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 § 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 5 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 5 recites the limitation "the other manufacturing path" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-8, 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ma CN-112848309-A (hereinafter “Ma”, wherein citations refer to the provided English Translation).
Regarding claims 1, 11 and 10, Ma discloses a control information generating device that repeatedly forms a bead layer having a layer shape using a bead formed by adding a molten processing material to a manufacturing target surface while moving a processing position along manufacturing paths set in advance, and generates control information for controlling an additive manufacturing device that manufactures a three-dimensional shape in which the bead layer is deposited (e.g. abstract; pg. 3, step (1) to (4)), the device comprising: a manufacturing information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on the manufacturing paths (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6); a connection position specifying unit configured to specify, from the acquired information on the manufacturing paths, connection positions at which a pair of manufacturing paths arranged adjacent to each other and having continuous formation order are connected to each other (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6); a path connection unit configured to newly add a connection path (e.g. new path formed) that connects the pair of manufacturing paths to each other at the connection positions, and connect the pair of manufacturing paths to each other (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6); and a control information output unit configured to repeat connection between the manufacturing paths until the number of the manufacturing paths becomes equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit (i.e. a limit of a single path created by eliminating collision paths), and output the information on the connected manufacturing paths as the control information (e.g. pg. 6, step (3-4-3) ti (4-2)).
Regarding claim 2, Ma discloses the control information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the connection position specifying unit specifies the connection positions at which a smaller intersection angle of intersection angles between the manufacturing path and the connection path connected to the manufacturing path is equal to or greater than a predetermined specified angle (e.g. pg. 7, step (4-3)).
Regarding claim 3, Ma discloses the control information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the connection position specifying unit specifies, as the connection positions, a set in which an inter-point distance connecting end points is the shortest, of both end points of the manufacturing path and both end points of a manufacturing path adjacent to the manufacturing path (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6).
Regarding claim 5, Ma discloses the control information generating device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where an interval between end portions of the pair of manufacturing paths and another manufacturing path or an installed object that the pair of manufacturing paths abut on when the pair of manufacturing paths extend in a longitudinal direction is equal to or less than a predetermined specified distance, the connection position specifying unit shortens a path length by shifting the end portions of the manufacturing paths in a direction away from the other manufacturing path or the installed object, and specifies the end portions of the shortened manufacturing paths as the connection positions (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6).
Regarding claim 6, Ma discloses the control information generating device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the manufacturing paths are branched into two or more directions by adding the connection path to the pair of manufacturing paths, the path connection unit cuts the manufacturing path at the connection position on either one side or the other side of the connection path that sandwiches the connection position (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6).
Regarding claim 7, Ma discloses the control information generating device according to claim 1, wherein: the manufacturing paths are arranged in a raster shape (e.g. Fig. 2(b) and 3(a)); and the connection position specifying unit extracts a start point or an end point of a plurality of the manufacturing paths arranged side by side as the connection position (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6).
Regarding claim 8, Ma discloses the control information generating device according to claim 1, wherein: the manufacturing paths are arranged in a multiple annular shape (e.g. Fig. 5(d) and 5(e)); and the connection position specifying unit connects a cutting position at which a part of the manufacturing path is cut to another adjacent manufacturing path by the connection path (e.g. pg. 4-6, step (1-1) to (3-4-3); Fig. 2-3 and 5-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 9 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 4, the prior art of record does not disclose a control information generating device wherein the connection position specifying unit selects any two points from among a plurality of points on the manufacturing path and a plurality of points on a manufacturing path adjacent to the manufacturing path, and specifies the connection positions according to at least one feature of an angle between a vector in a moving direction of the manufacturing paths at the two selected points and the direction of a connection line of the two points and an inter-point distance when the two points are connected.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art of record does not disclose a control information generating device wherein the connection position specifying unit sets a virtual straight line extending in a radially outer side from an annular center of the multiple annular manufacturing path for each of the manufacturing paths, increases a central angle at the annular center between the virtual straight line for a radially inner side manufacturing path to the virtual straight line for a radially outer side manufacturing path in one direction, and extracts an intersection point between the manufacturing path and the virtual straight line corresponding to the manufacturing path as the connection position.
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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CK
September 18, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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