DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/27/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. A new rejection has been made in view of Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1), ITO (JP 2013132822 A), and Irwin (US 20110144581 A1). A full rejection can be found below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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 claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 8-10, 14-15, 18-19, and 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A).
Regarding claim 1, Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) teaches a plasma welding apparatus (Figure 2), comprising:
an operation chamber (chamber 35);
a plasma generator having at least one plasma head disposed within the operation chamber and in proximity to an end contact surface of a first profile within the operation chamber and an end contact surface of a second profile within the operation chamber (Figure 2 Column 3 Line 66 – Column 4 Line 4, beam 15 is directed toward tubing 29 and 31 for an operation which involves a fill operation of cutting the bags for filling and then resealing the tubes together; Figures 1-2 Column 4 Lines 18-22, chamber 35 is equipped with a beam tube with a window 13 for generating a plasma cloud in the volume surrounding the surfaces to be sterilized at target zone 34; Figure 1, electron beam tube 11 and gas nozzle are located in proximity to the target zone), wherein each of the first profile and the second profile comprises a tube having a lumen (Figure 1, tubing 29 and 31 each have an internal lumen for carrying fluids),
wherein the operation chamber forms a substantially sealed environment (Column 2 Lines 23-27, sterilization chamber; Column 4 Lines 27-29, ionization radiation is kept inside of the sterilization chamber which indicates that the operation chamber is sealed), and wherein the operation chamber confines the plasma treatment within the substantially sealed environment (Column 4 Lines 27-29, ionization radiation is kept inside of the sterilization chamber which indicates that the operation chamber is sealed)1, wherein the mechanical motion module is configured to manipulate the one or more lumens of the first profile and the second profile prior to plasma welding, so that the first profile and the second profile can remain open or closed during the plasma treatment and/or joining the first profile and the second profile (Figure 2 Column 3 Line 66 – Column 4 Line 4, manipulating the lumen of the first and second profile prior to connecting and resealing by cutting the tubing from each bag such that the tubing can be connected for the filling operation and then resealed later).
Wakalopulos fails to explicitly teach:
wherein the plasma head is configured to apply a plasma treatment to the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile to directly join a thermoset elastomer of the first or second profile to the other profile, wherein the first profile is formed from the thermoset elastomer comprising a silicone elastomer, a diene elastomer, a butyl rubber, a natural rubber, an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, an isoprene rubber, a nitrile rubber, a styrene butadiene rubber, a blend, or combination thereof, wherein the second profile is formed from a thermoset elastomer, a thermoplastic elastomer, or combination thereof that is different than the thermoset elastomer of the first profile; and
a mechanical motion module configured to axially align and bring into contact the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile by rotary motion of at least one of the end contact surface first profile or the end contact surface of second profile, wherein the tube and lumen of each of the first profile and second profile define a terminal end in an axial direction, wherein the end contact surfaces of the first and second profiles are located at the terminal ends of the first and second profiles,
BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) teaches a method for manipulating pre-sterilized components in an active sterile field, wherein:
wherein each of the first profile and the second profile comprises a tube having a lumen (Paragraph 38, ends of components 10 and 12 are cut off such as to reveal open ends while still within the field)
wherein the plasma head is configured to apply a plasma treatment to the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile (Figure 3D Paragraph 39, plasma atmosphere is created to achieve a sterile field; Paragraph 40, connection of the open ends together is accomplished while the contacting ends are exposed within the field; Paragraph 45, permeant seal between the contacting ends is accomplished while the contacting ends are exposed within the field),
a mechanical motion module configured to axially align and bring into contact the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile by rotary motion of at least one of the end contact surface first profile or the end contact surface of second profile (Paragraph 40, mechanism uses a pair of automated clamps which engage a portion of components 10 and 12 just behind the ends such as to actuate in the direction of the arrows and are capable of rotational movement to maintain the alignment ends of the components with one another; Figures 8A-8D, tubes are sealed together by being in contact with each other), wherein the tube and lumen of each of the first profile and second profile define a terminal end in an axial direction, wherein the end contact surfaces of the first and second profiles are located at the terminal ends of the first and second profiles (Paragraph 30, components have sealed ends which by connecting together which allow for a fluid pathway to be created at the time of joining between the two components; Figures 3A-3D Paragraph 38, the lumen of the first and second components extend in an axial direction and the location where the components are connected are each at a terminal end of the components), wherein the mechanical motion module is configured to manipulate the one or more lumens of the first profile and the second profile prior to plasma welding, so that the first profile and the second profile can remain open or closed during the plasma treatment and/or joining the first profile and the second profile (Paragraph 38, exposing the lumens of the first and second components by cutting them off by means of a mechanical blade such as to keep them open during connection).
