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 18 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.
Regarding claim 18, the claim recites “wherein the irradiance mask additionally an irradiance”. It’s not clear if it’s intended to recite “wherein the irradiance mask additionally adjusts an irradiance”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shkolnik et al. (US 8666142).
Regarding claim 1, Shkolnik et al. discloses a method comprising:
Controlling an image projection system of an additive manufacturing system 100 using an image display subsystem 106, wherein the image projection system comprises a plurality of image projectors 102, 104 (fig. 1);
Projecting a composite image onto a build area 110 within a resin pool 118 of the additive manufacturing system using the image projection system, wherein the composite image comprises a plurality of sub-images 152, 154 arranged in an array (fig. 1, 4, 7), and wherein the projecting the composite image comprise:
Projecting each sub-image onto a portion of the build area using one of the plurality of image projectors (fig. 1); and
Moving the plurality of sub-images during an exposure of a layer of an object 114 being manufactured (col. 6, line 44-51); and
Adjusting properties and aligning a portion of a sub-image in the array using a set of filters comprising (abstract, fig. 1, 4, 6, claim 1)
An irradiance mask that normalizes irradiance (col. 5, line 38-49, col. 9, line 35-46, col. 7, line 23-30, 33-37, col. 10, line 7-8, col. 9, line 47-51, col. 31, line 51-53, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 10, line 14-33, col. 34, line 19-22, col. 34, line 61-64, col. 28, line 43-48, col. 30, line 22-25, col. 30, line 65-col. 31, line 1); and
A warp correction filter that provides geometric correction (claim 1, abstract, fig. 5-6).
Regarding claim 2 and 13, Shkolnik discloses wherein the image display subsystem controls the image projection system and each of the image projector suing digital light processing (col. 7, line 56-67, col. 8, line 63-65, col. 6, line 43-47).
Regarding claim 3, Shkolnik discloses synchronizing exposure control of the plurality of image projectors with each other using a system controller 120 (fig. 1-2).
Regarding clam 4, Shkolnik discloses wherein the moving the plurality of sub-images further comprises moving the plurality of sub-images by translating, tilting, or rotating mirrors or lenses 920 (col. 11, line 14-22, col. 10, line 44-47, col. 31, line 51-53, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 6, line 44-51, fig. 10).
Regarding claim 5, Shkolnik discloses wherein the moving the plurality of sub-images further comprises moving the plurality of sub-images by translating, tilting, or rotating light sources 142, 144 of the plurality of image projectors (col. 10, line 44-46, col. 11, line 4-8, col. 14, line 5-53, col. 17, line 24-27, col. 31, line 51-53, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 17, line 26-27, col. 11, line 14-22, col. 2, line 9-11, col. 11, line 23-35, col. 7, line 4-9, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 6, Shkolnik discloses wherein the moving the plurality of sub-images further comprises moving sub-images of the plurality of sub-images to different portion of the build area (col. 14, line 51-53, col. 17, line 24-27, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 17, line 26-27, col. 11, lien 14-19, col. 11, line 19-22, col. 2, line 9-11, col. 11, line 23-35, col. 7, line 4-9, fig. 1, 4, 6).
Regarding claim 7 and 18, Shkolnik discloses wherein the irradiance mask additionally adjusts an irradiance of each sub-image across the build area to normalize irradiance non-uniformities within the image projection system arising from a projector-based spatial energy non-uniformity (col. 7, line 18-37, col. 5, line 38-49, col 9, line 35-46, col. 10, line 7-8, col. 9, line 47-51, col. 31, line 51-53).
Regarding claim 8 and 19, Shkolnik discloses wherein the irradiance mask decreases or increases the irradiance in a pattern or locally to normalize the irradiance (col. 5, line 38-49, col. 9, line 21-46, col. 28, line 43-48, col. 30, line 22-25, col. 30, line 65-col. 31, line 1, col. 10, line 8-13).
