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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS)s submitted on 02/14/2025 and 03/12/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election without traverse of Group ll, a system for additive manufacturing of an object having a three-dimensional structure formed from a photo-curable material, claims 17-34, in the reply filed on 07/15/2026 is acknowledged.
Response to Amendment
The Amendments filed 07/15/2026 responsive to the Restriction requirement filed 05/18/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-16 have been canceled. Claims 17-34 are pending in this application.
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.
Claims 28, 29 and 31-33 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 28 recites the limitation "the electrically addressable optical element" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 29 recites the limitation “the predefined frequency of the tunable lens” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 31 recites the limitation "the time-averaged beam" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
The remaining dependent claims 32 and 33 are also rejected under 112 (b) because they depend from, and thus include all the limitations of rejected claim 31.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 17-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Orth et al. (US 2024/0066804 A1) in view of Kostenko (US 2022/0363010 A1).
With respect to claim 17, Orth teaches a system for additive manufacturing of an object having a three-dimensional structure formed from a photo-curable material (“a system for forming an object having a three-dimensional structure”, Pa [0022]; “a photo-curable material to be polymerized”, Pa [0023]), the system comprising:
a computing device (“a controller 26, such as a computing device”) comprising a processor (“one or more processors 90”) and a computer readable medium (“a memory 100 for storing instructions”) having instructions (Pa [0103]) executable by the processor (“processor 90 executes instructions and manipulates data to perform the operations of the computing device 26.”, Pa [0119]), wherein the processor is caused to at least:
(a) rotate a stage supporting a vial containing the photo-curable material in a path of a light beam at a predefined rotation speed (“The vial 14 is placed on a rotation stage 18 that rotates at angular rotation rate ω… light patterns 12 are projected through the vial 14 containing a photo-curable material 20, such as a photopolymerizable resin.”, Pa [0075]; “The rotation stage 18 is set to rotate at ω=10°/s”, Pa [0108]); and
(c) project patterns associated with a 3D geometry of the object into the photo-curable material to form the object (“a projector 10 that projects patterns 12 through a vial 14 … The projections are chosen so that the total accumulated dose profile will define the desired object.”, Pa [0075]).
Orth does not explicitly teach that the processor is caused to (b) modulate a focal length of the beam within the photo-curable material.
In the same field of endeavor, systems and methods for volumetric microlithography, Kostenko teaches that the exposure system defines a range of focal planes corresponding to the range of depths, in order to reach each focal plane in the range of depths, the light may propagate through at least part of the photosensitive medium, preferably, the system comprises optical elements with a dynamically adjustable focal length, allowing to rapidly move the focal plane through the photosensitive medium (Pa [0008]), moving the focal plane relative to the build volume may comprise dynamically adapting a focal length, to this end, the exposure system may include an objective with a dynamically adjustable focal length, this allows for rapidly focusing exposure images or illumination images, generated by e.g. a spatial light modulator, in a range of focal planes located at different depths within the build volume, in an embodiment, this may be realized using, for instance, Fast Piezo Focus Systems (PIFOC) or liquid dynamic focus lenses (Pa [0024]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Orth with the teachings of Kostenko and substitute optical elements with a dynamically adjustable focal length for Orth’s optical assembly for the purpose of allowing to rapidly move the focal plane through the photosensitive medium so as to rapidly focus exposure images or illumination images in a range of focal planes located at different depths within the build volume.
With respect to claim 18, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 17 above further teaches that an electrically addressable optical component is positioned along the beam's axis, and the electrically addressable optical component is caused to modify its focal length to achieve axial scanning of the object plane (“The exposure system 102 may comprise an image formation module 103 and an optical system 108 for focusing light from the image formation module in the photosensitive medium.”, Pa [0091]; “The focusing element may have a focal length that is adjustable so that the position of the focal plane in the planar shaped photosensitive medium.”, Pa [0092]).
