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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-10 are currently pending in this application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter.
Independent claims 1 and 8:
Step 1:
Claim 1 is drawn to an additive manufacturing path generation device to generate a manufacturing path for manufacturing a manufactured object and claim 8 is drawn to an additive manufacturing path generation method for generating a manufacturing path for manufacturing a manufactured object, therefore each of claims 1 and 8 falls under one of four categories of statutory subject matter (process/method, machines/products/apparatus, manufactures, and compositions of matter).
Step 2A, Prong 1:
Nonetheless, claims 1 and 8 are directed to a judicially recognized exception of an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claims 1 and 8 recite the steps to generate “a reference path from an intersection line between a layer definition surface and a reference path surface”; “a plurality of paths parallel to the reference path in the layer definition surface, the plurality of paths being manufacturing path candidates”; and “the manufacturing path on a basis of the generated manufacturing path candidates [the plurality of generated paths]” that under their broadest reasonable interpretation, enumerate a mental concept. Other than reciting a generic “processor” (as recited only in claim 1), nothing in the claims preclude the steps from the mental concept. For example, a human can visually evaluate the concept having two surfaces crossing each other and where the two surfaces intersect, the human can visually see a distinct intersection line as a reference path. The human then can further evaluate a series of lines parallel to the reference path being mapped across one of the two surfaces to determine the final target path. By doing so, the human can visually determine based on the target path if the manufacturing surface finish will be uniform to avoid geometric deformities in the material. Thus, the mere nominal recitation of the generic processor to perform the mental concept does not take the claim limitations out of the abstract idea (See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)).
Step 2A, Prong 2-2B:
Claim 1 recites an additional element “a memory” fails to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, because the memory that stores instructions (i.e., generating steps as recited in both claims 1 and 8) being executed by the processor is a well-understood, routine, and conventional activity (See MPEP 2106.05(d)). Thus, claims 1 and 8 fail to recite any additional elements or functions that would amount to significantly more than an abstract idea.
Dependent claims 2-7 and 9:
Step 1:
Claims 2-7 are drawn to an additive manufacturing path generation device to generate a manufacturing path for manufacturing a manufactured object and claim 9 is drawn to an additive manufacturing path generation method for generating a manufacturing path for manufacturing a manufactured object, therefore each of claims 1 and 8 falls under one of four categories of statutory subject matter (process/method, machines/products/apparatus, manufactures, and compositions of matter).
Nonetheless, dependent claims 2-7 and 9 are also ineligible for the same reasons given with respect to claims 1 and 8, respectively.
Steps 2A-2B:
Claims 2-4 recites further the abstract mental concept of “generating… a cross-sectional region defined by the layer definition surface in the manufactured object” (claim 2); “extracting…a portion where the cross-sectional region is to be manufactured” (claim 3); “generates a plurality of the manufacturing path candidates parallel to the reference path and spaced at the interval from one another” (claim 4) (See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III)). Claims 2-4 fail to recite any additional elements or functions that would integrate the abstract idea into a practical application, thus also fail to amount to significantly more than an abstract idea.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Higasayama et al. (EP-0890890-B1).
With respect to claims 1, 8, and 10, Higasayama teaches an additive manufacturing path generation device and method to generate a manufacturing path for manufacturing a manufactured object by layering a plurality of layers each formed by adding a material along the manufacturing path (a method of generating tool movement path data for moving a machining tool relative to a workpiece for generating a desired three-dimensional surface, p.2), the additive manufacturing path generation device comprising:
a processor to execute a program (generating device 30, fig.2); and
a memory to store the program that when executed by the processor performs (NC data generating device 30 are supplied to the NC machine tool 18, through a data storage medium such as a magnetic tape or disk or an on-line computer, p.10):
a reference path generation process of generating, for each of the plurality of layers for manufacturing the manufactured object, a reference path from an intersection line between a layer definition surface and a reference path surface (obtain a line of intersection {34} between the tool constraining surface {12} and the tool path constraining surfaces {32}… tool path data in the form of three-dimensional curved line equations representative of lines of intersections 34 between a tool constraining surface 12 and the tool path constraining surfaces 32, figs.21-22 and p.9-10; the three-dimensional curved line equations representing all the intersection lines 34 between the tool constraining surface 12 and the tool path constraining surface 32… determine…tool movement path based on the three-dimensional curved line equations representing the plurality of intersection lines 34, p.11), the layer definition surface defining a target layer (tool constraining surface 12), the reference path surface (the tool path constraining surfaces 32) being a surface that restrains a position of the reference path that is a reference for generating the manufacturing path (determine…tool movement path based on the three-dimensional curved line equations representing the plurality of intersection lines 34, p.11; an intersection line between a surface S1 having parameters (u, v) and a surface S2 having parameters (s,t) as shown in Fig. 27(a) is obtained according to the geometrical intersection tracing method, the reference points are first obtained… the surfaces S1, S2 correspond to the tool constraining surface 12 and the tool path constraining surface 32, respectively, p.14);
a manufacturing path generation process of generating, for each of the plurality of layers, a plurality of paths parallel to the reference path in the layer definition surface, the plurality of paths being manufacturing path candidates (tool path data in the form of three-dimensional curved line equations representative of lines of intersections 34 between a tool constraining surface 12 and the tool path constraining surfaces 32, so that a rotary machining tool 20 of the NC machine tool 18 is moved along the curved lines represented by the three-dimensional curved line, p.9; for each of the plurality of constraining surfaces 32 intersecting the tool constraining surface 12, there are plurality of intersection lines 34 are shown in figs.7-8);
forming the manufactured object by additive manufacturing in accordance with the manufacturing path that has been generated1 (a method of generating tool movement path data for moving a machining tool relative to a workpiece for generating a desired three-dimensional surface, p.2; the workpiece 44 is machined to generate a desired shape such as a three-dimensional curved surface, p.10; the generation of tool movement path data including tool attitude control data, for generating a three-dimensional surface while controlling the attitude of the machining tool with respect to the workpiece, and the generation of a three-dimensional surface by moving the machining tool relative to the workpiece, p.19); and
generating the manufacturing path on a basis of the generated manufacturing path candidates, wherein generating the reference path comprises generating, a plurality of the reference paths corresponding in one-to-one to the plurality of layers on a basis of the reference path surface (the three-dimensional curved line equations representing all the intersection lines 34 between the tool constraining surface 12 and the tool path constraining surface 32… [determine] tool movement path based on the three-dimensional curved line equations representing the plurality of intersection lines 34, fig.7 and p.11), the reference path surface being single in number and common to the plurality of layers (the tool constraining surface 12 common to the plurality of tool path constraining surfaces 32 as shown in fig.7).
