Appeal No. 2004-2034
Application No. 09/917,096
There is no dispute that Lewis, like appellants, discloses a
method for direct metal deposition that is controlled by a
computer-aided design program in order to impart different
properties to the article being coated, which article may be a
tool or die. As recognized by the examiner, Lewis fails to teach
the presently claimed optical monitoring of a physical dimension
which allows for the feedback control of the dimension. However,
we fully concur with the examiner that Jeantette evidences the
obviousness of employing such a feedback control system in the
process of Lewis. As explained by the examiner, the reference
“teaches that optical monitoring for feedback control is used in
order to prevent variations in layer thickness when depositing
powder into a melt pool that a laser creates (column 8, lines
28-60)” (page 4 of answer, last paragraph). While appellants
maintain that the feedback system of Jeantette is very different
from that of appellants, in that a triangulation system is used
to estimate the layer of thickness as a function of energy input,
we are in complete agreement with the examiner that there is
nothing in the claimed step of “automatically controlling the
physical dimension . . .” which serves to distinguish over the
feedback control system of Jeantette described at column 8,
4
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