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 .
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.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 and 3 – 11. Claim 2 is cancelled. Claim 12 is allowed.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1 and 3 – 5 and 8 – 10 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yosuke (JP2018 086692 A) in view of Shinichiro (JP2003243350 A) as cited by Applicant.
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Yosuke teaches a cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) for use in a processing apparatus including a holding unit (chuck table, 42) that holds a workpiece (unprocessed wafer, W), and a processing unit (rough grinding means, 45 or finish grinding means, 51; Paragraph [0018]) that processes the workpiece (W; Paragraph [0018]), the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) comprising: a conveying unit (carry-out means, 36) that has a suction surface (suction surface, 38b) for holding the workpiece (W) under suction and that conveys the workpiece (Paragraph [0016]), a substrate (wafer, W) having a constant thickness (Fig. 2) and a lower surface to be which is held under suction on an upper surface of a chuck table of the holding unit (Paragraph [0017]; via holding surface, 43), wherein the lower surface of the substrate is held in contacting relationship with the upper surface of the chuck table (42; Fig. 1); and a cleaning member (cleaning means, 80 with sponge, 862 and brush, 852), wherein the suction surface (38b) of the conveying unit (36) is cleaned by an action of the cleaning member in a state in which the cleaning assembly is held on the holding unit (Paragraph [0048]).
Yosuke does not teach a cleaning member disposed on an upper surface of the substrate such that the cleaning member is either adhered to, or implanted in, the upper surface of the substrate.
Shinichiro, however, teaches a cleaning member (140, 142; Fig. 7) disposed on an upper surface of the substrate (W,F; Fig. 7B) such that the cleaning member (140, 142; Fig. 7) is either adhered to, or implanted in, the upper surface of the substrate (W; Fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the assembly of Yosuke to further include a cleaning member disposed on an upper surface of the substrate such that the cleaning member is either adhered to, or implanted in, the upper surface of the substrate, as taught by Shinichiro, to provide a means to effectively clean the contaminated surface, thus preventing further contamination of the system
Regarding Claim 3, Yosuke, as modified, teaches the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) wherein the cleaning member (852) is formed from a brush (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0031]).
Regarding the limitation “which is implanted in the upper surface of the substrate”, the limitations is directed toward a non-elected limitation as the claim requires adhered or implanted.
Regarding Claim 4, Yosuke, as modified, teaches the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) wherein the cleaning member is formed from a sponge pad (862; Fig. 3; Paragraph [0031]), which is adhered to the upper surface of the substrate (Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 5, Yosuke, as modified, teaches the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) wherein the lower surface of the substrate (W) has a size corresponding to a size of a suction chuck of the chuck table (42; Figs. 1 – 4)
Regarding Claim 8, Yosuke, as modified, teaches the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) further comprising a cleaning water supply nozzle (nozzles, 87) for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning member (Paragraph [0032]).
Regarding Claim 9, Yosuke, as modified, teaches the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) wherein a diameter of the substrate (W) is the same as a diameter of the cleaning member (80; Fig. 2 – if a circle was formed around the perimeter of 80, the two would have the same diameter).
Regarding Claim 10, Yosuke, as modified, teaches the cleaning assembly (Fig. 1) wherein a center of the cleaning member (80) is aligned with a center of the substrate (W; Fig. 2).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yosuke (JP2018 086692 A) in view of Shinichiro (JP2003243350 A) as cited by Applicant and Li (CN112643533 A).
Regarding Claim 6, Yosuke teaches the cleaning assembly according to claim 1, as discussed above.
Yosuke does not explicitly teach wherein the cleaning member is formed with at least one suction hole.
Li, however, teaches wherein the cleaning member (114) is formed with at least one suction hole (1121; Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the assembly of Yosuke to further include the cleaning member is formed with at least one suction hole, as taught by Li, to provide a means to hold the cleaning member in a suction mode while cleaning, thus proving an improved cleaning of the wafer.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yosuke (JP2018 086692 A) in view of Shinichiro (JP2003243350 A) as cited by Applicant and Terui (U. S. Patent No. 5,890,251).
Regarding Claim 11, Yosuke teaches the cleaning assembly according to claim 1, as discussed above.
Yosuke does not explicitly teach the cleaning assembly wherein the substrate is a hard resin circular plate.
Terui, however, teaches wherein the substrate is a hard resin circular plate (Figs. 4 and 5; Col. 5, lines 41 – 50).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the assembly of Yosuke to further include the cleaning member is formed with at least one suction hole, as taught by Li, to provide a substrate with enhanced durability, ease of maintenance and strong bonding strength.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is allowed.
Claim 7 was 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. Claim 7 has been written in independent form as claim 12, and thus is allowable.
Although Yosuke in view of Li teach a cleaning assembly, the references alone or in combination, fail to teach, suggest or make obvious the cleaning assembly is conveyed to the chuck table by a conveying arm with an arm member and at least one suction member disposed at a tip part of the arm member, such that the at least one suction member is positioned at the at least one suction hole.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicants Arguments/Remarks dated November 6, 2025 with respect to the rejection of claims 1 and 3 – 11 under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn; however, after further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is presented.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATINA N HENSON whose telephone number is (571)272-8024. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday; 5:30am to 3:30pm.
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/KATINA N. HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723