Patent Application 18190996 - SOLDER PRINTING INSPECTION DEVICE

Title: SOLDER PRINTING INSPECTION DEVICE

Application Information

Invention Title: SOLDER PRINTING INSPECTION DEVICE
Application Number: 18190996
Submission Date: 2025-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
Effective Filing Date: 2023-03-28T00:00:00.000Z
Filing Date: 2023-03-28T00:00:00.000Z
National Class: 382
National Sub-Class: 150000
Examiner Employee Number: 79747
Art Unit: 2676
Tech Center: 2600

Rejection Summary

102 Rejections: 1
103 Rejections: 0

Cited Patents

No patents were cited in this rejection.

Office Action Text

DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Notice to Applicants
This communication is in response to the Application filed on 3/28/2023.
Claims 1-18 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 3/28/2023 and 5/11/2023 have been considered by the examiner.
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 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.

Claims 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO2012/096004A1 to Fujii et al. (hereafter, “Fujii”).
With regard to claim 1 Fujii discloses a solder printing inspection device configured to perform a pre-reflow inspection for a printing state of a solder paste printed on a printed circuit board, the solder printing inspection device (Fig. 1, paragraphs [0053-0054]) comprising: an illumination device that irradiates, with a predetermined light, the printed circuit board on which the solder paste is printed (illumination device 3, paragraphs [0059-0061], and throughout the reference); an imaging device that takes an image of the printed circuit board irradiated with the predetermined light and obtains image data (camera 2, paragraphs [0059-0061], and throughout the reference); and a control device that: based on the image data, obtains three-dimensional measurement data of the solder paste printed on the printed circuit board (paragraph [0052, 0081, 0098, 0109, etc.]), based on the three-dimensional measurement data, extracts upper portion shape data of an upper portion of the solder paste, the upper portion having a height equal to or higher than a predetermined height (paragraphs [0087-0088, 0095, 0101]), and compares the upper portion shape data with a predetermined criterion and determines whether a quality of a three- dimensional shape of the upper portion of the solder paste is good or poor (paragraphs [0083, 0116, 0119, 0128]).
With regard to claim 3 Fujii discloses wherein the control device extracts the upper portion shape data by excluding, from the three-dimensional measurement data, at least lower portion shape data of a lower portion of the solder paste, the lower portion including a spread portion of the solder paste and having a height lower than the predetermined height (paragraphs [0087-0090, 0094]).
With regard to claims 5 and 7 Fujii discloses wherein the illumination device radiates, as the predetermined light, a light for three-dimensional measurement, and the control device obtains the three-dimensional measurement data based on the image data obtained through radiation of the light for three-dimensional measurement (paragraphs [0081-0082, 0109, 0112]).
With regard to claims 9, 11, 13 and 15 Fujii discloses wherein the control device determines, based on the three-dimensional measurement data, whether a quality of three-dimensional information on the solder paste is good or poor.
With regard to claim 17 Fujii discloses the control device determines, based on the three-dimensional measurement data, whether a quality of two-dimensional information on the solder paste is good or poor (paragraphs [0008, 0016, 0026-0028, 0036, etc. throughout the reference]).
With regard to claim 18 Fujii discloses wherein the illumination device radiates, as the predetermined light, a light for two-dimensional measurement, and the control device: obtains two-dimensional measurement data of the solder paste based on the image data obtained through radiation of the light for two-dimensional measurement, and determines, based on the two-dimensional measurement data, whether a quality of two-dimensional information on the solder paste is good or poor (paragraphs [0008, 0016, 0026-0028, 0036, 0070], Fig. 7, paragraphs [0099-0105]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEFALI D. GORADIA whose telephone number is (571)272-8958. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8AM-6PM, Friday 8AM-12PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Henok Shiferaw can be reached at 571-272-4637. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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SHEFALI D. GORADIA
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2676

/SHEFALI D GORADIA/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2676