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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/25/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
It is noted “configured to work” in claims 1 and 12 has been interpreted as cutting, marking consistent with paragraphs 0011, 0014 and 0020 of the published Specification. Further, Generative Design in claims 4 and 6 has been interpreted consistent with paragraph 0068 of the published Specification (i.e., by means of a software that automatically creates its structure on the basis of the data entered by the designer).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "a higher material density than " in line 3. It is unclear which other parts are being referred to. Other parts of the apparatus? Other parts of components of the apparatus? Other parts of the guide bars? Paragraph 0072 of the published application, along with Figure 4, disclose zones (25) having a high material density at the nodes as structural stresses at greater at these locations; hence, it is presumed the guide bars having a higher material density at these zones (25) than at other parts of the guide bar. For examination purposes, the limitation is read as “a higher material density than other parts of the guide bar”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6 and allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Claims 1 and 12 are allowable for requiring:
“…at least one laser head (12) with a fixed focal length, mobile along at least two work axes (X, Y), which are defined by respective guide bars (13, 14) equipped with respective first movement devices (15a, 15b, 16a, 16b), and configured to work said flat elements (11),
wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one second movement device (17) configured to support and allow an advance of said flat elements (11) in a given direction (A), and
a control unit (21) connected at least to said first and second movement devices (15a,15b, 16a, 16b, 17), to first sensors (18, 19) positioned on said guide bars (13, 14) configured to monitor at least deformations of said guide bars (13, 14), and to second sensors (20) configured to monitor at least a position of said flat elements (11) in said direction (A),
wherein said control unit (21) is configured to adjust a functioning of said first and second movement devices (15a, 15b, 16a, 16b, 17) at least according to data detected by said first and second sensors (18, 19, 20.)”; and
“…moving at least one laser head (12) configured to work said flat elements (11) along at least two work axes (X, Y) which are defined by respective guide bars (13, 14) equipped with respective first movement devices (15a, 15b, 16a, 16b), and
moving said flat elements (11) in a given direction (A) by means of at least one second movement device (17) configured to support and allow an advance of said flat elements (11),
wherein a control unit (21) is connected at least to said first and second movement devices (15a, 15b, 16a, 16b, 17), to first sensors (18, 19) positioned on said guide bars (13, 14) and configured to monitor at least deformations of said guide bars (13, 14), and to second sensors (20) configured to monitor at least a position of said flat elements (11) in said direction (A),
wherein said method provides to adjust a functioning of said first and second movement devices (15a, 15b, 16a, 16b, 17) at least according to data detected by said first and second sensors (18, 19, 20).”
The closest prior art, Miikki (US 2019/0389011 A1), discloses an apparatus (Figure 3) and corresponding method (Figure 2) for processing a flat material (108; paragraphs 0040-0043, 0067), comprising: a laser head (308), mobile along two axes (Figure 3; paragraphs 0051, 0074, laser head is movable along gantry in X and Y directions). Further, a control system (106 in Figure 1) is configured to move the laser head (paragraph 0047). However, Miikki fails to teach or suggest the apparatus having the specific structure as claimed above. In fact, Mikki discloses the flat material remains static (i.e. does not move) while the laser processes the flat material (paragraph 0051).
Another prior art, Scheffler (US 2021/0300699 A1), discloses an apparatus (Figures 1-2) for processing a flat element (paragraphs 0001-0002), comprising: a laser head (30; paragraph 0017); and a movement device (conveyor belt 25) configured to support and allow advancement of the flat element (Figure 1; paragraph 0019); and a controller (82 in Figure 2) configured to advance the flat element from data provided from a position sensor (84; paragraph 0021) on the movement device. However, Scheffler also fails to teach or suggest the apparatus having the specific structure as claimed above; specifically, the laser head being mobile along two axes defined by guide bars with movement devices and a control unit connected at least to said movement devices and sensors positioned on said guide bars and configured to monitor at least deformations of said guide bars, and to second sensors configured to monitor a position of said flat element.
Another prior art, Battheu (US 2014/0374393 A1), discloses an apparatus (Figure 1; paragraph 0031) for cutting a flat element (1), comprising: a laser head (7; paragraph 0021), movable along two axes (Xa, Ya; paragraphs 0036, support for the cutting head 7, thus, is moveable along two axles Xa and Ya) via a first movement device (sliding blocks 3, 4; paragraph 0035); a second movement device (grasping means 20) configured to support and advance the flat element (paragraph 0031) in a direction (Xw). However, Battheu also fails to teach or suggest the apparatus having the specific structure as claimed above; specifically, a control unit is connected the first movement device, to first sensors configured to monitor deformations of guide bars, and to second sensors configured to monitor a position of said flat elements in the Xw direction.
As disclosed in the current application, an apparatus and method having the above limitations provides for making shaped flat elements efficiently without interruption due to loading/unloading material and faster over conventional apparatus/methods conventional known in the field (paragraphs 0009-0017 of the published Specification)
Claims 2-6 and 8-11 are allowable at least for depending on claim 1.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Virak Nguon whose telephone number is (571)272-4196. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday (and alternate Fridays) 7:30-5:00.
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/VIRAK NGUON/Examiner, Art Unit 1741 1/23/2026