DETAILED ACTION
In Request for Continued Examination filed on 07/30/2026, claims 1-11 are pending. Claims 5-11 are withdrawn based on the restriction requirement. 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 .
Status of Previous Objections/Rejections
Previous 35 USC 103 rejections are withdrawn based on the Applicant’s amendment.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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 07/30/2026 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/01/2026 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
The Applicant is reminded that apparatus claims are not limited by the function they perform, as per MPEP §2114. While features of an apparatus may be recited either structurally or functionally, claims directed to an apparatus must be distinguished from the prior art in terms of structure rather than function. As the apparatus of the prior art and the claimed apparatus are patentably indistinguishable in terms of structure, the apparatus of the prior art is reasonably expected to be able to perform the claimed functionalities. Furthermore, Applicant is reminded that apparatus claims are not limited by the material worked upon as per MPEP §2115).
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) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN112497733 (Ji), machine translation provided, and US2021/0162653 (Nelson).
Regarding Claim 1, Ji teaches a stereo lithography apparatus (Figure 16) comprising:
a modeling tank (see annotated Figure 16) configured to retain a photo-curable resin (Figure 16, photosensitive material 5), and in which a light transmission portion (Figure 16, light transmitting plate 3) is provided on a bottom surface of the modeling tank (Figure 16);
a light irradiation unit configured to irradiate light (Figure 16, light source 37 emit light beam 39) for curing the photo-curable resin through the light transmission portion (page 1, lines 43-47);
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a platform (Figure 16, platform 1) that is disposed opposite the light transmission portion (Figure 16) and that raises and lowers with respect to the modeling tank (page 6, lines 57-60, platform 1 can be driven by the driving mechanism 15 to move synchronously to the position of the new layer);
bulkheads (see annotated Figure 16, cylinder liners 2), each of which is formed in a cylindrical shape (the liners are cylinder liner) and forms an airtight space in cooperation with the platform (page 7, lines 3-8, the platform 1 and the cylinder liner 2 are in sliding and sealing cooperation and formed working cavity);
a raising and lowering control unit (Figure 16, driving mechanism 15) configured to raise and lower the platform and the bulkheads (page 16, lines 44-46, the platform 1 is in a sealing fit with the inner wall of the cylinder liner 2, and can be driven by a driving mechanism) and form a photo-curable resin layer having a predetermined thickness (page 7, lines 15-19) between the light transmission portion and both a bottom surface of each of the bulkheads (see annotated Figure 16) and a lower surface of the airtight space (see annotated Figure 16);
an irradiation control unit (Figure 16, controller 71 connected to the light source 37) configured to form a cured layer by irradiating the photo-curable resin layer from the light irradiation unit with the light corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of a target modeling object at a predetermined height position (page 13, lines 16-18);
a chamber internal pressure adjustment unit (Figure 16, material source device 4) configured to adjust an internal pressure of the chamber (page 2, lines 46-47, the material source device performs lifting control on the pressure of the photosensitive material in the working cavity); and
a chamber internal pressure control unit (Figure 16, controller 71) configured to;
monitor a position of the lower surface of the airtight space (page 2, lines 7-10, the separation between the light-transmitting part and the model is detected which is performing through monitoring and page 8, lines 9-11);
control the chamber internal pressure adjustment unit in accordance with the monitoring result to adjust the internal pressure of the chamber (Figures 17-19 and page 8, lines 1-13, changing the internal pressure of the chamber from P1 to P2 and then back to P1 based on the detected pressure); and
to align the position of the lower surface of the airtight space with lower surfaces of the bulkheads (Figures 17-19 and page 8, lines 1-13), wherein
a thickness of the photo-curable resin layer formed between the light transmission portion and the lower surface of the airtight space is defined to be the predetermined thickness by adjusting the internal pressure of the chamber by the chamber internal pressure control unit (page 7, lines 10-41).
The modified Ji fails to teach a chamber in which the modeling tank, the light irradiation unit, the platform, and the bulkheads are accommodated.
However, Nelson teaches a chamber (Figure 4, the combination of the enclosure 480 and the base 410 formed a chamber) in which the modeling tank (Figure 4, vat 415), the light irradiation unit (Figure 4, light source 420), the platform (Figure 4, build platform 460) and the bulkheads (Figure 4, bulkheads of the vat 415) are accommodated (Figure 4).
Ji and Nelson are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of vat polymerization with a light transmissive plate and an adjustable printing volume. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of the modified Ji such that it discloses all of the above discussed limitations as taught by Nelson to conditioning and control the environment within the enclosure such that the temperature and vapor pressure of solvent evaporating from the gel may be higher within an enclosed region. Also, flow rates of air may be higher across external surfaces than across shielded or internal walls ([0030]).
Regarding Claim 2, the modified Ji teaches the stereo lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the bulkheads allows the platform to be raised and lowered (Ji, page 16, lines 44-46, the platform 1 is in a sealing fit with the inner wall of the cylinder liner 2, and can be driven by a driving mechanism), and is disposed on an outer side of the platform by way of an airtight member (Figure 16 and page 7, lines 3-6).
Regarding Claim 3, the modified Ji teaches the stereo lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the raising and lowering control unit (Figure 16, driving mechanism 15) relatively lowers each of the bulkheads by an amount corresponding to the predetermined thickness with respect to the platform every time formation of the cured layer has been completed (page 3, lines 54-57, moving the cylinder lines downward. Thus, the apparatus discloses by Ji is capable of being used as intended as discussed above and thus meets all of the structural limitations as claimed. See MPEP 2114).
Regarding Claim 4, the modified Ji teaches the stereo lithography apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the raising and lowering control unit (Ji, Figure 16, driving mechanism 15) temporarily raises the platform and the bulkheads up to a position above the photo-curable resin (page 6, lines 57-59).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 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
/FARAH TAUFIQ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1754
