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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-9 are pending and the subject of this NON-FINAL Office Action. This is the first action on the merits.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of the species of nozzle that ejects the liquid in a continuous flow and changes the continuous flow to droplets in the reply filed on 12/05/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Interpretations
Neither “trajectory calculating section” nor “drive section” are defined in the specification; thus, they are any physical object.
In claim 2, the following recites an intended use of the nozzle, which fails to distinguish it over prior art nozzles: “the nozzle ejects the liquid in a continuous flow and changes the continuous flow to droplets so that the liquid collides with the ejection target in the form of droplets.” Applicants are encouraged to amend the claim to recite “the nozzle is configured to eject[[s]]] the liquid in a continuous flow and changes the continuous flow to droplets so that the liquid collides with the ejection target in the form of droplets.”
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) A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(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; or
(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.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by HUTCHINSON (US20190202126).
As to claim 1, HUTCHINSON teaches a support material removal device that removes a support material from a three-dimensional molded object molded by a three-dimensional molding machine, the support material removal device comprising:
a nozzle configured to eject liquid (25, Fig. 1);
an arm configured to grip the nozzle (para. 0051- “Additionally, each nozzle 25 could be controlled by a multi-axis robot.”);
a trajectory calculating section configured to calculate a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information, which indicates a shape of the ejection target in a state where the support material is attached, and on second shape information, which indicates a shape of the three-dimensional molded object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the ejection target (e.g. para. 0059- “A quantity of these parts 10 could be simultaneously SF/SR processed with a portion of the quantity oriented upright in one region and the other portion oriented upside down in the other region, with each region having flow of fluid 22 and pressure appropriate for those orientations of the parts.”); and
a drive section configured to drive the arm based on the trajectory calculated by the trajectory calculating section (para. 0051- “Each nozzle 25 may be independently controlled by a separate motor or be connected to each other so as to form a nozzle assembly. Additionally, each nozzle 25 could be controlled by a multi-axis robot. The nozzles 25 may be made to move in horizontal and/or vertical directions.”).
As to claim 2, the nozzle of HUTCHINSON is indistinguishable from the nozzle of claim 2 which is only intended to be used in a certain way, failing to distinguish claimed the nozzle structure over the prior art.
As to claim 3, HUTCHINSON teaches an ejection pressure adjustment section that adjusts the ejection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the support material or the type of the support material in the first shape information (paras. 0021, 0041, 0044, 0052 & 0055-58).
As to claim 4, HUTCHINSON teaches the shape of the support material is the volume of the support material contained per unit volume (id).
As to claim 5, HUTCHINSON teaches the trajectory calculating section calculates a first trajectory for removing a portion of the support material from the ejection target and a second trajectory for further removing support material attached to the ejection target from which the portion of the support material was removed (para. 0051).
As to claim 6, HUTCHINSON teaches the arm is configured to hold the nozzle such that the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle is movable and is configured to adjust the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the support material in the first shape information (para. 0051).
As to claim 7, HUTCHINSON teaches a detection section configured to detect the support material attached to the ejection target, wherein
the trajectory calculating section calculates the trajectory based on a detection result of the detection section (paras. 0045, 0050, 0059).
As to claim 8, HUTCHINSON teaches the detection section detects the support material attached to the ejection target by capturing an image of the ejection target (id).
As to claim 9, HUTCHINSON teaches a support material removal method of using a support material removal device, which includes a nozzle for ejecting liquid and an arm for gripping the nozzle (Fig. 1 and para. 0051), to eject liquid against an ejection target, which was molded by a three-dimensional molding machine that shaped a three-dimensional molded object while the three-dimensional molded object was supported by support material, in order to, with respect to the ejection target, remove the support material from the three-dimensional molded object, the support material removal method comprising:
calculating a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information, which indicates a shape of the ejection target in a state in which the support material is attached, and second shape information, which indicates a shape of the three-dimensional molded object corresponding to a state in which the support material has been removed from the ejection target (e.g. para. 0059- “A quantity of these parts 10 could be simultaneously SF/SR processed with a portion of the quantity oriented upright in one region and the other portion oriented upside down in the other region, with each region having flow of fluid 22 and pressure appropriate for those orientations of the parts.”) and
based on the calculated trajectory, driving the arm and ejecting the liquid from the nozzle to remove the support material (id.).
