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 § 112
Claim 6: change “at least one of the component” to --at least one of the components--
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.
Claim 1 recites “a third component that is the component selected each time a predetermined number of the components are supplied from the same component supply device and that is some of the predetermined number of the components”. However, the use of singular and plurality terms make it unclear as to what is intended to claim. Dependent claim(s) is/are also rejected for inheriting the flaws from the parent claim(s). Similar issue is seen at “storage section configured to store, in a storage device, the component identification information of the components that is”. Clarifications are respectfully requested.
Claim 5 “the predetermined number” and “the holding members” lack antecedent basis as there is only one holding member. It is also unclear what is meant by “the predetermined number is the number of the holding members provided in the mounting head”. It is interpreted as mounting head is provided with a predetermined number of holding members.
Claim 6 recites “wherein the acquisition section is configured to attempt, in a case where the component identification information is not acquired, to acquire the component identification information for at least one of the component supplied subsequent to the first component, the component supplied subsequent to the second component, and the component other than the third component among the predetermined number of components, and repeat the attempt until the component identification information is acquired”. However, the wording is unclear as to which component is being attempted to acquired of the identification information since multiple instances of “the component” being recited and the choices of first component, second component, and third component have been eliminated.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4-5, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Nakamura (JP 2019-129167)
Nakamura discloses
1. A component management device comprising:
an acquisition section (31) configured to acquire, from an identification member having component identification information for identifying components to be mounted on a board (Fig. 3: part and lot numbers 22, 23), the component identification information for at least one of a first component that is some of the multiple components that are supplied from a component supply device (tray & tape feeders 9-11) configured to supply the components after the component supply device is mounted on a component mounter (M5, M6),
a second component (20) that is some of the multiple components that are supplied from the same component supply device to the boards of the same type (par. 15-17: components 20 supplied from tray 10 of the same supply device 9 … tape feeder 11 feeds the components to the component mounting mechanism by pitch-feeding the carrier tape holding the components), and
a third component (20) that is the component selected each time a predetermined number of the components are supplied from the same component supply device and that is some of the predetermined number of the components (par. 15-17: components 20 supplied from tray 10 of the same supply device 9 … tape feeder 11 feeds the components to the component mounting mechanism by pitch-feeding the carrier tape holding the components); and
a storage section (32) configured to store, in a storage device, the component identification information of the components that is acquired by the acquisition section and board identification information for identifying the board on which the components are mounted, in association with each other (par. 27-30).
4.1, wherein the first component is the component initially supplied from the component supply device after the component supply device is mounted on the component mounter, the second component is the component initially supplied from the same component supply device to each of the boards of the same type, and the third component is the component that is first in order among the predetermined number of components (Fig. 2 shows multiple feeders carrying multiple components, each of which can be considered first, second, and third component)
5.1, wherein the component mounter includes a mounting head (15A, 15B) including a holding member configured to collect and hold the component to mount the component on the board, and the predetermined number is the number of the holding members (par. 16: suction nozzles 16a) provided in the mounting head.
11. A component management method comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring, from an identification member having component identification information for identifying components to be mounted on a board, the component identification information for at least one of a first component that is some of the multiple components that are supplied from a component supply device (i.e. tray & feeder 9-11) configured to supply the components after the component supply device is mounted on a component mounter (par. 15-17: components 20 supplied from tray 10 of the same supply device 9 … tape feeder 11 feeds the components to the component mounting mechanism by pitch-feeding the carrier tape holding the components),
a second component (20) that is some of the multiple components that are supplied from the same component supply device to the boards of the same type, and
a third component (20) that is the component selected each time a predetermined number of the components are supplied from the same component supply device and that is some of the predetermined number of the components; and
a storage step of storing, in a storage device (32), the component identification information of the components that is acquired by the acquisition step and board identification information for identifying the board on which the components are mounted, in association with each other (par. 27-30).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP 2019-129167) in view of Matsuda (EP 3920677, available in IDS) and Yasuhiro (JP 2020-035783, available in IDS)
Re claim 2.1, Nakamura discloses wherein the acquisition section is at least one of a first acquisition section configured to acquire the component identification information from above the identification member in a case where the component is collected from the component supply device, (Fig. 3, par. 23-25: unit 41 receives ID’s from tray supply device 10)
Nakamura is silent to a second acquisition section configured to acquire the component identification information from below the identification member provided on a lower surface of the component in a case where the component is held by a holding member configured to collect and hold the component to mount the component on the board, a third acquisition section configured to acquire the component identification information from above the identification member provided on an upper surface of the component in a case where the component is mounted on the board by the holding member, and
Matsuda discloses it is well known to read barcodes attached to lower, upper, and even side surfaces (Fig. 4-6, par. 23-25).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Matsuda to enable reading barcodes that have been designed to be on lower, upper, and side surfaces.
Nakamura is silent to a fourth acquisition section configured to acquire the component identification information via wireless communication with a wireless tag in a case where the identification member is the wireless tag.
Yasuhiro discloses it is well known to store id information in a wireless tag (Figs. 2-5)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Yasuhiro so that more information can be stored in wireless tag as compared to a barcode.
3.2, wherein the identification member in a case where the component identification information is acquired in the first acquisition section, the second acquisition section, or the third acquisition section is a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code (Matsuda, par. 23-25)
Claim(s) 6, 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP 2019-129167) in view of Shimada (US 2018/0088555)
Re claim 6.1, Nakamura is silent to wherein the acquisition section is configured to attempt, in a case where the component identification information is not acquired, to acquire the component identification information for at least one of the component supplied subsequent to the first component, the component supplied subsequent to the second component, and the component other than the third component among the predetermined number of components, and repeat the attempt until the component identification information is acquired.
Shimada discloses that when identification code D are not available as not printed on label L, information acquired from other labels can be used and component identification information can be updated (Shimada, par. 56-57)
9.1, a complementing section configured to complement the component identification information of the component for which the component identification information is not acquired by the acquisition section, based on a relative order or a relative position with respect to the component for which the component identification information is acquired by the acquisition section (Shimada, par. 56-57: when the order number and serial number, representing relative order of component, in identification code D are not available as not printed on label L, information acquired from other label can complement the component identification information)
10.9, wherein the storage section is configured to store, in the storage device, the component identification information of the component that is acquired by the acquisition section or the component identification information of the component that is complemented by the complementing section, the board identification information for identifying the board on which the component is mounted, and mounting position information for specifying a mounting position at which the component is mounted on the board, in association with each other (Nakamura, par. 28: mounting data 36a includes the part names of parts mounted on each board, the part number character string 22, the lot number character string 23, the mounting position data on the board)
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura (JP 2019-129167) in view of Yasuhiro (JP 2020-035783, available in IDS)
Re claim 7.1, Nakamura discloses “serial” number which suggests by definition is a series or consecutive arrangement.
Nakamura is unclear with respect to an accommodation order in which the components are accommodated.
However, Yasuhiro discloses the components are ordered by their positions in their carrier.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Yasuhiro for faster mounting of components knowing the positions.
8.1, wherein the component supply device is a tray on which the components are arranged, and the component identification information is information indicating a collection order in a case where the components are collected from the tray by a holding member configured to collect and hold the components to mount the components on the board, or information indicating positions of the components on the tray (Yasuhiro; see discussion regarding claim 7 above.).
Conclusion
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/THIEN T MAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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