IN THE UNITED STATES PA TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`PA TENT
`
`Date:
`
`December 3, 2013
`
`Serial No.:
`Conf. No.:
`
`12/346,341
`9315
`
`Filing Date:
`
`December 30, 2008
`
`Applicant:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Title:
`
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MASS CUSTOM
`
`MANUFACTURING OF DENTAL CROWNS AND CROWN
`
`COMPONENTS
`
`Examiner:
`Art Unit:
`
`Telephone:
`Facsimile:
`
`SIVANESAN, Sivalingam
`2121
`
`(571) 270-7258
`(571 ) 273-8300
`
`Filed Electronically Via EFS-WEB
`
`Commissioner for Patents
`
`P.O. Box 1450
`
`Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
`
`Sir:
`
`AMENDMENT - RCE
`
`This Amendment is a submission and a request for continued examination
`
`pursuant to the requirements of filing a Request for Continued Examination under
`
`37 C.F.R. 1.114. Prosecution of the merits of this application was closed
`
`pursuant to a Final Office Action. Please enter the following Amendment to the
`
`above-identified Application. Continued Examination and reconsideration of the
`
`Application is respectfully requested. Please charge any deficiency or credit any
`
`overpayment with respect to this Amendment, including any required extension
`
`fee, to deposit account number 50-4104.
`
`4840-2066-6647.1
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001 -001
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-001
`
`
`
`PA TENT
`
`Date:
`
`December 3, 2013
`
`Serial No.:
`Conf. No.:
`
`12/346,341
`9315
`
`Filing Date:
`
`December 30, 2008
`
`Applicant:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Title:
`
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MASS CUSTOM
`
`MANUFACTURING OF DENTAL CROWNS AND CROWN
`
`COMPONENTS
`
`Examiner:
`Art Unit:
`
`Telephone:
`Facsimile:
`
`SIVANESAN, Sivalingam
`2121
`
`(571) 270-7258
`(571 ) 273-8300
`
`Filed Electronically Via EFS-WEB
`
`Commissioner for Patents
`
`P.O. Box 1450
`
`Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
`
`Sir:
`
`AMENDMENT - RCE
`
`This Amendment is a submission and a request for continued examination
`
`pursuant to the requirements of filing a Request for Continued Examination under
`
`37 C.F.R. 1.114. Prosecution of the merits of this application was closed
`
`pursuant to a Final Office Action. Please enter the following Amendment to the
`
`above-identified Application. Continued Examination and reconsideration of the
`
`Application is respectfully requested. Please charge any deficiency or credit any
`
`overpayment with respect to this Amendment, including any required extension
`
`fee, to deposit account number 50-4104.
`
`4840-2066-6647.1
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001 -001
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-001
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS
`
`1.
`
`(withdrawn) A method of Mass Custom Manufacturing of dental crowns and
`
`crown components comprising the steps of:
`
`obtaining digital file information of a dental condition representative of the
`
`condition of a patient’s mouth;
`
`creating automatically a master electronic file based upon the information, the
`
`master electronic file including a virtual model and a virtual final external
`
`shape of an ideal tooth of a restoration within the virtual model for the
`
`patient;
`
`deconstructing from the master file to design two or more components of the
`
`restoration.
`
`2.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of
`
`manufacturing said two or more components based upon data from said master file.
`
`3.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the components are
`
`made from an end state material or through a controllable process that results in the
`
`material assuming end state properties.
`
`4.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said step of
`
`manufacturing comprises the step of controlling multiple manufacturing machines
`
`simultaneously, multiple machines sequentially, or a single machine sequentially, by a
`
`central control system.
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -2-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-002
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-002
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`5.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the step of
`
`learning adaptively from said prior creating, deconstruction and/or manufacturing steps.
`
`6.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said central control
`
`system is capable of simultaneously manufacturing said two or more components on
`
`two or more different machines.
`
`7.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said central control
`
`system controls machines for manufacturing any of implant abutments, temporary
`
`crowns, cores/copings, crown molds and crowns.
`
`8.
`
`(withdrawn) The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said deconstructing step
`
`comprises the step of:
`
`subtracting a thickness of an outer component from the final external shape of
`
`the restoration to determine a shape and orientation of an inner
`
`component.
`
`9.
`
`(withdrawn) A system for Mass Custom Manufacturing of crowns and crown
`
`components comprising:
`
`a data input device for obtaining digital file information of dental condition
`
`representative of the real condition of a patient’s mouth; and
`
`a master file based upon data from said data input device, said master file
`
`containing data regarding at least two components of the restoration.
`
`10.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -3-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-003
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-003
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`a central controller; and
`
`at least one manufacturing machine controlled by said central controller.
`
`11.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said at least one
`
`machine comprises multiple machines controlled simultaneously to manufacture said at
`
`least two components.
`
`12.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said at least one
`
`machine comprises a single machine controlled sequentially to manufacture said at
`
`least two components .
`
`13.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said central controller
`
`controls a CAD system for creating said master file.
`
`14.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said central controller
`
`controls a robot capable of unloading finished pieces from said machines.
`
`15.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 14 where said robot is further
`
`capable of loading and unloading raw materials, packages/boxes with models, and
`
`models.
`
`16.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said central controller
`
`provides updates to a design file in a CAD system that creates said master file.
`
`17.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said data input device
`
`comprises 8 scanner.
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -4-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-004
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-004
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`18.
`
`(withdrawn) The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein said scanner is utilized to
`
`scan a model or impression of the patients mouth, said model or impression being
`
`representative of the condition of the patient’s mouth.
`
`19.
