Appeal No. 2002-1856
Application No. 09/255,699
Ciardella, the examiner’s primary reference, discloses “a
computer controlled system for high speed surface mount adhesive
placement in circuit board production” (column 1, lines 18
through 20). In general, the system comprises a viscous adhesive
dot generator supported for motion along X, Y and Z axes, a
circuit board conveyor disposed beneath the dot generator, a
video camera and vision circuit for monitoring dot size and
location and a computer which interfaces with the foregoing
elements to operate the assembly line. The viscous adhesive dot
generator 12, which the examiner likens to the claimed liquid
spraying apparatus, comprises a nozzle 70, a fluid feed conduit
72, a drop generation chamber 74, an elastomeric sealing gasket
76, a syringe 84, an impact hammer 104, a solenoid 112, a
controller 120, a heater ring 132 and a strain gauge 144. These
dot generator components cooperate as shown in Figures 3 and 4
and described at column 8, line 15 et seq. Noting that air
bubbles in the adhesive material within the dot generator can
adversely effect the volume and shape of the dots dispensed
therefrom, Ciardella processes the strain gauge signals to detect
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Last modified: November 3, 2007