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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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`15/364,508
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`11/30/2016
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`NObutO YASUHIRA
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`PIPMM-56876
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`9499
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`759°
`52°“
`PEARNE & GORDON LLP
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`06’1””
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`1801 EAST 9TH STREET
`SUITE 1200
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`CLEVELAND, OH 44114-3108
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`CAZAN LIVIUS RADU
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`3729
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`06/13/2019
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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.
`15/364,508
`Examiner
`LIVIUS R CAZAN
`
`Applicant(s)
`YASUHIRA et al.
`Art Unit
`AIA (FITF) Status
`3729
`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 2/26/2019.
`[: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*
`5)
`Claim(s)
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`1—15 is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s) 9i 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) 1—4 and 6—8 is/are rejected.
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`Claim(s) 5 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
`E] 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.”smong/patents/init_event§/pph/index.'§p or send an inquiry to PPeredhack@g§ptg.ggv.
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`Application Papers
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`10)D The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11). The drawing(s) filed on 11/30/2016 is/are: a). accepted or b)[:] 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
`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). All
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`b)l:] Some**
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`c)l:I None of the:
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`1.. Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.8 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
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`31:] 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 DateW.
`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 20190608
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/364,508
`Art Unit: 3729
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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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 under the first
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`inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Election/Restrictions
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`2.
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`Applicant’s election without
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`traverse of
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`invention |
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`in the reply filed on 2/26/2019 is
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`acknowledged.
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`3.
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`Claims 9-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn
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`to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without
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`traverse in the reply filed on 2/26/2019.
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`Claim Objections
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`4.
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`Claim 3 is obiected to because of the following informalities:
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`In line 4, ”ofa” should read --of a--.
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`Appropriate correction is required.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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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 form the basis
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`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 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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`6.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections
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`set forth in this Office action:
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`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
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/364,508
`Art Unit: 3729
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`Page 3
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`claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention
`was made.
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`Claim(s)1-4 and 6-8 isZare reiected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by orI in the
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`alternativeI under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Sumi (U5201310028701A1).
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`8.
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`Sumi reads on the claims as follows:
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`Claim 1. A component supply method in a component mounting system (1) which
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`includes a component supply unit (one of feeders 4) being capable of supplying up to one carrier
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`tape (7) for storing a component, and automatically transporting an inserted carrier tape, and a
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`component mounting apparatus (8, 9, 11) which mounts the component supplied from the
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`component supply unit on a substrate (10), the method comprising:
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`notifying an operator (see ”component depletion alarm” in para. [0038]) of a case where
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`a first carrier tape with which the component supply unit is to be replenished is a 2nd (i.e. next);
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`and
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`detecting a replenishing operation (see para. [0040], regarding detecting the splice) of
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`carrier tape with respect to the component supply unit.
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`Claim 2. The component supply method of Claim 1, wherein it is determined that the first
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`carrier tape is the (N + 1)-th based on a component ID of the first carrier tape in which the
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`replenishing operation of carrier tape is detected. Specifically, the reel ID (yyyy) of the reel holding
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`the subsequent carrier tape 7 is stored in 31b, whereas the reel ID of the in-use reel is stored in
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`31a (see Fig. 5). Thus, it can be determined that the next (i.e. (N+1)th) carrier tape reel is yyyy in
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`this case, because the value yyyy is stored in 31b.
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`Claim 3. The component supply method of Claim 1, wherein it is determined that the first
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`carrier tape in which the replenishing operation of carrier tape is detected is the (N + 1)-th based
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`on the number of component IDs included in component information of a carrier tape which is in
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`a state of being supplied to the component supply unit in which the replenishing operation of
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/364,508
`Art Unit: 3729
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`Page 4
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`carrier tape is detected. Specifically, the reel ID of the reel holding the subsequent carrier tape 7
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`is stored in 31b, whereas the reel ID of the in-use reel is stored in 31a (see Fig. 5). Thus, it can be
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`determined that the next (i.e. (N+1)th) reel is yyyy in this case, because the value yyyy is stored in
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`31b.
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`Claim 4. The component supply method of Claim 1, wherein in a case where the first
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`carrier tape in which the replenishing operation of carrier tape is detected is determined to be
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`the (N + 1)-th, an operation of updating component information of a carrier tape which is in a
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`state of being supplied based on the component ID of the first carrier tape in which the
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`replenishing operation of carrier tape is detected, is not allowed. Specifically, the component
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`information in section 31a is not set to reel ID yyyy as long as the in-use reel still has components.
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`Claim 6. The component supply method of Claim 1, wherein the component supply unit
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`includes a sensor (25) which detects the carrier tape inserted into the component supply unit, and
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`wherein the replenishing operation of carrier tape is detected based on a detection result of the
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`sensor (see last four lines of para. [0031] and para. [0032]).
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`Claim 7. The component supply method of Claim 1, wherein component information of a
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`carrier tape (7) which is in a state of being supplied to the component supply unit is stored in a
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`supply unit storage (31b) provided in the component supply unit (31 is in 24, which is in 4a; see
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`Fig. 4 and para. [0039] and [0021]).
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`Claim 8. The component supply method of Claim 1, wherein component information of a
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`carrier tape (7) in a state of being supplied to the component supply unit is stored in a system
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`storage (31a) provided in the component mounting system (1).
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`9.
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`The apparatus determines when the reel 6 currently in use is about to run out of components,
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`and a component depletion alarm is issued. This is equated to a notification that a first next component
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`carrier tape (Le. a second carrier tape) must be spliced to the in-use carrier tape. The claim limitations are
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/364,508
`Art Unit: 3729
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`Page 5
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`therefore deemed met. Alternatively, it is deemed it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in
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`the art to issue the notification as ”N+1 carrier tape must be provided” as an alternative working to
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`notifying the operator the current carrier tape is about to run out of components.
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`10.
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`Claim 5 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`rewritten in independent form including all ofthe limitations ofthe base claim and any intervening claims.
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`Conclusion
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`11.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should
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`be directed to LIVIUS R CAZAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8032. The examiner can normally
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`be reached on Monday - Friday noon-8:30pm.
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO
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`supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the
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`USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Peter
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`Vo can be reached on 571-272-4690. The fax phone number for the organization where this application
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`or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/364,508
`Art Unit: 3729
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`Page 6
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`/L|V|US R. CAZAN/
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`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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