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 with traverse of Group I, claims 1-10 in the reply filed on June 22, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 11-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Hull (US 4,575,330).
Regarding Claim 1, Hull anticipates an additive manufacturing system (abs, system for generating three-dimensional objects), comprising
a resin bath configured to contain an electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid (Fig. 3 Col. 1 ll. 42-45; Col. 6, ll. 28-29 container-21 filled with a UV curable liquid – 22 or the like; which includes the use of electromagnetic radiation beams);
a support platform having an adjustable support platform height such that the support platform can be reversibly submerged in the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid contained in the resin bath (Fig. 6 Col. 6 ll. 36-39, ll. 48-52; Col.9 ll. 23-25 movable elevator platform – 29 inside container – 21 can be moved up and down selectively as the liquid – 22 cures and solid material forms the elevator platform – 29 initially just below surface – 23 is moved down from the surface in a programmed manner; after the three-dimensional object – 30 has been formed, the elevator platform – 29 is raised and object is removed)
a support platform adjustment motor connected to the support platform and configured to adjust the support platform height (Col. 3 ll. 10-19 platform is moved away from the working surface in a programmed manner by any appropriate actuator initially formed material at the working surface is moved away from that surface and new liquid flows into the working surface position);
a movable head comprising an electromagnetic radiation generating device and positioned above the support platform and configured to not be submerged in the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid contained in the resin bath (Fig. 3 Col. 6 ll. 30-34 Col. 7 ll. 61-65 programmable source of ultraviolet light – 26 or like produces a spot of ultraviolet light – 27 in the plane of surface -23 which spot – 27 is movable across the surface – 23 by the motion of mirrors or other optical or mechanical elements that are a part of light source – 26; bringing the source – 26 as close as possible to the working surface so that maximum divergence occurs in the cone of focus entering the fluid medium) ;
a head adjustment motor connected to the movable head and configured to adjust a position of the movable head (Col. 6 ll. 48-52; Col. 8 ll. 61-64 the elevator platform – 29 that was initially just below surface – 23 is moved down from the surface in a programmed manner by any suitable actuator; elevator platform – 29 can be mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical and may also use optical or electronic feedback to precisely control its positions).
a controller configured to control the support platform by providing a support platform instruction to the support platform adjustment motor and to control the position of the movable head by providing a head instruction to the head adjustment motor (Fig. 3, Col. 8 ll. 20-24 requirements for the elevator platform – 29 are that it can be moved in a programmed faction at appropriate speeds with adequate precision and that it is powerful enough to handle the weight of the objection – 30 being formed), wherein
the resin bath has a bath depth sufficient to allow the support platform to be submerged in the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid such that an upper surface of the support platform is below a surface of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid (Fig. 3 Col 6 ll. 48-52 as the liquid – 22 cures and solid material forms, the elevator platform – 29 that was initially just below surface – 23 is moved down from the surface in a programmed manner),
the movable head is configured to be moved in a three-dimensional space above the support platform such that electromagnetic radiation generated by the electromagnetic radiation generating device is directed to a portion of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid contained in the resin bath directly below the movable head (Fig. 3 Col. 7 ll. 26-33 light source – 26 produces the spot – 27 of UV light small enough to allow the desired object detail to be formed, and intense enough to cure the UV curable liquid being used quickly enough to be practical) ; and
the electromagnetic radiation from the movable head is configured to heat only the portion of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid contained in the resin bath directly below or and in the vicinity of the movable head and thereby cure the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid in the portion to form a cured resin (Fig. 3 Col. 6 ll. 54-57 Col. 7 ll. 51-56 .portion of this new liquid I, in turn converted to solid material by the programmed UV light spot – 27 , and the new material adhesively connects to the material below it; means may be provided to keep the surface – 23 at a constant level and to replenish this material after an object has been removed, so that the focus spot – 27 will remain sharply in focus on a fixed focus plane).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 2-5 and 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hull (US 4,575,330) in view of Zhao (CN107471679A) with machine translation.
Regarding Claim 2, Hull discloses all the limitations of claim 1 but does not disclose that the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid comprises an epoxy resin, a latent curing agent, and magneto-sensitive particles dispersed in the epoxy resin.
In an analogous art, Zhao teaches a manufacturing method for a carbon fiber composite material including that a sizing agent is applied onto carbon fiber fabric where electromagnetic-induction nano particles are doped into the sizing agent followed by heating the fabrics in an electromagnetic heating mode through electromagnetic induction, enabling them to adhere to each other prior to being formed with the injection of resin into a forming mold and curing (abs, paragraph [0026]).
Moreover, Zhao further discloses that the electromagnetically sensitive resin comprises an epoxy resin (paragraphs [0021] [0049] claim 5 p. 32), a latent curing agent (paragraph [0015] preform and molding mold are heated to a preset curing temperature by electromagnetic heating and the curing operation is carried out by heat preservation and pressure (latent) where the latent curing agent is the epoxy setting agent (paragraphs [0035] [0048] heating the preform and the molding die to the preset curing temperature using electromagnetic heating can enable the thermosetting resin to cure) and magneto-sensitive particles dispersed in the epoxy resin (paragraph [0041] because the setting agent contains electromagnetically induced nanoparticles which are uniformly dispersed with the setting agent such that they can generate heat under the influence of electromagnetic waves).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the disclosure of Hull with the teachings of Zhao whereby an additive manufacturing system comprising a resin bath containing an electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid with a support platform, movable head having an electromagnetic radiation generating device positioned above the support platform which is configured to move the support platform and to heat only the portion of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid contained in the resin bath directly below or and in the vicinity of the movable head which thereby cures the portion of the resin liquid to form a cured resin, as disclosed by Hull, would also include that he electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid comprises an epoxy resin, a latent curing agent, and magneto-sensitive particles dispersed in the epoxy resin.
