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 .
Status of the application
This is a non-final rejection in response to the Applicant's remarks and amendment filed on 06/03/2025. Claims 1-79 are cancelled and claims 80-95 are new. Accordingly claims 80-95 are examined herein.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 80-95 are 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(s) 80 is/are recites “direct radiation at a first location of the volume of polymer precursor adjacent to a pliable substrate” which is indefinite. It is not clear if “a pliable substrate” same or different from the pliable substrate introduced in lines 1-3 in claim 1. How many pliable substrates are required by claim 80? For purpose of examination the limitation is examined below as --the pliable substrate --.
Claim(s) 81-95 is/are rejected as being dependent from claim 80 and therefor including all
the limitation thereof.
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) 80-95 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ou (US 2020/0070410) in view of Holtman (US 2022/0063949).
Regarding claim 80, Ou teaches a system (fabrication system) for printing a 3D object (1100) (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 7; [0022-0023]), the system comprising:
a vat (800) configured to maintain a volume of polymer precursor (liquid photopolymer (303)) (see Fig. 4A and Fig. 8; [0050]);
a drive (actuators (311-316,511-513,601,611,630,714, and 801-804) configured to move a pliable substrate (sheet (301)) through the volume of polymer precursor (see Figs. 2-3, Fig. 4A-4B; [0032], [0038] and [0046-0050]);
one or more contact points between peripheral edges of the sheet (301) and the actuators (311-316,511-513,601,611,630,714, and 801-804) while moving the sheet (301) (see Fig. 7; [0032], [0038] and [0046-0050]). However, Ou does not teach one or more pairs of pinch points disposed on opposing surfaces of the pliable substrate, each pinch point of the one or more pairs of pinch points configured to move linearly with the pliable substrate and pinch peripheral edges of the pliable substrate at a corresponding contact point on the pliable substrate such that the one or more pairs of pinch points maintain contact with the corresponding contact point on the pliable substrate while the pliable substrate is moving.
In analogous art, sheets alignment devices, Holtman teaches a sheet stacking apparatus includes a sheet alignment mechanism (12) configured for aligning a sheet (24) in a predetermined reference position (26) (see Fig. 1;[0024-0025]), comprises one or more pairs of pinch points (i.e. two pinch arms (40) contacting sheet (24) at pinching points) disposed on opposing surfaces of the sheet (24) (see Figs. 3-4;[0029-0030]), each pinch point of the one or more pairs of pinch points configured to move linearly with the sheet and pinch peripheral edges of the sheet at a corresponding contact point on the sheet such that the one or more pairs of pinch points maintain contact with the corresponding contact point on the sheet while the pliable substrate is moving (see Figs. 3-4; [0029-0030], [0033] and [0036]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the system as taught by Ou with a sheet alignment mechanism (12) configured for aligning the sheet includes one or more pairs of pinch points disposed on opposing surfaces of the sheet, each pinch point of the one or more pairs of pinch points configured to move linearly with the sheet and pinch peripheral edges of the sheet at a corresponding contact point on the sheet such that the one or more pairs of pinch points maintain contact with the corresponding contact point on the sheet while the sheet is moving as such is known in the art of guiding sheets/webs given the discussion of Holtman above; and doing so is simple substitution of one Known element for another to obtain predictable results, with the added benefits of doing so would effectively place the sheets in precisely aligned positions on a stack without causing any damage to the sheets (see [0006-0008] of Holtman).
Ou in view Holtman further teaches a digital projector (DLP) configured to:
direct radiation (305) at a first location (440) of the volume of polymer precursor adjacent to a pliable substrate, thereby forming a first polymer layer (101) on or adjacent to the pliable substrate (301) ( see Fig. 3 and Fig. 9; [0038] of Ou); and direct radiation at a second location of the volume of polymer precursor which is adjacent to the first location, thereby forming a second polymer layer (102) on the first polymer layer (see Fig. 3; [0031] and [0038] of Ou).
Regarding claim 81, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein the one or more pairs of pinch points (40) comprise a first flat surface in touch with a first surface of the opposing surfaces of the pliable substrate (24) and a second flat surface (i.e. a second surface of pinch arm (40)) in touch with a second surface of the opposing surfaces of the pliable substrate (24), the first surface and the second surface being opposite each other (see Figs. 3-4 of Holtman).
Regarding claim 82, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, further comprising at least another pair of pinch points (40) opposing to each other and capable to be configured to linearly move with the pliable substrate (24) and pinch the peripheral edges of the pliable substrate at another corresponding contact point on the pliable substrate such that the at least another pair of pinch points maintain contact with the another corresponding contact point on the pliable substrate while the pliable substrate is moving, wherein a first linear pinch zone comprising the one or more pairs of pinch points occurs before a bend in the pliable substrate and a second linear pinch zone comprising the at least another pair of pinch points occurs after the bend in the pliable substrate (see Figs. 1-4;[0029-0030] and [0036] of Holtman).
