DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Claims
Applicant’s response filed 6 August 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 1, 3, 10, 11 and 16 have been amended, claim 2 has been canceled, and claims 1 and 3-20 remain pending.
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6 August 2026 has been entered.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-15, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jezwinski (2008/0135205), in view of Lomasney et al. (US 2018/0071980; hereinafter “Lomasney”; listed in the IDS filed 16 April 2025), Hirata (JP 2005262254 A; using the attached English machine translation for citations), and Hanson (Additive Manufacturing with Industrial 3D Printing: Post-Processing Success Strategies, https://www.mscdirect.com/knowledge-center/articles/additive-manufacturing-industrial-3d-printing-post-processing-success-strategies, NPL).
Regarding claim 1, Jezwinski teaches a method of manufacturing foundry tooling, comprising the steps of:
forming an unplated base model of the foundry tooling in accordance with a predetermined model (pattern plate 410, see Fig. 1; [0048]); the unplated base model comprising an unplated tooling body surface; and
wherein each tooling body surface is configured to contact a malleable blank to product a sand mold suitable for manufacturing a casting (see [0048]-[0049] – malleable blank equated to sand 110 from shot chamber 100 that is forced into molding chamber 150, see Figs. 1-2).
Jezwinski is silent to forming an unplated base model of the foundry tooling by additive manufacturing, the unplated base model comprising an unplated tooling body surface defining layer lines formed by additive manufacturing, electroplating the unplated base model to add a metallic coating over at least a portion of the layer lines of the unplated tooling body surface to define at least one plated tooling body surface, the electroplating producing a completed and plated foundry tooling.
Lomasney teaches electroplating of metals, polymers, or semiconductors (see [0078]) via electrodepositing onto metal workpieces (see [0032]). The coatings applied to a workpiece improve the corrosion resistance of the workpieces and protects the underlying workpiece (see [0123]-[0124]). Lomasney teaches wherein the foundry tooling body (equated to a metal workpiece) is formed by additive manufacturing (see [0016], [0019], [0050], and [0057]). Hirata teaches it is known to create pattern plates (identical to the type of pattern plate as used in Jezwinski) from metal (see [0007]). Hanson teaches that additively printed metal parts are built from paper-thin layers and the surfaces of a printed part bear a distinctly stair-stepped appearance (see p. 2)
In view of Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson’s teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the method of Jezwinski to include forming an unplated base model of the foundry tooling by additive manufacturing, the unplated base model comprising an unplated tooling body surface defining layer lines formed by additive manufacturing, electroplating the unplated base model to add a metallic coating over at least a portion of the layer lines of the unplated tooling body surface to define at least one plated tooling body surface, the electroplating producing a completed and plated foundry tooling, because it is known to additively manufacture metal pattern plates and adding a metallic coating to the pattern late helps to improve the corrosion resistance and protects the underlying workpiece.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the foundry tooling is at least one of a pattern (Jezwinski: pattern plate 410, see Fig. 1; [0048]), a core box, and a cope and drag of a pattern.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating is composed of nickel (Lomasney: see [0095]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating has a thickness from and including 0.006 inches to and including 0.008 inches (Lomasney: see [0121] - a coating has a thickness ranging from about 5 nm to about 5 cm). In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. See MPEP §2144.05(1).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating is composed of a combination of nickel and copper (Lomasney: see [0095]-[0096]).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson is silent to wherein the copper is a base coat and the nickel is a top coat. However, absent persuasive evidence to the contrary, the particular order of the base coat and top coat would have been a matter of obvious engineering design choice to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating has a thickness from and including 0.006 inches to and including 0.008 inches (Lomasney: see [0121] - a coating has a thickness ranging from about 5 nm to about 5 cm). In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. See MPEP §2144.05(1).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches the method further comprising the step of after the forming step, washing the unplated base model of the foundry tooling body (Lomasney: see [0068]).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches the method further comprising the step of, after the washing step, curing the unplated base model of the foundry tooling body (Lomasney: see [0072]).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches a method of manufacturing a casting, comprising the steps of:
manufacturing foundry tooling in accordance with the method of claim 1 (see rejection for claim 1 above), the foundry tooling defining a first configuration (Jezwinski: pattern plate 410 defines a first configuration, see Fig. 1);
loading the foundry tooling into a molding machine (Jezwinski: molding machine 10, see Fig. 1);
using the molding machine to bring the foundry tooling into contact with a malleable blank (Jezwinski: see [0048]-[0049] – malleable blank equated to sand 110 from shot chamber 100 that is forced into molding chamber 150, see Figs. 1-2) comprised of a mixture of sand and a resin (Jezwinski: sand, see [0048]; though the combination of Jezwinski and Lomasney is silent to specifically teaching a resin in combined with the sand, it is the Examiner’s position that this is well known and would have been obvious to include with the sand); and
using the molding machine to further urge the foundry tooling toward the malleable blank such that the foundry tooling exerts pressure upon the malleable blank until the malleable blank transforms into a sand mold (Jezwinski: see [0048]-[0049] – sand mold equated to green sand mold-half A), the sand mold defining a second configuration complementary to the first configuration (Jezwinski: see Figs. 1-4) and, wherein the second configuration defines at least one sand mold cavity (Jezwinski: see Figs. 1-4 – green sand mold-half A defines at least one and mold cavity).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches the method further comprising the step of pouring molten metal into the at least one sand mold cavity to produce a final casting from the sand mold (Jezwinski: pouring liquid metal from the pouring vessels 500 into two mold cavities 510, see Fig. 1; [0048]).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson is silent to wherein the molten metal is comprised of one of cast iron, ductile iron, bronze, or brass. However, absent persuasive evidence to the contrary, the particular liquid metal used for casting objects would have been an obvious engineering design choice to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed.
