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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMIVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`
`
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`14/768,912
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`08/19/2015
`
`Masayuki HIGASHI
`
`54949
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`2818
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`09’05’2018 —PEARNE&GORDON LLP m
`7590
`52054
`1801 EAST 9TH STREET
`CARLEY’ JEFFREY T-
`S UITE 1 200
`CLEVELAND, OH 441 14-3 108
`
`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
`3729
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`09/05/2018
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`patdocket @ pearne.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 14/768,912 HIGASHI ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`JEFFREY CARLEY [SENS 3729
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1. 136( a).
`after SIX () MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
`
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 07/05/2018.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|:l This action is non-final.
`2a)|Z| This action is FINAL.
`3)I:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI Claim(s) His/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s) fl is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| Claim(s)_4- 7is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit
`I/'/\WIIW.USOI.O. ovI’ atentS/init events/
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`
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`iindex.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)I:l The drawing(s) filed on
`is/are: a)I:I accepted or b)I:I objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)I:| Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)I:l All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) D Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) I] InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20180824
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/768,912
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`The present application is being examined under the pre—AIA first to invent provisions.
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in
`section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are
`such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person
`having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the
`manner in which the invention was made.
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`Claims 4-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(3) as being unpatentable over Kawase
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`et al. (US 2012/0272511 A1), in View of Jyoko (US 5317802).
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`Regarding claim 4, Kawase discloses an electronic component mounting method
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`performed by an electronic component mounting system that comprises: a component mounting
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`line (1) formed by interconnecting a plurality of component mounting apparatuses (M2, M3)
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`concurrently performing component mounting work to mount an electronic component
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`(component) on at least two kinds of boards (13) including a first kind of boards (carrying S2 or
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`S3) and a second kind of boards (carrying S1 or S4) (Title; Abstract; figs. 1—3 and 6B; pars.
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`0018, 0021-0024, and 0031—0035), wherein each of the component mounting apparatuses
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`comprises: a first board conveyance mechanism (6A) and a second board conveyance
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`mechanism (6B), each of which comprises a board holding unit (12) which conveys the board
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`delivered from an upstream—side (left side) apparatus (M1) in a board conveyance direction (“a”:
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`left—to—right) and positions and holds the conveyed board (figs. 1—3; pars. 0022—0025); a
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`component mounting unit (23) which executes the component mounting work by picking up the
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`electronic component fed by a component feeding unit (20) and transfers and mounts the picked—
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/768,912
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`up electronic component onto the board held by the board holding unit (fig. 2; pars. 0023—0028);
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`a board distribution unit (M3B) which receives the board from the upstream— side apparatus (Ml)
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`and distributes the received board to either the first board conveyance mechanism or the second
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`board conveyance mechanism (figs. 1—3; pars. 0029—0030); and a distribution control unit (30)
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`which controls the first board conveyance mechanism, the second board conveyance mechanism
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`and the board distribution unit (pars. 0029—0033), said electronic component mounting method
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`comprising: distributing at least one of the first kind of boards (S3) and at least one of the second
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`kind of boards (S1) to the first board conveyance mechanism (6A) and distributing at least
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`another one of the first kind of boards (S2) and another one of the second kind of boards (S4) to
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`the second board conveyance mechanism (figs. 6A and 6B) based on a board request signal
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`issued from a most—upstream component mounting unit in the component mounting line
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`(Abstract; figs. 2—7(b); pars. 0024, 0030 and 0033—0041). Kawase, however, does not explicitly
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`disclose that the two kinds of the boards are different in mounting workload.
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`Jyoko teaches that it is well known to perform a related method (Abstract; figs. 1A and 2;
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`col. 1, lines 7—l3), including the first kind of boards and the second kind of boards having
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`different mounting workloads (each board is a different kind by the nature of having a specified
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`mounting requirements for different individual components: fig. 2; col. 3, lines 40—62).
