DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim(s) 1-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (specifically, an abstract idea) without significantly more.
As per the 2019 Patent Eligibility Guidance, claim(s) 1-16 are eligible as per the Step 1 (statutory) analysis.
However, as per the Step 2A Prong One (abstract idea, law of nature or natural phenomenon) analysis, the claimed invention in claim(s) 1 is directed to a judicial exception (specifically, an abstract idea); this is because independent claim 1 recites receiving data and manipulating the data by grouping data based on user input, all of which fall under a sub-category of abstract ideas, namely mental processes.
As per the Step 2A Prong Two (practical application) analysis, this judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because claim(s) 1 simply recite data gathering and manipulation which are not incorporated into any such practical application which applies the gathered and manipulated data other than displaying the data, which is no more than an extra-solution activity.
As per the Step 2B (significantly more) analysis, claim(s) 1 does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the claims only recite functional units where the functions (of gather and manipulating data) are related to one another, without the recitation of any non-generic hardware that incorporates such data gathering and manipulation. The only hardware fall under generic hardware such as displays that simply display the manipulated data.
Dependent claim 2 recites a loading inspection device connected to the management device to allow data communication and configured to inspect the component loading board based on a loading board image indicating an image of the component loading board, wherein the management communication unit is configured to acquire, from the loading inspection device, loading position offset data indicating an offset amount of a loading position of the component with respect to the board in the component loading process, and the loading board image, the management storage unit is configured to accumulate and store data in which the loading position offset data is further associated with the loading board image as the management data, the management controller is configured to control the management display unit such that, when the command to select the one piece of parameter information from the various pieces of parameter information is input via the management operation unit, at least one position offset distribution of loading position offset distribution indicating distribution of a data group of the loading position offset data focusing on the one piece of parameter information and the suction position offset distribution is displayed, and the management controller is configured to control the management display unit such that, when a command to select one or more specific position offset data from the data group of the position offset distribution is input via the management operation unit, with the at least one position offset distribution of the suction position offset distribution and the loading position offset distribution displayed in the management display unit, the various processing state images and the loading board image corresponding to the specific position offset data are displayed simultaneously with the position offset distribution. As can be seen above, claim 2 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 2 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 2 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 3 recites a pattern inspection device connected to the management device to allow data communication and configured to inspect a pattern forming board based on a pattern board image indicating an image of the pattern forming board on which a solder paste pattern used in the component loading process is formed; and a reflow inspection device connected to the management device to allow data communication and configured to inspect a reflow board based on a reflow board image indicating an image of the reflow board after a reflow process is applied to the component loading board, wherein the management communication unit is configured to acquire the pattern board image from the pattern inspection device and to acquire the reflow board image from the reflow inspection device, the management storage unit is configured to accumulate and store data in which the pattern board image is further associated with the reflow board image as the management data, and the management controller is configured to control the management display unit such that, when the command to select the one or more specific position offset data from the data group of the position offset distribution is input via the management operation unit, with the at least one position offset distribution of the suction position offset distribution and the loading position offset distribution displayed in the management display unit, the various processing state images, the loading board image, the pattern board image, and the reflow board image corresponding to the specific position offset data are displayed simultaneously with the position offset distribution. As can be seen above, claim 3 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 3 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 3 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 4 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 4 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 4 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 5 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 5 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 5 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 6 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 6 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 6 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 7 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 7 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 7 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 8 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 8 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 8 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 9 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 9 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 9 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 10 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 10 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 10 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 11 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 11 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 11 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 12 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 12 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 12 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 13 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 13 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 13 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 14 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 14 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 14 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 15 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 15 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 15 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
Dependent claim 16 continues to further recite receiving data and again manipulating the data by grouping the data based on user input, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong One. Claim 16 further does not recite incorporating the data gathering and manipulation into any practical application, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2A Prong Two. Finally, claim 16 does not recite significant additional elements to overcome the judicial exception, thus being similarly ineligible as claim 1 as per Step 2B.
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
a. U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0192522 by Taniguchi et al., which discloses component mounting and evaluation of component supply device (Title/Abstract).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Saad M. Kabir whose telephone number is 571-270-0608 (direct fax number is 571-270-9933). The examiner can normally be reached on Mondays to Fridays 9am to 5pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached on 571-272-4105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAAD M KABIR/
Examiner, Art Unit 2119
/MOHAMMAD ALI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2119
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