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with BILSTAD and included a mechanical motion module for aligning ends of the first and second profile together. This would have been done to help maintain the alignment of ends of the tubes with one another during the processing (BILSTAD Paragraph 40).
Wakalopulos modified with BILSTAD fails to explicitly teach:
wherein the plasma head is configured to apply a plasma treatment to directly join a thermoset elastomer of the first or second profile to the other profile, wherein the first profile is formed from the thermoset elastomer comprising a silicone elastomer, a diene elastomer, a butyl rubber, a natural rubber, an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, an isoprene rubber, a nitrile rubber, a styrene butadiene rubber, a blend, or combination thereof, wherein the second profile is formed from a thermoset elastomer, a thermoplastic elastomer, or combination thereof that is different than the thermoset elastomer of the first profile; and
ITO (JP 2013132822 A) teaches a joining method, wherein:
the plasma head is configured to apply a plasma treatment to directly join a thermoset elastomer of the first or second profile to the other profile (Paragraph 6, first base material and second base material are brought into contact with plasma such that the first base material and second base materials are bonded by pressing the two base materials together), wherein the first profile is formed from the thermoset elastomer comprising a silicone elastomer (Paragraph 13, material of the first base material 21 is silicone resin), a diene elastomer, a butyl rubber, a natural rubber, an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, an isoprene rubber, a nitrile rubber, a styrene butadiene rubber, a blend, or combination thereof, wherein the second profile is formed from a thermoset elastomer, a thermoplastic elastomer, or combination thereof that is different than the thermoset elastomer of the first profile (Paragraph 14, constituent materials of the first base material and the second base material 22 may be different types; Paragraph 13, material of the second base material includes both thermoplastic and thermoset elastomers); and
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with ITO and have the plasma head apply plasma treatment such as to join two tubes of different materials together. This would have been done to firmly bond two base materials made of different materials together without altering or deteriorating the base materials (ITO Paragraph 5).
The Office further notes that joining end to end tubes of a silicone material to one of a different material together is known in the art of joining medical tubes as evidenced by Paragraphs 10 and 16 of Irwin (US 20110144581 A1).
The Office further notes that joining silicone tubes by means of plasma surface activation is known in the art of tube joining as evidenced by TAKEMOTO (US 20180161554 A1).
The Office further notes that joining together the silicone elastomer ends of tubes (Paragraph 45) in a medical environment (Paragraph 41) is well known and desirable in the art as evidenced by SUZUKI (JP H07329182 A).
Regarding claim 4, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
ITO further teaches:
both of the first profile and the second profile are formed from the thermoset elastomer (Paragraph 13, first base material 21 and second base material 22 are can consist of a plurality of thermoset elastomer materials including, but not limited, to silicone resin), wherein the thermoset elastomer comprises a silicone elastomer (Paragraph 13, first base material 21 and second base material 22 are can consist of silicone resin), a diene elastomer, a butyl rubber, a natural rubber, an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, an isoprene rubber, a nitrile rubber, a styrene butadiene rubber, a blend, or combination thereof.
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1 above.
The Office further notes that the polymetric elastomer layer of a medical tube is well known in the art to consist of any one of a plurality of materials including natural rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, chloroprene rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, acrylic rubber, and fluorine rubber as evidenced by Paragraph 72 of HANAI (US 20190381216 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the plasma generator comprises a gas supply (Column 4 Lines 7-8, nozzle 23 from a light inert gas supply such as a helium tank; Column 5 Lines 53-59, argon gas is used) and a power supply (Column 3 Lines 40-42, beam 15 generated from a cathode 12 in front of an electrostatic focusing structure)
ITO further teaches:
the plasma generator comprises a gas supply (Figure 2, gas cylinder 193 and pipe 194) and a power supply (Figure 2, power supply 182).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 9, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 8, wherein:
the gas supply provides a flow of gas comprising an inert gas (Column 5 Lines 53-59, argon gas is used) , an oxygen containing gas (Column 5 Lines 13-17, electrons collide with oxygen molecules), a nitrogen containing gas (Column 5 Lines 13-17, electrons collide with nitrogen molecules), a fluorine containing gas, or a combination thereof.
