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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: On page 10, paragraph [0026], “sheet material positioning device 5” is not shown in the drawings.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tsunekawa (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0244901 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Tsunekawa (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0040], [0064]-[0067], [0069] and [0074]; Figures 1 and 6-9) teaches an apparatus (see Figures 6 and 7; paragraphs [0065] (roll-to-roll system (i.e., device); positioning circuit board 10 (i.e., base material)) and [0040] (circuit board 10 (i.e., base material) includes mounting parts 11 which contain electronic components such as semiconductor chips (i.e., functional material)) of Tsunekawa), including (a) a support mechanism that supports the sheet material (see Figure 6; paragraph [0066] (feeding roll 301 (i.e., support mechanism)) of Tsunekawa); (b) a sheet table that fixes the sheet material (see Figure 6; paragraph [0067] (printing stage 101 (i.e., sheet table)) of Tsunekawa); and (c) a detection unit that detects a position in a plane direction of the functional material in the sheet material supported by the support mechanism (see Figure 6; paragraph [0069] (optical sensor 110 (i.e., detection unit)) of Tsunekawa), wherein (c)(1) the functional material is fixed to the sheet table after positioning of relatively moving the sheet material with respect to the sheet table is completed such that the functional material is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the sheet table based on the position of the functional material detected by the detection unit (see Figure 6; paragraph [0074] (circuit board 10 is sucked onto printing stage 101) of Tsunekawa).
Regarding claim 2, see Figures 1 and 6; paragraphs [0066] (feeding roll 301 (i.e., roll holder); roll driving device 200, winding roll 302 (i.e., feeder)), [0040] (mounting parts 11 which contain electronic components such as semiconductor chips (i.e., functional material)) and [0064] (tape carrier 1 is divided along slit lines SL) of Tsunekawa.
Regarding claim 3, see Figures 1 and 7-9; paragraph [0071] (optical sensor 110 detects positioning marks PM1, PM2) of Tsunekawa.
Regarding claim 5, see Figure 6; paragraph [0066] (circuit board 10 is fed from feeding roll 301 (i.e., support mechanism); movement/rotation of feeding roll 301 feeds circuit board 10) of Tsunekawa.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tsunekawa (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0244901 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Tsunekawa (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0034], [0040], [0069], [0071] and [0072]; Figures 1 and 6-9) teaches a process (see Figures 1 and 7; paragraphs [0034] (method for positioning a circuit board) and [0040] (mounting parts 11 containing electronic components (i.e., functional material) are mounted on tape carrier 1 (i.e., base material)) of Tsunekawa); including (a) disposing a sheet material above a sheet table (see Figure 6; paragraph [0069] (circuit board 10 is arranged above printing stage 101 (i.e., table)) of Tsunekawa); (b) detecting a position in a plane direction of the functional material in the sheet material (see Figures 1 and 7-9; paragraph [0071] (optical sensor 110 detects positioning marks PM1, PM2) of Tsunekawa); (c) performing positioning of relatively moving the sheet material with respect to the sheet table based on the position of the functional material that has been detected such that the functional material is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the sheet table (see paragraph [0072] (circuit board 10 is stopped in a desired state using optical sensor 110) of Tsunekawa); and (d) fixing the sheet material to the sheet table after the positioning is completed (see paragraph [0072] (circuit board 10 is stopped in a desired state using optical sensor 110) of Tsunekawa).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yukikawa (JP 2004160739 A).
Regarding claim 6, Yukikawa (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0001], [0008], [0016], [0019] and [0023] of the translation; Figure 1) teaches a process (see Figure 1; paragraphs [0001] (method for processing a ceramic green sheet in the production of a multilayer electronic component), [0016] (a ceramic slurry is applied to the surface of a carrier film 1 (i.e., a base material) to form a ceramic green sheet 2 including an internal electrode (i.e., a functional material); combination of carrier film 1 and ceramic green sheet 2 (plus electrode) constitutes a sheet material) and [0008] (carrier film can easily be conveyed to prevent misaligning of a cutting position (i.e., proper alignment/positioning)) of Yukikawa), including (a) disposing a sheet material above a sheet table (see Figure 1; paragraph [0019] (carrier film 1 provided with sheet 2 (plus electrode) is conveyed and fed onto cut table 10) of Yukikawa); (b) detecting a position in a plane direction of the functional material in the sheet material (see Figure 1; paragraph [0023] (carrier film 1 provided with sheet 2 (plus electrode) is fixed at a predetermined position with respect to cutting blade 21 by detecting a positioning detection mark provided or sheet 2) of Yukikawa); (c) performing positioning of relatively moving the sheet material with respect to the sheet table based on the position of the functional material that has been detected such that the functional material is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the sheet table (see Figure 1; paragraph [0023] (carrier film 1 provided with sheet 2 (plus electrode) is fixed at a predetermined position with respect to cutting blade 21 by detecting a positioning detection mark provided or sheet 2) of Yukikawa); and (d) fixing the sheet material to the sheet table after the positioning is completed (see Figure 1; paragraph [0023] (fixing is performed by operating a suction function of cutting table 10 to hold carrier film 1) of Yukikawa).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEO B. TENTONI whose telephone number is (571)272-1209. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:00 ET M-F.
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LEO B. TENTONI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1742
/LEO B TENTONI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