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the current
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`invention of Kawase to incorporate the different types of workload substrates of Jyoko. It is
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`considered well known that efficiency and precise production are of great importance in
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`manufacturing circuit boards. Moreover, it is common to manufacture a number of different
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`types (shape, size, weight, mounting architecture, etc.) of boards and to mount varying
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/768,912
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`components upon those boards, in the same manufacturing facility. One of ordinary skill would
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`have known that the recognition devices of each of the prior art references could be used to
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`detect and supply more than one type of circuit board substrate for component mounting. The
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`obvious advantages include predictably increasing productivity throughput, thus decreasing
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`overall manufacturing costs.
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`Regarding claim 5, the modified Kawase teaches the method of claim 4 as detailed
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`above, and Kawase further discloses that the component feeding Mcomprises a first
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`component feeding unit (20A) and a second component feeding unit (20B) which are disposed
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`on outer sides (top and bottom as viewed) of the first board conveyance mechanism and the
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`second board conveyance mechanism, respectively, and wherein the component mounting unit
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`comprises a first component mounting mechanism (23A) and a second component mounting
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`mechanism (23B) which are provided correspondingly to the first board conveyance mechanism
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`and the second board conveyance mechanism (fig. 2; pars. 0025—0028), respectively, said
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`electronic component mounting method comprising: causing the first component mounting
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`mechanism to pick up the electronic component from the first component feeding unit, and
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`mount the electronic component on the board positioned by the first board conveyance
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`mechanism, and causing the second component mounting mechanism to pick up the electronic
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`components from the second component feeding unit, and mount the electronic component on
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`the board positioned by the second board conveyance mechanism (figs. 2 and 6(a)—7(b); pars.
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`0025—0030).
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`Regarding claim 6, the modified Kawase teaches the method of claim 4 as detailed
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`above, and Kawase further discloses: recognizing a recognition mark (Sl—S4) formed in each of
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/768,912
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`the two kinds of the boards to thereby identify the kind of the board (fig. 2; pars. 0023—0024; and
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`changing over first mounting data and second mounting data from one to the other based on an
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`identification result of the board to thereby control the component mounting unit, the first
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`mounting data and the second mounting data being stored in a storage unit (32) and being
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`provided for mounting the electronic component on the two kinds of the boards, respectively
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`(pars. 0030—0033 and 0037—0042).
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`Regarding claim 7, the modified Kawase in view of Jyoko teaches the method of claim 4
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`as detailed above, and Kawase further discloses that it is known to that the at least one of the first
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`kind of boards and the at least one of the second kind of boards are alternately distributed to the
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`first board conveyance mechanism, and the at least another one of the first kind of boards and the
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`at least another one of the second kind of boards are alternately distributed to the second board
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`conveyance mechanism (fig. 6B; pars. 0030-0034).
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`Response to Arguments
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`Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot
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`because the arguments do not apply to any of the references as they are currently being used in
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`the instant rejection. The Applicants arguments regarding the prior art rejections are directed to
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`the prior 103 rejection to Kawase in view of Miyahara and, more specifically, are only directed
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`at the Miyahara reference. Respectfully, the argued limitation is no longer cited as being taught
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`by Miyahara, and instead a newly provided 103 rejection to Kawase in view of Jyoko is
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`presented above. Accordingly, it is held that all current claim limitations have been shown to be
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`taught by the prior art, and all relevant arguments answered herein.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/768,912
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`Conclusion
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`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this
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`Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a).
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`Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR l.l36(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO
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`MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after
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`the end of the THREE—MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period
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`will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37
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`CFR l.l36(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event,
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`however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this
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`final action.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to JEFFREY CARLEY whose telephone number is (571)270—5609.
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`The examiner can normally be reached on Monday—Friday, 9:00am — 5:00pm.
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in—person, and video conferencing using
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`a USPTO supplied web—based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is
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`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at
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`http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Peter Vo can be reached on 571—272—4690. The fax phone number for the
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`organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571—273—8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/768,912
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`Page 7
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
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`
`/JEFFREY CARLEY/
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`Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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`/PETER VO/
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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`