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 .
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.
Claims 1 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ADDICOTT US 2016/0109876 A1.
ADDICOTT teaches:
A method of computer numerical control (CNC) machining, the method comprising:
establishing a coordinate system in a CNC machine tool; [Fig. 2b 28 points used for alignment during manufacturing and during comparison to model]
fixing a workpiece in the CNC machine tool; [Fig. 2b workpiece 18]
scanning the workpiece fixed in the CNC machine tool via a three-dimensional (3D) scanner to generate a scanned image, the scanned image containing the established coordinate system and the workpiece; [Fig. 3 32 - import dimensional data; para. 0062, “A component is first scanned 32 using, for example, photogrammetry and/or structured light scanning and/or computerised tomography to generate an accurate virtual representation of the component, including accurate dimensional data and locations of defined datum points.”]
locating the established coordinate system within the scanned image; [para. 0062, “The dimensional data is then aligned with the CAD model 36 using a predetermined component datum system, which corresponds to how the physical component would be aligned for further processing operations.”]
aligning a computer-aided design (CAD) model of the workpiece within the scanned image; [para. 0062, “The dimensional data is then aligned with the CAD model 36 using a predetermined component datum system, which corresponds to how the physical component would be aligned for further processing operations.”] and
using the established coordinate system as a work coordinate system of the CNC machine tool. [para. 0066, “Once the assessment 40 determines that the virtual component conforms 46 it can them be sent for machining 58.” And para. 0067, “This provides a clear benefit even where the subsequent machining is performed by hand, but it is envisaged that CNC machining will be used to ensure accuracy and conformance with the data provided.”]
ADDICOTT teaches:
10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising determining computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) toolpath commands of the CNC machine tool for machining the workpiece based on the established coordinate system. [para. 0024]
ADDICOTT teaches:
11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the method of computer numerical control (CNC) machining is carried out in the absence of probing the workpiece while the workpiece is fixed in the CNC machine tool. [para. 0036]
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.
Claims 2-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADDICOTT US 2016/0109876 A1 in view of MATSUDA US 2022/0176453 A1.
ADDICOTT does not teach the following limitations, however, MATSUDA teaches:
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the established coordinate system is a coordinate system of at least one fiducial fixed in the CNC machine tool; [Fig. 11 fiducial member 34]
scanning the workpiece comprises scanning the at least one fiducial fixed in the CNC machine tool, the scanned image containing the at least one fiducial and the workpiece; [Fig. 4 S115]
locating the established coordinate system comprises locating the coordinate system of the at least one fiducial within the scanned image; [Fig. 4 S116] and
using the established coordinate system comprises using the established coordinate system of the at least one fiducial as the work coordinate system of the CNC machine tool. [para 0045 and 0066]
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of filing to combine the teachings of MATSUDA with those of ADDICOTT. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings because MATSUDA teaches that scanning a fiducial in a build system increases coordinate alignment between the model and workpiece, yielding predictable results. (See para. 0072).
MATSUDA teaches:
3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising, before establishing the coordinate system of the at least one fiducial fixed in the CNC machine tool, aligning the at least one fiducial with axes of the CNC machine tool. [para. 0088]
MATSUDA teaches:
4. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising fabricating the workpiece via an additive manufacturing process. [para. 0054, “The processing apparatus 2 may be referred to as an additive processing apparatus, because it is an apparatus that forms the three-dimensional structural object ST that is the build object by the additive processing.”]
MATSUDA teaches:
5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the established coordinate system of the at least one fiducial is established via probing. [para. 0073, “The measurement apparatus 8 may measure the measurement target object by contacting with the measurement target object. A measurement apparatus that measures the measurement target object while pressing a sensor such as a probe or the like against the measurement target object is one example of the measurement apparatus that measures the measurement target object by contacting with the measurement target object.”]
Claims 6-9, 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADDICOTT US 2016/0109876 A1 in view of MATSUDA US 2022/0176453 A1 and further in view of Bernstein et al. US 2020/0041261 A1.
The combination of ADDICOTT and MATSUDA does not teach the following limitation, however, Bernstein teaches:
6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the 3D scanner is a 3D handheld scanner. [para. 0197, mobile phone for 3d scanning]
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the time of filing to combine the teachings of Bernstein with those of ADDICOTT and MATSUDA. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings because Bernstein teaches that the use of a mobile phone to perform 3D scanning increases functionality and performance yielding predictable results. (See para. 0197).
Bernstein teaches:
7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the 3D handheld scanner is a mobile device. [para. 0197, mobile phone for 3d scanning]
Bernstein teaches:
8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone with a LiDAR scanner and photogrammetry. [para. 0235]
ADDICOTT further teaches:
9. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising, after an initial scanning of the at least one fiducial and the workpiece fixed in the CNC machine tool via the 3D scanner to generate the scanned image, performing subsequent scans of workpieces fixed in the CNC machine tool via the 3D scanner to generate subsequent scanned images with the at least one fiducial remaining fixed in the CNC machine tool. [Fig. 1; material removed at 12 and scanned again at 2]
Bernstein further teaches:
12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: fixing the workpiece in the CNC machine tool comprises fixing a plurality of workpieces in the CNC machine tool; [para. 0011]
scanning the workpiece comprises scanning the plurality of workpieces fixed in the CNC machine tool; [para. 0123] and
aligning the CAD model of the workpiece comprises aligning a plurality of CAD models of the plurality of workpieces within the scanned image. [para. 0123; scan multiple objects]
Regarding method claim 13, this claim differs from claim 1 above in that the workpiece is a preform and also recites a fiducial for model alignment. The MATSUDA reference cited above teaches these limitations in para. 0045 and fiducial member 34.
Regarding method claims 14-18, these claims correspond to method claims 2-12 above and are rejected on the same grounds and rationale as corresponding claims above.
Regarding claim 19, this claim differs from claim 1 in that it recites a preform workpiece via additive manufacturing. Matsuda teaches the workpiece is created via additive manufacturing in para. 0045.
Regarding claim 20, this claim further recites a handheld 3d scanner and is rejected on the same grounds and rationale as method claim 6 above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KATO US 2022/0274181 A1 teaches the use of probe for measuring the workpiece.
Palmer et al. US 9,934,601 B2 teaches the use of a handheld scanner for 3d modeling.
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/GARY COLLINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115
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