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) submitted on 10/07/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election without traverse of Group l, a machine for additive manufacturing, claims 1-14, in the reply filed on 05/28/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention.
Claim Objections
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: Applicant has been advised to replace “wherein when the first movable fixing element is lifted the second movable fixing element is lowered, and when the second movable fixing element is lifted the first movable fixing element is lower” in lines 3-6 to – wherein when the first movable fixing element is lifted, the second movable fixing element is lowered, and when the second movable fixing element is lifted, the first movable fixing element is lowered --. Appropriate correction is required.
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 7 and 8 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 7 recites the limitation “a central and movable fixing element” in line 3. It renders the claim indefinite since it is unclear whether it is meant to be the fixing element recited in the referred claim 1 or another new fixing element. Furthermore, the claim recites the limitation “the fixing element” in line 5. It renders the claim indefinite since it is unclear whether it is meant to be the fixing element recited in the referred claim 1 or the central and movable fixing element. For the compact prosecution, Examiner has interpreted both of them as the fixing element recited in the referred claim 1.
Claim 8 recites the limitations “a first movable fixing element” and “a second movable fixing element” in lines 2-3. It renders the claim indefinite since it is unclear whether they are included in the fixing element recited in the referred claim 1 or another new fixing elements. For the compact prosecution, Examiner has interpreted them as the fixing element recited in the referred claim 1.
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 1-6, 8, 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gmeiner et al. (US 2021/0187859) in view of Vermeer et al. (US 2012/0168989) (All of record).
With respect to claim 1, Gmeiner teaches a machine for additive manufacturing, wherein a printing direction is of a top-down type (Figs. 1 and 2), comprising:
a structure (implicit);
a light source (“the light engine 28”, Pa [0102]) fixed to the structure;
a conveying module (“An exchange mechanism” and “the building platform 1”, Pa [0097]) including a movable support (“the building platform 1”), and a displacement mechanism (“wheels 41 or other conveying elements”, Pa [0097]) connected to the structure and the movable support (“the wheels 41 protrude through slots (not shown) provided in the carrier element 2 and upon contact with the underside of the building platform 1 lift the building platform from the carrier element. Rotation of the wheels 41 then causes the building platform to be conveyed out of the printing zone.”, Pa [0097]), wherein the movable support includes a printing surface (“Each pass of the print head 3 over the building platform 1 (either from right to left or in the reverse direction) creates a layer of solidified material on the building platform 1 or the semi-finished work piece”, Pa [0090]) and the displacement mechanism is configured to move the movable support towards and away from the light source (“the wheels 41 protrude through slots (not shown) provided in the carrier element 2 and upon contact with the underside of the building platform 1 lift the building platform from the carrier element. Rotation of the wheels 41 then causes the building platform to be conveyed out of the printing zone.”, Pa [0097]);
a reservoir of material (“a storage tank”) fixed to the structure, the reservoir of material configured to contain a printing material (“the viscous photopolymer resin from a storage tank”, Pa [0098]);
a material supply module (“coating mechanisms”) connected to the reservoir of material, wherein the material supply module includes a cartridge (“a nozzle 19 is provided that is connected to a resin feeding hose 20”) and a coating blade 21 configured to receive the printing material from the cartridge and to apply a layer of printing material on a conveyor substrate (“the carrier film 4”) configured to convey the printing material from the material supply module to the printing surface (“The nozzle 19 ejects a photopolymer resin onto the carrier film 4… coating mechanisms, including the storage tank, the hose 20 and the nozzle 19”, Pa [0098]); and
a fastening system (“The first drive mechanism”, Pa [0066]-[0068]), the fastening system including:
a fixing element (“an adjustable roller 18”, Pa [0098]), configured to hold the conveyor substrate to the structure and to move the conveyer substrate (“carrier film 4”), alternatingly, in two directions, to produce a movement in the conveyor substrate (“a steerable guiding roller system, which is able to steer the carrier film in terms of drifting issues. As yet another example, such a roller is directly connected to the carrier film motor drive.”, Pa [0068]; “The carrier film 4 is guided by a plurality of rollers, including deflection rollers 16, a tension roller 17 and an adjustable roller 18.”, Pa [0098] and Figs. 1-2),
a first rotating element and a second rotating element (“deflection rollers 16”) rotatably connected to the structure to enable the movement of the conveyor substrate (“The carrier film 4 is guided by a plurality of rollers, including deflection rollers 16, a tension roller 17 and an adjustable roller 18.”, Pa [0098]), wherein the first rotating element and the second rotating element are located at either side of the light source (“the light engine 28”), and the first rotating element and the second rotating element contact the conveyor substrate (“4”) between the light source and the conveyor substrate (Fig. 2), and
one or more displacement motors (“the carrier film motor drive”) which move the fixing element to move the conveyor substrate (“such a roller is directly connected to the carrier film motor drive.”, Pa [0068] and Fig. 2).
