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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: Tb (Paragraph [0038], line 5). 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. 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 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:
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Awano, Foreign Patent Document, WO2019087270 (see applicant provided translation for reference to Paragraph and line numbers) in view of Otsuki, Foreign Patent Document, EP2938177.
Regarding independent claim 1, Awano discloses a tape conveyance assistance device (15, Figs. 2, 3) for assisting a carrier tape (32, Fig. 3), which is formed by bonding a cover tape (322, Fig. 8) to an upper surface side of a base tape (321, Fig. 8) provided with a cavity (321a, Fig. 8) in which a component is accommodated at a constant pitch (31 accommodated in cavity 321a at constant pitch, Paragraph [0038], lines 16-18), to be conveyed along a conveyance path (A, Fig. 2) of a tape feeder in a loading process of loading the carrier tape on the tape feeder (loading 32 on feeder 10, Fig. 2), the tape conveyance assistance device comprising: a roller rotatably provided (roller 16 rotatably provided, B, Fig. 3) in a state in which the carrier tape is biased to move along the conveyance path (tape 32 is biased to move along path A, Fig. 2, 3), a conveyance roller (12a, 12b, 12c, Fig. 2) configured to convey the carrier tape along the conveyance path (A, Fig. 2), wherein a recessed portion (P1, between protrusions 161, Fig. 4), configured to temporarily accommodate a front end of the carrier tape conveyed along the conveyance path in the loading process (the structure of roller 16 of Awano is equivalent to applicant’s claimed invention and would thus be capable of performing the function as claimed, thus recessed portion between protrusions 161 on roller 16 of Awano are capable of accommodating a front end of carrier tape 32 in a loading process), is provided on a peripheral surface of the roller (recessed portion between 161 if provided on peripheral surface of roller 16, Fig. 4), wherein the conveyance roller has a drive roller configured to perform drive (12a-c, Fig. 2).
Awano does not disclose a drive motor configured to drive and rotate the roller; a controller configured to control the drive motor, wherein the controller is configured to control the drive motor to rotate at a speed that is greater or equal to a speed of the drive roller and a driven roller disposed on a side opposite to the drive roller in a thickness direction of the carrier tape and configured to rotate as the carrier tape moves.
Otsuki, teaches a tape auto-loading device having a drive motor (124, Fig. 7) configured to drive and rotate the roller (Paragraph [0040], lines 1-4); a controller configured to control the drive motor (Paragraph [0084], lines 3-5), a driven roller (173, Fig. 7) disposed on a side opposite to the drive roller (172,Fig. 7) in a thickness direction of the carrier tape and configured to rotate as the carrier tape moves (Paragraph [0098]), wherein the controller is configured to control the drive motor to rotate at a speed that is greater or equal to a speed of the drive roller (Paragraph [0094], [0098], 104 can stop 123 and drive 172]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Awano and Otsuki to have a drive motor and controller as taught by Otsuki in order to precisely advance the carrier tape. One would have been motivated to make such a modification to “improve efficiency when setting the component packaging tape to the tape feeder” (Abstract, lines 13-15; Otsuki) and to ensure the tape is maintained on the drive roller along the conveyance path.
Regarding claim 3, modified Awano teaches the invention substantially as claimed as described above in claim 1, and wherein the recessed portion (P1, Fig. 4) is provided along an axial direction of the roller (provided along axial direction 162 of roller 16, Fig. 3, 4).
Regarding claim 4, modified Awano teaches the invention substantially as claimed as described above in claim 1, and wherein multiple recessed portions are provided along a circumferential direction of the roller (multiple protrusions 161 define multiple recessed portions between in the circumferential direction, Fig. 3, 4).
Regarding claim 5, modified Awano teaches the invention substantially as claimed as described above in claim 1, and wherein the roller (16, Fig. 3) is an auxiliary roller disposed downstream of the conveyance roller in the conveyance path (16 disposed downstream of conveyance roller 12a, 12b, Fig. 2, consistent with the definition of “downstream” in applicant’s specification paragraphs [0026] and [0027]).
Regarding claim 9, modified Awano teaches the invention substantially as claimed as described above in claim 1, and wherein the automatic tape loading device (Paragraph [0037], lines 7-8) is configured to convey the carrier tape (32, Fig. 2) to a component supply position (142, Fig. 2) which is provided in the tape feeder (10, Fig. 2) and at which the component is supplied (Paragraph [0045], lines 1-3), to thereby load the carrier tape (Paragraph [0037], lines 7-8).
Claim(s) 7 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Awano, Foreign Patent Document, WO2019087270 and Otsuki, Foreign Patent Document, EP2938177 as applied to claims 1 and 6 above and further in view of Imanishi, US2021007252.
Regarding claim 7, modified Awano teaches the invention substantially as claimed as described above in claim 6, and multiple drive rollers are provided along the conveyance path (12a-c, Fig. 2).
Awano does not disclose multiple driven rollers are provided along the conveyance path.
However Imanishi teaches a tape auto-loading device having multiple driven rollers (23, Fig. 8) provided along the conveyance path (23, Fig. 8; Paragraph [0055]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the tape auto-loading device of Awano to have driven rollers along the conveyance path as taught by Imanishi to ensure the tape is maintained on the drive roller along the conveyance path.
Regarding claim 8, modified Awano teaches the invention substantially as claimed as described above in claim 1, and a carrier tape.
Awano does not disclose the carrier tape is an embossed tape having a bottom portion of the cavity protruding from a lower surface of the base tape.
However, Imanishi teaches a tape auto-loading device wherein the carrier tape is an embossed tape having a bottom portion of the cavity protruding from a lower surface of the base tape (Paragraph [0037], lines 1-4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the tape auto-loading device of Awano to use an embossed tape as taught by Imanishi as it would have been obvious to try because it is one a finite number of solutions (Paragraph [0037]: carrier tape could have holes that penetrate tape, or could be an embossed tape) having a reasonable expectation of success (MPEP 2143).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/K.R.B./ Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/Victoria P Augustine/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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