ITO further teaches:
the gas supply comprises an atmospheric air supply, a compressor, a compressed gas cylinder (Paragraph 30, gas cylinder 193 stores a processing gas), an in-house gas line, an in- house compressed gas line (Paragraph 30, pipe 194), a fan, a turbo, or a combination thereof, and wherein the gas supply provides a flow of gas comprising an inert gas (Paragraph 30, helium and argon gas), an oxygen containing gas (Paragraph 30, oxygen gas), a nitrogen containing gas, a fluorine containing gas, or a combination thereof.
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with ITO and used a compressed gas cylinder. This would have been done to facilitate the storing and the provision of the processing gas (ITO Paragraph 30).
Regarding claim 10, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 9, wherein:
the inert gas comprises argon (argon; Column 5 Lines 53-59, argon gas is used), neon, helium (helium; Column 4 Lines 7-8, nozzle 23 from a light inert gas supply such as a helium tank), or any combination thereof.
Regarding claim 14, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 8, wherein:
the power supply ionizes a flow of gas from the gas supply to generate the plasma treatment (Column 3 Line 66 – Column 4 Line 17, beam ionizes the gas and expands the effective volume of the plasma cloud)
ITO further teaches:
the power supply ionizes a flow of gas from the gas supply to generate the plasma treatment (Paragraphs 30-31, gas supply unit supplies gas to the supply port 103 into the chamber 101 wherein the plasma used for surface treatment is obtained by plasmatizing a gas containing oxygen gas).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 15, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
ITO further teaches:
the plasma treatment activates material at the end contact surfaces of the first profile (Paragraph 35, plasma brought in contact with the first base material to activate said material) and the second profile (Paragraphs 83-85, both a first and a second resin substrates are subjected to the plasma processing).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 18, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
BILSTAD further teaches:
the mechanical motion module linearly displaces or rotates at least one of the first profile and the second profile to axially align the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile (rotates; Paragraph 40, mechanism uses a pair of automated clamps which engage a portion of components 10 and 12 just behind the ends such as to actuate in the direction of the arrows and are capable of rotational movement to maintain the alignment ends of the components with one another; Figures 8A-8D, tubes are sealed together by being in contact with each other).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding claim 19, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the tube has a lumen through the entirety of the tube (Figure 1, tubing 29 and 31 each have an internal lumen for carrying fluids).
Regarding claim 21, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
ITO further teaches:
the thermoset elastomer comprises a silicone elastomer (Paragraph 13, silicone resin).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1.
The Office further notes that SUZUKI (JP H07329182 A) teaches that joining the end portions of silicone pipes to one another in a medical environment is known in the art.
Regarding claim 22, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
Bilstad further teaches:
a cutting device configured to form the first profile or second profile (Paragraph 38, mechanism for opening ends of the components 10 and 12 are opened using a mechanical blade).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1.
The Office further notes that the use of rotating disks such as to align the contact ends of the tubes through rotation wherein a cutting edge is used to separate the first and second portions is known in the art as evidenced by Paragraph 54 of Schwalm (US 20130153048 A1).
Regarding claim 23, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 22.
Bilstad further teaches:
the cutting device comprises at least one blade (Paragraph 38, mechanism for opening ends of the components 10 and 12 are opened using a mechanical blade).
It would have been obvious for the same motivation as claim 1.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Barnett (US 6521857 B1), Okada (US 20070110917 A1), and Sani-Tech (High Purity Tubing Specification, 2016).
