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
This Office action is in response to the application filed on 06/28/2024. Currently claims 1-18 are pending in the application.
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 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. 103 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made 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 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 non-obviousness.
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.
Claims 1, 6, 10, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C.103 as being obvious over Zhou et al. (CN 113 799 391 A), hereafter, referred to as “Zhou”, in view of Hoffman (US Patent Application Publication Number 2018/0056606 A1), hereafter, referred to as “Hoffman.
Regarding claim 1, Zhou teaches a printing consumable conveyor, comprising a discharging channel, at least two feeding channels, a pushing apparatus, wherein the at least two feeding channels are each in communication with the discharging channel, the pushing apparatus is arranged on the at least two feeding channels, the pushing apparatus is configured to drive a consumable in at least one of the at least two feeding channels to pass through the discharging channel to advance, or to drive the consumable in at least one of the at least two feeding channels to retreat, by teaching in (claims 1-10, description, para. [0024-0031], and Fig. 1), a 3D printer multicolor wire feeding device (i.e., a printing consumable conveying device), comprising a remote wire feeding motor (equivalent to a pushing device), a remote wire feeding support and remote wire feeding mechanisms. The remote wire feeding motor is in transmission connection with a long shaft. A row of remote wire feeding mechanisms fixed to the remote wire feeding support are axially arranged along the long shaft. The remote wire feeding mechanism comprises a rack, a clutch assembly and a wire feeding assembly. The clutch assembly comprises an electromagnetic push rod and a clutch gear. The wire feeding assembly comprises a wire inlet sleeve, a wire outlet sleeve, a wire feeding gear, and a wire feeding guide wheel. The wire feeding gear is rotatably positioned on the rack. The wire feeding gear and the wire feeding guide wheel are engaged between a wire feeding sleeve and the wire outlet sleeve. The wire feeding guide wheel elastically swings relative to the rack by means of the guide wheel support.
But Zhou fails to explicitly teach that the printing consumable conveyor comprises of a cutting apparatus, wherein the cutting apparatus is disposed on the discharging channel, and the cutting apparatus is configured to cut the consumable when the pushing apparatus drives the consumable to retreat to a predetermined position. However, Hoffman teaches a device with a fixed and a movable cutting portion, located above the filament intake of the extruder assembly. It is designed to sit inside the printer housing, providing an integrated solution for cutting filaments during multi-material printing. Hoffman teaches in Fig. 3 a filament cutting device for a three-dimensional (3D) printer, the 3D printer including an extruder assembly that is configured to extrude filament onto a printing platform, the filament cutting device including: a first portion attached to the extruder assembly of the 3D printer and a second portion, where each of at least one of the first and second portions includes a respective cutting edge for cutting the filament (abstract). Hoffman further teaches a control unit is provided that is configured to automatically output a signal for example based on a print status, e.g., at the end of a print job or at a point in a programmed print job that requires the changing of filaments from one color to another color, for example when a print is of a multi-color object, requiring changing of filaments, one or more times, from one color filament to another during the single print, with the software automatically triggering the filament changes at respective stages of the print (para. [0026]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the claimed invention, to incorporate the teaching of Hoffman, and combine an element according to a known process to yield predictable results for printing of a multi-color object, requiring changing of filaments, one or more times, from one color filament to another during the single print in a efficient way (KSR Rationale A, MPEP 2143), Since both the references deal with 3D printing using multiple materials, one would have reasonable expectation of success from the combination.
Regarding claim 6, Zhou, in view of Hoffman teaches a printing consumable conveyor, comprising a discharging channel, at least two feeding channels, a pushing apparatus, and a cutting apparatus, wherein the at least two feeding channels are each in communication with the discharging channel, the pushing apparatus is arranged on the at least two feeding cham1els, the pushing apparatus is configured to drive a consumable in at least one of the at least two feeding channels to pass through the discharging channel to advance, or to drive the consumable in at least one of the at least two feeding channels to retreat, the cutting apparatus is disposed on the discharging channel, and the cutting apparatus is configured to cut the consumable when the pushing apparatus drives the consumable to retreat to a predetermined position.
