DETAILED ACTION
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 .
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 203400825) in view of Rangarajan (US 6376013).
As to claim 1, Chen discloses a process for repairing a printed circuit board in the areas that lack solder resist ink. The process comprises checking the areas using a scanning device to obtain area and depth data for the location. A computer processes the data for the repair location and converts the data into control parameters, including pressure, speed, and frequency, for controlling the flow of solder resist ink from the nozzle. The ink is discharged from the nozzle onto the location of the PCB requiring repair.
Chen et al. fails to teach that a numerical volume of the defective portion is calculated and that a numerical discharge amount is calculated based on the volume as required by claim 1.
Rangarajan teaches a measurement based control of the amount of resist deposited onto a substrate. Rangarajan teaches measuring resist thickness at different regions and using the measured data to control the volume of the resist material supplied by one or more nozzles. Rangarajan further teaches a processor coupled to the volume and mixture control system which controls the nozzle and electronically controls the volumes that determine the amount of resist that is applied (see col. 5, lines 22-40, 52-65; col. 6,lines 19-34, and 55-65).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the process of Chen to include calculating the required filling material volume from the measured three-dimensional measurement of the defective portion and control the discharge amount based on the measurement taught by Rangarajan. One would have been motivated to do so since Chen already obtains area and depth information concerning a portion requiring repair and converts the information into parameters controlling the resist flow, while Rangarajan teaches using measured resist information to quantitatively adjust resist volume preventing over or under filling of the layer (see col. 2, lines 55-66 and col. 3, lines 25-34).
As to claim 2, Rangarajan teaches the processor determines if the desired coverall thickness is achieved (see Fig. 5, col 7, line 62 – col. 8, line 23).
As to claim 3, the process is repeated if the desired thickness is not achieved (see Rangarajan Fig. 5, col. 7,lines 5-25).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 203400825) in view of Rangarajan (US 6376013) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Asai (US 6286202).
The teachings of Chen and Rangarajan as applied to claim 1 are as stated above.
Chen and Rangarajan fail to teach the use of a laser displacement sensor as required by claim 4.
Asai teaches the use of a laser displacement sensor in PCB processing/mounting systems for obtaining height /position information concerning material on a circuit substrate (see Fig. 25, col. 42, lines 23-29).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a laser sensor taught by Asai in the process of Chen and Rangarajan to measure the position and volume of the defect. One would have been motivated to do since the mere substitution of one known optical arrangement with a laser displacement sensor for a camera taught by Asai having the same intended use would lead to predictable results.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Cachet I Proctor whose telephone number is (571)272-0691. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7-3 pm.
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, Michael Cleveland can be reached at 571-272-1418. 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.
/CACHET I. PROCTOR/
Examiner
Art Unit 1712
/CACHET I PROCTOR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
Prosecution Insights