Gmeiner further teaches that a coating blade 21 serves to define a material layer of a defined thickness on the carrier film 4, and the coating blade 21 is adjustable in the height direction in order to adjust the desired layer thickness (Pa [0099]), but does not explicitly teach a material supply roller, located tangential to one of the first rotating element and the second rotating element and the rotatable material supply roller is movable with respect to the rotating element a distance equal to a desired thickness of the layer of the printing material applied on the conveyor substrate by the rotatable material supply roller, wherein the printing material passes between the one rotating element and the material supply roller as the printing material is being applied to the conveyor substrate.
In the same field of endeavor, apparatus for layerwise production of a 3d object, Vermeer teaches that for the coater rollers preferably knurled rollers 190 are used as an example of a profiled applicator for flattening and adjusting the layer volume provided from the dispenser (Pa [0072]), and Figs. 2, 7-10 show that the coater roller 190 is located tangential to the upper guiding elements 19
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Gmeiner with the teachings of Vermeer and substitute Vermeer’s coater roller for the coating blade the purpose of flattening and adjusting the layer volume provided from the nozzle.
With respect to claim 2, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above further teaches that the light source is one of a projector, a screen, and a laser (“The patterning of light may be accomplished by a Digital Light Processor (DLP), other active mask projection systems, laser-scanner based systems to selectively project light information on the surface of a photopolymer resin.”, Pa [0045]).
With respect to claim 3, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above further teaches that the light source is at least one of ultraviolet light and visible light (““light” may include any electromagnetic radiation that is able to induce polymerization of a photopolymer resin. The term “light” need not be restricted to visible light, e.g., the portion of the spectrum that can be perceived by the human eye.”, Pa [0044]).
With respect to claim 4, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above further teaches that the light source is a DLP projector (“a Digital Light Processor (DLP)”, Pa [0045]), and further teaches that a control unit (possibly external to or residing within the linear encoder 11) may be configured to provide instructions to optimize movement of the carrier film 4, the light engine 28, the building platform 1, or some combination thereof to optimize their movement relative to one another (Pa [0113]), and the print head 3 similarly may operate, in response to the instructions, to modify positions/velocities of the light engine 28 (Pa [0114]). Thus, one would have found it obvious to provide a movable structure being movable in three dimensions in order to move the light engine 28.
With respect to claim 5, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above teaches that an exchange mechanism for exchanging the building platform 1 comprises wheels 41 or other conveying elements, the wheels 41 being support to rotate about rotation axis 42 (Pa [0097]) and further teaches that after each pass the building platform 1 is lowered in the direction of the arrow 10, in order to allow the creation of solidified layers one over the other (Pa [0090]), but does not explicitly teach that the displacement mechanism of the conveying module comprises one or more spindles that transmit a movement guided by linear guide elements connected to the movable support.
Vermeer as applied in the combination regarding claim 1 further teaches that movable z-stage 14 can be moved in a z-direction before a new layer of curable material is provided to the tangible object 5, and rolling elements 17 enable movement of the z-stage 14 (Pa [0044]), and Fig. 1 shows that the movement mechanism of the z-stage 14 comprises one spindle that transmit a movement guided by linear guide elements connected to the z-stage 14.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Gmeiner with the teachings of Vermeer and provide Vermeer’s mechanism with Gmeiner’s building platform in order to lower in the direction of the arrow 10.
With respect to claim 6, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above further teaches that the printing surface and the movable support form a single part (“Each pass of the print head 3 over the building platform 1 (either from right to left or in the reverse direction) creates a layer of solidified material on the building platform 1 or the semi-finished work piece”, Pa [0090]).
With respect to claim 8, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above teaches the first movable fixing element (“the adjustable roller 18”) which is lifted or lowered (Fig. 2), but is silent to a second movable fixing element, wherein when the first movable fixing element is lifted the second movable fixing element is lowered, and when the second movable fixing element is lifted the first movable fixing element is lowered. One would have found it obvious to provide an additional adjustable roller 18 in order to modify positions/velocities of the carrier film, since it has been held that the mere duplication of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Harza, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
It is noted that the limitation “when the first movable fixing element is lifted the second movable fixing element is lowered, and when the second movable fixing element is lifted the first movable fixing element is lowered” is an intended use since the machine of the prior art is capable of the claimed operation. The Courts have held that the manner of operating an apparatus does not differentiate an apparatus claim from the prior art, if the prior art apparatus teaches all of the structural limitations of the claim. See Ex Parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (BPAI 1987). Furthermore, one would have found it obvious to modify the movements of the adjustable rollers in order to modify positions/velocities of the carrier film.
