DETAILED ACTION
In Request for Continued Examination filed on 12/30/2025, claims 1-4 are pending. Claim 1 is currently amended. Claims 1-4 are considered in the current Office 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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Status of Previous Objections/Rejections
Previous 35 USC 102 and 103 rejections are withdrawn in view of the Applicant’s amendment. However, new rejections have been established.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/30/2025 has been entered.
Claim Interpretation
The Examiner is interpretating the limitation “predetermined height” in claim 1, line 11 as the predetermined thickness of a layer of a 3D object due to lack of specific definition in the instant specification.
The Examiner is interpretating the limitation “a condition of the predetermined irradiation area” in claim 4, line 6 as the manufacturing condition which may include “other conditions such as, for example, a lamination thickness of the material layer 82 (thickness of one material layer) to be irradiated with the laser beam B” which is consistent with [0041] of the instant application.
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 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US2022/0193769 (“Hoppe et al” hereinafter Hoppe) in view of Effect of scan rotation on the microstructure development and mechanical properties of 316L parts produced by laser powder bed fusion (“Leicht et al” hereinafter Leicht), copy attached.
Regarding Claim 1, Hoppe teaches a manufacturing method of a three-dimensional object (abstract and [0001]), comprising:
in a solidified layer forming step ([0002]), laminating a solidified layer by repeating a material layer forming step and a solidification step ([0002], the workpiece is consequently built up successively layer-by-layer), the material layer forming step comprising supplying material powder to a build area and forming a material layer ([0002], apply a raw material powder in layers to a carder and to solidify it by site-specific irradiation), the solidification step comprising forming the solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined irradiation area in the material layer with a laser beam or an electron beam ([0002], solidify it by site-specific irradiation, e.g. by melting or sintering, in order ultimately to obtain a workpiece of the desired shape. The irradiation can take place by means of laser radiation);
in a manufacturing condition setting step, setting an irradiation condition of the laser beam ([0043]-[0044], controlling and conditioning the laser beams to a specific wavelength and/or power) and a division width of the predetermined irradiation area ([0091]-[0092], each column is divided into equidistant surface pieces corresponding to the number of lasers and the column width can be selected in advance as a fixed value),
in an irradiation area determining step, determining the predetermined irradiation area for each of a plurality of divided layers obtained by dividing a desired three-dimensional shape every predetermined height (Due to lack of specific definition for the term “predetermined height” in the instant specification, the Examiner is interpreting this limitation as the predetermined thickness of a layer of a 3D object. [0002], the irradiation occurs for each layer of the workpiece in order to solidify each layer individually. Thus, it is implied that the irradiation area of the laser beam is divided by the final thickness of the 3D object to perform irradiation for each individual layer);
in a dividing step, dividing the predetermined irradiation area of each of the plurality of divided layers along a predetermined division direction (Due to lack of specific definition for the term “predetermined division direction” in the instant specification, the Examiner is interpreting this limitation as any division direction) by the division width suitable for the irradiation condition and forming a plurality of divided areas ([0091]-[0092]); and
in a scan line setting step, setting a raster scan line along a predetermined scanning direction within the plurality of divided areas ([0162] and Figure 15, control device 1506 connected to the multi-beam apparatus to scan the first region in a zigzag manner), wherein
in the solidification step, the laser beam or the electron beam is scanned along a scan path comprising the raster scan line ([0162] and Figure 15, the first region is scanned by the laser beam 1521 in a zigzag manner);
Hoppe fails to explicitly teach in the dividing steps, a division direction of the predetermined irradiation area in the divided layer directly above a target divided layer is obtained by horizontally rotating the division direction of the predetermined irradiation area in the target divided layer by a rotation angle θ, and the rotation angle θ satisfies 0°<θ<180° or −180°<θ<0°, where a sign indicates a rotation direction.
