FIRST NON-FINAL REJECTION
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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the color" in line 2 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the luminescence" in line 2 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 2 of the claim currently reads “a step of lading” and should read --a step of loading--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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, 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Villers et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0202213.
With respect to claim 1, Villers teaches a powder storage device comprising an enclosure adapted to contain a powder and an atmosphere (hermetic container 16 that is suitable for storing a powder and an atmosphere, paragraphs 27-29, figure 3A), the device comprising at least one sensitive element disposed inside the enclosure (humidity indicator 24 that is disposed into one of several walls 21 of the container 16, paragraph 29), so that at least one optical property of the sensitive element depends on the atmosphere inside the enclosure (the humidity indicator 24 changes color relative to the humidity, paragraph 29), the device comprising observation means comprising at least one at least partially transparent observation portion (the humidity indicator is visible via a window, paragraph 29), the observation means making it possible to observe the optical property of the sensitive element from outside the enclosure (paragraph 29, figure 3A).
With respect to claim 2, Villers teaches wherein the optical property of one at least of the at least one sensitive element comprises the color and/or the luminescence (the humidity indicator 24 changes color relative to the humidity, paragraph 29).
With respect to claim 3, Villers teaches wherein the optical property of one at least of the at least one sensitive element depends on humidity and/or on oxygen content of the atmosphere inside the enclosure (the humidity indicator 24 changes relative to the humidity, paragraph 29).
With respect to claim 6, Villers teaches a bearing element of the sensitive element, against which the sensitive element is disposed (humidity indicator 24. Indicator 24 is built into one or several of walls 21 where the wall is interpreted as the bearing element, paragraph 29), so that the sensitive element is disposed at a distance from the observation portion (the window is interpreted as being disposed a distance from the indicator 24, paragraph 29).
Claim(s) 1-3 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Martin et al. U.S. Patent 5,875,892.
With respect to claim 1, Martin teaches a powder storage device comprising an enclosure adapted to contain a powder and an atmosphere (packaging container 10 that is suitable for storing a powder and an atmosphere, col. 3 lines 20-50), the device comprising at least one sensitive element disposed inside the enclosure (humidity indicator system 12 having a humidity indicator element 20, figure 2), so that at least one optical property of the sensitive element depends on the atmosphere inside the enclosure (humidity indicator solution is sensitive to humidity and discloses the level of humidity in the air surrounding the disk by changing its color depending on the level of humidity, col. 4 lines 1-13), the device comprising observation means comprising at least one at least partially transparent observation portion (opening 18, figure 2), the observation means making it possible to observe the optical property of the sensitive element from outside the enclosure (col. 3 lines 20-39, figure 2).
With respect to claim 2, Martin teaches wherein the optical property of one at least of the at least one sensitive element comprises the color and/or the luminescence (humidity indicator solution is sensitive to humidity and discloses the level of humidity in the air surrounding the disk by changing its color depending on the level of humidity, col. 4 lines 1-13),
With respect to claim 3, Martin teaches wherein the optical property of one at least of the at least one sensitive element depends on humidity and/or on oxygen content of the atmosphere inside the enclosure (humidity indicator solution is sensitive to humidity and discloses the level of humidity in the air surrounding the disk, col. 4 lines 1-13).
With respect to claim 8, Martin teaches wherein one at least of the at least one sensitive element is disposed against the observation portion (the humidity indicator element 20 and a securing means for securing the humidity indicator element to the packaging material such that it securely closes said opening 18 in said packaging bag 10 thereby the humidity element is against the opening 18, col. 3 lines 31-39).
With respect to claim 9, Martin teaches a reference element (humidity comparison element 22, figure 2), so that an optical property of the reference element does not depend on the atmosphere inside the enclosure (col. 5 lines 1-14), the optical property of the reference element having a value that the optical property of the sensitive element can take based on the atmosphere inside the enclosure (by comparing the color of the humidity indicator element 20 with the color shown on the humidity comparison element 22, the level of humidity within the packaging container can be readily determined, col. 5 lines 10-14).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claim(s) 5 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Villers et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0202213 in view of Tran et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0143704.
With respect to claims 5 and 11-13, Villers teaches the claimed invention except wherein the observation means further comprise at least one at least partially reflective reflection element, wherein the powder storage device is a storage device intended for additive manufacturing, the device being adapted to preserve the stored powder with a view to using the stored powder in an additive manufacturing method, wherein the enclosure contains powder, the powder being a metal powder, and measuring means disposed outside the enclosure, the measuring means being configured to measure the optical property of the sensitive element via the observation portion.
Tran teaches a method and devices for monitoring an additive manufacturing process; in particular, a Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) process, or a directed energy deposition process (DED) process (paragraph 3), wherein the PBF equipment include a powder bed in the build chamber (paragraph 61, figure 1), where the powder are metal powders (paragraph 73), an optical sensor having an optical path, illustrated in FIG. 1 as an optical camera and the monitoring system may further include an IR sensor having an IR path, illustrated in FIG. 1 as an IR camera, where both the IR and optical sensor may be mounted on top of the building chamber (figure 1). Further, the optical paths is deflected by a deflector and travels pass a view port in the build chamber for monitoring the build process (paragraph 68, figure 1).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the storage enclosure with humidity monitoring of Villers and provide the enclosure as the enclosure where the contents are monitored in a 3D printing process as taught by Tran in order to improve PBF and DED processes' stability and quality management by in-situ detection of critical errors and identification of anomalies, such as anomaly types, arising during the process (paragraph 11, Tran).
Claim(s) 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Villers et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0202213 in view of Schoeneborn U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0176404.
With respect to claims 14-17, Villers teaches the claimed invention except a method for storing a powder inside the enclosure, the method comprising a step of loading and/or extracting the powder inside the enclosure, the method further comprising a step of correctively modifying the atmosphere inside the enclosure, depending on the optical property of the sensitive element.
Schoeneborn teaches a powder delivery device for providing raw material powder to a powder application device of a powder bed fusion apparatus (paragraph 8), the powder delivery device 50 comprises a powder supply section 40 configured to receive raw material powder 52 via a powder inlet 54 (figure 2), the powder supply section 40 comprises a container that is a temporary storage for raw material powder 52 (paragraph 57). The powder delivery device 50 comprises five physical parameter determining units 62, 64, 66, 68, and 70 where each of the physical parameter determining units 62, 64, 66, 68, and 70 is configured to determine a physical parameter and to transmit a value of the physical parameter to the control unit 60, where the physical parameter determining units 62, 64, 66, and 68 comprise sensors for measuring a physical property of the raw material powder 52 in the powder supply section 40 and/or for measuring a physical property of the direct environment of the raw material powder 52, such as a pressure within the powder supply section 40, an oxygen content within the powder supply section 40, and/or a humidity within the powder supply section 40 (paragraph 59). Further, the powder delivery device 50 comprises three powder treatment units 72, 74, and 76, where the these powder treatment units comprise a gas introduction unit 72, a heating unit 74, and a drying unit 76 and each of the powder treatment units 72, 74, and 76 is connected to the control unit 60 and can be activated and deactivated by control of the control unit 60 (paragraph 66).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the system and encloser of Villers and provide an enclosure that is monitored and treated during a powder application process as taught by Schoeneborn in order to monitor and control physical properties of the raw material powder which may influence the quality of a work piece produced with the powder (paragraph 91, Schoeneborn).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDDIE KIRKLAND III whose telephone number is (571)272-2232. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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FREDDIE KIRKLAND III
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/Freddie Kirkland III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855 2/21/2026