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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP 2020-089035, filed on 5/21/2020.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract is 155 words long. 37 CFR 1.72 requires that the abstract may not exceed 150 words. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph 0005, line 2, "conveys_a plate-shaped object..." should read "conveys a plate-shaped object...".
In paragraph 0006, line 4, "discharge channels" should read "discharge channels".
In paragraph 0013, line 3, "through holes113" should read "through holes 113".
In paragraph 0046, line 3, a space is needed between "member 23;" and "figure 26".
Paragraph 0049 is single spaced instead of double spaced.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Tanabe (U.S. No. 20190393185).
Regarding claim 1, Tanabe teaches a conveyance device that applies suction to and conveys a plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Abstract), comprising:
A plate-shaped main body (2) that faces the plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Paragraph 0026, lines 1-5; Fig. 1, elements 2, 1A, 1B);
A plurality of recesses (21Ar, 21Br) formed in the plate-shaped main body (2) to face an outer circumferential portion of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Paragraph 0043, lines 6-8; Paragraph 0049, lines 1-4; Fig. 1, elements 21Ar, 21Br);
A plurality of discharge channels formed inside the plate-shaped main body (2) (Paragraph 0026, lines 8-10, 16-19); and
A plurality of movement restriction members (63) formed on the main body (2) to contact with and restrict lateral movement of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Paragraph 0092, lines 12-20; Fig. 6, elements 63, T2);
Wherein one each of the plurality of discharge channels is connected to one each of the plurality of recesses (21Ar, 21Br), and a swirling flow is formed in the plurality of recesses (21Ar, 21Br) with fluid supplied from the plurality of connected discharge channels (Fig. 1, elements 1a, 1b, 21Ar, 21Br); and
In each of the plurality of recesses (21Ar, 21Br), a portion of an opening not covered by the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is covered by one of the plurality of movement restriction members (63) (Fig. 6a, elements 21Ar, 21Br, 6, T2). Additional details are provided in the figure below.
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Regarding claim 2, Tanabe teaches the plurality of recesses (21Ar, 21Br) are formed at each of one end and another end of the main body (2) in opposing relation to each other (Paragraph 0043, lines 6-8; paragraph 0049, lines 1-4; Fig. 1, elements 21Ar, 21Br, 2), and
The plurality of discharge channels are formed so that fluid flowing out of the plurality of recesses (21Ar, 21Br) connected to the plurality of discharge channels flows in a direction from outside to inside of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Paragraph 0026, lines 10-15).
Regarding claim 3, Tanabe teaches the plurality of movement restriction members (6) each forms an outlet path between the plate-shaped main body such that fluid flowing out of any one of the plurality of recesses whose opening is partially covered by any one of the plurality of movement members (6) flows in the direction from the inside to the outside of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Paragraph 0026, lines 10-15; paragraph 0063, lines 5-9).
Regarding claim 4, Tanabe teaches the plurality of movement restriction members (6) each forms an outlet path between the plate-shaped main body such that fluid flowing out of any one of the plurality of recesses whose opening is partially covered by any one of the plurality of movement members (6) flows in the direction from the inside to the outside of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed (Paragraph 0026, lines 10-15; paragraph 0063, lines 5-9).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYDNEY JEANINE SIMMONS whose telephone number is (571)272-7472. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 5:00pm.
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/SYDNEY JEANINE SIMMONS/Examiner, Art Unit 3651
/GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651