CTNF 18/719,933 CTNF 99330 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 02-26 AIA Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/14/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 12-151 AIA 26-51 12-51 Status of Claims 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1, 5-6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by HIROMITSU (JP 2009271037 A) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 2-4 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HIROMITSU (JP 2009271037 A) in view of MAEDA (JP 2011123056 A) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1, 5-6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by HIROMITSU (JP 2009271037 A) . Regarding Claim 1: Hiromitsu teaches: An inspection apparatus comprising (Page 3, Paragraph 1, “Hereinafter, a sheet-like functional component inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This sheet-like functional component inspection device (hereinafter simply referred to as “inspection device”) is a so-called image recognition inspection device that takes an image of a sheet-like functional component with a recognition camera and inspects the sheet surface. Here, before the description of the inspection apparatus, the description will proceed from the sheet-like functional component (hereinafter referred to as “workpiece”) which is the inspection object.”) : a mounting base on which a stack is mounted (Page 3, Paragraph 3, “As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of workpieces W are formed by punching a square from a mother workpiece W0, and the mother workpiece W0 is formed of a special adhesive 22 (see FIG. 3) on a transparent resin film 21. ), The stainless steel thin plate 23 is bonded, and a part of the thin plate 23 is removed by etching. That is, the workpiece W is composed of a metal layer 31 from which portions other than the portions that contact the head case 11 and the piezoelectric elements 13 are removed, and a transparent resin layer 32 serving as a base of the metal layer 31, which are special to each other.”) ; a transmission plate parallel to a mounting surface of the mounting base configured to press the stack from above (Page 2, Paragraph 7, “Similarly, the pressing restricting means has an elevating mechanism that holds the transparent plate parallel to the set table and adjusts the position of the pressing approach by raising and lowering the transparent plate relative to the set table.”) ; and an imaging apparatus positioned above the transmission plate and having an optical axis substantially perpendicular to the transmission plate configured to capture an image of the stack from above (Page 2, “In this case, it is preferable that the recognition inspection unit further includes epi-illumination that is arranged coaxially with the recognition camera and illuminates the sheet-like functional component from above the transparent plate”) . Regarding Claim 5: Hiromitsu teaches: The inspection apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the stack has a structure in which a plurality of thin plates are stacked on each other, and the thin plates adjacent to each other in a stacking direction are caulked together (Page 3, “As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of workpieces W are formed by punching a square from a mother workpiece W0, and the mother workpiece W0 is formed of a special adhesive 22 (see FIG. 3) on a transparent resin film 21. ), The stainless steel thin plate 23 is bonded, and a part of the thin plate 23 is removed by etching. That is, the workpiece W is composed of a metal layer 31 from which portions other than the portions that contact the head case 11 and the piezoelectric elements 13 are removed, and a transparent resin layer 32 serving as a base of the metal layer 31, which are special to each other. Bonded with an adhesive 22 (see FIG. 3).) . Regarding Claim 6: Hiromitsu teaches: An inspection method comprising (Page 3, Paragraph 1, “Hereinafter, a sheet-like functional component inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This sheet-like functional component inspection device (hereinafter simply referred to as “inspection device”) is a so-called image recognition inspection device that takes an image of a sheet-like functional component with a recognition camera and inspects the sheet surface. Here, before the description of the inspection apparatus, the description will proceed from the sheet-like functional component (hereinafter referred to as “workpiece”) which is the inspection object.”) : mounting a stack on a mounting base (Page 3, Paragraph 3, “As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of workpieces W are formed by punching a square from a mother workpiece W0, and the mother workpiece W0 is formed of a special adhesive 22 (see FIG. 3) on a transparent resin film 21. ), The stainless steel thin plate 23 is bonded, and a part of the thin plate 23 is removed by etching. That is, the workpiece W is composed of a metal layer 31 from which portions other than the portions that contact the head case 11 and the piezoelectric elements 13 are removed, and a transparent resin layer 32 serving as a base of the metal layer 31, which are special to each other.”) ; pressing the stack from above using a transmission plate parallel to a mounting surface of the mounting base (Page 2, Paragraph 7, “Similarly, the pressing restricting means has an elevating mechanism that holds the transparent plate