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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/13/2023 is in compliance with the
provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the
invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the abutting member must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office
action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: Examiner understands Claim 4 as
claiming the existence of a center point (on the nozzle head), which bears no patentable weight as all objects have at least one center point. Examiner suggests rewording claim to increase clarity or cancelling claim. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: Use of "also" from "wherein the nozzle
tip portion also serves as the abutting member". As Claim 9 does not rely on Claim 8 (which establishes the nozzle tip portion as separate from the abutting member) the word "also" is not needed in Claim 9. Appropriate correction is required.
The claims as a whole appear to be a poor translation from the original Japanese document, the
Examiner suggests a thorough review before the response is filed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as
failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 pertains to the structure of a suction nozzle, however the abutting member, introduced in Claim 1 lines 9-13, as disclosed appears to be a separate component from the suction nozzle. It is unclear at this time that the applicant had possession at the time the application was filed of a suction nozzle wherein the abutting member is a structural component thereof.
Claims 2-11 are rejected as dependents of Claim 1.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yokoyama (US 2018/0092263 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Claim 1 discloses “the abutting surface being disposed between the tip surface and the opening
portion in the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion or at the same position as the opening portion”.
For the purpose of this examination, Examiner has interpreted the abutting member being
integrated within the nozzle tip, such that it is flush with the end of the tip surface or existing internally between the outer tip surface and the internal opening portion.
Yokoyama (US 2018/0092263 A1) teaches: a suction nozzle that is supplied with negative pressure air to pick up a component ([0036]), the suction nozzle comprising:
At least one nozzle tip portion formed in a tubular shape ([0059], Fig. 9 elements 245, 241b, 246c)
An elastic tubular member that is detachably provided on an outer periphery of the nozzle tip portion ([0048], Fig. 9 element 246b), and that extends in an extending direction of the nozzle tip portion from an opening portion of the nozzle tip portion ([0048], Fig. 9 elements 246a, 246b), the elastic tubular member being configured to elastically deform to conform to an uneven shape of a pickup surface of the component when a tip surface thereof is pressed against the pickup surface ([0064], Fig. 9 element 246b)
At least one abutting member having an abutting surface to abut against the pickup surface when the tip surface is pressed against the pickup surface and the elastic tubular member is elastically deformed ([0048, Fig. 9 element 246), the abutting surface being disposed between the tip surface and the opening portion in the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion or at the same position as the opening portion ([0048], Fig. 9 element 246a).
Regarding Claim 2:
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein
The elastic tubular member is provided to adhere to the outer periphery of the nozzle tip portion ([0048], Fig. 9 elements 246a, 241a), and when the tip surface is elastically deformed to conform to the uneven shape of the pickup surface ([0048], Fig. 9 element 246), as inside of the elastic tubular member is in an airtight state ([0060], Fig. 12 element 245b).
Regarding Claim 3:
As best understood by the Examiner, Claim 3 is disclosing the existence of a central point on a target object to be picked up.
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein,
In a plane orthogonal to the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion, a center of gravity of the component that is a pickup target is positioned inside the opening portion of single nozzle tip portion, or is positioned inside a region having a minimum peripheral length formed by including the opening portions of all of multiple nozzle tip portions ([0065]).
Regarding Claim 4:
As best understood by the Examiner, Claim 4 is disclosing the existence of a center position on the nozzle tip.
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein,
In a plane orthogonal to the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion, a centroid position of a region having a minimum peripheral length formed by including the opening portion of single nozzle tip portion or the opening portions of all of multiple nozzle tip portions is included inside single abutting surface or inside a region having a minimum peripheral length formed by including all of multiple abutting surfaces ([0053]).
Regarding Claim 5:
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein
The suction nozzle has the nozzle tip portion and the butting member that are integrally provided on a lower side ([0048]), and is attached to a nozzle holding section configured to be liftable and lowerable in a component mounter ([0035], Fig. 2 elements 21, 22a).
Regarding Claim 6:
As best understood by the Examiner, Claim 6 relates to the existence of an undefined,
unapplied length or distance value. As such, Claim 6 is being examined as claiming anything of any arbitrary, relative size.
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein
A first dimension indicating a distance between the abutting surface and the tip surface in the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion is set within a range in which the tip surface can be elastically deformed such that the tip surface conforms to the uneven shape and an excessively large reaction force is not generated when the elastic tubular member is elastically deformed ([0065]).
Regarding Claim 7:
As best understood by the Examiner, Claim 7 relates to the existence of an undefined,
unapplied length or distance value. As such, Claim 7 is being examined as claiming anything of any arbitrary, relative size.
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein
A second dimension indicating a distance between the tip surface and the opening portion in the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion is set within a range in which the tip surface can be elastically deformed such that the tip surface conforms to the uneven shape and a buckling phenomenon does not occur in the elastic tubular member ([0064]).
Regarding Claim 8:
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein
The nozzle tip portion is separate from the abutting member ([0048], Fig. 9 elements 241a, 246b).
Regarding Claim 9:
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: [a] suction nozzle wherein
The nozzle tip portion also serves as the butting member ([0048]).
Regarding Claim 10:
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 1
Yokoyama teaches: a component mounter comprising:
[a] suction nozzle; and a component supply device configured to supply the component
Regarding Claim 11:
Yokoyama teaches the relied upon elements of Claim 10
Yokoyama teaches: [a] component mounter further comprising:
A nozzle holding section configured to hold the suction nozzle downward in a posture in which the extending direction of the nozzle tip portion is downward ([0035], Fig. 2),
A lifting and lowering drive section configured to drive the nozzle holding section to be lifted and lowered ([0035], Fig. 2 element 22); and
An elastic body provided in the suction nozzle or the nozzle holding section and configured to change a relative height of the suction nozzle with respect to the nozzle holding section according to a dimension of which the elastic body expands and contracts in an up-down direction ([0043], Fig. 5element 27), the elastic body having a predetermined extension dimension at a time point when the nozzle holding section is driven to be lowered by the lifting and lowering drive section and the lowering of the nozzle holding section is started ([0045]), and having an intermediate dimension between a predetermined shortened dimension and the extension dimension at a time point when the abutting surface abuts against the pickup surface ([0045]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US-20150314457-A1, DE-102018108727-B3, KR-200415869-Y1.
US-20150314457 A1 teaches an adjustable lifting head that makes use of localized suction. This
lifting head proves relevant as it details use of a deformable cup such as to conform to lifted objects.
DE-102018108727-B3 similarly teaches a deformable nozzle head meant to adapt to lifted
surfaces.
KR-200415869-Y1 also teaches a series of deformable nozzle heads and the system of using them
to lift complex surfaces.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DELAINEY MACK whose telephone number is (571)270-0758. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30am-4:30pm, Friday variable.
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, Victoria Augustine can be reached at (313)446-4858. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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DM
/Victoria P Augustine/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
