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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
IDS filed 12/12/2024 is being considered by the examiner
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 10-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 10 recites, "a printing apparatus which forms a three-dimensional structure of a liquid by applying, based on printing data, the liquid to a protruding and recessed surface including a component top surface and an installation surface of a substrate having the installation surface on which a component is installed, the printing apparatus including a liquid jetting head including a nozzle that jets a liquid, a relative moving mechanism that relatively moves the liquid jetting head and the substrate in a direction parallel to the installation surface, and a control device that laminates the protruding and recessed surface with the liquid for each relative movement by jetting the liquid to the protruding and recessed surface of the substrate from the nozzle based on the printing data [line 2];" however, the above limitations are already presented in claim 1 which claim 10 is dependent on. It is unclear whether the printing apparatus with the liquid jetting head, relative moving mechanism, and control device in claim 10 is referring to the printing apparatus with the liquid jetting head, relative moving mechanism, and control device of claim 1, or to a separate printing apparatus, liquid jetting head, relative moving mechanism, and control device. As such, the claim is indefinite.
Claim 14 recites, "a liquid jetting head … nozzle … substrate … component top surface … installation surface … component [line 3];" however, all of the elements are already presented in claim 13 which claim 14 is dependent on. It is unclear whether the liquid jetting head, nozzle, substrate, component top surface, installation surface, and component in claim 14 is referring to the liquid jetting head, nozzle, substrate, component top surface, installation surface, and component of claim 13, or to a separate liquid jetting head, nozzle, substrate, component top surface, installation surface, and component. As such, the claim is indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9, 13, and 15 are allowed
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Fumo et al. [US Pub. 2005/0263875] teaches a method for the controlled ink-jet spreading of polymeric material for insulation and/or protection of printed circuits, characterized in that it has at least the following steps: carrying out at least a first bedding/bordering/border-line contour run of the circuit design, creating a line of outline/bordering design slightly raised from said printed board surface; carrying out a subsequent filling/covering run of the outlined bordered design.
Christel et al. [WO 2020/169689] teaches a method for printing a three-dimensional optical component, wherein the three-dimensional structure is built up from layers of printing ink which are printed at least partially one above the other in consecutive layer printing steps, wherein a first layer is printed in a first layer printing step and a second layer is printed at least partially on top of the first layer in a second layer printing step, characterized in that the second layer encloses the first layer.
Kodama [US Pub. 2016/0001577] teaches where a printing apparatus includes: a printing plate having a recessed portion formed therein shaped corresponding to a pattern to be formed on a substrate; an inking unit including an inkjet head that performs an inking process of ejecting a liquid into the recessed portion, the liquid having particles as a material of the pattern dispersed therein; a laminating unit that performs a laminating process of laminating the substrate on a surface having the recessed portion formed therein after the inking process; a post-drying unit that performs a drying process on the liquid inside the recessed portion in a state in which the substrate is laminated on the surface having the recessed portion formed therein, thereby to reduce the fluidity of the liquid.
Merz [US Pat. 9,282,630] teaches a method of forming a conformal electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield. The method may include processing portions of a printed circuit board (PCB) for insulating layer adhesion. The PCB may include one or more circuit components and a perimeter of grounding contacts. The method may also include applying an insulating layer to the processed portions, treating at least one of the applied insulating layer and the perimeter for conductive layer adhesion, and disposing a conductive layer onto the treated at least one of the applied insulating layer and the perimeter.
Hatanaka [US Pub. 2020/0298592] teaches where a liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a stimulation imparting unit, and a control unit. The liquid discharge head discharges stimulation hardening resin. The stimulation imparting unit imparts hardening stimulation to the discharged stimulation hardening resin. The control unit: controls the liquid discharge head based on lamination print data; forms a plurality of print layers each having a contour part; and changes a distance from the contour part in each of the print layers, based on data representing a correction amount with respect to a distance from the contour part in each of the print layers and a number of the print layers.
The prior art of record fails to teach or suggest, alone or in combination, applying, based on the printing data, the liquid to a protruding and recessed surface including a component top surface and an installation surface of a substrate having the installation surface on which a component is installed … laminates the protruding and recessed surface with the liquid for each relative movement by jetting the liquid to the protruding and recessed surface of the substrate from the nozzle based on the printing data … perform any of first shift processing of shifting data of a region of the component top surface in a lamination direction of the liquid in the three-dimensional data to the lamination direction, second shift processing of shifting the data of the region of the component top surface in the lamination direction in the plurality of pieces of two-dimensional slice data to the lamination direction, or rearrangement processing of rearranging the lamination order of the plurality of pieces of two-dimensional slice data, in combination with the remaining limitations as set forth in claim 1 and similarly in claim 13.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VINCENT W CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1214. The examiner can normally be reached (M-F) 10:00 am - 6:00 pm.
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/VINCENT WEN-LIANG CHANG/
Examiner
Art Unit 2119
/ZIAUL KARIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119
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