Regarding claim 9 and 20, Shkolnik discloses wherein the warp correction filter corrects skew in projected images that are caused by variation in alignment within the build area (col. 7, line 23-37, col. 32, line 64-col. 33, line 10, fig. 5).
Regarding claim 10 and 21, Shkolnik discloses wherein the warp correction filter corrects skew in projected images that are caused by variation in projector optics (col. 7, line 23-37, col. 32, line 64-col. 33, line 10, fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11, Shkolnik discloses wherein resin of the resin pool is selected from arylates, epoxies, methacrylates, urethanes, silicone, vinyls, and combinations thereof (col. 5, line 17-24, col. 4, lien 65-col. 8, line 8).
Regarding claim 12, Shkolnik et al. discloses an additive manufacturing system 100 comprising (fig. 1, abstract, claim 3):
an image projection system comprising a plurality of image projectors 102, 104 that project a composite image onto a build area 110 within a resin pool 118, wherein each of the image projectors project a sub-image 152, 154 onto a portion of the build area, wherein the composite image comprises a plurality of sub-images arranged in an array (fig. 1, 4, 7), wherein the image projection system is configured to move the plurality of sub-images during an exposure of a layer of an object 114 being manufactured (col. 6, line 44-51);
a display subsystem 106 wherein the display subsystem controls the image projection system (fig. 1), and wherein the display subsystem controls an image projector 102, 104 of the plurality of image projectors to adjust properties and alignment of a position of a sub-image in the array (abstract, fig. 1, 4, 6, claim 1); and
a set of filters configured to adjust the properties of the sub-image in the array, the set of filters comprising (abstract, fig. 1, 4, 6, claim 1):
An irradiance mask that normalizes irradiance (col. 5, line 38-49, col. 9, line 35-46, col. 7, line 23-30, 33-37, col. 10, line 7-8, col. 9, line 47-51, col. 31, line 51-53, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 10, line 14-33, col. 34, line 19-22, col. 34, line 61-64, col. 28, line 43-48, col. 30, line 22-25, col. 30, line 65-col. 31, line 1); and
A warp correction filter that provides geometric correction (claim 1, abstract, fig. 5-6).
Regarding claim 14, Shkolnik et al. discloses a system controller 120 that synchronizes exposure control of the plurality of image projectors with each other (fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 15, Shkolnik et al. discloses an optical system, wherein the image projection system is further configured to move a sub-image in the array by translating, tilting, or rotating a mirror or lens 920 of the optical system (col. 11, line 14-22, col. 10, line 44-47, col. 31, line 51-53, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 6, line 44-51, fig. 10).
Regarding claim 16, Shkolnik et al. discloses wherein the image projection system is further configured to move a sub-image in the array by translating, tilting, or rotating a light source 142, 144 of an image projector of the plurality of image projectors (col. 10, line 44-46, col. 11, line 4-8, col. 14, line 5-53, col. 17, line 24-27, col. 31, line 51-53, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 17, line 26-27, col. 11, line 14-22, col. 2, line 9-11, col. 11, line 23-35, col. 7, line 4-9, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 1, Shkolnik discloses wherein the image projection system is further configured to move sub-images of the plurality of sub-images to different portion of the build area (col. 14, line 51-53, col. 17, line 24-27, col. 7, line 18-22, col. 17, line 26-27, col. 11, lien 14-19, col. 11, line 19-22, col. 2, line 9-11, col. 11, line 23-35, col. 7, line 4-9, fig. 1, 4, 6).
Regarding claim 22, Shkolnik discloses resin of the resin pool, wherein resin of the resin pool is selected from arylates, epoxies, methacrylates, urethanes, silicone, vinyls, and combinations thereof (col. 5, line 17-24, col. 4, lien 65-col. 8, line 8).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XUE H LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-5522. The examiner can normally be reached 1PM - 10PM.
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/X.H.L/Examiner, Art Unit 1742 /CHRISTINA A JOHNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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