DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The following is in reply to the applicants submission (e.g. amendment, remarks, etc.) filed on August 25, 2025.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Election/Restrictions
Claim 15 continues to remain as withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on May 13, 2025.
Specification
The objection to the specification in the previous office action1 has been withdrawn in light of the amendment to the Title.
Claim Objections
The objections to the claims in the previous office action have been withdrawn in light of the amendment to Claim 12.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) in the previous office action have been withdrawn in light of the amendments to the claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicants arguments filed as part of their submission with respect to Claims 1 through 14 and 16 through 20 have been fully considered, but are now moot because the following new grounds of rejections do not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1 through 6, 13, 14, 16 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Publication 2015/0245497 to Iwata et al (hereinafter “Iwata”).
Claim 1: Iwata discloses a parts mounting system (e.g. Figs. 1, 2) comprising:
a parts mounting device (e.g. 6, 8, 9, 10, etc.) configured to mount parts (e.g. P) on a board (e.g. 2);
a parts storage (e.g. 5) configured to store the parts supplied to the parts mounting device; and
a controller (e.g. 40, 50, Fig. 4) configured or programmed to perform a control to detect whether or not an unloading order (e.g. parts unloaded or taken-out from tray, ¶ [0042]) can be changed based on whether or not the parts can be supplied to the parts mounting device in time in a changed unloading order [from a first board type to a second board type] when an order (e.g. in Fig. 5A or 5B) in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage is changed (e.g. Fig. 7).
Claim 2: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to query (e.g. arrangement data in Fig. 5A or 5B) in advance a worker (operator) involved in changing the unloading order regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed (e.g. ¶ [0055]).
Claim 3: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to notify the worker involved in changing the unloading order of a detection result of whether or not the unloading order can be changed when the worker involved in changing the unloading order is queried in advance (to mounting) regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed (e.g. ST3 or ST8, Fig. 7, ¶ [0062]) .
Claims 4 and 16: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claims 2 or 3, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to refrain from changing the order [e.g. ST4 - Y] in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage when the worker who has been queried regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed responds that the unloading order cannot be permitted to be changed, and to change the order (e.g. ST5) in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage when the worker who has been queried regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed responds that the unloading order can be permitted to be changed (e.g. Fig. 7, ¶ [0060]) .
Claim 5: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to change the order (e.g. ST11) in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage even when the worker who has been queried regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed does not respond within a predetermined period of time (e.g. Fig. 7).
Claims 6 and 17: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claims 2 or 3, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to allow whether or not the worker involved in changing the unloading order is queried in advance regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed to be set therein (e.g. ¶ [0062]).
Claim 13: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 2 to 12, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to detect whether or not the order in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage is changed based on an unloading priority (e.g. ST4 or ST5, in Fig. 7), and to query in advance the worker involved in changing the unloading order regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed when it is detected that the order in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage is changed.
Claim 14: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 13, further comprising:
a plurality of mounting lines (e.g. upper and lower, Fig. 1) including the parts mounting device;
wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to query (e.g. Figs. 5A or 5B) in advance the worker in charge of a mounting line (upper or lower, Fig. 1) involved in changing the unloading order among the plurality of mounting lines regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed when it is detected that the order in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage is changed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 7 through 12 and 18 through 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwata in view of U.S. Publication 2014/0200700 to Kamioka et al (hereinafter “Kamioka”).
Iwata discloses the claimed parts mounting machine as relied upon above in Claims 1 through 3.
Claims 7 and 18: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according claim 2 or 3, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to query in advance the worker involved in changing the unloading order regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed in response to an unloading order change request.
Iwata does not mention that the control to query in advance the worker involved in changing the unloading order regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed in response to an unloading order change request is from another worker.
Claim 8: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to change the order in which the parts are unloaded from the parts storage such that a turn is advanced (e.g. from one tray to another tray) in response to the unloading order change request from the worker.
Claim 12: Iwata discloses the parts mounting system according to claim 2, further comprising:
a plurality of mounting lines (upper and lower in Fig. 1) including the parts mounting device; wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to query in advance the worker in charge of a mounting line (e.g. upper or lower) involved in changing the unloading order other than a specific mounting line among the plurality of mounting lines regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed in response to the unloading order change request from the worker in charge of the specific mounting line.
Iwata does not teach that the controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to query in advance the worker in charge of a mounting line involved in changing the unloading order other than a specific mounting line among the plurality of mounting lines regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed in response to the unloading order change request from another worker in charge of the specific mounting line.
Kamioka teaches a parts mounting system (Fig. 1) where a controller is configured or programmed to perform a control to query in advance a worker (one operator) in charge of a mounting line involved in changing the unloading order other than a specific mounting line among the plurality of mounting lines regarding whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed in response to the unloading order change request from another worker (another operator) in charge of the specific mounting line. This benefit of having separate workers increases production efficiency when multiple mounting lines are involved (e.g. ¶¶ [0022] to [0026]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the parts mounting system of Iwata by adding another worker, as taught by Kamioka, the increase production efficiency of the parts mounting machine with multiple mounting lines.
Regarding Claims 9 through 11 and 19 and 20, along with additional workers, Kamioka further teaches a mobile terminal can be carried by each worker to create an unloading order change request, such that the mobile terminal is configured to display an unloading order list and an unloading priority (e.g. Fig. 6a or 6b). The controller of Kamioka is configured or programmed to perform a control to notify the mobile terminal carried by each worker in changing the unloading order of a query whether or not to permit the unloading order to be changed (e.g. ¶¶ [0107] to [0110], [0124]). The benefit of this allows each operator to contribute to the efficiency of the operation of the parts mounting system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Iwata by adding a mobile terminal for each operator, as taught by Kamioka, to allow each of the operators to contribute to the operating efficiency of the parts mounting system.
Conclusion
Applicants amendment filed as part of their submission, has necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to A. DEXTER TUGBANG whose telephone number is (571)272-4570. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JESSICA HAN can be reached at (571) 272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/A. DEXTER TUGBANG/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896
1 Non-Final action, mailed on June 2, 2025
Prosecution Insights