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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 12/10/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 12-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected method, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/10/2025.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5 and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Crespo Vázquez (US 2015/0277146 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Crespo Vázquez teaches a system (three-dimensional (3D) printing system configured to manufacture a plurality of arcuate 3D articles) (¶0040-0116) comprising a bath of flowable radiation-polymerizable material 21 (a build vessel configured to contain a photocurable liquid having an upper surface) (Fig 1 and ¶0073).
Crespo Vázquez teaches a system further comprising lens substrate 11(build plate) may be held by lens substrate support 70 (build assembly) that moves the lens substrate 11 in a controlled fashion with respect to the flowable radiation-polymerizable material 21 while contact with the material is being made (¶0072). The lens substrate 11 may have a configuration such that one surface is concave and the other surface is convex (¶0068). The angle and position of the substrate 11 is controlled relative to the flowable radiation-polymerizable material while the substrate 11 is brought into contact and moved while in contact with the liquid material (¶0071). The substrate 11 mounted on support 70 and can be moved with directional controls including the rotation of the lens around the X-axis for an angular motion designated as angle α in Fig 1, wherein support 70 includes an axle having a horizontal axis of rotation X as shown Fig 1 (at least one build assembly individually including: an axle having a horizontal axis of rotation X and a build plate attached to the axle extending radially from the axle and having an upper surface) (a rotational movement mechanism coupled to the axle configured to rotationally position the axle about the axis of rotation X is inherently disclosed by Crespo Vázquez in order to control the angle and position of substrate 11 by the rotation of the axel in an controlled fashion) (Fig 1 and ¶0071-0073).
Crespo Vázquez teaches a system further comprising an irradiation assembly 30 that outputs an irradiating beam 31 that is directed through the flowable radiation-polymerizable material 21 (a light engine above the build vessel) (Fig 1 and ¶0080).
Crespo Vázquez does not explicitly teach a system further comprising a controller configured to operate the rotational movement mechanism to incrementally rotate the build plate about the axis of rotation between a plurality of stop positions and operate the light engine at individual stop positions of the plurality of stop positions to selectively irradiate the photocurable liquid within a plurality of spatially separated build planes that are above the build plate to selectively harden a slice of a arcuate 3D article of the plurality of arcuate 3D articles.
However, Crespo Vázquez teaches that the lens substrate support 70 (rotational movement mechanism inherently disclosed) moves the lens substrate in a controlled fashion with respect to the flowable radiation-polymerizable material while contact is being made (¶0072). The irradiation assembly 30 outputs an irradiating beam 31 that is directed through the flowable radiation-polymerizable material 21 (¶0080). Irradiating beams 31 may also be directed at the flowable radiation-polymerizable material sequentially at the same position, or different spatial positions relative to the lens substrate to achieve the added material design (¶0080). The irradiation support device 60 and the lens substrate support 70 may be linked or coordinated either to move as one unit, or to move in a controlled fashion relative to each other (¶0082).
Crespo Vázquez further teaches that the irradiating beam 31 is directed into the bulk of flowable radiation-polymerizable material with sufficient control of position and irradiation conditions that the polymerization process is limited only to the areas directly and selectively irradiated (¶0087). This may include controlling conditions such as the time of exposure, sequence of exposure, number of exposures, depth of focus, degree of focus or collimation, energy density, wavelength range, and penetration of the irradiation into the bulk of the material. This is what is meant by irradiating selectively (¶0087). Such controls are used to better define the specific area or volume of polymerization (¶0087). These controls allow distinct advantages over previous methods that resulted in general polymerization of either an entire liquid layer or the mass of radiation-polymerizable material by energy transfer outside the irradiated area (¶0087).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to modify system disclosed in Crespo Vázquez to further comprise a controller configured to operate the rotational movement mechanism to incrementally rotate the build plate about the axis of rotation between a plurality of stop positions and operate the light engine at individual stop positions of the plurality of stop positions to selectively irradiate the photocurable liquid within a plurality of spatially separated build planes that are above the build plate to selectively harden a slice of a arcuate 3D article of the plurality of arcuate 3D articles with a reasonable expectation of success so that polymerization process is limited only to the areas directly and selectively irradiated since the irradiation support device and the lens substrate support may be linked or coordinated either to move as one unit, or to move in a controlled fashion relative to each other, which better define the specific area or volume of polymerization (¶0072,0080,0082,0087).
Regarding claims 2-3, as applied to claim 1, Crespo Vázquez does not teach a system wherein the at least one build assembly includes a plurality of the build assemblies arranged along a lateral axis Y that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation X nor wherein the build plate includes a plurality of build plates spaced apart along the axis of rotation X.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to modify the system disclosed in Crespo Vázquez to further comprise a plurality of the build assemblies (lens substrate support) arranged along a lateral axis Y that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation X and a plurality of build plates (lens substrate) spaced apart along the axis of rotation X, since it has been held that the mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced, and since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B).