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the foundry tooling is at least one of a pattern (Jezwinski: pattern 410, see Fig. 1; [0048]), a core box, and a cope and drag of a pattern.
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating has a thickness from and including 0.006 inches to and including 0.008 inches (Lomasney: see [0121] - a coating has a thickness ranging from about 5 nm to about 5 cm). In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. See MPEP §2144.05(1).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating is composed of a combination of nickel and copper (Lomasney: see [0095]-[0096]).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson is silent to wherein the copper is a base coat and the nickel is a top coat. However, absent persuasive evidence to the contrary, the particular order of the base coat and top coat would have been a matter of obvious engineering design choice to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed.
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson teaches wherein the metallic coating has a thickness from and including 0.006 inches to and including 0.008 inches (Lomasney: see [0121] - a coating has a thickness ranging from about 5 nm to about 5 cm). In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists. See MPEP §2144.05(1).
Claim(s) 3 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson as applied to claims 1 and 12 above, respectively, and further in view of Wetzel (“Jump-Start Tooling with 3-D Printing”, Metal Casting Design & Purhcasing, Nov/Dec 2017, 4 pgs; listed in the IDS filed 17 January 2025) and Curran (“Big Area Additive Manufacturing and Hardware-in-the-Loop for Rapid Vehicle Powertrain Protoyping; A Case Study on the Development of a 3-D-Printed Shelby Cobra, February 1, 2016, 11 pgs; listed in the IDS filed 17 January 2025).
Regarding claims 3 and 16, the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson is silent to wherein the unplated base model is composed of a material comprising a polymer containing carbon fibers defining a carbon-fill percentage of approximately 20%.
Wetzel teaches it is known to 3-D print sand casting patterns. Different polymers can be used, depending on the application. Wetzel teaches plastics, such as ABS, are more rigid for sand mold tooling, and are available with “fill” such as graphite, fiberglass, or even wood to increase strength and durability (see p. 24). Curran teaches carbon fiber reinforced ABS plastic with a blend of carbon fiber higher than 15-20% can be used for large 3-D printed workpieces, and the carbon fiber reinforced ABS shows increased strength and significant reduction in distortion (see p. 2-3).
In view of Wetzel’s and Curran’s teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the method of the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson to include wherein the unplated base model is composed of a material comprising a polymer containing carbon fibers defining a carbon-fill percentage of approximately 20%, as taught by Wetzel and Curran, because it is a known material that can be used for 3-D printing which has increased strength and a significant reduction in distortion (Curran: see p. 2-3). A prima facie case of obviousness exists where the claimed ranges or amounts do not overlap with the prior art but are merely close. See MPEP §2144.05(I). Furthermore, it is a known material that can be used for 3-D printing of sand-casting patterns (Wetzel: see p. 24), and so the substitution of a known element (the pattern of the combination of Jezwinski and Lomasney) for another known element (the carbon fiber reinforced ABS of the combination of Wetzel and Curran) would have been obvious with predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6 August 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pages 5-7 of the remarks, Applicant argues, with respect to amended claim 1, that the prior art, either taken alone or in combination, fails to teach: forming an unplated base model of the foundry tooling by additive manufacturing, the unplated base model comprising an unplated tooling body surface defining layer lines formed by additive manufacturing, and electroplating the unplated base model to add a metallic coating over at least a portion of the layer lines of the unplated tooling body surface.
The Examiner finds this argument moot as amended claim 1 is now being rejected in view of the combination of Jezwinski, Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson. Lomasney teaches electroplating of metals, polymers, or semiconductors (see [0078]) via electrodepositing onto metal workpieces (see [0032]). The coatings applied to a workpiece improve the corrosion resistance of the workpieces and protects the underlying workpiece (see [0123]-[0124]). Lomasney teaches wherein the foundry tooling body (equated to a metal workpiece) is formed by additive manufacturing (see [0016], [0019], [0050], and [0057]). Hirata teaches it is known to create pattern plates (identical to the type of pattern plate as used in Jezwinski) from metal (see [0007]). Hanson teaches that additively printed metal parts are built from paper-thin layers and the surfaces of a printed part bear a distinctly stair-stepped appearance (see p. 2)
In view of Lomasney, Hirata, and Hanson’s teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the method of Jezwinski to include forming an unplated base model of the foundry tooling by additive manufacturing, the unplated base model comprising an unplated tooling body surface defining layer lines formed by additive manufacturing, electroplating the unplated base model to add a metallic coating over at least a portion of the layer lines of the unplated tooling body surface to define at least one plated tooling body surface, the electroplating producing a completed and plated foundry tooling, because it is known to additively manufacture metal pattern plates and adding a metallic coating to the pattern late helps to improve the corrosion resistance and protects the underlying workpiece.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN HA whose telephone number is (571)270-5934. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00 EST.
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/S.S.H/Examiner, Art Unit 1735 19 September 2026
/KEITH WALKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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