DM3D TECHNOLOGY, LLC

Patent Trials and Appeals Board

May 22, 2020

2019004468 (P.T.A.B. May. 22, 2020)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www.uspto.gov
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
14/885,369 10/16/2015 Bhaskar Dutta 152043.161477 8027
24335 7590 05/22/2020
WARNER NORCROSS + JUDD LLP
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GROUP
1500 WARNER BUILDING
150 OTTAWA AVE NW
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503
EXAMINER
MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
1718
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
05/22/2020 ELECTRONIC
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
following e-mail address(es):
patents@wnj.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte BHASKAR DUTTA
Appeal 2019-004468
Application 14/885,369
Technology Center 1700
Before KAREN M. HASTINGS, MICHAEL P. COLAIANNI, and
BRIAN D. RANGE, Administrative Patent Judges.
RANGE, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134(a), Appellant1 appeals from the
Examiner’s decision to reject claims 1, 3–6, 9–12, and 16. We have
jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
We AFFIRM.

1 We use the word “Appellant” to refer to “applicant” as defined in 37
C.F.R. § 1.42. Appellant identifies the real party in interest as DM3D
Technology, LLC. Appeal Br. 2.
Appeal 2019-004468
Application 14/885,369

2
CLAIMED SUBJECT MATTER2
Appellant describes the invention as relating to a method of preparing
a composite material with a metallic layer. Spec. ¶ 2. In particular, the
invention relates to using a buffer layer between a substrate and a metallic
layer in order to promote adhesion. Id. ¶ 17; see also id. ¶¶ 3–4 (explaining
problems concerning adhesion of adjoining materials). The Specification
suggests the method could be used to “convert soft tooling to production
tooling” but does not otherwise identify particular end uses for the material.
Spec. ¶¶ 52–53. Claim 1 is the only independent claim on appeal and is
illustrative:
1. A method of preparing a composite article, said method
comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate having a melting point temperature T 1,
the substrate comprising a metal or alloy comprising zinc, antimony,
tin, bismuth, indium, cadmium, gallium, aluminum, copper, or
combinations thereof;
forming a buffer layer having a melting point temperature T2
on the substrate, wherein the buffer layer is in direct physical contact
with the substrate, the buffer layer comprising a metal or alloy
comprising steel, nickel, copper, or combinations thereof; and
forming a metallic layer having a melting point temperature T3
on the buffer layer to prepare the composite article, the metallic layer
comprising a metal or alloy comprising steel, nickelchromium-based
alloys, cobalt-chromium alloys, tungsten, molybdenum, and
combinations thereof;
wherein Tl