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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 21-33 and 35-39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bheda et al. U.S. PGPub 2016/0236416 (hereinafter “Bheda”) in view of August U.S. PGPub 2016/0236416 (hereinafter “August”).
Regarding claim 21, Bheda discloses a method for additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising: receiving from a user geometry (e.g. user specified object properties) for a layer of the composite structure and a desired number of layers (e.g. ¶29) to be included in the composite structure (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); automatically generating a virtual model of the composite structure having a height related to the desired number of layers (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); receiving from the user at least one infill pattern for at least one of the layers; and causing an additive manufacturing machine to deposit a material along segments of the at least one infill pattern (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49).
Regarding claim 37, Bheda discloses a method for additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising: receiving from a user geometry for a layer of the composite structure, a propagation boundary for the composite structure, and at least one infill pattern (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); automatically generating a virtual model of the composite structure having a plurality of layers based on the propagation boundary, each having the geometry and the at least one infill pattern (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); and causing an additive manufacturing machine to deposit material along segments of the at least one infill pattern in each of the plurality of layers (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49).
Regarding claim 38, Bheda discloses a method for additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising: receiving from a user a propagation surface for the composite structure, a propagation boundary, and a material property (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); generating a virtual model having a plurality of layers based on the propagation surface and the propagation boundary, each of the plurality of layers having a thickness related to the material property (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); receiving from the user at least one infill pattern (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); and causing an additive manufacturing machine to deposit material along segments of the at least one infill pattern to form the plurality of layers (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49).
Regarding claims 21, 37 and 38, Bheda discloses depositing a material to form a plurality of layers, but does not explicitly disclose the material being a continuous fiber. Regarding claims 23, Bheda does not explicitly disclose the material including continuous reinforcement. Regarding claims 25, 26, 28 and 29, Bheda discloses a user selecting an infill pattern, but does not explicitly disclose selecting from a plurality of available/different patterns and implementing a user defined infill pattern function.
August discloses an additive manufacturing depositing a continuous, reinforcement fiber (e.g. abstract; ¶80 and 87). August discloses user selection of a plurality of different patterns throughout a layer that perform different functions (e.g. abstract; ¶80-90).
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use continuous reinforcement fiber to manufacture a structure and provide different infill patterns to perform different functions. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this since continuous reinforcement fiber creates a strong composite structure and different infill patterns allow for more options for a user to create a structure with desired properties.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify Bheda with August to obtain the invention as specified in claims 21-33 and 35-39.
Regarding claim 22, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, further including receiving from the user a property of material to be used to manufacture the composite structure, wherein the height is further related to the property (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46).
Regarding claim 24, Bheda discloses the method of claim 23, wherein the desired number of layers have different thicknesses (e.g. ¶47.
Regarding claim 27, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, further including: receiving input from the user indicative of whether the at least one infill pattern should be conformal or non-conformal to the geometry of the layer (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49); and adjusting segments of the at least one infill pattern based on the input (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49).
Regarding claim 30, Bheda discloses the method of claim 29, further including: receiving from the user at least one relationship between the plurality of infill patterns (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49); and adjusting the plurality of infill patterns throughout the height based on the at least one relationship (e.g. ¶26-29 and 46-49).
Regarding claim 31, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the geometry for the layer is a 2D cross- section of the composite structure (e.g. ¶4 and 29).
Regarding claim 32, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the geometry for the layer is a 3D contour matching an outer surface of the composite structure and having a zero thickness (e.g. ¶4 and 29).
Regarding claim 33, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, further including receiving from the user a propagation direction, wherein automatically generating the virtual model of the composite structure includes extruding the geometry for the layer in the propagation direction up to the height (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46).
Regarding claim 35, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, further including causing the additive manufacturing machine to at least one of approach a beginning or leave an ending of at least one segment of the at least one infill at an angle that is oblique relative an axis of continuous reinforcement deposited along the at least one segment (e.g. ¶29 and 40-46).
Regarding claim 36, Bheda discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the desired number of layers together form an inner portion of the composite structure, and the method further includes: generating a plurality of tool paths that extend in a direction of the height over transverse edges of the desired number of layers to form an outer portion of the composite structure (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46).
Regarding claim 39, Bheda discloses the method of claim 38, further including: receiving from the user an intended loading of the composite structure (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46); and automatically adjusting at least one of an angle, an offset, a spacing, an amplitude, and a frequency of the at least one infill pattern based on the intended loading (e.g. abstract; ¶27-29 and 39-46).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 34 and 40 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 34, the prior art of record does not disclose receiving intended loading conditions from the user for the composite structure; automatically generating a vector field through the layer based on the loading conditions; and automatically aligning segments of the at least one infill pattern with the vector field.
Regarding claim 40, the prior art of record does not disclose distributing a plurality of points along lines of the at least one infill pattern; and sequencing the plurality of points into distinct non-intersecting paths, wherein each of the plurality of points indicate locations through which a print head of the additive manufacturing system must pass during discharge of the composite material.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES R KASENGE whose telephone number is (571)272-3743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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CK
August 22, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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