With respect to claim 2/1, Higasayama teaches wherein when executed by the processor, the program further performs: a layer cross-sectional region generation process of generating, on a basis of the layer definition surface and a manufacturing shape of the manufactured object, a cross-sectional region defined by the layer definition surface in the manufactured object (fig.23 teaches a cross-sectional region defined by the tool constraining surface 12), wherein the manufacturing path generation process comprises generating the manufacturing path by extracting, from the manufacturing path candidates, a portion where the cross-sectional region is to be manufactured (The tool constraining surface 12 may be defined by a smooth envelope surface including the apex portions of the multiple part-spherical surfaces and their vicinities, p.14).
With respect to claim 3/2/1, Higasayama teaches wherein in extracting, from the manufacturing path candidates, a portion where the cross-sectional region is to be manufactured, the manufacturing path generation process comprises extracting a portion of the manufacturing path candidate, as the manufacturing path, the manufacturing path candidate having a center of a predetermined width of a region overlapping the cross-sectional region (a predetermined pitch L on the intersection line 34 between the tool constraining surface 12 and the tool path constraining surface 32, along a geometrical variation in the Z axis in the X-Y plane of the tool path constraining surface 32, and the three-dimensional curved line equation is calculated by a suitable fitting process to smoothly connect the reference points 110. The predetermined pitch L is determined to be approximately equal to (tolerance x tool diameter x 20), for example. The value "20" is an empirically determined value, which may be changed as needed. Fig. 24 shows the intersection line 34 developed along the geometrical variation in the X-Y plane of the tool path constraining surface 32, p.13).
With respect to claim 4/1, Higasayama teaches wherein by using an interval designated for each layer, the manufacturing path generation process generates a plurality of the manufacturing path candidates parallel to the reference path and spaced at the interval from one another (The curvature of the intersection line 34 is obtained by sampling the curvature values at several points which are selected on the intersection line 34 at a predetermined spacing interval, p.16; determining a multiplicity of reference points on the above-indicated three-dimensional surface at a predetermined spacing interval, locating spheres having a radius equal to that of the semi-spherical machining end portion of the above-indicated machining tool, in alignment with centers of the reference points, respectively, and defining the above indicated first constraining surface based on segments of spherical surfaces of the spheres which are most distant from the three-dimensional surface, in the above-indicated first constraining surface determining step, the above-indicated third method further comprising obtaining the three-dimensional curved line equation of the intersection line between the above-indicated first and second constraining surfaces, p.6).
With respect to claim 9/8, Higasayama teaches an additive manufacturing system (NC machining system 28 according to an embodiment of this invention and which corresponds to that of Fig. 38, an NC data generating device 30 which functions as a tool path data generating device is adapted to generate NC data, using a tool path constraining surface 32 in place of the tool path constraining plane 14 used by the NC data generating device 10, fig.2) comprising: the additive manufacturing path generation device according to claim 1 (generating device 30, fig.2); and an additive manufacturing apparatus to form the manufactured object by additive manufacturing in accordance with the manufacturing path generated by the additive manufacturing path generation device (NC control portion 36 and an NC operating portion 38, fig.2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims and to further overcome the 101 rejections as set forth above.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious, which makes the following claims allowable over the prior art:
With respect to claim 5, wherein when executed by the processor, the program further performs: a beam direction setting process of setting set a beam direction that is an irradiation direction of a beam for melting the material when the layer is formed, wherein the beam direction setting process comprises setting an initial beam direction as the beam direction for the generated manufacturing path, extracting an overhang portion that is a portion on a manufacturing path with the initial beam direction set, the overhang portion having an angle defined between the initial beam direction and a perpendicular direction facing an outside of a surface of a manufacturing shape of the manufactured object, the angle being less than or equal to a predetermined value, and setting a beam direction for the overhang portion, the set beam direction for the overhang portion being parallel to the surface of the manufacturing shape, and sets a beam direction for a non-overhang portion that is adjacent to the overhang portion, the set beam direction for the non-overhang portion being gradually changed from the beam direction set for the overhang portion to the initial beam direction.
Claims 6-7 allowed due to its dependency on claim 5.
Conclusion
The additional prior arts made of record and have not been relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as follows: Shinohara et al. (WO_2021064952_A1); WO_2020250446_A1; JP_2019072944_A; US-20200166909; US-20180370145; US-20190283329; US-20190286092; US-20170173873; US-20170021537; US-20210394453; US-20220043430; US-20210003397; US-20210055710; US-20250050587; and US-20210267742.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HIEN (CINDY) D KHUU whose telephone number is (571)272-8585. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm.
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/HIEN D KHUU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116 September 25, 2026
1 The underlining limitation is being recited only in claim 10.
Prosecution Insights