DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This office action is a response to the amendment filed on 3/27/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7, 11-14, 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et al. (US PAT. 10,477,746) in view of Ando et al. (US PAT. 5,084,959).
Kobayashi et al. teach a board manufacturing system comprising: a mounting line (L1, Fig. 1, col. 4, lines 35-39) including a plurality of board work devices (M3 to M6, Fig. 2, col. 5, lines 28-32), wherein the plurality of board work devices includes a component mounting device (10, Fig. 4) configured to mount a component (D) on a board (B); an autonomous mobile cart (V, Figs. 1 and 10) configured to transport an object (C) used in the board work devices of the mounting line (col. 4, line 57 to col. 5, line 23 and col. 12, lines 52-65); a robot arm (122, Fig. 23) on the autonomous mobile cart and configured to transport the object (123) used in the board work devices to the board work devices (col. 23, lines 10-48); and a controller (55, Fig. 15B) in the autonomous mobile cart and configured or programmed to control driving of the robot arm (col. 20, line 54 to col. 21, line 55); wherein the board work devices include a working unit configured to work on the board as shown in Fig. 3; and the controller is configured or programmed to control the driving of the robot arm such that the robot arm transports the object used in the board work devices into and out of the board work devices within a movable range of the working unit in the board work devices in a plan view as shown in Fig. 1 and the controller is configured or programmed to control the driving of the robot arm such that the robot arm delivers and receives the object (the component C or 123) used in the board work devices to and from the working unit (such as the component mounting device, 10) in the board work devices as shown in Fig. 4 (see also the controllers in the system how to manage the devices, Figs. 14, 15A and 15B, col. 27, line 10 to col. 28, line 42).
However, Kobayashi et al. silent the robot arm delivers and receives the object used in the board work devices to and from a mounting head that mounts the component on the board corresponding to the working unit in the board work devices. Ando et al. teach a chip mounting apparatus including a robot arm (1, Fig. 1), which delivers and receives an object (7) used in a component mounting device to and from a mounting head (2) that mounts the component on a board (5) corresponding to the working unit in the component mounting device as shown in Fig. 1 (col. 2, line 50 to col. 3, line 15). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify a board manufacturing system of Kobayashi et al. by a mounting head that mounts the component on the board as taught by Ando et al. in order to allows the robot to move more efficiently and capable of mounting the chip correctly on the chip mounting position in a shorter period of time.
Re. claim 3: Kobayashi et al. also teach that the board work devices are configured to recognize the object transported into the movable range of the working unit and receive the object from the robot arm with the working unit based on a recognition result as shown in Fig. 4 (col. 6, line 55 to col. 7, line 28).
Re. claim 4: Kobayashi et al. also teach that the board work devices are configured to recognize a type of the object (such as a plurality of components) transported into the movable range of the working unit (col. 5, lines 28-57).
Re. claim 5: Kobayashi et al. also teach that the board work devices include a camera (12) configured to recognize the board to be worked on, and are configured to image the object transported into the movable range of the working unit with the camera and recognize the object based on an imaging result as shown in Fig. 4 (col. 7, lines 1-9).
Re. claim 7: Kobayashi et al. also teach that a server (3) is configured to communicate with the autonomous mobile cart (T, Fig. 1)and the plurality of board work devices, wherein the server is configured to receive information on a demanded object from the board work devices and transmit, to the corresponding autonomous mobile cart, an instruction to transport the object to the board work devices (col. 4,line 48 to col. 5, line 23).
Re. claim 11: Kobayashi et al. also teach that the object used in the board work devices includes a nozzle (10b, Fig. 4, col. 6, lines 20-23) configured to suction the component (D).
Re. claim 12: Kobayashi et al. also teach autonomous mobile cart including an autonomous mobile cart main body, a robot arm on the autonomous mobile cart main body, a controller in the autonomous mobile cart main body (see also claim 1).
Re. claim 13: Kobayashi et al. also teach a board manufacturing method in a mounting line including a plurality of board work devices, the plurality of board work devices including a component mounting device configured to mount a component on a board, comprising steps of: transporting an object used in the board work devices of the mounting line by an autonomous mobile cart as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 10); driving a robot arm (Fig. 23) such that the robot arm transports the object used in the board work devices into and out of the board work devices within a movable range of a working unit configured to work on the board in the board work devices in a plan view (col. 23, lines 10-48); and driving the robot arm such that the robot arm delivers and receives the object used in the board work devices to and from the working unit in the board work devices as shown in Figs. 1-4 and 23.
Re. claim 14: Kobayashi et al. also teach that the board work devices include a camera (12) configured to recognize the board to be worked on, and are configured to image the object transported into the movable range of the working unit with the camera and recognize the object based on an imaging result as shown in Fig. 4 (col. 7, lines 1-9).
Re. claim 16: Kobayashi et al. also teach that a server (3) is configured to communicate with the autonomous mobile cart (T, Fig. 1)and the plurality of board work devices, wherein the server is configured to receive information on a demanded object from the board work devices and transmit, to the corresponding autonomous mobile cart, an instruction to transport the object to the board work devices (col. 4,line 48 to col. 5, line 23).
Re. claim 20: Kobayashi et al. also teach that the object used in the board work devices includes a nozzle (10b, Fig. 4, col. 6, lines 20-23) configured to suction the component (D).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3-5, 7, 11-14, 16 and 20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment 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 PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM.
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/PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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