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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on January 2, 2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 2, 7-10, and 12 are examined.
Claims 3, 4, and 11 are withdrawn.
Claims 5-6 and 13 are cancelled
Response to Amendment
The amendments to the claims overcome the previous 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection; therefore, the rejections are withdrawn. The amendments incorporate previous claims 5-6 and 13 into amended claim 1.
As claim 13 is now cancelled, the claim objection to claim 13 is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 7-10, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saito (US 2019/0061243 A1) in view of Zhu (US 2018/0297258 A1), Jack (US 6080346), and Mizoguchi (US 2013/0207300 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Saito discloses a plasticizing device (30) (¶ [0140] – shaping material production section 30 melts material) for a material, the plasticizing device comprising:
a flat screw (40) (¶ [0140] – a flat screw 40) that is rotatable about a rotation axis (RX) (¶ [0142] – rotates on rotation axis RX), that has a groove forming surface (48) (¶ [0141] – lower surface 48) in which a groove (42) is formed (¶ [0141] – groove portion 42), and that has a length in a direction along the rotation axis (RX) shorter than a length in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the rotation axis (Fig. 1 depicts 40 has a length along RX shorter than a length along perpendicular direction of RX);
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Saito Fig. 1
a barrel (50) (¶ [0144] – facing portion 50) that has a facing surface (52) (¶ [0144] – upper surface 52) facing the groove forming surface (48) (¶ [0144] – 48 of 40 faces 52 of 50) and in which a communication hole (56) (¶ [0146] – communication hole 56) communicating with the facing surface (52) is formed (¶ [0146] – provided at center of the facing portion 50); and
a heating unit (58) (¶ [0159] – heater 58) configured to heat the material supplied into the groove (42) (¶ [0159] – material melted by heating and guided to central portion 46 of 40)
the flat screw (40) and the barrel (50) being arranged such that a space in which the material flows is formed between the facing surface of the barrel and the groove defined by the groove forming surface (FIG. 1 depicts 40, 50 forming a space at 42 and central portion 46 for material flow)
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Saito Fig. 1
Saito does not disclose the groove forming surface and the facing surface are made of a same component material.
Analogous art Zhu discloses an injection device comprising a melting unit comprising a turntable 402 and a fixing member, wherein a feeding groove is provided on the surface of the turntable facing the fixing member (¶ [0096]). The feed grove 111 extends from a periphery to a center of the turntable 11 (¶ [0099]). During the rotation process of the turntable 11, the particulate thermoplastic raw material is continuously pushed from the outer circle to the center of the turntable 11, is melted gradually in the feed groove 111, and then enters the center of the turntable 11 (¶ [0100]).
Zhu further discloses the groove forming surface and the facing surface are made of a same component material (¶ [0099] – the turntable 11 and the fixed member 12 can be steel-made). The materials of the turntable 11 and the fixed member can both be metal material or other materials having proper hardness (¶ [0099]). The present design has the advantageous effects of heating and melting the sizing material rapidly, which completely eliminates the time wasted in waiting for the raw material to be melted in normal low-pressure injection productions (¶ [0094]).
Saito and Zhu disclose an apparatus with the same or similar components performing the same or similar function in regards to extruders with plasticization/melting thermoplastics. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied the steel-made material for the turntable and the fixed member in Zhu to the flat screw and the barrel in Saito to have proper hardness (¶ [0099]) to have the advantageous effects of heating and melting the sizing material rapidly, which completely eliminates the time wasted in waiting for the raw material to be melted in normal low-pressure injection productions (¶ [0094]).
Saito does not disclose wherein the groove forming surface has a region having a surface free energy lower than a surface free energy of the facing surface and at least one of the groove forming surface.
Analogous art Jack discloses a barrel screw feeder apparatus to a die or mould with a screw exhibiting less adhesion to the composition than does the barrel (c. 1, L. 46-52). The adhesion-reducing surface of the screw may be a coating, which is preferably a non-stick, and may be e.g. a fluorocarbon (c. 1, L. 56-61). The screw is uncoated steel (c. 2, L. 3-10).
Jack further discloses wherein the groove forming surface has a region having a surface free energy lower than a surface free energy of the facing surface (c. 1, L. 46-52 – screw exhibiting less adhesion to the composition than does the barrel; c. 1, L. 61-66 – the barrel in such a case having a higher coefficient of friction than has the screw, therefore the lower adhesion of the screw and the higher coefficient of friction of the barrel would mean a lower surface free energy of the surface of the screw than the barrel) and at least one of the groove forming surface and facing surface is subjected to a coating treatment (c. 1, L. 56-66 – adhesion-reducing surface of the screw may be a coating; the barrel is also coated which preferably a coating which is both non-stick and slippery). The coating(s) lessen the mechanical energy expended in transportation the material through the barrel and especially in shear damage (c. 2, L. 30-32).
Saito and Jack disclose an apparatus with the same or similar components performing the same or similar function in regards to extrusion using a screw and barrel arrangement. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied the coating on the barrel and screw, where the coating on the screw is less adhesion and the coating on the barrel having a higher coefficient of friction than the screw in Jack to the groove portion of the flat screw and facing portion of the barrel in modified Saito to lessen the mechanical energy expended in transportation the material through the barrel and especially in shear damage (c. 2, L. 30-32).