One with ordinary skill in the art would consider this modification as advantageous because compared with traditional heating methods to bond materials together, with the nanoparticles uniformly dispersed, the entire structure of the resin is heated simultaneously in the heated portion being from the inside to the outside whereby the heating efficiency is faster, the heating temperature rise rate is faster, and the heating cycle is shorter, which is beneficial to shortening the overall manufacturing process cycle of composite materials and by extension to three dimensional structures (paragraphs [0041] [0042]).
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Hull and Zhao disclose all the limitations of claim 2 and Zhao further discloses the setting agent content containing the uniformly distributed nanoparticles is 6% (Fig. 2 paragraph [0057]) but Zhao is silent as to the magneto-sensitive particles present in an amount of 5 to 45 wt.% based on a total weight of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a range of magneto-sensitive particles in an amount of 5 to 45 wt. % based on a total weight of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. One would have been motivated to use the amount of 5 to 45 wt. % for the purpose of maintaining uniform heating and precise temperature control during the electromagnetic heating (paragraph [0039]).
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Hull and Zhao disclose all the limitations of claim 2 and Zhao further discloses the magneto-sensitive particles are magnetic nanoparticles having a mean particle size of 20nm to 500nm (paragraph [0039] claim 5 p. 31), which is encompassed by the recited range of 5 to 500 nm.
Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Hull and Zhao disclose all the limitations of claim 2 and Zhao further discloses the magneto-sensitive particles are ferromagnetic (paragraph [0017] where the list is all of common ferromagnetic materials including carboxylated iron powder).
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Hull and Zhao disclose all the limitations of claim 2 and Zhao further discloses he magneto-sensitive particles comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of an iron alloy, a nickel alloy, a cobalt alloy, an iron oxide, a nickel oxide, and a cobalt oxide (paragraph [0017] [0039] ferrite or iron oxide and iron-nickel alloy).
Regarding Claim 8, the combination of Hull and Zhao disclose all the limitations of claim 2 and Zhao further discloses electromagnetic radiation generating device has a power of 10 W to 25000 W (paragraph [0070] where the listed heating power settings are within the recited power = Heating Power: 2KW, 1.5 KW, 2KW, 0.8 KW).
Regarding Claim 9, Hull discloses all the limitations of claim 1 but does not disclose what the curing temperature is.
However, it would be obvious to modify the disclosure of Hull with the teachings of Zhao whereby the electromagnetic generating device is configured to provide an induction mode of heating as taught by Zhao (abs) with electromagnetic-induction nano particles in the resin (abs). Zhao further teaches that the curing temperature is 80-260 °C which overlaps the recited range of 100 to 250 °C (claim 5 p. 32).
Prior Art which teaches a range within, overlapping or touching the claimed range anticipated if the prior art range discloses the claimed range with “sufficient specificity”. MPEP 2131.03:
Regarding Claim 10, Hull discloses all the limitations of claim 1 but does not disclose what the curing time for the curing temperature of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid is.
However, it would be obvious to modify the disclosure of Hull with the teachings of Zhao whereby the electromagnetic generating device is configured to provide an induction mode of heating as taught by Zhao (abs) with electromagnetic-induction nano particles in the resin (abs). As indicated above for claim 9, at a curing temperature of 80-260 °C which overlaps the recited range of 100 to 250 °C, the electromagnetic radiation generating device configured to produce this temperature is only 60 seconds (paragraph [0005] the fastest curing time for the resin system is only 60 seconds).This is within the time of initiating exposure of the electromagnetically sensitive resin liquid to the electromagnetic radiation (paragraph [0048] at this particular time such that the resin and preform have completed the initial curing and molding operation). Moreover, a range for the curing temperature of 80-260 °C is a curing time of 40-300 seconds (claim 5 p. 32) which overlaps the recited range of 60 seconds of initiating the exposure.
Prior Art which teaches a range within, overlapping or touching the claimed range anticipated if the prior art range discloses the claimed range with “sufficient specificity”. MPEP 2131.03:
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Hull (US 4,575,330) and Zhao (CN107471679A) with machine translation as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Erb (US 10,703,052 B2) IDS 12/20/2024.
Regarding Claim 6, the combination of Hull and Zhao disclose all the limitations of claim 2 but are silent that the magneto-sensitive particles are superparamagnetic.
In the same field of endeavor, Erb discloses a method and apparatus for producing a composite part using reinforcing or other particles within a matrix material (abs). These can be discontinuous fibers that are oriented with a magnetic field (Col. 1 ll. 50-64, Col. 2. ll. 30-33 and first and further magnetic fields are applied by one or more magnetic field sources where the magnetically responsive particles comprise nanoparticles (Col. 2, ll. 47-49). Additionally, these magnetic materials comprise at least one superparamagnetic material (Col. 2 ll. 43-46).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the combination of Hull and Zhao with the teaching of Erb whereby an additive manufacturing system to make composites and three dimensional structures using induction heating techniques with nanoparticles, as disclosed by Hull and Zhao would include a feature that the magneto-sensitive particles dispersed in the epoxy resin are superparamagnetic.
The skilled artisan would consider this feature advantageous and an improvement because applying a magnetic field to orient the superparamagnetically responsive particles following by consolidation of the matrix material in a selected portion, in addition to the heating effects, can create layers in portions of a composite part with any desired complex orientation of the particles and geometry (Col. 9 ll. 30-40).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WAYNE K. SWIER whose telephone number is (571)272-4598. The examiner can normally be reached M-F generally 8:30 am - 5:30 pm PST.
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/WAYNE K. SWIER/ Examiner, Art Unit 1748 /JACOB T MINSKEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1748
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