With respect to claims 12 and 13, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above teaches that the material used is photosensitive resin (“a photopolymer resin”, Pa [0089]), but does not explicitly teach that the material used is photosensitive resin with a viscosity greater than or equal to 2000 cps (mPa*s) at 25°C, and/or the material used is photosensitive resin filled with reinforcement material. It is noted that the limitations are intended uses since the machine taught by Gmeiner is capable of using the claimed materials. It has been held that “[i]nclusion of material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims.” See In re Young, 75 F.2d *>996<, 25 USPQ 69 (CCPA 1935) (as restated in In re Otto, 312 F.2d 937, 136 USPQ 458, 459 (CCPA 1963)) (see MPEP § 2115).
Claims 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gmeiner et al. (US 2021/0187859) in view of Vermeer et al. (US 2012/0168989) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Bauer et al. (US 2017/0246796) (All of record).
With respect to claim 9, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above further teaches that an excess material collection tray (“a resin overflow collector 40”) may be arranged at both ends or all sides of the building platform 1 in order to collect superfluous resin (Pa [0094]), but does not explicitly teach a material collection module in addition to a material filter and a recirculation conduit, which directs the collected material towards the cartridge or towards the reservoir.
In the same field of endeavor, a rapid prototyping process, Bauer teaches that the material leaking over the wall 8 a (FIG. 2) is collected in the collecting container (FIG. 2) and is returned to the pump cycle (FIGS. 1 and 2) through a suction opening with a suction line 17a (Pa [0095]), and the wiped-off light-curing plastic material is suctioned into the cycle by means of a suction line 17 a and a suction pump 19 (FIG. 1 or 2) and preferably filtered (Filter 18) and returned to the container 8 (trough) (Pa [0098]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Gmeiner with the teachings of Bauer and provide the suction line 17a, the suction pump 19 and the filter 18 in order to recycle/reuse the material.
With respect to claim 10, Bauer as applied in the combination regarding claim 9 above further teaches that the material collection module comprises a spatula, placed near the conveyor substrate so that it presses the same to recover the excess material (“pushes the scraper across the surface and smoothes the surface 21 b by wiping off the excess of material.”, Pa [0095]).
With respect to claim 11, Bauer as applied in the combination regarding claim 10 above further teaches that the material collection module further comprises an activation mechanism (implicit) connected to the spatula, for moving the spatula relative to the conveyor substrate (“The drivable stripping device preferably comprises a scraper that has a planar underside.”, Pa [0019]).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gmeiner et al. (US 2021/0187859) in view of Vermeer et al. (US 2012/0168989) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hull et al. (US 2008/0206383) (All of record).
With respect to claim 14, Gmeiner as applied to claim 1 above further teaches that one or more material management units (e.g., material structuring and/or material placing and/or material subtracting units) are arranged adjacent the print head 3, said material structuring and/or material placing and/or material subtracting units being guided for movement relative to the building platform 1 along the displacement path 8 extending parallel to the building plane of the building platform 1 (Pa [0103]), but does not explicitly teach a cleaning module, comprising two rollers having a soft material arranged thereon, a cleaning motor for moving the rollers and a cleaning substrate that extends over the two rollers in a circular shape, such that it can rotate continuously.
In the same field of endeavor, solid imaging system, Hull teaches that a second reciprocating transport surface, uncoating belt 56, is mounted on the carriage frame 35 and driven about wheels 58, one or both of which may be driven or another drive mechanism chosen, unlike the coating belt wheels, the uncoating belt wheel 58 that first contacts the uncoating belt with the build surface is somewhat flexible and resilient to press the belt into the build to remove uncured build material to the uncoating belt, and the uncoating belt can dab the build surface multiple times if necessary by moving the part away from the uncoating belt and moving the uncoating belt to a clean position and lowering the moving part back to contact the uncoating belt (Pa [0088] and Fig. 1G).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Gmeiner with the teachings of Hull and provide the uncoating belt driven about wheel 58 by drive mechanism for the purpose of removing excess uncured build material on the build after imaging.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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.
Claim 7 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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:
With respect to claim 7, the prior art (Gmeiner et al., US 2021/0187859), which is cited in the rejection, teaches the fastening system (Fig. 2), and wherein the substrate (“carrier film 4”) is connected to the central and movable fixing element (“an adjustable roller 18”), but fails to teach or suggest that the substrate is connected to the central and movable fixing element, with two connecting bars that are fixed to the two ends of the substrate and are connected to the fixing element with two C-shaped fixing elements. None of the prior arts teaches or suggests this claimed limitation.
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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