Saito does not disclose the facing surface is subjected a cutting treatment or to a coating treatment that is at least one of diamond coating, chromium coating, and titanium coating.
Analogous art Mizoguchi discloses a casting die (¶ [0016]) where the casting die 20 has first regions 26 and second regions 27 closer to a longitudinally central portion of the discharge port 21a than the first regions 26. The surface energy of a first region 26 which is 10 mN/m to 30 mN/m higher than a surface energy of a second region 27 (¶ [0018, 0072]).
Mizoguchi further discloses the facing surface 26 is subjected a cutting treatment (¶ [0072] - first region is a region subjected to roughening treatment, may include abrasion with sandpaper and the like). Membranes may be formed at the outer surface around a discharge port of a casting die (first region) and such membranes may gradually grove and disturb/block flow (¶ [0004]). Using the casting die having the surface energy value suppresses the formation of membranes derived from resin solution on the outer surface of the casting die (¶ [0045]).
Saito and Mizoguchi disclose an apparatus with the same or similar components performing the same or similar function in regards to discharging material from a die. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied the roughening treatment including abrasion of a first region in Mizoguchi to the facing portion of the barrel in modified Saito to suppresses the formation of membranes derived from resin solution on the outer surface of the casting die (¶ [0045]).
Regarding claim 2, modified Saito discloses the plasticizing device according to claim 1.
Modified Saito discloses wherein the groove forming surface (48) has a first forming surface (42) and a second forming surface (42) that is located closer to a central side than is the first forming surface (annotated Saito Fig. 2 below), the facing surface (52) includes a first facing surface (54) (¶ [0161] – guide grooves 54) that faces the first forming surface (42) (Saito Fig. 1 depicts 40 and 50 face each other) and a second facing surface (54) that faces the second forming surface (42) (Saito Fig. 1 depicts 40 and 50 face each other) and that is located closer to the central side than is the first facing surface (annotated Saito Fig. 3 below),
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Saito Fig. 2 and 3
a surface free energy of the first forming surface (42) is lower than a surface free energy of the first facing surface (52) (Jack c. 1, L. 46-52 – screw exhibiting less adhesion to the composition) and a surface free energy of the second forming surface (42) is lower than a surface free energy of the second facing surface (52) (Jack c. 1, L. 46-52 – screw exhibiting less adhesion to the composition).
Regarding claim 7, modified Saito discloses the plasticizing device according to claim 1. Saito does not disclose the groove forming surface is subjected to fluorine coating as the coating treatment.
Jack discloses the groove forming surface is subjected to fluorine coating as the coating treatment (c. 1, L. 56-61 – the screw is preferably a non-stick rather than a specifically slippery coating, and may be e.g. a fluorocarbon).
Saito and Jack disclose an apparatus with the same or similar components performing the same or similar function in regards to extrusion using a screw and barrel arrangement. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have applied the fluorocarbon coating on the screw in Jack to the groove portion of the flat screw in modified Saito to lessen the mechanical energy expended in transportation the material through the barrel and especially in shear damage (c. 2, L. 30-32).
Mizoguchi also discloses a coating treatment with a fluororesin on the second region to meet the surface energy relationship (¶ [0076]).
Regarding claim 8, modified Saito discloses the plasticizing device according to claim 1. Saito discloses the material contains at least one of metal particles (¶ [0130] – powder material of metal material) and ceramic particles (¶ [0130] – powder material of ceramic material).
The limitation “the material contains at least one of metal particles and ceramic particles” recites the material or article worked upon by the apparatus. Applicant is reminded material or article worked upon does not limit apparatus claims. See MPEP § 2115.
Regarding claim 9, modified Saito discloses the plasticizing device according to claim 1. Modified Saito further discloses a difference in surface free energies in the region in which the surface free energy of the groove forming surface (Mizoguchi second region 27) is lower than the surface free energy of the facing surface (Mizoguchi first region 26) is 4.6 mJ/m2 or more (Mizoguchi ¶ [0018, 0072] - surface energy of a first region 26 which is 10 mN/m to 30 mN/m higher than a surface energy of a second region 27). Through unit conversion, where mN*m = mJ:
m
N
m
=
m
N
m
*
m
m
=
m
J
m
2
Regarding claim 10, modified Saito discloses the plasticizing device according to claim 1. Saito discloses a three-dimensional shaping device (100a) (¶ [0136] – three-dimensional shaping apparatus) comprising: a nozzle (61) (¶ [0137] – nozzle 61) configured to dispense the material (¶ [0137] – discharge shaping material) plasticized by the plasticizing device (30) (¶ [0137] –from discharge unit 110a; ¶ [0138] – 110a comprising 30) according to claim 1; and a table (220) (¶ [0137] – shaping pedestal 220) configured to support the material dispensed from the nozzle (61) (¶ [0137] – material onto 220).
Regarding claim 12, Modified Saito discloses the material of the screw and barrel is steel (Zhu ¶ [0099]), but does not explicitly disclose the material is stainless steel. However, the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supports a prima facie obviousness determination (MPEP § 2144.07). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to choose stainless steel for the screw and barrel as stainless steel is a known and suitable material.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, which incorporates previous claim 5-6 and 13, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/JONATHAN B WOO/Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754