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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-18 are currently pending.
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.
Claims 8 and 16 are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 8 recites the limitation “the method steps c and f” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because there is no earlier recitation of the limitation. MPEP 2173.05(e). Examiner notes that step f is not recited in claim 6 upon which claim 8 depends. Claim 16 which depend from claim 8 is similarly rejected.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-2, 4-8, 10, 12-16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Billet (US 2018/0361773 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Billet teaches an apparatus for producing printing forms for flexographic printing (stereolithographic apparatus), comprising a carrier plate (manufacturing platform 500) and a retaining device on which the carrier plate is arranged (manufacturing platform 500 is connected by means of a lever 509), a reservoir (vat 501) and an exposure apparatus (illumination system 512) (Fig 5 and ¶0045-0047); wherein the reservoir is configured to be filled with a solidifiable medium and the carrier plate is configured for immersion in the solidifiable medium and the exposure apparatus is configured to radiate UV radiation in pattern, images or other shapes onto the solidifiable medium (Fig 5 and ¶0045-0047); wherein the carrier plate and the exposure apparatus are arranged so that at least one layer of the solidifiable medium can be exposed between a main side of the carrier plate and the exposure apparatus with UV radiation and can be solidified on the carrier plate (Fig 5 and ¶0048); and wherein the carrier plate is adjustable in the reservoir and a layer thickness of a layer of the solidifiable medium between the carrier plate and the exposure apparatus is adjustable by a relative movement of the carrier plate and the reservoir (Fig 5 and ¶0048-0049).
Regarding claims 2 and 4-5, as applied to claim 1, Billet further teaches wherein the exposure apparatus is arranged above or below the reservoir, wherein the reservoir has a UV-transparent reservoir base when the exposure apparatus is arranged below the reservoir (Fig 5 and ¶0045-0047); wherein the thickness of a layer of solidified medium can be adjusted, in a range from 0.01 mm to 3 mm, in a range from 0.02 mm to 2 mm, or in a range from 0.025 mm to 1.5 mm (¶0049); and wherein the retaining device is configured to move the carrier plate with the aid of a moving device in a vertical and/or horizontal direction and to hold the carrier plate in a defined position (Fig 4-5 and ¶0046).
Regarding claim 6, Billet teaches a method for the production of flexographic printing forms, wherein a carrier plate (manufacturing platform 500) on a retaining device (lever 509), is immersed in a reservoir (vat 501) which can be filled with a solidifiable medium and is at least partially irradiated with UV light in freely selectable regions by an exposure apparatus (illumination system 512) (Fig 5 and ¶0045-0051), comprising the following steps a) immersion of the carrier plate on the retaining device in the reservoir with solidifiable medium (Fig 5 and ¶0045,0048); b) adjustment of the thickness of a layer of the solidifiable medium between the carrier plate and the exposure apparatus by a relative movement of the carrier plate and the reservoir (Fig 4-5 and ¶0048-0049); c) exposure of freely selectable regions of the solidifiable medium of the layer between the carrier plate and the exposure apparatus for solidification of the solidifiable medium by UV light of the exposure apparatus (Fig 4-5 and ¶0048-0049); d) repetition of the steps b and c for the production of layers of solidified medium to produce a solidified and raised structure from the solidifiable medium on the carrier plate (Fig 4-5 and ¶0048-0050); and e) movement of the carrier plate with the produced raised structure out of layers of solidified medium by a relative movement of the reservoir and the carrier plate (Fig 5 and ¶0051).
Regarding claims 7-8 and 10, as applied to claim 6, Billet further teaches wherein steps f) irradiation of the produced raised structure with UV-A radiation; g) separation of the produced raised structure, which has solidified in layers, from the carrier plate (¶0045-0051); wherein the solidifiable medium is solidified in the method steps c or in the method steps c and f by UV-A radiation in a wavelength range from 300 nm to 410 nm, 320 nm to 400 nm, or 340 nm to 380 nm (¶0063); and wherein the buildup of layers takes place on a flexible base material which is arranged on the carrier plate and/or the base material on which the layers of solidifiable medium are deposited has a flexible support structure (Fig 12 and ¶0088).
Examiner notes that the recitation of “wherein the step f can also take place after the step g)” conveys an optional claim limitation as the order of the steps is not required.
Regarding claims 12-13, as applied to claim 2, Billet further teaches wherein the thickness of a layer of solidified medium can be adjusted, in a range from 0.01 mm to 3 mm, in a range from 0.02 mm to 2 mm, or in a range from 0.025 mm to 1.5 mm (¶0049); and wherein the retaining device is configured to move the carrier plate with the aid of a moving device in a vertical and/or horizontal direction and to hold the carrier plate in a defined position (Fig 4-5 and ¶0046).
Regarding claims 14-16 and 18, as applied to claims 7, 8, and 14, Billet further teaches wherein the solidifiable medium is solidified in the method steps c by UV-A radiation in a wavelength range from 300 nm to 410 nm, 320 nm to 400 nm, or 340 nm to 380 nm (¶0063) and wherein the buildup of layers takes place on a flexible base material which is arranged on the carrier plate and/or the base material on which the layers of solidifiable medium are deposited has a flexible support structure (Fig 12 and ¶0088).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Billet (US 2018/0361773 A1), as applied to claim 1, and in further view of Klenk (DE-102005054000-A1).