`
`(currently amended) A method of Mass Custom Manufacturing of dental crowns
`
`and crown components comprising the steps of:
`
`
`
` ' 'g§§__master electronic file including a virtual model including a final
`
`external shape of a virtual ideal tooth replacement of a restoration for a
`
`patient;
`
`utilizing said master file to manufacture in a coordinated, sequential,
`
`simultaneous or partly simultaneous and partly sequential, manner,
`
`
`
` two or more components of a '
`
`ggwdental restoration; and
`
`wherein said two or more components of said dental restoration mate together to
`
`make up a single ;;_‘dental restoration; or
`
`wherein at least one of said two or more components is utilized to make one or
`
`more pieces that mates together with at least one other of said two or
`
`more components to make up a single
`
`
`*
`-Ldental
`
`restoration.
`
`20.
`
`(original) The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein at least one of said
`
`components is a collateral component.
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -5-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-005
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-005
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`21.
`
`(original) A method of making a plurality of prosthodontic pieces sized for
`
`positioning within a patient's mouth, said method comprising the steps of:
`
`providing information to a machine for manufacturing dental crowns or crown
`
`components regarding a crown or component to be manufactured;
`
`operating said machine to manufacture individual crowns or crown components
`
`from a stock material that is fed into the machine;
`
`operating said machine to place a unique identification mark on each crown or
`
`crown component as it is manufactured by said machine; and
`
`using said identification mark to avoid confusion between a plurality of individual
`
`crowns or crown components produced.
`
`22.
`
`(original) The method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the plurality of individual
`
`crowns or crown components produced are manufactured by multiple different
`
`machines at a central Mass Custom Manufacturing facility.
`
`23.
`
`(original) The method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising the step of
`
`inspecting for quality each crown or crown component that is manufactured and
`
`packaging the crown or crown component following said inspection step.
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -6-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001 -006
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-006
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`A.
`
`Introduction
`
`REMARKS
`
`Claims 1 to 23 are currently pending in the application; claims 1 to 18
`
`have been withdrawn from consideration. By the Office Action claims 19-20 were
`
`rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph, as falling to comply with the written
`
`description requirement, and under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as being anticipated by Schmitt
`
`(US 2006/0040236).
`
`In response, the rejections are traversed.
`
`Reconsideration and allowance of all the pending claims are requested in view of
`
`the following remarks.
`
`B.
`
`35 U.S.C. § 112 Rejections
`
`In the Office Action the Examiner rejects claims 19-20 under 35 U.S.C. §
`
`112, first paragraph, as falling to comply with the written description requirement. More
`
`specifically, the Examiner asserts that certain limitations within the claims are “not
`
`supported anywhere by the disclosure of either the application No. 11/023950 or the
`
`application No. 11/107519 or the provisional applications ( numbers 60/543,038,
`
`60/566,855, and 60/631 ,102).” The Examiner never asserts that the cited limitations are
`
`not supported in the instant application.
`
`Instead, the Examiner’s 112 rejection appears
`
`to be an inappropriate restatement of the Examiner’s position on the Applicant’s
`
`asserted priority. As the claim limitations referenced by the Examiner are in fact fully
`
`supported by the disclosure of the instant application (Application No. 12/346,341), the
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -7-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-007
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-007
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`Applicant respectfully requests that the Examiner’s rejections under 35 U.S.C § 112 be
`
`withdrawn.
`
`C.
`
`35 U.S.C. § 102 Rejections:
`
`In the Office Action the Examiner rejects claims 19-20 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)
`
`as being anticipated by Schmitt (US 2006/0040236). The Applicant respectfully
`
`traverses this rejection, as Schmitt fails to disclose a single master file that is utilized
`
`to manufacture two or more components of a single artificial tooth of a dental
`
`restoration in the manner currently claimed by the Applicant. To the contrary, Schmitt
`
`utilizes multiple digital models to produce a single component (the “substructure”).
`
`Moreover, the component of Schmitt is n_ot an artificial tooth, it does not replace the
`
`tooth structure at all.
`
`Instead, the component of Schmitt is a substructure to support an
`
`artificial tooth/teeth that is manufactured separately from the substructure.
`
`For the reasons discussed above, the Applicant respectfully requests that the
`
`Examiner’s rejections under 35 U.S.C § 102 be withdrawn.
`
`D.
`
`Conclusion
`
`As it is believed the application is in condition for allowance, a prompt and
`
`favorable consideration of the application and Notice of Allowance are respectfully
`
`requested.
`
`If the claims are not found to be in condition for allowance, the Examiner is
`
`requested to contact the undersigned to schedule an interview before mailing the next
`
`Office Action. Any communication initiated by this paragraph should be deemed an
`
`“Applicant—lnitiated lnterview.” The foregoing amendment and remarks are believed to
`
`be responsive to every matter raised in the office action.
`
`If, however, some matter has
`
`been overlooked, an opportunity to correct the oversight would be appreciated.
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -8-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-008
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-008
`
`
`
`INVENTOR:
`
`SAGER, Robert David
`
`Serial No.
`
`12/346,341
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`/Bryan P. Stanleyl
`Bryan P. Stanley
`Patent Office Reg. No. 44,352
`KUTAK ROCK LLP
`
`1010 Grand Boulevard
`
`Suite 500
`
`Kansas City, Missouri 64106
`Telephone:
`(816) 502-4645
`Facsimile:
`(816)960-0041
`
`Attorneys for Applicant
`
`4840—2066—6647.1
`
`Page -9-
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-009
`
`ZIRCORE EX. 2001-009
`
`
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