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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`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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`14/798,839
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`07/14/2015
`
`Masayuki MANTANI
`
`PIPMM—54772
`
`5338
`
`10’05’20” —PEARNE&GORDON LLP m
`7590
`52054
`1801 EAST 9TH STREET
`CAZAN’ LIVIUS RADU
`S UITE 1 200
`CLEVELAND, OH 441 14-3 108
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`ART UNIT
`3729
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
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`10/05/2017
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`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`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):
`
`patdocket @ pearne.c0m
`
`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 14/798,839 MANTANI ET AL.
`
`
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Art Unit
`Examiner
`Office Action Summary
`
`
`LIVIUS R. CAZAN $2213 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 7/14/2015.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l 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) 1 and2is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6)I:I Claim(s)
`7)|Z| CIaim(s)_1and2is/are rejected.
`8)|:| Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
`
`
`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
`:/'/\W¢W.LISI>I‘.0. ovI’ atentS/init events/
`
`
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`iindex.‘s or send an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
`
`Application Papers
`
`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 7/14/2015is/are: a)lX| 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).
`
`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)IXI 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)IZl All
`
`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.IXI 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)
`
`
`
`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) E InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date 7/14/2015.
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20171001
`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/798,839
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013,
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`is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 1 12
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`2.
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`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.
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`3.
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`Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112jb) or 35 U.S.C. 112 jpre-AIA), second
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`paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the
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`subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards
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`as the invention.
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`4.
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`Based on the preamble of claim 1, the claim is directed only to a component
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`mounting related apparatus,
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`i.e. separate from the another apparatus. However, the
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`recitation “wherein the component mounting related apparatus and the another
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`component mounting related apparatus are disposed back-to-back with each other”
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`renders the claim indefinite, because it would appear to claim the another component
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`mounting related apparatus as part of the apparatus mentioned in the preamble.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`5.
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`The following is a quotation 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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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/798,839
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(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.
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`(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.
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`6.
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`Claims 1 and 2 are reiected under 35 U.S.C. 102la)l1) and 102la)l2) as being
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`anticipated by Nozawa (W02014045664; refer to US2015/0223374 as an eguivalent
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`English translation).
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`7.
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`Nozawa reads on the claims as follows (refer to Figs. 1 and 2):
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`Claim 1. A component mounting related apparatus (10 without
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`tape
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`feeders 50) that executes a component mounting related operation for mounting
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`a component on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
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`a control unit (32) that outputs a first control signal for controlling the
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`component mounting related apparatus (clearly,
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`the control unit 32 outputs
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`signals to control
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`the mounting apparatus) and a second control signal
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`for
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`controlling another component mounting related apparatus (50; see Note below),
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`wherein the component mounting related apparatus and the another component
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`mounting related apparatus are disposed back-to-back with each other (see
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`rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b));
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`a first signal transmission line that transmits the first control signal and the
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`second control signal outputted by the control unit in the component mounting
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`related apparatus (see Fig. 21; the CPU is connected to the various parts of the
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`apparatus through the input/output interface); and
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/798,839
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`a signal
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`transmission connector (102) that outputs the second control
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`signal transmitted by the first signal transmission line to the another component
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`mounting related apparatus (50).
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`Note: feeder 50 is a component mounting related apparatus having a
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`connector 100. By the connection of connectors 100 and 102, communication
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`can be performed between tape feeder control computer 104 which forms the
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`main part of tape feeder control device 90 and module control computer 106
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`(refer to FIG. 21) which forms the main part of the module control device 32, and
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`electric power can be supplied to tape feeder 50. See para. [0062].
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`Claim 2. A component mounting related system (entire apparatus of Fig.
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`1) configured to execute a component mounting related operation and including a
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`first component mounting related apparatus (10 without feeders 50) and a
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`second component mounting related apparatus (50) disposed back-to-back (note
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`that “back-to-back does not truly have a unique meaning, as it depends on what
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`is considered a back) with the first component mounting related apparatus, the
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`system comprising:
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`a control unit
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`(32) provided in the first component mounting related
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`apparatus and configured to output a first control signal for controlling the first
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`component mounting related apparatus and a second control
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`signal
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`for
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`controlling the second component mounting related apparatus (see Note above);
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`a first signal transmission line provided in the first component mounting
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`related apparatus and configured to transmit the first control signal and the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/798,839
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`second control signal outputted by the control unit
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`in the first component
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`mounting related apparatus (see Fig. 21; the CPU is connected to the various
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`parts of the apparatus through the input/output interface);
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`a signal
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`transmission connector (102) that outputs the second control
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`signal transmitted by the first signal transmission line to the second component
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`mounting related apparatus; and
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`a second signal transmission line (i.e. between connector 100 and feeder
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`control computer 104 provided in the second component mounting related
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`apparatus and configured to transmit, in the second component mounting related
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`apparatus, the second control signal outputted from the first component mounting
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`related apparatus trough the signal transmission connector.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to LIVIUS R. CAZAN whose telephone number
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`is
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`(571 )272—8032. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 12pm-8:30pm EST.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, PETER D. VO can be reached on (571) 272-4690. 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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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/798,839
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 3729
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`10/1/2017
`
`/LIVIUS R CAZAN/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
`
`