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 claims 11-20 in the reply filed on 3-6-26 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 3-6-26.
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) 11, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Batchelder et al. (English translation of JP2597778).
Regarding claim 11, Batchelder et al. discloses a system 10 for solid freeform fabrication, the system comprising:
A solid freeform fabrication apparatus having a plurality of dispensing heads 12 (para 31);
A building material supply apparatus 34 configured to supply a first modeling material, a second modeling material, and a support material 94, to said fabrication apparatus; and
A controller 46 having a circuit configured to receive slice data corresponding to cross-sections of a three-dimensional layered object 90, and to control said dispensing heads to dispense said materials in layers according to said slice data to form (fig. 1-2, 7-9, 11), for at least one of said layers, different regions having different translucency (para 32).
Regarding claim 18, Batchelder et al. discloses wherein said controller is configured to form at least one of said different regions from said first or second modeling materials (para 31).
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) 12-14, 16, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Batchelder et al. as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Jang et al. (US, 6,405,095).
Regarding claim 12, Batchelder et al. does not teach wherein said controller is configured to form one of said different regions as a translucent island within another one of said region. However, Jang et al. teaches each region may consist of several island-like subregions that do not touch each other (col. 15, line 22-38). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Batchelder et al. with the teaching of Jang et al. in order to produce composites with different patterns.
Regarding claim 13, Batchelder et al. does not teach wherein said controller is configured to form one of said different regions as an island within a translucent region. However, Jang et al. teaches each region may consist of several island-like subregions that do not touch each other (col. 15, line 22-38). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Batchelder et al. with the teaching of Jang et al. in order to produce composites with different patterns.
Regarding claim 14, Jang et al. teaches wherein said controller is configured to form said different regions on an outer surface of said layered object (col. 19, line 53-65).
Regarding claim 15, Jang et al. teaches wherein said controller is configured to form said different regions as a pattern that is flush with said outer surface (col. 17, line 26-41).
Regarding claim 20, Jang et al. discloses wherein at least one of said dispensing heads is an inkjet dispensing head (col. 8, line 16-26, fig. 2, claim 3).
Claim(s) 15, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Batchelder et al. in view of Jang et al. as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of O’Malley, III et al. (US 7,688,318).
Regarding claim 15, Batchelder et al. does not teach wherein said controller is configured to form said different regions as a patterned relief on said outer surface. However, O’Malley, III et al. teaches the model of the object 202 which includes a cylinder 402 and an extruded cut 406 (fig. 4-5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Batchelder et al. with the teaching of O’Malley, III et al. in order to form an object or complex 3D shapes.
Regarding claim 17, Batchelder et al. does not teach wherein said controller is configured to form said different regions as an intaglio in said outer surface. However, O’Malley, III et al. teaches the model of the object 202 which includes a cylinder 402 and an extruded cut 406 (fig. 4-5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Batchelder et al. with the teaching of O’Malley, III et al. in order to form an object or complex 3D shapes.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Batchelder et al. as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Napadensky et al. (2004/0187714).
Regarding claim 19, Batchelder et al. does not teach wherein for at least one of said different regions, said controller is configured to interlace said firs modeling material with said second modeling material. However, Napadensky et al. teaches a method wherein an additional material comprises a non-solidifiable material that does not solidify forming a hollow three-dimensional object (para 55-60, 69). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Batchelder et al. with the teaching of Napadensky et al. in order to form a hollow three-dimensional object.
Conclusion
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/X.H.L/Examiner, Art Unit 1742 /CHRISTINA A JOHNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1742