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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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.
Claims 1-6, 10-13 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over El-Dasher (US 2014/0252687 A1) in view of Zediker (US 2016/0067827 A1).
Regarding claim 1, El-Dasher teaches a method comprising providing a powder material (powder bed, substrate 20); providing an energy source comprising multiple energy beams (a plurality of diode bars located adjacent one another may be used to form diode array 12); directing a
Examiner notes that the diode array taught by El-Dasher directs an energy beam that covers a 1m x 1m surface area configured to form an object of the same size and reads on the claimed sized calculated by applying a scaling factor to the length, the scaling factor being equal to 1 and units of meters.
While El-Basher teaches a method comprising directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam upon the powder material to form a structure, El-Basher does not teach a method comprising directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam upon the powder material to form a structure having a length greater than or equal to 10 meters.
However, El-Basher teaches that a significant advantage of using a diode array comprised of one or more diode bars is that such an assembly is readily scalable (¶0021). Thus, diode arrays of various sizes can be constructed to meet the needs of making a specific sized part (¶0021). For example, the diode array 12 may be constructed to have a one square meter area, which would allow correspondingly large-scale components to be constructed through an AM fabrication process (¶0021).
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 El-Dasher such that the directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam upon the powder material forms a structure having a length greater than or equal to 10 meters and a size calculated by applying a scaling factor to the length, the scaling factor being equal to 1 and in units of meters with a reasonable expectation of success since a significant advantage of using a diode array comprised of one or more diode bars is that such an assembly is readily scalable to meet the needs of making a specific sized part, which would allow correspondingly large scale components to be constructed through an AM fabrication process (¶0021).
While El-Dasher teaches a method comprising directing a beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit, El-Dasher does not explicitly teach directing a combined beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit.
However, reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the applicant was concerned (forming a combined beam; see MPEP 2141.01(a)), Zediker discloses the known technique wherein a high-power blue diode laser Raman laser pump (energy source comprising multiple energy beams) uses a diffractive element to spectrally beam combine (¶0141).
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 El-Dasher by applying the known technique of using a a diffractive element to spectrally beam combine light beams from an laser diode energy source as disclosed in Zediker to the method comprising directing a beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit disclosed in El-Dasher with predictable results and resulting in an improved method comprising directing a combined beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit. MPEP 2143(D).
Regarding claim 11, El-Dasher teaches a method comprising providing a powder material (powder bed, substrate 20); providing an energy source comprising multiple energy beams (a plurality of diode bars located adjacent one another may be used to form diode array 12); directing a
Examiner notes that the diode array taught by El-Dasher directs an energy beam that covers a 1m x 1m surface area configured to form an object of the same size.
While El-Basher teaches a method comprising directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam upon the powder material to form an object, El-Basher does not teach a method comprising directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam upon the powder material to form an object having a length greater than or equal to 10 meters.
However, El-Basher teaches that a significant advantage of using a diode array comprised of one or more diode bars is that such an assembly is readily scalable (¶0021). Thus, diode arrays of various sizes can be constructed to meet the needs of making a specific sized part (¶0021). For example, the diode array 12 may be constructed to have a one square meter area, which would allow correspondingly large-scale components to be constructed through an AM fabrication process (¶0021).
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 El-Dasher such that the directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam upon the powder material forms an object having a length greater than or equal to 10 meters with a reasonable expectation of success since a significant advantage of using a diode array comprised of one or more diode bars is that such an assembly is readily scalable to meet the needs of making a specific sized part, which would allow correspondingly large scale components to be constructed through an AM fabrication process (¶0021).
While El-Dasher teaches a method comprising directing a beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit, El-Dasher does not explicitly teach directing a combined beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit.
However, reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the applicant was concerned (forming a combined beam; see MPEP 2141.01(a)), Zediker discloses the known technique wherein a high-power blue diode laser Raman laser pump (energy source comprising multiple energy beams) uses a diffractive element to spectrally beam combine (¶0141).
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 El-Dasher by applying the known technique of using a diffractive element to spectrally beam combine light beams from an laser diode energy source as disclosed in Zediker to the method comprising directing a beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit disclosed in El-Dasher with predictable results and resulting in an improved method comprising directing a combined beam from the energy source toward an energy patterning unit. MPEP 2143(D).
Regarding claims 2-5 and 13, as applied to claims 1 and 11, El-Dasher in view of Zediker doe not explicitly teach a method wherein the structure is one of a blade, an airfoil, and a propeller; wherein the structure comprises a frame; wherein the structure comprises a truss; wherein the structure comprises a lattice structure; nor wherein the object comprises at least one of a frame, a truss, and a lattice structure.
