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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1-8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Re. claim 1: The phrase “the moving section is configured to move target equipment” as recited in line 9 appears to be --the moving section is configured to move a target equipment--.
Re. claim 5: The phrase “comprising: a setting section configured to” as recited in lines 1-2 appears to be –further comprising: a setting section configured to--.
The phrase “when a part of multiple the target components” as recited in line 3 appears to be --when a part of multiple target components--.
Re. claim 6: The phrase “comprising: a confirmation section configured to perform confirmation processing” as recited in lines 2-3 appears to be –further comprising: a confirmation section configured to perform a confirmation processing--.
Re. claim 7: The phrase “the confirmation section performs image processing on the image data” as recited in line 5 appears to be --the confirmation section performs the image processing on the image data--.
Re. claim 8: The phrase “the moving section comprises moving target equipment” as recited in line 9 appears to be --the moving section comprises moving a target equipment--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Re. claim 5: The phrase “the target component included in the lighting area is picked up in a first one of the pick-and-place cycles and the target component left out of the lighting area is picked up in a second one of the pick-and-place cycles subsequent to the first one of the pick-and-place cycles” as recited in lines 5-8 renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear as to whether the target component as recited in lines 5 is the same target component as recited in line 7 or not.
Re. claim 7: The phrase “the pallet sideways” as recited in line 3 lacks antecedent basis.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Itaru et al. (JP 2018171688 A).
Itaru et al. teach a component confirmation device (as per claim 1) and a component confirmation method (as per claim 8) for imaging components arranged in a pallet before the components are picked up to confirm the components based on a captured image of the components, comprising: a moving section, wherein a pick-and-place cycle is defined as a cycle from when a mounting head (3, Fig. 3, paragraph [0014]) configured to pick up and mount a component (W) on a board (7, ST6, Fig. 6) starts picking up a target component (W, ST5, Fig. 6) that is at least one of the components that the mounting head picks up at one time until when the mounting head mounts the target component on the board as shown in Figs. 3-6, and the moving section is configured to move a target equipment that is a first one of a lighting device (5, ST2, Fig. 3, paragraphs [0014], [0018], [0029]) configured to illuminate the target component and the pallet, relative to a second one of the lighting device and the pallet as required every pick-and-place cycles, in imaging of the target component as shown in Figs. 3-5 (see also paragraphs [0033]-[0036]).
Re. Claim 2: The moving section moves the target equipment so that the target component which is to be picked up in one of the pick-and-place cycles is included in a lighting area where the target component can be illuminated by the lighting device as shown in Fig. 3 (ST2, paragraph [0009]).
Re. claim 3: The moving section moves the target equipment so that the number of target components which are included in the lighting area becomes maximum as shown in Figs. 3-6 and 15-19 (ST2-ST6 and ST23-ST32, paragraphs [0058]-[0066]).
Re. claim 4: The moving section moves the target equipment so that a characteristic section provided on an upper surface of the target component for confirmation of the target component is included in the lighting area as shown in Fig. 4 (paragraph [0030]).
Re. claim 5: A setting section configured to, when a part of multiple the target components (W1, W2) which are to be picked up in one of the pick-and-place cycles is left out of a lighting area that can be illuminated by the lighting device (ST22-ST26), set the pick-and-place cycle so that the target component included in the lighting area is picked up in a first one of the pick-and-place cycles and the target component left out of the lighting area is picked up in a second one of the pick-and-place cycles (ST27-ST30) subsequent to the first one of the pick-and-place cycles as shown in Figs. 13-19 (paragraphs [0058]-[0066]).
Re. claim 6: A confirmation section configured to perform confirmation processing of performing image processing on image data obtained by imaging the target component to confirm at least whether the target component is correct one among whether the target component to be picked up by the mounting head is correct one and an angle in picking up the target component as shown in Figs. 5-7 (paragraphs [0036]-[0038]).
Re. claim 7: The lighting device illuminates the target component arranged in the pallet, and the confirmation section performs the image processing on the image data to recognize a character (such as a position of a center, Fig. 4) affixed to an upper surface of the target component for confirmation of the target component and performs the confirmation processing based on the recognized character (paragraphs [0030]-[0033]).
The Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Imura (US PAT. 12,262,480), Oishiet et al. (US PAT. 11,305,432), Hiraki (US PAT. 8,205,328), and Kawai (US PAT. 11,272,650) are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to a component confirmation device .
Conclusion
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