With respect to claims 19 and 23, Orth as applied to claim 18 above further teaches that the python script is run and causes the processor to sends the projections to the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps) (Pa [0108]). Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 18 above further teaches that in a method illuminating a build volume, the computer may configure the exposure system to position the build volume comprising a photosensitive medium at a first position, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a first depth within the build volume, the computer system may control an image formation module of the exposure system, e.g. a light source and a spatial light modulator, to illuminate the build volume with an activation exposure image, and the computer may configure the exposure system, adjustable optics, to repositioning the focal plane relative to the build volume, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a new depth within the build volume, steps 1104-1108 may be repeated until the entire sequence of exposure images has been used to illuminate the build volume, and in a typical embodiment, the exposure system will scan through the build volume, moving the focal plane to adjacent layers in the build volume (Pa [0153]-[0159]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Orth with the teachings of Kostenko and perform moving/adjusting the focal plane at each frame in order to rapidly focus exposure images in a range of focal planes at each frame.
With respect to claim 20, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 19 above further teaches that modulating electrically addressable optical component at the predefined frequency generates a substantially time-averaged collimated beam within the photo-curable material (“the entire build volume may be illuminated nearly instantaneously, or at least in a highly parallel manner.”, Pa [0017]).
With respect to claim 21, Orth as applied to claim 20 above further teaches that the predefined frequency (“16 frames per second (fps)”) is greater than the predefined rotation speed of the vial (“ω=10°/s”, which is 1.6 Hz (per second)) (Pa [0108]).
With respect to claim 22, Orth as applied to claim 21 above further teaches that the patterns are projected at a predefined frame rate (“the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps).”, Pa [0108]).
With respect to claim 24, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 17 above further teaches that the vial containing the photo-curable material is oscillated back and forth along an optical axis of the light beam to modulate the focal length of the beam (“moving the focal plane relative to the build volume may comprise moving a holder holding the build volume relative to the exposure system, preferably in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the exposure system”, Pa [0025]). Orth further teaches that the python script is run and causes the processor to sends the projections to the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps) (Pa [0108]). Kostenko further teaches that in a method illuminating a build volume, the computer may configure the exposure system to position the build volume comprising a photosensitive medium at a first position, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a first depth within the build volume, the computer system may control an image formation module of the exposure system, e.g. a light source and a spatial light modulator, to illuminate the build volume with an activation exposure image, and the computer may configure the exposure system, adjustable optics, to repositioning the focal plane relative to the build volume, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a new depth within the build volume, steps 1104-1108 may be repeated until the entire sequence of exposure images has been used to illuminate the build volume, and in a typical embodiment, the exposure system will scan through the build volume, moving the focal plane to adjacent layers in the build volume (Pa [0153]-[0159]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Orth with the teachings of Kostenko and perform moving/adjusting the focal plane at each frame by moving a holder holding the build volume relative to the exposure system in order to rapidly focus exposure images in a range of focal planes at each frame.
With respect to claim 25, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 24 above further teaches that oscillating the vial containing the photo-curable material at the predefined oscillation frequency generates a substantially time-averaged collimated beam within the photo-curable material (“the entire build volume may be illuminated nearly instantaneously, or at least in a highly parallel manner.”, Pa [0017]).
With respect to claim 26, Orth as applied to claim 25 above further teaches that the predefined oscillation frequency (“16 frames per second (fps)”) is greater than the predefined rotation speed of the vial (“ω=10°/s”, which is 1.6 Hz (per second)) (Pa [0108]).
With respect to claim 27, Orth as applied to claim 26 above further teaches that the patterns are projected at a predefined frame rate (“the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps).”, Pa [0108]).
With respect to claim 28, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 27 above further teaches that the electrically addressable optical element is an electrically tunable lens (“The exposure system 102 may comprise an image formation module 103 and an optical system 108 for focusing light from the image formation module in the photosensitive medium.”, Pa [0091]; “The focusing element may have a focal length that is adjustable so that the position of the focal plane in the planar shaped photosensitive medium.”, Pa [0092]).
With respect to claim 29, Orth as applied to claim 28 above further teaches that the python script is run and causes the processor to sends the projections to the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps) (Pa [0108]). Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 28 above further teaches that in a method illuminating a build volume, the computer may configure the exposure system to position the build volume comprising a photosensitive medium at a first position, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a first depth within the build volume, the computer system may control an image formation module of the exposure system, e.g. a light source and a spatial light modulator, to illuminate the build volume with an activation exposure image, and the computer may configure the exposure system, adjustable optics, to repositioning the focal plane relative to the build volume, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a new depth within the build volume, steps 1104-1108 may be repeated until the entire sequence of exposure images has been used to illuminate the build volume, and in a typical embodiment, the exposure system will scan through the build volume, moving the focal plane to adjacent layers in the build volume (Pa [0153]-[0159]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Orth with the teachings of Kostenko and perform moving/adjusting the focal plane at each frame in order to rapidly focus exposure images in a range of focal planes at each frame.