Regarding claim 2, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach that “the apparatus comprises a temperature sensor adapted to keep the plasma welding apparatus between 10 and 350 degrees Celsius to maintain a plasma weld between the end contact surfaces of the first profile and the second profile to have 1) a tensile strength of at least 10% of an unmodified control bulk material of the first profile or the second profile, or 2) a burst pressure of at least 10% of an unmodified control bulk material of the first profile or the second profile”. However, Barnett (US 6521857 B1) teaches a plasma enhanced bonding method, wherein a temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature of a bond site (Barnett Column 7 Lines 28-46) during bond activation of the surfaces of two members such as to join them together (Barnett Column 5 Lines 51-56), wherein the temperature is high enough to allow for diffusion bonding without melting the material of the members that are bonded together, at preferably 150 degrees C (Barnett Column 7 Lines 40-46). ITO teaches that the temperature of heating the bonding surface exposed to the plasma treatment is between 70 degrees C to 100 degrees C, depending on the constituent material of the base material (ITO Paragraph 39), wherein the material composition of the base materials can comprise silicone resin (ITO Paragraph 13). Okada (US 20070110917 A1) teaches a bonding method of plasma surface activation wherein the tensile strength of bonding ranges from 3Mpa to 10Mpa depending on the temperature of the bonding and atmosphere (Okada Figures 9 and 14 Paragraph 41). Sani-Tech (High Purity Tubing Specification, 2016) teaches of an example of a medical tubing formed from silicone materials, wherein the tensile strength of the tubing is 8.62 MPa (Sani-Tech Typical Physical Properties). Thus, it would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with Barnett and Okada and have method include a temperature sensor which ensures that the temperature of the bonding occurs at temperatures between 70 degrees C and 150 degrees C based on the material composition and below the melting points of the two materials. This would have been done to plasma join two members together at temperatures below the melting points of the materials of the two members (Barnett Column 7 Lines 40-46), ensure that deformation of the material can be suppressed or prevented (ITO Paragraph 39), and facilitating sufficient bonding strength of at least 10% of an unmodified control bulk material (Okada Figures 9 and 14 Paragraph 41; Sani-Tech Typical Physical Properties), since the tensile strength of the bonded materials [3Mpa to 10Mpa (Okada Figures 9 and 14 Paragraph 41)] is more than 10% of the tensile strength of an unmodified standard tube [8.62 MPa (Sani-Tech Typical Physical Properties)].
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of TAKEMOTO (US 20190300662 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to explicitly teach:
the thermoplastic elastomer comprises a polystyrene, a polyester, a silicone copolymer, a silicone thermoplastic vulcanizate, a copolyester, a polyamide, a fluoropolymer, a polyolefin, a polyether-ester copolymer, a thermoplastic urethane, a polyether amide block copolymer, a polyamide copolymer, a styrene block copolymer, a polycarbonate, a thermoplastic vulcanizate, an ionomer, a polyoxymethylene (POM), an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), an acetal, an acrylic, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a blend, or combination thereof.
TAKEMOTO (US 20190300662 A1), from now on referred to as TAKEMOTO_2, teaches a method of bonding substrates through plasma surface activation, wherein:
the thermoplastic elastomer comprises a polystyrene, a polyester, a silicone copolymer, a silicone thermoplastic vulcanizate, a copolyester, a polyamide, a fluoropolymer, a polyolefin, a polyether-ester copolymer, a thermoplastic urethane, a polyether amide block copolymer, a polyamide copolymer, a styrene block copolymer, a polycarbonate, a thermoplastic vulcanizate, an ionomer, a polyoxymethylene (POM), an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), an acetal, an acrylic (acrylic; Paragraph 57, substrates 11 and 15 are made of acrylic resin), a polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a blend, or combination thereof.
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with TAKEMOTO_2 and have the first and second tubes be made at least partially of acrylic resin. This would have been done as synthetic resins including silicone resin and acrylic resin are known in the art of plasma surface activation processes, wherein acrylic resin is particularly beneficial when light transmittance is desired (TAKEMOTO_2 Paragraph 57).
The Office further notes that joining the ends of tubes made of nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), silicone, polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE), and polyvinylchloride (PVC) is known in the art as evidenced by Irwin (US 20110144581 A1).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Therond (US 20030102293 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach:
the operation chamber is prevented from opening or removal during application of the plasma treatment.
Therond (US 20030102293 A1) teaches a container for laser processing, wherein:
the operation chamber is prevented from opening or removal during application of the plasma treatment (Paragraph 40, users are prevented from opening the chamber during processing to promote maximum security).
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with Therond and have the openings to the container be sealed and prevented from opening during application of the plasma treatment. This would have been done to facilitate maximum security and protect the user from any unsuitable maneuvers that they may make (Therond Paragraph 40).
The prevention of opening the sealed container during plasma processing so that inert or other atmosphere may be employed and sustained is known as desirable in the art of plasma welding as evidenced by Gerber (US 3597569 A).
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of TAKEMOTO (US 20180161554 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 9.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach:
the oxygen containing gas comprises atmospheric air, pure oxygen, alcohol, water vapor, or a combination thereof.
TAKEMOTO (US 20180161554 A1) teaches a method of joining resin tubes, comprising:
the oxygen containing gas comprises atmospheric air (Paragraph 61, a mix of nitrogen gas and dry clean air is used), pure oxygen, alcohol, water vapor, or a combination thereof.
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with TAKEMOTO and use atmospheric air as part of the gas. This would have been done as using atmospheric air is well known in the art of plasma processing and one of ordinary skill would have found it obvious to use atmospheric air for its standardized and predictable results.
