PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16059275
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-08
Publication Date: 2018-12
Patent Classification: ["425", "375000"]

Abstract:
An apparatus and method for the automated manufacturing of three-dimensional ( 3 D) composite-based objects is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a material feeder, a printer, a powder system, a transfer system, and optionally a fuser. The method comprises inserting a stack of substrate sheets into a material feeder, transferring a sheet of the stack from the material feeder to a printer, depositing fluid on the single sheet while the sheet rests on a printer platen, transferring the sheet from the printer to a powder system, depositing powder onto the single sheet such that the powder adheres to the areas of the sheet onto which the printer has deposited fluid, removing any powder that did not adhere to the sheet, optionally melting the powder on the substrate, and repeating the steps for as many additional sheets as required for making a specified  3 D object.

Claim (Index 44):
The method of  claim 14 , wherein the Coanda gripper grips a sheet at the top of the stack of substrate sheets by performance of a method comprising the steps of:\n sending a signal to a stepper motor of an XYZ positioner that controls the Z movement of the Coanda gripper; lowering the Coanda gripper towards the top of the stack of substrate sheets; sending a signal to turn on forced air to the Coanda gripper by activating it; sending a signal to the stepper motors which causes shafts of the stepper motors to rotate so that hold-down prongs connected to the shafts rotate towards the stack of substrate sheets and feet of the material feeder and thereof pass through notches in the sheet at the top of the stack; sending a signal, by the stepper motors, to a controller; sending a signal, by the controller, to a manifold instructing it to open valves supplying air to the feet, causing forced air to pass through vents and thus between the top substrate sheet and a second sheet engaged by the feet; and lifting the top substrate sheet via Coanda forces of the Coanda gripper.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 20.0
- Percentile: 96.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.27143
- Patent Class: 425.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15611320', '15922469', '10782323', '15803199', '15722653']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.6519256835487466
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5452384283025478
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.6412569580241267
- Mean Citation Score: 186.4833852
- Max Citation Score: 395.5807
- Similarity Product: 244.5072232271552

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test