Regarding claim 83, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein the peripheral edges (peripheral edges of sheet (301)) are parallel to a direction (direction 302) in which the pliable substrate (301) is moved (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 of Ou).
Regarding claim 84, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein a surface of the pliable substrate (i.e. unlabeled surface of sheet (301) as a surface of the sheet (301) which object (620) rests upon) on which the first polymer layer (101) is formed is not contacted by a roller (actuators (311-316,512-513)) spanning a width of the pliable substrate (see Fig. 3 and Figs. 6-7;[0055] of Ou).
Regarding claim 85, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein the pliable substrate (301) is configured to move into the volume of polymer precursor (303), bend, and exit the volume of polymer precursor, wherein the pliable substrate bends at a bend (see Fig. 9 of Ou).
Regarding claim 86, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, further comprising, when the pliable substrate is moved through the volume of polymer precursor, the peripheral edges of the pliable substrate(24) are pinched by the one or more pairs of pinch points (40), wherein a first linear pinch zone comprising the one or more pairs of pinch points occurs before the bend in the pliable substrate and a second linear pinch zone comprising the one or more pairs of pinch points occurs after the bend in the pliable substrate (see Figs. 1-4; [0029-0030] and [0036] of Holtman).
Regarding claim 87, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein a series of rollers is configured to guide the pliable substrate (301) through an area in which the pliable substrate bends (see Fig. 3 and Figs. 6-7;[0055] of Ou).
Regarding claim 88, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein a back side (unlabeled back side defined as the bottom surface of sheet (301) at Figs. 3, 4A and 9 of Ou) of the pliable substrate (301), which is on an opposite side of a surface (i.e. a surface of sheet (301) which object 620 rests upon as depicted by Figs. 6-7 of Ou) of the pliable substrate upon which the first polymer layer (101) is printed, is supported (see Fig. 3 of Ou).
Regarding claim 89, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein contact is maintained with the peripheral edges (peripheral edges of sheet (301)) along the entire portion of the pliable substrate that is in contact with the volume of polymer precursor (303) (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 9 of Ou).
Regarding claim 90, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein contact is maintained with the peripheral edges (peripheral edges of sheet (301)) of the pliable substrate (301) until the second polymer layer (102) is cured (see Figs. 3,4A,7 and 9 of Ou).
Regarding claim 91, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein the pliable substrate (301) is under a constant tension (i.e. actuators (311-316,511-513,601,611and 630) place sheet (301) under tension ) while the pliable substrate is in the volume of polymer precursor (303) (see Fig 1-4 and Fig. 9; [0101] of Ou).
Regarding claim 92, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein the pliable substrate (24) is positioned prior to maintaining contact with the peripheral edges of the pliable substrate (see Figs. 1-2 of Holtman).
Regarding claim 93, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein the pliable substrate (24) is smoothed (see [0014], [0025] and [0030] of Holtman).
Regarding claim 94, Ou in view Holtman does not explicitly teach, wherein the pliable substrate is smoothed prior to maintaining contact with the peripheral edges of the pliable substrate. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading Ou in view Holtman would have recognized that smoothing the pliable substrate is smoothed prior to maintaining contact with the peripheral edges of the pliable substrate is one of a finite number of options known to be useful for guiding the sheets during the sheets manufacturing process in order to smoothly engage the edge of the sheet from above and below. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to try the smoothing the pliable substrate is smoothed prior to maintaining contact with the peripheral edges of the pliable substrate in the method by Ou in view Holtman because a person with ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known option within his or her technical grasp. A person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known option within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but or ordinary skill and common sense." KSR int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 127 S.Ct. 1727,82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Regarding claim 95, Ou in view Holtman further teaches the system, wherein a mechanism that maintains (i.e. actuators (311-316,51513,601,611,630,714,801,802,803,804)) contact with the peripheral edges does not contact a portion of the pliable substrate upon which the first polymer layer (101) is formed (see Fig. 7 of Ou).
Conclusion
The following prior arts made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Garcia (US 9,028,160) discloses a relevant device for use in a printer includes a flexible piece and a holder configured to removably attach the piece to a platen that has a surface over which a print substrate is moved through the print zone for printing on the substrate (Abstract; Figs. 1-4).
EL-SIBLANI (US 2017/0100899) discloses a relevant apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object (Abstract).
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/MOHAMED K AHMED ALI/Examiner, Art Unit 1743
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