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, 5-7, 13, 19, 21-26 and 28 in the reply filed on 21 May 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 29-31 and 33-36 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 21 May 2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 6 and 13 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.
In claim 6, line 3, the expression “such as” renders the claim indefinite because it is not clear if the subsequent expression is, or is not, a claim limitation.
In claim 13, line 4, the expression “e.g.” renders the claim indefinite because it is not clear if the subsequent expression is, or is not, a claim limitation.
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, 2, 13, 19, 21-26 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Abstreiter (WO 2020/099096 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Abstreiter (see the entire document, in particular, page 1, lines 4-5; page 9, lines 3-13 and 26-27; page 11, line 33 to page 12, line 5; page 12, lines 19-24; page 18, lines 3-10; page 19, lines 3-18; page 25, lines 14-16 and 26-29; Figure 1) teaches a process (see page 1, lines 4-5 (method for treatment of elements obtained by an additive manufacturing process) of Abstreiter), including (i) providing a treating liquid in a chamber of an apparatus (see Figure 1; page 18, lines 3-10 (chamber 1 for receiving treating liquid 5) of Abstreiter); and (ii) providing the polymer elements to be treated (see Figure 1; page 18, lines 3-10 (chamber 1 for receiving polymer elements) and page 25, lines 14-16 (elements 4 are introduced into chamber 1) of Abstreiter), also including (b) a treatment step, wherein the polymer elements are in, or come into, contact with the treating liquid at a temperature which is below the upper threshold temperature for a predetermined period or a minimum period, under conditions in which the treating liquid is in a liquid state (see page 9, lines 7-10 (smoothing (i.e., treatment) step wherein the polymer elements are in contact with a heating liquid at a temperature below an upper threshold temperature for a predetermined time period) of Abstreiter).
Regarding claim 2, see page 9, lines 26-27 (treating liquid includes water and alcohol, weight ratio of water to alcohol is from about 98:2 to about 20:80) of Abstreiter.
Regarding claim 13, see page 5, lines 26-29 (process chamber 1 can already be filled with process gas 12) of Abstreiter.
Regarding claim 19, see page 11, line 33 to page 12, line 5 (polyvalent alcohols selected from glycols) of Abstreiter.
Regarding claim 21, see page 12, lines 19-24 (polymer elements and treating liquid are in contact during heating; polymer elements are heated separately) of Abstreiter.
Regarding claims 22-26, see page 19, lines 3-18 (functionalizing the polymer elements) of Abstreiter.
Regarding claim 28, see page 9, lines 7-10 (smoothing step) of Abstreiter.
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) 3 and 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abstreiter (WO 2020/099096 A1) as applied to claims 1, 2, 13, 19, 21-26 and 28 above, and further in view of Perdicaro (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0206095 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Abstreiter does not teach (1) granular media present in the treating liquid. Perdicaro (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0017], [0027] and [0041]; Figures 1 and 7) teaches a process (see paragraph [0017] (method of cleaning parts made by additive manufacturing) of Perdicaro), including granular media in the treating liquid (see Figures 1 and 7, paragraph [0027] (particles cleaned from parts 106 and have fallen into the cleaning solution are removed by filtration system 114) of Perdicaro), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have granular media in the treating liquid in the process of Abstreiter in view of Pericardo in order to remove particulate material from the cleaning solution.
Regarding claims 5 and 6, see page 19, lines 10-13 (means for impelling (e.g., impeller, ultrasound)) of Abstreiter.
Regarding claim 7, see Figure 7, paragraph [0041] (solution 124 is pumped through external particle filter 120 to remove particles 130, and the filtered solution is returned to chamber 102) of Pericardo.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEO B. TENTONI whose telephone number is (571)272-1209. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:00 ET M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christina A. Johnson can be reached at (571)272-1176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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LEO B. TENTONI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1742
/LEO B TENTONI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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