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 El-Dasher in view of Zediker such that the structure is one of a blade, an airfoil, and a propeller; wherein the structure comprises a frame; the structure comprises a truss; the structure comprises a lattice structure; and the object comprises at least one of a frame, a truss, and a lattice structure, since it has been held that the change in form or shape, without any new or unexpected results, is an obvious engineering design. MPEP 2144.04(IV)(A)-(B).
Regarding claims 6, 10, and 12, as applied to claims 1 and 11, El-Dasher in view of Zediker teach a method wherein the powder material is powdered metal material and wherein the powder material comprises metal (El-Dasher, ¶0020-0021).
Regarding claim 15, as applied to claim 11, El-Dasher in view of Zediker teaches a method wherein the size of the object is greater than a value determined by applying a scaling factor to the length that is equal to 1 and in units of meters. Examiner notes that the diode array taught by El-Dasher directs an energy beam that covers a 1m x 1m surface area configured to form an object of the same size and reads on the claimed sized calculated by applying a scaling factor to the length, the scaling factor being equal to 1 and units of meters (El-Dasher, ¶0021).
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 11, El-Dasher in view of Zediker teaches a method wherein a printed resolution of the object is greater than a value calculated by a function of a longest dimension of the object (Pixels of the LCM 14 a are independently addressed using the computer 18 to reject light at specific select areas of the substrate 20) (El-Dasher, ¶0023).
Regarding claims 17-18, as applied to claim 11, El-Dasher in view of Zediker teaches a method wherein pixels of the LCM 14 a are independently addressed using the computer 18 to reject light at specific select areas of the substrate 20 (El-Dasher, ¶0023), which controls the printed resolution of the object; both the irradiation from the diode array 12 and operation of the mask 14, as described in connection with the system 10, can be controlled such that each material deposited from the nozzles 301, 302 and 303 receives the correct amount of optical energy for a controlled melt or sintering (¶0021), thus the resolution is a function of the material deposited and thus the average mass deposition rate; and wherein nozzles 301, 302, and 303 are capable of depositing layers of different material powders 304 onto the substrate 20 (¶0028), thus the average mass deposition rate is a function of the longest dimension of the object formed in the substrate.
Claims 7-9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over El-Dasher (US 2014/0252687 A1) in view of Zediker (US 2016/0067827 A1), as applied to claims 1 and 11, and in further view of Monsheimer (AU-2005223365-A1).
Regarding claims 7-9 and 14, as applied to claims 1 and 11, El-Dasher in view of Zediker do not teach a method wherein the energy source comprises electron beams; wherein the energy source comprises solid state lasers; wherein the energy source comprises semiconductor lasers; nor wherein the energy source comprises electron beams, solid state lasers, or semiconductor lasers.
However, in the same field of endeavor, energy sources in 3D printing, Monsheimer teaches a method wherein the energy source may comprise a laser diode, electron beams, solid state lasers, or semiconductor lasers (¶0008-0013).
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 El-Dasher in view of Zediker by substituting the diode array disclosed in El-Dasher in view of Zediker with the energy source comprising electron beams, solid state lasers, or semiconductor lasers taught in Monsheimer, since the simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved. MPEP 2143(B).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Van Esbroeck (US 2015/0137426 A1) teaches an additive manufacturing device comprises a radiation source (such as a stroboscopic light source) on top of which is mounted a liquid crystal display followed by two polarizing panels at right angles to each other, the polarizing panels sandwiching a layer of liquid crystals; wherein the LCD assembly may be covered with a glass or transparent plastic panel and a layer of transparent silicone or other cure-inhibiting or low friction material; wherein the arrangement can achieve printing speeds in excess of scanning laser systems, since an entire layer is exposed in a single pulse of stroboscopic light, whereas a scanning laser must scan the entire path that is to be cured; and wherein LCD panels can presently be manufactured to very large sizes (to the order of meters in length and width dimensions) and increasingly high resolutions (in excess of 16 million pixels), thus the layer-by-layer printing technology of at least some embodiments is better scalable and capable of printing larger objects at finer resolution than DMD-based systems (¶0038-0039).
Cooper (US 2013/0154160 A1) teaches the known technique of providing a number of passive optical components, such as dichroic filters, in the optical path of laser diode assembly 50 and scanning system 80 to facilitate the operation of the system as a whole (¶0051).
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..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Galen Hauth can be reached on (571) 270-5516. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMEL M NELSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
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