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 .
Claims 1-4 are pending.
Claim 4 is withdrawn from consideration, based on the Response to Election / Restriction filed on 07/31/2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/08/2023 and 05/19/2026 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) 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.
Claims 2-3 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.
Claims 2 and 3 recite the feature “in a case where a normal feeder is inserted into the slot”. It is unclear what Applicant means by “a normal feeder.” Without providing objective boundaries for what Applicant means by the term “normal,” the claims are deemed indefinite. Appropriate clarification through claim amendment is respectfully requested. For purposes of examination the feature will be interpreted as in a case where a feeder specifically required for the slot is inserted into the slot.
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 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KATAI et al. (JP 2019102511 A) (“Katai”), in view of LUO et al. (CN 111806989 A) (“Luo”). Katai is a reference cited in the information disclosure statement submitted on 11/08/2023.
Regarding independent claim 1, Katai teaches:
A control device configured to supply power to multiple slots each of which includes an indicator lamp and into which feeders are inserted. (Katai: FIGS. 3, 6 and 9) (Katai: [0008] “The display control unit may further include a second display unit provided so as to be visible by an operator, and a detection unit that detects removal of the feeder, and the display control unit may detect the removal of the feeder when the detection unit detects removal of the feeder. Information on the attachment position at the destination is displayed on the second display unit. According to this configuration, since the information on the mounting position of the feeder can be known by the second display when the removal of the feeder is performed, the workability of moving the feeder can be further improved.”) (Katai: [0017] “The component supply part 40 is provided with the trolley | bogie 41 which can be attached or detached with respect to the apparatus main body 11, and the some feeder 50 hold | maintained along with the trolley | bogie 41, as shown in FIG. The carriage 41 has a plurality of mounting slots arranged in one or more rows, and detachably holds each feeder 50 in a state where the plurality of feeders 50 are arranged in one or more rows in the substrate transfer direction. The carriage 41 rotatably holds a reel on which a component supply tape is wound. A plurality of electronic components 72 are held side by side at a predetermined pitch on the component supply tape, and are attached to predetermined positions of the feeder 50 in a state where the component supply tape is pulled out from the reel. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, an indicator 63B as the second display unit 63 is fixed to the carriage 41 or the apparatus main body 11. In the indicator 63B, a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) 63B1 and 63B2 capable of displaying corresponding to each feeder 50 are provided side by side, and when the worker mounts the feeder 50, each feeder is displayed by the indicator 63B. The 50 mounting positions can be recognized.”) [The any one of the indicator 63B reads on “an indicator lamp”. Determining the feeder is attached reads on “… which feeders are inserted”.]
Katai further, implicitly teaches:
to turn on the indicator lamp of the slot to which the power is supplied. (Katai: [0023] “The carriage 41 includes a control unit 42, a detection unit 43, a carriage-side display unit 44, and connectors CN2 and CN3. The control unit 42 includes a memory 42A that stores information related to the feeder 50. With the feeder 50 set in the mounting slot of the carriage 41, when the carriage 41 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, the feeder 50 and the apparatus main body 11 are electrically connected. In addition, when the feeder 50 is removed from the carriage 41 in a state where the carriage 41 is attached to the device main body 11, the electrical connection between the feeder 50 and the device main body 11 is cut off. Can detect the feeder 50 that has been attached to and detached from the mounting slot of the carriage 41. When the detection unit 43 detects attachment / detachment of the feeder 50, the control unit 42 transmits, to the apparatus main body 11, identification information of the feeder 50, attachment / detachment information of the feeder 50, and the like. The dolly-side display unit 44 can display information related to the operation of the dolly. In addition, the display of the trolley | bogie side display part 44 is not restricted to this, For example, you may make it provide the indicator 63B which displays the information of the attachment position of the feeder 50 in the trolley | bogie side display part 44.”)
Katai does not expressly teach: to turn on the indicator lamp of the slot to which the power is supplied.
Luo teaches:
to turn on the indicator lamp of the slot to which the power is supplied. (Luo: Page 4, paragraph 7 “(a) the power supply seat and the gateway seat are opened to supply power to the control module and connect with the network; (b) the control module in the control box starts to detect the material belt feeder inserted in the communication socket under the state of connecting the network and the power supply, the communication port of the material belt feeder is intact, the indicating lamp cannot be lighted up, and data are sent to the terminal module; the communication port of the material belt feeder is inserted with an error, the control module reads the data error of the material belt feeder, the indicator lamp lights the red light, and the alarm lamp gives an alarm”) [Once the power supply supplies power, any of the indicator lamps lighting reads on “to turn on … to which the power is supplied”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Katai and Luo before them, to modify the electrically connected slots of the apparatus for the feeders, to incorporate lighting the indicator lamps as required for the status indication of the feeder attachment to the slot.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for the status indication of the feeder attachment to the slot. (Luo: Page 2, paragraph 7 “The technical scheme has the following defects: because the outward appearance of material area feeder is all the same to data are all stored through the general piece on the material area feeder, and the paster components and parts volume on the paster material area is very little simultaneously, therefore the staff is carrying out when getting the material to the material area feeder, causes very easily and gets the material error condition, therefore the circuit board is carrying out the components and parts welding back, because the mistake in paster material area is taken out, causes scrapping of circuit board.”)
Regarding claim 3, Katai and Luo teach all the claimed features of claim 1. Katai further teaches:
wherein the control device is configured to, in a case where a normal feeder is inserted into the slot to which the power is supplied, turn off the indicator lamp of the slot to which the power is supplied. (Katai: [0034] “(Processing When Attaching Feeder 50) As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 60 of the apparatus main body 11 of the other component mounting apparatus 10 receives information on the mounting position of the feeder 50 from the one component mounting apparatus 10 described above. If it receives ("YES" in S21), as shown in FIG. 8, the information regarding an attachment position etc. will be displayed on monitor 63A of the 2nd display part 63 (S22). Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the LED 63B1 of the indicator 63B at the mounting position of the feeder 50 is turned on, and the LED 63B2 other than the mounting position is turned off (S23). Next, when the worker attaches the feeder 50, the control unit 60 detects the attachment of the feeder 50 by the signals from the detection unit 43 and the control unit 42 of the carriage 41 ("YES" in S24), and the monitor 63A and the indicator The display of the attachment position etc. of 63B is extinguished (S25).”) [The extinguishing reads on “turn off …”.]
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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL W CHOI whose telephone number is (571)270-5069. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL W CHOI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
