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 § 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 1-4 and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Akata (JP 2001127405).
With respect to claim 1, Akata teaches a device for printing a substrate (82) with a sealant and/or adhesive (90), the device comprising:
a stencil (10) with an upper side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) and a lower side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) and at least one recess (81) extending from the upper side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) to the lower side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) for receiving the sealant and/or adhesive (90, Paragraph 0013, 0017-0019), wherein at least one channel (12, 13) connected to the recess (81) is integrated into the stencil (10).
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With respect to claim 2, Akata teaches the at least one channel (12, 13) extends from the upper side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) to the lower side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) of the stencil (10) and the channel (12, 13) extends in regions, of the at least one recess (81, Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9).
With respect to claim 3, Akata teaches the at least one channel (12, 13) extends from the upper side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) of the stencil (10) to a limiting wall (81A) of the at least one recess (81) and at least partially has an oblique or angular profile.
With respect to claim 4, Akata teaches the at least one channel (12, 13) is embodied at least in sections as a bore (11, 11A, 11B) formed in the stencil (10).
With respect to claim 8, Akata teaches the device comprises a doctor blade (93) for removing the sealant and/or adhesive (90) on the upper side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) of the stencil (10, Figures 3, 5, 6).
With respect to claim 9, Akata teaches a method for printing a substrate (82) with a sealant and/or adhesive (90) using a device according to claim 1, the method comprising:
placing the stencil (10) on the substrate (82) so that the lower side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action) of the stencil (10) is in surface contact with the substrate (82, Paragraph 013),
applying the sealant and/or adhesive (90) on the upper side (3.1) of the stencil (82, Paragraphs 0005, 0006, 0013, 0017-0019, 0021),
filling the at least one recess (81) of the stencil (82) with the sealant and/or adhesive (90) with the aid of a doctor blade (93) which is drawn towards the at least one channel (12, 13, Paragraphs 0013, 0017, 0018, 0024) above the upper side (refer to marked-up Figure 3 in the detailed action, Figures 3, 5, 6) of the stencil (82),
wherein air present in the at least one recess (12, 13) is forced out of the at least one recess (81) via the at least one channel (12, 13, Paragraphs 0018, 0021, 0022, 0024).
With respect to claim 10, Akata teaches wherein when filling the at least one recess (81) of the stencil (82) with the sealant and/or adhesive (90), a region of the at least one recess (81) or the at least one channel (12, 13) directly adjacent to the at least one channel (12, 13) itself is the last to be filled (Figures 3, 5, 6, 8, 9).
With respect to claim 11, Akata teaches the at least one channel (12, 13) extends in and end and/or corner region (6) of the recess (81, Figures 8, 9).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 12-14 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.
With respect to the claim 5, the prior art does not teach or render obvious at least one shoulder reaching up to the at least one recess is introduced, at the lower side of the stencil, from which the at least one channel, is guided up to the upper side of the stencil.
With respect to claim 6, the prior art does not teach or render obvious at least one further shoulder reaching up to the at least one recess, is introduced, in at the lower side of the stencil, wherein in a region of the further shoulder a platelet is inserted, into the stencil which together with the at least one first shoulder limits the at least one channel at least in sections.
With respect to claim 12, the prior art does not teach or render obvious at least one shoulder reaching up to the at least one recess is milled in the lower side of the stencil.
Conclusion
Nakamura et al. (JP2010251581) teaches a device for printing a substrate.
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/Marissa Ferguson-Samreth/Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/CHRISTOPHER E MAHONEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852