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 § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (US 2018/0333913 A1) in view of Hull et al. (US 2011/0207057 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Lin meets the claimed method of operating an additive manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising: …a resin support (platform 101, Fig. 1, [0205]) through a deposition assembly with an application device (deposition head 105) of the deposition assembly in a first position to define a build thickness of resin on the resin support; (deposit the film of the viscous liquid 322 The controller is programmed to (i) engage the smoother roller 332 towards the print window 102 to a specified distance from the print window 102, Fig. 3A, [0214]) raising the application device from the first position (roller 332, Fig. 3A) to a second position; (roller 332, Fig. 3B) and …with the application device in the second position to define a flush thickness of the resin on the resin support. (Fig. 3C depicts roller 33s in the second position while translation of the application device. Furthermore, Lin teaches if the sensor detects a film that is out of tolerance (e.g., too thick, too thin, voids, lumps, etc), the controller operatively coupled to the sensor may direct the deposition head to clean the print window and re-deposit the film of the viscous liquid, see [0225]. Examiner notes that the “clean” action taught by Lin in [0225] refers the clean operation described in paragraph [0222]-[0223] which includes “deposition head 210 may travel to the cleaning zone 610”).
Lin does not teach translating a resin support and translating the resin support in the second position.
Hull teaches translating a resin support (Hull teaches a flexible transport imaging system indicated generally by the numeral 10, has a transparent transport means in the form of an endless belt 11, which is coated with the solidifiable liquid medium 24, [0031], Fig. 1).
The combination of Lin and Hull meets the claimed and translating the resin support in the second position.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the present application to combine the moving belt 11 of Hull with the additive manufacturing apparatus of Lin because it achieves a low cost solid imaging technique with the use of digital imaging projection in a manner that preserves object features and achieves object edge smoothness in three-dimensional object fabrication, see [0009].
Regarding claim 2, Lin as modified meets the claimed method of claim 1, further comprising: lowering the application device from the second position to the first position to define a flush zone of the resin on the resin support. (Fig. 3C depicts roller 33s in the second position while translation of the application device. Furthermore, Lin teaches if the sensor detects a film that is out of tolerance (e.g., too thick, too thin, voids, lumps, etc), the controller operatively coupled to the sensor may direct the deposition head to clean the print window and re-deposit the film of the viscous liquid, see [0225]. Examiner notes that the “clean” action taught by Lin in [0225] refers the clean operation described in paragraph [0222]-[0223] which includes “deposition head 210 may travel to the cleaning zone 610”).
Regarding claim 3, Lin as modified meets the claimed method of claim 1,method of claim 2, wherein the application device is lowered from the second position to the first position after the resin support has been translated a predefined distance. (Lin teaches the clean operation described in paragraph [0222]-[0223] which includes “deposition head 210 may travel to the cleaning zone 610” Examiner interprets the cleaning zone to be a predefined distance).
Regarding claim 4, Lin as modified meets the claimed method of claim 2, wherein the application device is lowered from the second position to the first position after the resin support has been translated for a predefined length of time. (Lin teaches adjusting the speed at which the build head moves away in a direction away from the print window, [0163]. Examiner notes the given a fixed distance, the adjustment of speed of the build head inherently results in adjusting the length of time it takes).
Regarding claim 5, Lin as modified meets the claimed method of claim 2, further comprising: translating the resin support with the application device in the first position; detecting a thickness of the resin through one or more sensors; determining a post-flush thickness of the resin support; and altering a position of the application device if the post-flush thickness deviates from the build thickness. (Lin teaches if the sensor detects a film that is out of tolerance (e.g., too thick, too thin, voids, lumps, etc), the controller operatively coupled to the sensor may direct the deposition head to clean the print window and re-deposit the film of the viscous liquid, see [0225]. Examiner notes that the “clean” action taught by Lin in [0225] refers the clean operation described in paragraph [0222]-[0223] which includes “deposition head 210 may travel to the cleaning zone 610” which meets the claimed “altering a position of the application device”).
Regarding claim 6, Lin as modified meets the claimed method of claim 1, wherein the additive manufacturing apparatus comprises: a stage configured to hold a component; (build heat 110, Fig. 1) a radiant energy device operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image; (light projection device 126 is a DLP device including a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) for producing patterned light that can selectively illuminate and cure the photoactive resin in the photoinitiation layer 130, [0209]) an actuator configured to change a position of the stage relative to the radiant energy device; (printing mechanisms 114 may include various mechanical structures for moving the build head 110 in a direction towards and/or away from the open platform 101, [0207]) and the deposition assembly positioned upstream of the stage and configured to deposit the resin on the resin support.(deposition head 105, Fig. 1, is depicted upstream).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-16 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 7, the prior art does not teach or suggest the method of claim 6, wherein the deposition assembly comprises: a reservoir housing configured to retain a volume of the resin between an upstream wall and a downstream wall; the application device operably coupled with the reservoir housing, wherein the application device is downstream of the downstream wall; a spreader assembly upstream of the application device, wherein the spreader assembly is configured to define an initial thickness of the resin upstream of the application device, and wherein the initial thickness is greater than the build thickness of the resin downstream of the application device.
Claims 8-16 are allowable because each claim depends from allowable claim 7.
Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hurwitt (US 3,991,149 A). Hurwitt teaches reservoir 10 in form of inverted-weir box 11, to make material distributed evenly onto the surface of the film at a predetermined thickness by an adjustable doctor blade 20 mounted at the open end of weir box 11, Col. 4, lines 4-28.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL M. ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)270-0467. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30AM-6PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sam Zhao can be reached at (571)270-5343. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL M. ROBINSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
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