With respect to claims 30 and 33, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 17 above teaches that moving the focal plane relative to the build volume may comprise dynamically adapting a focal length, to this end, the exposure system may include an objective with a dynamically adjustable focal length, this allows for rapidly focusing exposure images or illumination images, generated by e.g. a spatial light modulator, in a range of focal planes located at different depths within the build volume (Pa [0024]), and further teaches that moving the focal plane relative to the build volume may comprise moving a holder holding the build volume relative to the exposure system, preferably in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the exposure system (Pa [0025]), but does not explicitly teach that the modulating step comprises oscillating a beam shaping optical component in the path of the light beam back and forth at a predefined oscillation frequency.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Kostenko to move the exposure system in a direction parallel to an optical axis of the exposure system in order to move the focal plane relative to the build volume.
Orth further teaches that the python script is run and causes the processor to sends the projections to the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps) (Pa [0108]). Kostenko further teaches that in a method illuminating a build volume, the computer may configure the exposure system to position the build volume comprising a photosensitive medium at a first position, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a first depth within the build volume, the computer system may control an image formation module of the exposure system, e.g. a light source and a spatial light modulator, to illuminate the build volume with an activation exposure image, and the computer may configure the exposure system, adjustable optics, to repositioning the focal plane relative to the build volume, such that a focal plane of the optical system is located at a new depth within the build volume, steps 1104-1108 may be repeated until the entire sequence of exposure images has been used to illuminate the build volume, and in a typical embodiment, the exposure system will scan through the build volume, moving the focal plane to adjacent layers in the build volume (Pa [0153]-[0159]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Orth with the teachings of Kostenko and perform moving/adjusting the focal plane at each frame by moving the exposure system in order to rapidly focus exposure images in a range of focal planes at each frame.
With respect to claim 31, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 30 above further teaches that the time-averaged beam within the photo-curable material is substantially collimated (“the entire build volume may be illuminated nearly instantaneously, or at least in a highly parallel manner.”, Pa [0017]).
With respect to claim 32, Orth as applied to claim 31 above further teaches that the patterns are projected at a predefined frame rate (“the projector 10, which displays the projections at 16 frames per second (fps).”, Pa [0108]).
Claim 34 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Orth et al. (US 2024/0066804 A1) in view of Kostenko (US 2022/0363010 A1) as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Reichelt et al. (US 2010/0296148 A1).
With respect to claim 34, Kostenko as applied in the combination regarding claim 17 above further teaches that electrically addressable optical component generates a substantially time-averaged collimated beam within the photo-curable material (“the entire build volume may be illuminated nearly instantaneously, or at least in a highly parallel manner.”, Pa [0017]), and moving the focal plane relative to the build volume may comprise dynamically adapting a focal length, to this end, the exposure system may include an objective with a dynamically adjustable focal length, this allows for rapidly focusing exposure images or illumination images, generated by e.g. a spatial light modulator, in a range of focal planes located at different depths within the build volume (Pa [0024]), but the combination is silent to an axicon.
In the same field of endeavor, holographic display devices which contain spatial light modulators, Reichelt teaches that in Fig. 8, a circular focus can be used to obtain an amplitude modulating device with a high contrast, by changing the focal length of a lens the intensity value being transmitted can be chosen (Pa [0113]), a circular spot is realized by a combination of an axicon and a lens, also a circular phase function in front of a lens can be used to obtain a circular focus, an enlarged circular focus will be stopped by the aperture stop AS in a way that no light will pass the central clear area of the aperture stop AS, thus a high contrast can be obtained (Pa [0114]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Orth in view of Kostenko with the teachings of Reichelt and provide the spatial light modulator comprising a combination of an axicon and a lens for the purpose of the high contrast.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUNJU KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-1146. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00-4:00 EST M-Th; Flexing Fri.
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/YUNJU KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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