as applied to claim 4 above.
Flick discloses the channel wall forms a recess, into which the powder support sealingly engages (FIG. 28).
The skilled artisan would recognize that at the time of invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to reverse the orientation of Flick to a recess in the powder support which receives a protrusion of the channel wall, because such a reversal or rearrangement would be an alternative design choice and would function in a similar manner.
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Flick et al. (US 2020/0147884 A1) as applied to claim 8 above, further in view of Rengers et al. (US 10,814,387 B2).
Flick does not appear to explicitly disclose a sieve protecting the powder bunker inlet to separate particles with dimensions above a predefined dimension.
However, Rengers discloses a similar additive manufacturing apparatus (title/abstract) which includes a powder supply assembly 18, i.e. a powder bunker, which includes a sieve 50 which allows recycled powder to pass and collect debris (FIG. 3; 5:19+).
At the time of invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Flick to include the sieve of Rengers, in order to prevent debris from contaminating the powder bunker while also allowing powder recycling.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KELKAR; Rajendra et al.
US 20190060998 A1
PATERNOSTER; Stefan et al.
US 20180361662 A1
Voss; Lawrence Joseph et al.
US 11691334 B2
Celikkaya; Ahmet et al.
US 7232543 B2
Janninck; Donald R.
US 3841530 A
Hayano; Seiji
US 10427218 B2
O'Neill; Christopher F. et al.
US 10414148 B2
Hayashi; Daiki et al.
US 11890638 B2
Rengers; Steven Hubert et al.
US 10814387 B2
Spears; Thomas Graham et al.
US 10646924 B2
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Benjamin A Schiffman whose telephone number is (571)270-7626. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a-530p EST.
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/BENJAMIN A SCHIFFMAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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