Hoffman further teaches a controller, wherein the cutting apparatus comprises a driving unit and a cutting member, the controller is electrically connected to the driving unit to send a control instruction to the driving unit, and the driving unit is connected to the cutting member to drive the cutting member to move based on the control instruction to cut the consumable; by teaching a control unit which is configured to automatically output such a signal for example based on a print status, e.g., at the end of a print job or at a point in a programmed print job that requires the changing of filaments from one color to another color, for example when a print is of a multi-color object, requiring changing of filaments, one or more times, from one color filament to another during the single print, with the software automatically triggering the filament changes at respective stages of the print (para. [0026]).
Regarding claim 10, the rejection of claim 1 applies here. Zhou further teaches a 3D printing apparatus comprising the printing consumable conveyer, which is specifically suitable for a multi-color filament feeding device for a 3D printer (para. [0001]).
Regarding claim 15, the rejection of claim 1 applies here. Zhou teaches a 3D printing apparatus comprising the printing consumable conveyer, which is specifically suitable for a multi-color filament feeding device for a 3D printer (para. [0001]). Zhou, in view of Hoffman teaches a printing consumable conveyor, comprising a discharging channel, at least two feeding channels, a pushing apparatus, and a cutting apparatus, wherein the at least two feeding channels are each in communication with the discharging channel, the pushing apparatus is arranged on the at least two feeding channels, the pushing apparatus is configured to drive a consumable in at least one of the at least two feeding channels to pass through the discharging channel to advance, or to drive the consumable in at least one of the at least two feeding channels to retreat, the cutting apparatus is disposed on the discharging channel, and the cutting apparatus is configured to cut the consumable when the pushing apparatus drives the consumable to retreat to a predetermined position.
Hoffman further teaches a controller, wherein the cutting apparatus comprises a driving unit and a cutting member, the controller is electrically connected to the driving unit to send a control instruction to the driving unit, and the driving unit is connected to the cutting member to drive the cutting member to move based on the control instruction to cut the consumable; by teaching a control unit which is configured to automatically output such a signal for example based on a print status, e.g., at the end of a print job or at a point in a programmed print job that requires the changing of filaments from one color to another color, for example when a print is of a multi-color object, requiring changing of filaments, one or more times, from one color filament to another during the single print, with the software automatically triggering the filament changes at respective stages of the print (para. [0026]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 7-9, 11-14, and 16-18 are objected to as being directly or indirectly dependent upon rejected base claim 1, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitation of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for indication of allowable subject
matter:
Regarding claim 2 and 11, the prior art of references (of record) does not teach or fairly suggest the (by themselves or in combination) a printing consumable conveyer comprises of a “pressure relief apparatus”, in combination with “the pressure relief apparatus is connected to the pressing apparatus, and when a pressure of the pressing apparatus on the consumable is greater than a preset value, the pressure relief apparatus is configured to move the pressing apparatus in a direction away from the power member”.
Claims 3-5 depend on claim 2, and claims 12-14 depend on claim 11.
Regarding claim 7 and 16, the prior art of references (of record) does not teach or fairly suggest the (by themselves or in combination) a printing consumable conveyor comprising “a second end of the first clamping member is slidably arranged on an outer peripheral wall of the rotating member, a second end of the second clamping member is slidably arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the rotating member, the driving member drives the rotating member to rotate, and the driving member is configured to drive the second end of the first clamping member and the second end of the second clamping member to move toward or away from each other by the recessed section and the smooth section, so as to clamp or release the consumable”.
Claims 8-9 depend on claim 7, and claims 17-18 depend on claim 16.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD M AMEEN whose telephone number is (469) 295 9214. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (Eastern Time).
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/MOHAMMAD M AMEEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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