However, Leicht teaches the dividing steps, a division direction of the predetermined irradiation area in the divided layer directly above a target divided layer is obtained by horizontally rotating the division direction of the predetermined irradiation area in the target divided layer (Figure 2d, the scanning laser are rotated with a (d) 67° rotation on each of the subsequent layers. In other words, the target divided layer, layer n+1, is horizontally rotated by 67° from the layer n) by a rotation angle θ, and the rotation angle θ satisfies 0°<θ<180° or −180°<θ<0°, where a sign indicates a rotation direction (Figures 2d, laser vectors (red arrows) with a bidirectional scanning strategy with (d) 67° rotation on subsequent layers (n). Furthermore, the claimed rotation angle range covered all of the potential angle range within one rotation cycle).
Hoppe and Leicht are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of manufacturing 3D object through laser powder bed fusion. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modified the method as taught by Hoppe such that it teaches all of the above discussed limitations as taught by Leicht to achieve optimum spacing between angles, meaning that the laser scan vector has the maximum number of layers until the exact same scan vector orientation occurs (page 2, lines 20-23).
Regarding Claim 3, the modified Hoppe teaches the manufacturing method of a three-dimensional object according to claim 1, further comprising:
in a length determining step, determining whether the scan path on the target divided layer comprises the raster scan line wherein the length of the raster scan line is less than a reference length (Hoppe, Due to lack of specific definition for the term “reference length” in the instant specification, the Examiner is interpreting this limitation as any value that serves as a determination criterion for the raster scan line. [0141] of Hoppe discloses the minimum number of columns is defined resulting from a minimum width of the columns and the minimum width of a column results from the hatch length and the hatch rotation. Thus, the minimum width of a column of the previous layer can be considered as a reference length and the minimum width of a column is considered as the length of the raster scan line. See annotated Figure 8), wherein
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in response to a determination in the length determining step that the scan path on the target divided layer comprises the raster scan line wherein the length of the raster scan line is less than the reference length (The broadest reasonable interpretation of a method claim having contingent limitations require only those steps that must be performed and does not include steps that are not required to be performed because the condition(s) precedent are not met. See MPEP 2111.04(II). In this case, the recited limitations are contingent limitation. Annotated Figure 8 of Hoppe discloses the min width of a column being less than the scan line of previous layer. ([0141] and [0035].),
in the dividing step, the direction obtained by horizontally rotating the division direction of the predetermined irradiation area in the target divided layer by the rotation angle θ is taken as the division direction of the predetermined irradiation area in the divided layer directly above the target divided layer (Leicht, Figure 2d, the scanning laser are rotated with a (d) 67° rotation on each of the subsequent layers. In other words, the target divided layer, layer n+1, is horizontally rotated by 67° from the layer n)).
Regarding Claim 4, the modified Hoppe teaches the manufacturing method of a three-dimensional object according to claim 1, further comprising:
in a rotation angle setting step, setting the rotation angle θ based on a machining condition (Hoppe, [0141], the rotation angle is based upon the minimum width of the column of the irradiation area), wherein
the machining condition comprises at least one of the division width ([0141], the rotation angle is based upon the minimum width of the column of the irradiation area), material of the material powder, a condition of the predetermined irradiation area, and the irradiation condition.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US2022/0193769 (“Hoppe et al” hereinafter Hoppe) in view of Effect of scan rotation on the microstructure development and mechanical properties of 316L parts produced by laser powder bed fusion (“Leicht et al” hereinafter Leicht), copy attached as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US2014/0242400 (“Hoebel et al” hereinafter Hoebel).
Regarding Claim 2, Hoppe teaches the manufacturing method of a three-dimensional object according to claim 1, but fails to teach wherein in the scan line setting step, the scanning direction is set parallel to the division direction.
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However, Hoebel teaches wherein in the scan line setting step, the scanning direction is set parallel to the division direction (See annotated Figure 4a).
Hoppe and Hoebel are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of manufacturing 3D object through hatch pattern laser irradiation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modified the method as taught by the modified Hoppe such that the scanning direction is set parallel to the division direction as taught by Hoebel to achieve a good quality (optimum part/article density and geometrical accuracy) ([0005]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XINWEN (Cindy) YE whose telephone number is (571)272-3010. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:30 - 17:00.
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XINWEN (CINDY) YE
Examiner
Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754