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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II (claims 1-2, 5, 8, and 11) in the reply filed on 05/28/26 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/18/24 has been acknowledged and considered. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taguchi (US 2020/0369422) in view of Iwasaki et al (WO 2015008505 A1 hereinafter “Iwasaki”).
Regarding claim 1; Taguchi discloses a visual inspection assistance device (45 @ figures 3-4), comprising:
a conveying device (39 @ figure 3) that conveys tablets (5 @ figures 1A-1B, 2 and paragraph [0061]: e.g., the PTP sheet1 has a total of ten pocket portions 2. One tablet 5 is placed as a content in each of the pocket portions 2) as an object of a visual inspection;
an imaging device (53 @ figures 3-4) that takes an image of the tablets (5 @ figure 9) that are conveyed by the conveying device (39 @ figure 3);
a display device (73 @ figure 4); and
a central processing unit CPU (71, 54 @ figure 4) that:
determines, based on image data obtained by the imaging device (53 @ figures 3-4),
whether one or more of the tablets (5 @ figure 9) are defective (paragraph [0077] and [0182]: e.g., the control processing device 54 subsequently determines whether each of the tablets 5 is a non-defective product (identical type of object) or a defective product (different type of object)), and
displays, in the display device (73 @ figure 4), information identifying the one or more
of the tablets (5 @ figure 9) that have been determined to be defective (paragraphs [0077] and [0182]). See figures 1-22
Taguchi discloses all of feature of claimed invention except for a conveying control device that
temporarily stops the conveying device from conveying the tablets in response to the CPU determining that the one or more of the tablets are detective. However, Iwasaki teaches that it is known in the art to provide a conveying control device (controller “not show” @ figure 1: e.g., The intermittent operation of the conveyor 1 is controlled by a controller (not shown) when each tablet magazine 10 reaches a predetermined position of the tablet supply device 5… Note that a controller (not shown) of the tablet printing apparatus always counts the number of stops of the tablet magazine 10 that is intermittently operated of the transport conveyor 1, and the number of stops from the appearance inspection device 7 to the defective product discharge device 25, The number of stops from the print inspection device 9 to the defective product discharge device 25 is stored) that temporarily stops the conveying device (conveyor 1 @ figure 1) from conveying the tablets (M @ figure 6-7 in the table magazine 10 @ figures 1 and 6-7) in response to the CPU determining that the one or more of the tablets are detective (figure 1: e.g., the image data captured by the imaging device is subjected to image processing and then compared with image data of a normal tablet without scratches stored in advance and inspected for the presence or absence of defects such as defects or dirt on the appearance of the tablet. Further, the appearance inspection device 7 takes an image of the appearance of the tablet stored in the storage chamber 11 at the predetermined position when the transport conveyor 1 performs intermittent operation and the tablet magazine 10 is temporarily stopped at the predetermined position).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of claimed invention to combine visual inspection assistance device of Taguchi with a conveying control device that temporarily stops the conveying device from conveying the tablets in response to the CPU determining that the one or more of the tablets are detective as taught by Iwasaki for the purpose of improving accurately stopped at that position and the tablet supply is performed properly.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 2, 5, 8, and 11 are allowed.
The prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails discloses or render obvious a visual inspection device comprising all the specific elements with the specific combination including a conveying control device that temporarily stops the conveying device from conveying the tablets in response to the CPU determining that the one or more of the tablets are detective, wherein the CPU further: controls the imaging device to image a range corresponding to the tablets that have been determined to be defective and to obtain redetermination image data during a temporary stop of the tablets, and determines, based on the redetermination image data, whether one or more of the tablets are defective, and the conveying control device restarts the conveying device to resume the conveying of the tablets that has been temporarily stopped, under condition that the tablets are non-defective as a result of the determining based on the redetermination image data in set forth of claim 2.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1) Taguchi (US 2021/0199594) discloses an inspection device includes: an illumination device that irradiates an object with near-infrared light; a spectroscope that disperses reflected light from the object irradiated with the near-infrared light; an imaging device that takes a spectroscopic image of the reflected light dispersed by the spectroscope; and a processor.
2) Inoue et al (JP 2006320779 A) discloses visual inspection device for flat tablet comprises a defective article lane 41 formed along the carrying direction on carrying belts 1, 2; an acceptable article lane 42 branch-formed from the defective article lane 41; and a selection means 45 provided on the branch point of the defective article lane and acceptable article lane, and moving the flat tablets on the carrying belt from the defective article lane to the acceptable article lane. Acceptable tablets having no appearance defect are led from the defective article lane to the acceptable article lane based on the inspection result of an acceptable/non-acceptable determining part, to sort the flat tablets into the acceptable tablets and unacceptable tablets
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG H NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2425. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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/SN/
June 27, 2026
/SANG H NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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