www.uspto.gov
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 2231371450
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`15/784,346
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`10/16/2017
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`RYOUJI EGUCHI
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`PIPMM-SSZlO
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`3765
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`759°
`52°“
`PEARNE & GORDON LLP
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`04’1””
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`1801 EAST 9TH STREET
`SUITE 1200
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`CLEVELAND, OH 44114-3108
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`RANDALLJK KELVIN L
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`3651
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`04/19/2019
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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
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`following e—mail address(es):
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`patdoeket@pearne.eom
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`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

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`0/7709 A0170” Summary
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`Application No.
`15/784,346
`Examiner
`KELVIN L RANDALL, JR.
`
`Applicant(s)
`EGUCHI et al.
`Art Unit
`3651
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`AIA (FITF) Status
`Yes
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`- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet wit/7 the correspondence address -
`Period for Reply
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`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 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing
`date of this communication.
`|f 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).
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`Status
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`1). Responsive to communication(s) filed on 10/16/2017.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a)D This action is FINAL.
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`2b)
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`This action is non-final.
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`3)[:] An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; 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
`closed in accordance with the practice under Expat/7e Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)
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`Claim(s) fl is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s)
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`E] Claim(s)
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`is/are allowed.
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`Claim(s) fl is/are rejected.
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`[:1 Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`) ) ) )
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`6 7
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`8
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`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[j Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined aflowabie, 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
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`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
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`Application Papers
`10)[:] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11)[:] The drawing(s) filed on
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`is/are: a)D accepted or b)l:] objected to by the Examiner.
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`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`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
`12):] 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)D All
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`b)I:l Some**
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`c)C] None of the:
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`1.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
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`3.[:] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
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`** 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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`1)
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`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Datem.
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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`3) C] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) CI Other-
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20190415
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/784,346
`Art Unit: 3651
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Election/Restrictions
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`1.
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`Applicant’s election without traverse of Group lSpecies lll Figs. (4A-4B) and
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`Group II Species ll (Fig. 7) in the reply filed on 10/26/2018 is acknowledged.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`2.
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`The following is aquotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that
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`form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)(1 ) the claimed inventionwas patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use,
`on sale orotherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed
`invention.
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`3.
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`Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by
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`Gfeller et al. (6,157,870 — hereinafter Gfeller)
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`Re Claims 1, 3, and 4:
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`Gfeller discloses a component mounting system including a tape feeder (1) that pitch-
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`feeds a carrier tape (23) and supplies components (see col. 3 lines 10-53), comprising:
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`a storage (57) which stores information related to the tape feeder (1) and information
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`related to the carrier tape (23) pitch-fed by the tape feeder (1) (see col. 5 lines 45 to col.
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`6 line 23); a detector (53, 54) which detects a state where the carrier tape (23) pitch-fed
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`by the tape feeder (1) becomes close to a component shortage (col. 6 lines 1-67); a
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`determiner (56) which determines whether to perform predetermined processing with
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`respect to a termination portion (near 36, 37, 44, 45) of the carrier tape to be pitch-fed
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`by the tape feeder (1) based on information related to the tape feeder (1)
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`and information related to the carrier tape (23) which are stored in the storage (57) (see
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/784,346
`Art Unit: 3651
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`Page 3
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`col. 6 lines 1-67), in a case where a state where the carrier tape (23) pitch-fed by the
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`tape feeder (1) is close to a component shortage is detected by the detector (53, 54)
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`(see col. 6 lines 1-23); and a notifier (message) which notifies an operator of contents
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`of the predetermined processing (see col. 6 lines 10-15), in a case where the
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`determiner (56) determines that the predetermined processing is supposed to be
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`performed with respect to the termination portion (near 36, 37, 44, 45) of the carrier tape
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`(23) (see Figs. 1-5).
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`Re Claim 2:
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`Gfeller information about whether or not the tape feeder is atype which automatically
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`loads the carrier tape inserted into a tape inlet is included in the information related to
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`the tape feeder stored in the storage (Examiner notes that Gfeller teaches information
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`on the feeder wherein in a situation where not a tape feeder is a type which
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`automatically loads into a tape inlet would be capable by detecting a device that does
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`not require such. Gfeller is capable of detecting the alternative and storing information
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`of such) (see Figs. 1-5).
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`Conclusion
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`4.
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
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`applicant's disclosure.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/784,346
`Art Unit: 3651
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`Page 4
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`5.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to KELVIN L RANDALL, JR. whose telephone number is
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`(571)270-5373. The examiner can normally be reached on M—F: 9:00 am-5 pm est.
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video
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`conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an
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`interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request
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`(AIR) at 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, Gene Crawford can be reached on 571-272—6911. The fax phone number
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`for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-8300.
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`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272—1000.
`
`/GENE O CRAWFORD/
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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`/K.L.R/
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`Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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`