DETAILED ACTION
In Reply filed on 05/14/2026, claims 1-2 and 4 are pending. Claim 3 is cancel. Claim 1 is currently amended. Claims 1-2 and 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Previous 35 USC 103 rejections are withdrawn in view of the Applicant’s amendment which change the scope of the invention. However, new rejections have been established.
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) 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US2022/0193769 (“Hoppe et al” hereinafter Hoppe) in view of US2014/0242400 (“Hoebel et al” hereinafter Hoebel).
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 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; in a length determining step, determining whether the scan path on the target divided layer comprises the raster scan line wherein a length of the raster scan line is less than the division width; and the rotation angle θ satisfies 0°<θ<180° or −180°<θ<0°, where a sign indicates a rotation direction, wherein 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 division width, 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.
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However, Hoebel teaches 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 (Figures 4c- 4d and [0113], the orientation of the scan vector is rotated by an angle in each subsequent layers to vary the scan direction within each island and each layer); in a length determining step, determining whether the scan path on the target divided layer comprises the raster scan line wherein a length of the raster scan line is less than the division width (see annotated Figure 4c); and the rotation angle θ satisfies 0°<θ<180° or −180°<θ<0°, where a sign indicates a rotation direction ([0113], Figures 4c-4d, laser vectors are rotated by 63°. Furthermore, the claimed rotation angle range covered all of the potential angle range within one rotation cycle), wherein 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 division width (see annotated Figure 4c. Repetitive contingent limitation as previous limitation already required dividing along the division direction in the previous recited “dividing step”. Thus, the contingent limitation does not add any additional patentable limitation into the claim limitation), 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 (Figures 4c-4d and [0113]).
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 Hoppe such that it discloses all of the above mentioned limitations as taught by Hoebel to vary the scan direction within each island and each layer ([0113]) to ensure desired temperature distribution ([0110]).
Regarding Claim 2, the modified 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).
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]).
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 (Hoebel, [0110]-[0113]), wherein
the machining condition comprises at least one of the division width, material of the material powder, a condition of the predetermined irradiation area, and the irradiation condition ([0110]-[0113], rotation angle based on the temperature distribution on the print base).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because they pertain to new limitations and have been rejected as stated 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 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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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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XINWEN (CINDY) YE
Examiner
Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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