Regarding claims 4-5, as applied to claim 1, Crespo Vázquez teaches a system wherein the build plate extends along a radial axis r from the axis of rotation X (Fig 1).
A claim is only limited by positively recited elements. MPEP 2115. Regarding the limitations “individual slices of the arcuate 3D article have a thickness that is proportional to r” and “individual slices of the arcuate 3D article have a trapezoidal cross section having two parallel bases having a base dimensions proportional to their radial positions,” the inclusion of the material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims.
Regarding claim 8, as applied to claim 1, a claim is only limited by positively recited elements. MPEP 2115. Regarding the limitation(s) “wherein the plurality of arcuate 3D articles includes a plurality of custom dental arches,” the inclusion of the material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims.
Regarding claim 9, Crespo Vázquez teaches a system as recited in claim 1 (see the rejection of claim 1 above).
Crespo Vázquez further teaches a method of fabricating a plurality of arcuate 3D articles using the 3D printing system of claim 1 wherein lens substrate 11(build plate) may be held by lens substrate support 70 that moves the lens substrate 11 in a controlled fashion with respect to the flowable radiation-polymerizable material 21 while contact with the material is being made and can be moved with directional controls including the rotation of the lens around the X-axis for an angular motion designated as angle α in Fig 1 (rotatively positioning the build plate having an upper face of a arcuate 3D article a layer thickness below the upper surface of the photocurable liquid) (¶0072-0073) and wherein irradiation assembly 30 outputs an irradiating beam 31 that is directed through the flowable radiation-polymerizable material 21 and irradiating beam 31 is directed into the bulk of flowable radiation-polymerizable material with sufficient control of position and irradiation conditions that the polymerization process is limited only to the areas directly and selectively irradiated (operating the light engine to selectively irradiate a plurality of spatially separated build planes individually aligned with the upper face of the arcuate 3D article to cure and harden a slice of the photocurable liquid onto the upper face of the arcuate 3D article) (Fig 1 and ¶0080,0087).
Regarding claim 10, as applied to claim 1, Crespo Vázquez teaches a method wherein the slice of the photocurable liquid has a variable thickness that is proportional to a distance from the axis of rotation X (¶0071).
Regarding claim 11, as applied to claim 1, Crespo Vázquez teaches a method wherein rotationally positioning the build plate rotational positioning includes a deep dip movement in which the build plate rotates move than a layer thickness below the upper surface of the photocurable liquid before rotating to the position with the upper face of a arcuate 3D article a layer thickness below the upper surface of the photocurable liquid (¶0071).
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Crespo Vázquez (US 2015/0277146 A1), as applied to claim 1, and in further view of Barry (US 2011/0198184 A1).
Regarding claims 6-7, as applied to claim 1, Crespo Vázquez does not teach a system wherein the rotational movement mechanism includes a motorized gear assembly nor wherein the rotational movement mechanism includes a stepper motor coupled to a series of gears configured for a gear reduction between the stepper motor and the axle.
However, reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the applicant was concerned (motorized gear assemblies and stepper motors; see MPEP 2141.01(a)), Barry discloses a stepper motor actuator assembly 32 comprising stepper motor 33 is disposed proximal the tang 30 (¶0031). Generally, a stepper motor 33 is preferred, though any rotary motor may be used in various other embodiments of the present invention (¶0031). The stepper motor 33 comprises a gear reduction mechanism for reducing speed of stepper motor 33 and a rotating axle 34 which rotates in response to the actuation of stepper motor 33 (¶0031).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to modify the system disclosed in Crespo Vázquez by applying the known technique wherein a stepper motor comprises a gear reduction mechanism for reducing speed of stepper motor and a rotating axle which rotates in response to the actuation of stepper motor as disclosed in Barry to the rotational movement mechanism disclosed in Crespo Vázquez with predictable results and resulting in an improved system. MPEP 2143(D).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Beck (DE102023100285A1) teaches a swiveling construction platform, wherein in order to make it easier to remove the construction platform 103 with the dental object 101 from the construction surface 115, the construction platform 103 is mounted so that it can be tilted; wherein for this purpose, the construction platform 103 is rotatably attached to a boom 109 on a wall 107; and wherein boom 109 is connected to the wall 107 by a swivel joint 111 and can be folded down (Fig 1-5).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JaMel M Nelson whose telephone number is (571)272-8174. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Galen Hauth can be reached on (571) 270-5516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMEL M NELSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743