parallel to the set table and adjusts the position of the pressing approach by raising and lowering the transparent plate relative to the set table.”) ; and capturing an image of the stack from above using an imaging apparatus positioned above the transmission plate and having an optical axis substantially perpendicular to the transmission plate (Page 2, “In this case, it is preferable that the recognition inspection unit further includes epi-illumination that is arranged coaxially with the recognition camera and illuminates the sheet-like functional component from above the transparent plate”) . Regarding Claim 10: Hiromitsu teaches: The inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the stack has a structure in which a plurality of thin plates are stacked on each other, and the thin plates adjacent to each other in a stacking direction are caulked together (Page 3, “As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of workpieces W are formed by punching a square from a mother workpiece W0, and the mother workpiece W0 is formed of a special adhesive 22 (see FIG. 3) on a transparent resin film 21. ), The stainless steel thin plate 23 is bonded, and a part of the thin plate 23 is removed by etching. That is, the workpiece W is composed of a metal layer 31 from which portions other than the portions that contact the head case 11 and the piezoelectric elements 13 are removed, and a transparent resin layer 32 serving as a base of the metal layer 31, which are special to each other. Bonded with an adhesive 22 (see FIG. 3).) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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: 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 2-4 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HIROMITSU (JP 2009271037 A) in view of MAEDA (JP 2011123056 A) . Regarding Claim 2 and 7: Hiromitsu teaches the embodiments of claim 1 and 6 as applied above. Hiromitsu does not explicitly teach the following; however, in related art Maeda teaches: further comprising a moving mechanism configured to translate the transmission plate along the optical axis (Maeda, Page 4, Paragraph 2-7 and Fig. 3 and 9, moving system moves product w based on thresholds set by operator to be observed by the inspection system.) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Maeda’s moving mechanism for alignment of the plates for compression with Hiromitsu’s plate compression system. Regarding Claim 3 and 8: Hiromitsu teaches the embodiments of claim 2 and 7 as applied above. Hiromitsu does not explicitly teach the following; however, in related art Maeda teaches: wherein the moving mechanism comprises a guide post erected on the mounting base configured to guide the translation of the transmission plate (Maeda, Page 4, Paragraphs 2-3, Guide pins and positioning pins are used to frame location of product in correct location) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Maeda’s guide pins and moving mechanism to align plates for pressing with Hiromitsu’s plate compression system to better align plates for compression. Regarding Claim 4 and 9: Hiromitsu teaches the embodiments of claim 1 and 6 as applied above. Hiromitsu does not explicitly teach the following; however, in related art Maeda teaches: further comprising a positioning pin for regulating movement of the stack when the stack is pressed by the transmission plate (Maeda, Page 4, “When the product W is pressed together with the upper plate 34 toward the lower plate 30 and the upper plate 34 is displaced by a predetermined amount, the positioning bolts 38a to 38d disposed on the lower plate 30 are brought into contact with the reference portions 16a to 16d of the product W. Touch. At this time, the trigger sensor 42 disposed on the lower plate 30 detects the upper plate 34, and a positioning completion signal indicating that the positioning of the product W with respect to each of the inspection units 40a to 40d is completed as a trigger signal. (Step S4).”) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Maeda’s positioning pins and moving mechanism to align plates for pressing with Hiromitsu’s plate compression system to minimize movement during compression. Relevant Prior Art Directed to State of Art SOUMA (US 20250045898 A1) KIM (US 20230345106 A1) KUSUYAMA (US 20200186014 A1) MATSUBAYASHI (US 20160356672 A1) Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DYLAN J SHERRILLO whose telephone number is (703)756-5605. The examiner can normally be reached 1st week of bi-week: Mon-Wed 7am-5:30pm PST, Thurs: 7am-4:30pm PST, Fri off / 2nd week of bi-week: Mon-Wed 7am-5:30pm PST, Thurs-Fri: 7am-4:30pm PST. 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, Stephen R Koziol can be reached at (408) 918-7630. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /D.J.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2665 /BOBBAK SAFAIPOUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 2 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 3 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 4 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 5 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 6 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 7 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 8 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 9 Art Unit: 2665 Application/Control Number: 18/719,933 Page 10 Art Unit: 2665
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