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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 4 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 4 recites the limitation "the facing direction" in line 9. 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kellett (US 2022/0048109).
Regarding Claim 1, Kellett discloses a structural member 100 comprised of; a wall including a first side wall 101 and a second side wall 102 facing each other; a space surrounded by the wall (Fig. 1); and a plurality of ribs 218 provided in the space and coupling the first side wall and the second side wall, wherein the plurality of ribs include: a plurality of columnar first ribs (see annotated Fig. 1 below; plurality of each rib replicated in the multiple cubic structures) each of which extends linearly in a first direction and which couple the first side wall and the second side wall, a plurality of columnar second ribs each of which extends linearly in a second direction and which couple the first side wall and the second side wall, a plurality of columnar third ribs each of which extends linearly in a third direction and which couple the first side wall and the second side wall, and a plurality of columnar fourth ribs each of which extends linearly in a fourth direction and which couple the first side wall and the second side wall, the first direction, the second direction, the third direction, and the fourth direction are directions different from one another, and a plurality of coupling portions 219 each coupling the first rib, the second rib, the third rib, and the fourth rib are formed.
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Regarding Claim 2, each of the first rib, the second rib, the third rib, and the fourth rib is coupled to others of the ribs at the coupling portion 219.
Regarding Claim 3, the plurality of coupling portions 219 are arranged in a body-centered cubic lattice shape (Fig. 2) in which each of the coupling portions is positioned at a vertex or a center of a unit lattice which is a predetermined cubic body.
Regarding Claims 5 and 6, Kellett uses additive manufacturing to create the member (see Title and Abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Applicant’s use of a bottom wall connecting the first and second walls at one end while leaving the other end open, and the cubic lattices being arranged such that the first side wall and the second side wall are at a perpendicular-direction position of a plurality of the coupling portions which are formed on a farthest side from the bottom wall in the perpendicular direction is an integral multiple of half a length of one side of the unit lattice, is novel.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art relates to lattice constructions of structural members as well as the additive manufacturing process to create them.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON S DANIELS whose telephone number is (571)270-1167. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy Weisberg can be reached at 571-270-5500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON S DANIELS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612