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
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09 September 2025 has been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-9, 11-12, 15-21, and 24-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) / (a)(2) as being anticipated by Hefti et al. (US Patent 4,502,801 – hereinafter Hefti.)
Regarding claim 1,
Hefti discloses a tape transfer apparatus including a body [1 in fig. 3] and two spool supports [3b/3c in fig. 1] each spool support being suitable for supporting a spool of tape [6/7 in figs. 3-4], and a tape drive apparatus which is operable to transfer tape [9 in fig. 9] between spools supported on the spool supports, characterized in that a position of at least one of the spool supports relative to the body is adjustable [as seen in figs. 1-4; col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62.]
Regarding claim 2,
Hefti further discloses wherein the position of the at least one spool support is adjustable relative to the position of the other spool support, or wherein the position of each spool support is adjustable relative to the body whilst a distance between the spool supports remains constant [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62; please note that only one option is needed for the limitation to be met.]
Regarding claim 4,
Hefti further discloses wherein the position of the or each spool support is adjustable in accordance with the diameter of a respective spool of tape mounted on the spool support [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62.]
Regarding claim 5,
Hefti further discloses the tape transfer apparatus including a spool support carriage [3a in figs. 1-2] upon which at least one of the spool supports is mounted, the spool support carriage being moveable relative to the body to adjust the position of the or each spool support mounted thereon relative to the body [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62.]
Regarding claim 6,
Hefti further discloses the tape transfer apparatus including at least one spool motor for rotating at least one of the spool supports and wherein a position of the spool motor relative to the body is adjustable [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13.]
Regarding claim 7,
Hefti further discloses wherein each spool support is rotatable by a respective spool motor, and the position of each spool motor relative to the body is adjustable [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13.]
Regarding claim 8,
Hefti further discloses the tape transfer apparatus including a spool motor carriage upon which the spool motor is mounted, the spool motor carriage being moveable relative to the body to adjust the position of the spool motor mounted thereon relative to the body [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13.]
Regarding claim 9,
Hefti further discloses wherein a position of one or both of the spool supports is adjustable relative to the body in at least one of linear or curvilinear motion [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13; please note that only one option is needed for limitation to be met.]
Regarding claim 11,
Hefti further discloses wherein movement of the or each spool motor to adjust the position of the or each spool motor relative to the body corresponds with movement of at least one of the spool supports relative to the body to adjust the position of the at least one spool relative to the body [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13.]
Regarding claim 12,
Hefti further discloses the tape transfer apparatus including a controller operable to control movement of a component of the tape transfer apparatus other than the body [i.e., the spool supports], relative to the body [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13; as seen in figs. 1-4.]
Regarding claim 15,
Hefti further discloses wherein the body includes a first part and a second part [i.e., upper and lower half; as seen in figs. 1-4.]
Regarding claim 16,
Hefti further discloses wherein the body includes a first part and a second part [i.e., upper and lower half; as seen in figs. 1-4], and wherein each spool support is mounted in one of the first part or the second part of the body and the at least one spool motor is mounted in the other of the first part or the second part of the body [as seen in figs. 1-4.]
Regarding claim 17,
Hefti further discloses the tape transfer apparatus including a spool rotation holding apparatus to inhibit or prevent rotation of at least one of the spool supports about its own axis of rotation [as seen in figs. 1-4; col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62.]
Regarding claim 18,
Hefti further discloses the tape transfer apparatus including a spool holding apparatus which is operable to inhibit or prevent movement of at least one of the spools relative to the body [as seen in figs. 1-4; col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62.]
Regarding claim 19,
Hefti further discloses wherein the tape transfer apparatus is a transfer printing apparatus [col. 1, lines 1 - 27.]
Regarding claim 20,
Hefti further discloses a method of operating a tape transfer apparatus, including controlling rotation of each of a pair of spool supports [3b/3c in fig. 1] of the tape transfer apparatus, to enable tape to be transferred from one spool [6/7 in figs. 3-4], mounted on a respective one of the pair of spool supports, to another spool [6/7 in figs. 3-4], mounted on the other spool support, and controlling a drive mechanism of the tape transfer apparatus to adjust a position of at least one of the pair of spool supports relative to a body of the tape transfer apparatus [as seen in figs. 1-4; col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, lines 23-62.]
Regarding claim 21,
Hefti further discloses the method including controlling the drive mechanism to control the position of at least one of the pair of spool supports relative to the body in accordance with a diameter of the spool mounted on the at least one spool support or in accordance with a rate of change of a diameter of at least one of the spools [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13; as seen in figs. 1-4; please note that only one option is needed for the limitation to be met as written.]
Regarding claim 24,
Hefti further discloses the method including determining a largest spool of tape which can be accommodated in the tape transfer apparatus, taking into account at least one dimension of the body of the tape transfer apparatus [implicit and well-known that the spool may not exceed a certain size/diameter in order for the apparatus top perform its intended functions.]
Regarding claim 25,
Hefti further discloses wherein the method includes determining a range of adjustment of the position of at least one of the pair of spool supports [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13.]
Regarding claim 26,
Hefti further discloses the method including adjusting the position of at least one of the spools by displacing the at least one spool support linearly relative to the body and/or displacing the at least one spool support curvilinearly relative to the body [col. 3, lines 8-59; col. 4, line 23 – col. 5, line 13.]
Communication with the USPTO
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JANNELLE M LEBRON whose telephone number is (571)272-2729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JANNELLE M LEBRON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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