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 1, while Billet discloses an exposure apparatus (base device) (see claim 1), Billet does not specify wherein the exposure apparatus comprises at least two projectors, which are configured to project an image in such a way that a contiguous image is produced by edge trimming and stacking of a plurality of images.
However, reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the applicant was concerned (reducing errors of the exposure of the light-sensitive material; see MPEP 2141.01(a)), Klenk discloses a method wherein exposure head 13 has a plurality of micromechanical mirror systems 14, 15, 16, which are illuminated by different or a single exposure source. Due to the special arrangement of micromechanical mirror systems 14, 15, 16, regions of the photosensitive material of different micromechanical mirror systems are automatically exposed one behind the other during the exposure of photosensitive material in exposure direction 17, so that, overall, a very much larger area, for example per column on the material to be exposed, can be exposed simultaneously without inhomogeneities being produced between the different overlapping and non-overlapping exposure regions (Fig 3 and Translation, ¶0006-0007,0030).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to modify the apparatus disclosed in Billet by applying the known technique of an exposure head having a plurality of micromechanical mirror systems which are illuminated by different or a single exposure source so that, overall, a very much larger area, for example per column on the material to be exposed, can be exposed simultaneously without inhomogeneities being produced between the different overlapping and non-overlapping exposure regions as disclosed in Klenk to the exposure apparatus disclosed in Billet with predictable results and resulting in an improved apparatus (Fig 3 and Translation, ¶0006-0007,0030). MPEP 2143(D).
Claims 9 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Billet (US 2018/0361773 A1), as applied to claim 7, and in further view of DeCiccio (US 2018/0290386 A1).
Regarding claim 9, as applied to claim 7, Billet does not specify wherein the solidifiable medium is furthered solidified in the method step f by UV-C radiation in a wavelength range from 90 nm to 300 nm, 100 nm to 280 nm, or 150 nm to 240 nm, and the surface is detackified, wherein the raised structure is still flexible after the action of UV radiation.
However, reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the applicant was concerned (UV-C radiation in 3D printing; see MPEP 2141.01(a)), DeCiccio discloses UV-C lights 116 improve sterilization by destroying and/or sterilizing pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, mold spores, cysts and the like (¶0024). By irradiating the sterile interior 104, the UV-C lights 116 sterilize the air within the sterile interior 104 as well as the equipment within the sterile interior 104 such as the 3D printer 106 (¶0024).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to modify the method disclosed in Billet by applying the known technique of using UV-C lights as disclosed in DeCiccio to the solidifiable medium disclosed in Billet such that the medium is furthered solidified by UV-C radiation and the surface is detackified, wherein the raised structure is still flexible after the action of UV radiation with predictable results and resulting in an improved method to improve sterilization by destroying and/or sterilizing pathogens. MPEP 2143(D).
Regarding claim 17, as applied to claim 9, Billet in view of DeCiccio teach wherein the buildup of layers takes place on a flexible base material which is arranged on the carrier plate and/or the base material on which the layers of solidifiable medium are deposited has a flexible support structure (Billet, Fig 12 and ¶0088).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Billet (US 2018/0361773 A1), as applied to claim 2, and in further view of Klenk (DE-102005054000-A1).
Regarding claim 11, as applied to claim 2, while Billet discloses an exposure apparatus (base device) (see claims 1-2), Billet does not specify wherein the exposure apparatus comprises at least two projectors, which are configured to project an image in such a way that a contiguous image is produced by edge trimming and stacking of a plurality of images.
However, reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the applicant was concerned (reducing errors of the exposure of the light-sensitive material; see MPEP 2141.01(a)), Klenk discloses a method wherein exposure head 13 has a plurality of micromechanical mirror systems 14, 15, 16, which are illuminated by different or a single exposure source. Due to the special arrangement of micromechanical mirror systems 14, 15, 16, regions of the photosensitive material of different micromechanical mirror systems are automatically exposed one behind the other during the exposure of photosensitive material in exposure direction 17, so that, overall, a very much larger area, for example per column on the material to be exposed, can be exposed simultaneously without inhomogeneities being produced between the different overlapping and non-overlapping exposure regions (Fig 3 and Translation, ¶0006-0007,0030).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention would have found it obvious to modify the apparatus disclosed in Billet by applying the known technique of an exposure head having a plurality of micromechanical mirror systems which are illuminated by different or a single exposure source so that, overall, a very much larger area, for example per column on the material to be exposed, can be exposed simultaneously without inhomogeneities being produced between the different overlapping and non-overlapping exposure regions as disclosed in Klenk to the exposure apparatus disclosed in Billet with predictable results and resulting in an improved apparatus (Fig 3 and Translation, ¶0006-0007,0030). MPEP 2143(D).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sievers (US 2021/0299942 A1) teaches an assembly for removing uncured polymer from the printing surface of the printing plate and a wide area radiation source for detacking the printing surface of the printing plate, such as a UV-C source (¶0009).
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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/JAMEL M NELSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743