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by SCHUDELEIT (US20230278107).
As to claim 1, SCHUDELEIT teaches a support material removal device that removes a support material from a three-dimensional molded object molded by a three-dimensional molding machine, the support material removal device comprising:
a nozzle configured to eject liquid (682, Fig. 7);
an arm configured to grip the nozzle (para. 0058- “the pressurized jet may be applied manually, automatically and/or adaptively controlled by a robot”);
a trajectory calculating section configured to calculate a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information, which indicates a shape of the ejection target in a state where the support material is attached, and on second shape information, which indicates a shape of the three-dimensional molded object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the ejection target (e.g. para. 0087- “the apparatus may include a detection device for automatically detecting respective positions of the first and/or second support structures such that the plurality of support structures may be removed in an automated manner”); and
a drive section configured to drive the arm based on the trajectory calculated by the trajectory calculating section (para. 0058- “the pressurized jet may be applied manually, automatically and/or adaptively controlled by a robot”).
As to claim 2, the nozzle of SCHUDELEIT is indistinguishable from the nozzle of claim 2 which is only intended to be used in a certain way, failing to distinguish claimed the nozzle structure over the prior art.
As to claim 3, SCHUDELEIT teaches an ejection pressure adjustment section that adjusts the ejection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the support material or the type of the support material in the first shape information (para. 0087- “the apparatus may include a detection device for automatically detecting respective positions of the first and/or second support structures such that the plurality of support structures may be removed in an automated manner”).
As to claim 4, SCHUDELEIT teaches the shape of the support material is the volume of the support material contained per unit volume (different shape supports with different volumes; paras. 0076, 0087).
As to claim 5, SCHUDELEIT teaches the trajectory calculating section calculates a first trajectory for removing a portion of the support material from the ejection target and a second trajectory for further removing support material attached to the ejection target from which the portion of the support material was removed (id).
As to claim 6, SCHUDELEIT teaches the arm is configured to hold the nozzle such that the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle is movable and is configured to adjust the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the support material in the first shape information (id).
As to claim 7, SCHUDELEIT teaches a detection section configured to detect the support material attached to the ejection target, wherein
the trajectory calculating section calculates the trajectory based on a detection result of the detection section (id).
As to claim 8, SCHUDELEIT teaches the detection section detects the support material attached to the ejection target by capturing an image of the ejection target (id).
As to claim 9, SCHUDELEIT teaches a support material removal method of using a support material removal device, which includes a nozzle for ejecting liquid and an arm for gripping the nozzle (Fig. 7), to eject liquid against an ejection target, which was molded by a three-dimensional molding machine that shaped a three-dimensional molded object while the three-dimensional molded object was supported by support material, in order to, with respect to the ejection target, remove the support material from the three-dimensional molded object, the support material removal method comprising:
calculating a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information, which indicates a shape of the ejection target in a state in which the support material is attached, and second shape information, which indicates a shape of the three-dimensional molded object corresponding to a state in which the support material has been removed from the ejection target (paras. 0058, 0076, 0087) and
based on the calculated trajectory, driving the arm and ejecting the liquid from the nozzle to remove the support material (paras. 0058, 0076, 0087).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2, if rewritten in “configured to” language, would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The Examiner cannot find 3D printing prior art that teaches the nozzle configured to eject the liquid in a continuous flow and changes the continuous flow to droplets so that the liquid collides with the ejection target in the form of droplets.
Prior Art
Numerous other prior art teaches routine automated robotic jets to remove un-solidified resin and other print materials and support structures: US20220396031; US20190176403; US20220097303; WO2022231968; US20170239893.
Conclusion
No claims are allowed.
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/YUNG-SHENG M TSUI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743