The Office further notes that using dry air is well known in the art to generate plasma as evidenced by Paragraphs 19-21 of IKEDO (US 20210076480 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 9.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach:
the nitrogen containing gas comprises atmospheric air, pure nitrogen, ammonia, or a combination thereof.
TAKEMOTO (US 20180161554 A1) teaches a method of joining resin tubes, comprising:
the nitrogen containing gas comprises atmospheric air (Paragraph 61, a mix of nitrogen gas and dry clean air is used), pure nitrogen, ammonia, or a combination thereof.
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with TAKEMOTO and use atmospheric air as part of the gas. This would have been done as using atmospheric air is well known in the art of plasma processing and one of ordinary skill would have found it obvious to use atmospheric air for its standardized and predictable results.
The Office further notes that using dry air is well known in the art to generate plasma as evidenced by Paragraphs 19-21 of IKEDO (US 20210076480 A1).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of LEE (KR 20150054280 A).
Regarding claim 13, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 9.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach:
the fluorine containing gas comprises sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), trifluoromethane (CHF3),
tetrafluoromethane (CF4), octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8), or a combination thereof.
LEE (KR 20150054280 A) teaches a plasma torch, wherein:
the fluorine (Paragraph 4, gas includes fluorine) containing gas comprises sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), trifluoromethane (CHF3), tetrafluoromethane (CF4) (Paragraph 4, CF4), octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8), or a combination thereof.
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with LEE and use CF4 as the gas. This gas is known in the art in plasma processing and one of ordinary skill would have found it obvious to have used such air as an alternative to dry air or clean dry air, when dry air or clean dry air is not available.
The Office further notes that the use of sulfur hexafluoride and trifluoromethane are known in the art to be used as the gas to be ionized to generate plasma for plasma processing as evidenced by Mahoney (US 5521351 A).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of YAMAUCHI (US 20170221856 A1).
Regarding claim 16, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to explicitly teach:
a plurality of plasma heads disposed within the operation chamber
YAMAUCHI (US 20170221856 A1) teaches a method for bonding substrates together, comprising:
a plurality of plasma heads disposed within the operation chamber (Figure 1, multiple activation treatment units 610 are disposed within chamber 200).
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with YAMAUCHI and have a plurality of tubes be placed in a chamber during processing. This would have been done to control the surrounding atmosphere of the processing which can help with preventing air from being trapped between the substrates to be bonded (YAMAUCHI Paragraph 79).
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1), ITO (JP 2013132822 A), and YAMAUCHI (US 20170221856 A1) as applied to claim 16 above, and further in view of Dougherty (US 20060081567 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 16.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach:
at least one of the plurality of plasma heads is configured to sterilize the environment within the operation chamber.
Dougherty (US 20060081567 A1) teaches a method for plasma processing multiple workpieces, wherein:
at least one of the plurality of plasma heads is configured to sterilize the environment within the operation chamber (Paragraphs 105-106, combination of operations includes the plasma-assisted processes of welding and sterilizing).
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with Dougherty and have at least one of the plasma heads sterilize the environment. This would have been done to perform detoxification and cleaning the area which is a beneficial use of plasma torches known in the art as evidenced by PATRIGI (US 20140263202 A1).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wakalopulos (US 6140657 A) in view of BILSTAD (US 20060110282 A1) and ITO (JP 2013132822 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of WANG (CN 108127239 A).
Regarding claim 20, Wakalopulos as modified teaches the plasma welding apparatus of claim 1.
Wakalopulos as modified fails to teach:
a control system configured to automatically stop the plasma treatment when an out of conformance condition exists.
WANG (CN 108127239 A) teaches an intelligent plasma welding system, comprising:
a control system configured to automatically stop the plasma treatment when an out of conformance condition exists (Paragraph 54, a DSC controller will interrupt and stop working of the plasma power supply when an out of conformance condition is detected).
It would have thus been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Wakalopulos with WANG and have a controller stop the plasma treatment when an out of conformance condition exists. This would have been done to improve the safety and reliability of the equipment.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANKLIN JEFFERSON WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-7782. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10AM-6PM (E.S.T).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ibrahime Abraham can be reached at (571) 270-5569. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/F.J.W./Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/WOODY A LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
1 The Office further notes that ensuring that plasma treatment, by means of plasma heads, of two surfaces such as to bond them together takes place in a sealed chamber is well known in the art as evidenced by Figure 1 and Paragraphs 61-63 of YAMAUCHI (US 20170221856 A1).
Prosecution Insights