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 Group I, claims 1-3, in the reply filed on 12/16/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 4-5 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/16/2025.
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(s) 1-3 is/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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the groove" in the first line of the last clause beginning “in a cross-sectional view…”. The claim has introduced a plurality of grooves, such that it is unclear if “the groove” refers to all of the grooves or a single one. For further examination either interpretation would apply.
Claim 2 recites the limitation “the one circle is a primary circle, and a plurality of the grooves are further formed along a circumference of a secondary circle that is…different from the primary circle.” The limitation appears to introduce a set of grooves that are different from those introduced in claim 1, since the set of grooves of claim 2 are along a secondary circle and the set of grooves of claim 1 are along the different one/primary circle, but the limitation refers to this new set of grooves also as “the grooves.” It is unclear how “the grooves” can have the features of claim 1 as well as the features of claim 2 which are mutually exclusive. It is further unclear if referencing the grooves of claim 2 as “the grooves” is intended to imply that they have the same depth/opening features of claim 1. For further examination, the limitation is interpreted to mean that another set of grooves is formed along the secondary circle.
The indicated dependent claims are rejected for the reasons provided above.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Matsumoto, US 20020056929 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Matsumoto discloses a molding stage (forming die 2, Figs. 1-3) comprising:
A molding surface (upper surface of forming die 2, Fig. 1(A)) on which a molding material to be used in three-dimensional molding is deposited (on which a molding material used to mold a three-dimensional object can be deposited, as in Figs. 1(B) and 1(C), see deposited resin 3), wherein
The molding surface includes a plurality of grooves (grooves shown in Fig. 1(A) and Fig. 3) having a predetermined arc degree (the grooves formed along circles, Fig. 3) formed along a circumference of one circle in a plan view of the molding surface (Fig. 3, one example indicated by annotated dotted line below),
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Each of the grooves inclines in a direction in which a depth from the molding surface becomes deeper toward a first direction in the plan view (depth becomes deeper relative to the uppermost surface toward center and toward bottom of forming die 2, Fig. 1(A)), and includes a first portion in which the depth is a first depth (portion closer to upper surface and outer edge, see annotated Fig. 1(A)), and a second portion in which the depth is a second depth deeper than the first depth (portion closer to bottom and center of forming die, see annotated Fig. 1(A)), and
In a cross-sectional view of the groove cut along a straight line passing through a center of the circle (Fig. 1(A)), among opening widths of openings on the molding surface, a first opening width which is an opening width in the first portion is larger than a second opening width which is the opening width in the second portion (opening width at first portion/depth is larger than opening width at second portion/depth, see annotated Fig. 1(A)).
Regarding claim 2, Matsumoto discloses the molding stage of claim 1, wherein the one circle is a primary circle, and a plurality of the grooves are further formed along a circumference of a secondary circle that is concentric with the primary circle and different from the primary circle (concentric circles of grooves, see annotated Fig. 3 below).
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Regarding claim 3, Matsumoto discloses the molding stage of claim 2, wherein each of the grooves corresponding to the primary circle is defined as a first groove, each of the grooves corresponding to the secondary circle is defined as a second groove, and a straight line passing through a first place where the depth is the shallowest of the first groove and the center of the primary circle fails to overlap a second place where the depth is shallowest of the second groove in the plan view (see annotated Fig. 3 below, in one example, a straight line passing through the first groove fails to overlap the second groove and thus fails to overlap at the shallowest places).
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20200376745 A1, Watanabe et al. disclose a stage with grooves that can be formed in a concentric circular shape (Fig. 15, [0090]) as well as making a recessed portion deeper to reduce warpage due to the anchor effect ([0103]).
US 20200101672 A1, Watanabe et al. disclose a stage with grooves that can be formed in curved shapes ([0076]) and teach adjusting a groove width to change the anchor effect ([0078], Fig. 10A).
US 20180186038 A1, Bigus, and US 20190291347 A1, Price et al. disclose molding stages for 3D printing with grooves formed along circles.
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/J.L.G./Examiner, Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754