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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on April 23, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 –
(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.
Claims 7 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Maeda (WO 2019/244265 A1).
With respect to claim 7, Maeda teaches a printing system (Figs. 1-3) comprising:
a printing device 1; and
a vehicle 2 (i.e., the wheeled cart 2) comprising:
a plurality of shelf sections 23, each shelf section configured to support an exchangeable member 6 for a printing process (see paragraph [0018] of the English translation); and
an opening section communicating with an outside (see paragraph [0018]);
wherein the shelf sections 23 of the plurality of shelf sections are aligned at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction (see Figs. 2-3, paragraph [0018]), and
wherein the plurality of shelf sections and the opening section are provided in an accommodation rack 22 conveyed by the vehicle 2 (paragraph [0018]),
wherein the printing device 1 is configured to receive the vehicle 2 (Figs. 2-3, paragraphs [0011], [0017]),
wherein the printing device is configured to exchange at least one exchangeable member 6 supported by one of the shelf sections 23 of the accommodation rack 22, the accommodation rack 22 being movable between an upper position (Fig. 3) and a lower position (Fig. 2),
wherein in the upper position of the accommodation rack 22, a front side of an upper part of the printing device 1 above an opening for receiving the exchangeable member 6 is blocked by the accommodation rack 22 (see Fig. 3), and
wherein in the lower position of the accommodation rack 22, the front side of the upper part of the printing device 1 above the opening for receiving the exchangeable member 6 is not blocked by the accommodation rack 22 and is not blocked by the vehicle 2 (see Fig. 2). Particular attention is invited to Figures 1-3 and the attached English language translation of Maeda attached to this Office Action.
Note that the opening for receiving the exchangeable member (i.e., mask 6) on the front side (i.e., the left-hand side of Figure 1) of the printing device 1 in Figure 1 of Maeda is adjacent to the screen mask holder 11 in the horizontal direction at approximately the area where the housing 15 begins to overhang the rest of the body of the device. Thus, Figures 2-3 of Maeda illustrate the relationship of the accommodation rack and a front side of an upper part of the printing device above an opening for receiving the exchangeable member as recited in the last 6 lines of the claim.
With respect to claim 4, Maeda teaches the printing system according to claim 7 wherein each of the shelf sections 23 has a same size, as shown in Figures 2-3.
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:
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Maeda (WO 2019/244265 A1) in view of Losiewicz et al. (US 2020/0396843 A1).
With respect to claim 2, Maeda teaches a printing system as recited including a vehicle, but fails to specifically teach that the vehicle is configured to travel autonomously. Losiewicz et al. teaches a movable cart or vehicle configured to support replacement and/or replenishment items in a screen printer, wherein the movable cart is configured to travel autonomously. See, in particular, paragraph [0066] and [0089]-[0090] of Losiewicz et al. In view of this teaching, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the vehicle of Maeda to be configured to travel autonomously to allow for fully automatic travel of the cart for exchange of the screen masks in the printing system.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 2, 4, and 7 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Atomura (JP H06-71847 A) teaches a screen printing machine with a storage rack for holding replacement screen plates having similarities to the claimed subject matter that are readily apparent.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LESLIE J THOMPSON whose telephone number is (571) 272-2161. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-6:00 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, Stephen D Meier can be reached at 571-272-7149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Leslie J Thompson/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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