Detailed Correspondence
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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/03/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicants’ amendment of the claim, filed on 03/03/2026, in response to the rejection of claims 1-11 and 13-15 from the final office action (12/03/2025), by amending claim 1, and adding new claim 16 is entered and will be addressed below.
Claim Interpretation
The “a vacuum feedthrough” of claim 2, Applicants’ vacuum feedthrough can be 18 or 19 at different position. Claim 2 will be examined inclusive any location for the vacuum feedthrough”.
The “wherein a chamber wall element forms the at least one removal chamber and seals it off against the at least one spray head, which is movable from the operating position into the removal position and back, by means of a sealing element” of claim 6, this requires sealing element aids the seals off the spray head in any position relative to the spray head.
The ”a flange” of claim 3 and “a flange” of claim 7 are independent to each other, therefore no antecedent issue. As such, claim 3 and claim 7 may be different flanges. Also, the location and shape of the flange is not defined and can be in different location and various shape (e.g. and L-shaped flange).
The “in the blocking position of the shutoff valve, the at least one spray head is arranged in portions within the injector tube” of claim 14, although none of the Figs. 1-4 show this relationship (Figs. 2-3 show shutoff valve is in blocking position but the spray head is away from the injector tube, Figs. 1 and 4 show the spray head in within the injector tube but the shutoff valve is not in the blocking position). However, as this is the operation condition, this is considered as an intended use of the apparatus and not subject to 112(a) rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 10-11, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (KR 20100128479, hereafter ‘479), in view of Honma (US 20140366808, hereafter ‘808).
‘479 teaches some limitations of:
Claim 1: FIG. 2 illustrates a thin film deposition apparatus in which the deposition chamber 20 and the evaporation source chambers A and B (21, 22) are connected to the left and right. That is, the vapor deposition chamber and the evaporation source chamber are connected to the valve port 24 to meet each other, the gate valve 25 is provided therebetween. The deposition chamber and the evaporation source chamber are both high vacuum chambers, and pump ports 23 are formed on the upper and lower sides thereof. A substrate tray 36 carrying a substrate 35 is positioned below the deposition chamber, and the substrate trays are mounted on rollers 37 at both ends thereof to be transferred in a linear direction. The tube evaporator A 32 is fixed on the upper part of the deposition chamber in a horizontal direction at a predetermined height by the tube evaporator fixed shaft 26. The barrel evaporator A, B (30, 31) is positioned in each evaporation chamber. The barrel 33 formed in the evaporation source is inserted into a cylindrical inlet formed in the tube evaporation source, as shown in FIG. In the lower part of the tube evaporation source, a plurality of nozzle holes 34 are formed along the line, and the metal gas is injected downward through the nozzle holes, thereby producing a metal thin film on the substrate (Bridging paragraph between pages 4 and 5, includes the claimed “A coating device for depositing a coating material on a substrate, having a vacuum chamber”, the tube evaporator A 32 reads into the claimed “a crucible, which is arranged within the vacuum chamber” see illustration below of part of Fig. 3 for the claimed “at least one spray head for preparing the coating material and an injector tube arranged within the vacuum chamber, wherein the injector tube is designed to conduct the coating material prepared in the at least one spray head to the crucible and is connected to the crucible, wherein the at least one spray head has an outlet opening for the prepared coating material”, and Fig. 6 shows barrel evaporator retracted evaporation source chamber, reads into the claimed “and is designed to be movable between an operating position, in which the at least one spray head is arranged to supply the injector tube with the prepared coating material, and a removal position, and wherein at least one removal chamber designed to be accessible from outside the vacuum chamber is provided which in the removal position is able to be sealed off from the vacuum chamber in a gas-tight manner and in which at least the outlet opening of the at least one spray head in the removal position of the spray head is separated in a gas-tight manner from the vacuum chamber” as deposition chamber and the evaporation source chamber are both high vacuum chambers and gate valve 25 is in a gas-tight manner),
Fig. 3 also shows the claimed “wherein the at least one spray head projects in its operating position at least in portions into the injector tube and the at least one spray head is coaxially movable in the injector tube and guided in a gas-tight manner during a movement from the operating position in the direction of the removal position” as opposed to Fig. 6, see also Fig. 7, See Fig. 5 for a gas-tight manner, note this is a different gas-tight mechanism than the gate valve 25.
‘479 does not expressly teaches the limitations of:
Claim 1: and wherein, in the operating position, the at least one spray head is received within the injector tube and forms a vapor-tight seal against the injector tube, the vapor-tight seal being maintained while the spray head remains received within the injector tube during axial movement between the operating position and the removal position.
Claim 16: wherein the at least one spray head comprises an outer circumferential surface received within an inner circumferential surface of the injector tube, the outer and inner circumferential surfaces being in continuous gas-tight sealing contact over an axial overlap length during axial displacement of the at least one spray head.
‘808 is analogous art in the field of GAS PROCESSING APPARATUS (title), Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) ([0005]). ’808 teaches that supplying gas in a chamber from an injector that is air-tightly inserted into the chamber ([0003]), An annular sleeve 76 for pressing (fastening) the sealing member 75 with respect to the flange part 70a is provided more toward the rotation table 2 than the sealing member 75 in a manner that the sleeve 76 engages the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 31. Then, in a state where the nozzle 31 is accommodated inside the sealing member 75 and the sleeve 76, the nozzle 31 is configured to air-tightly contact the inner peripheral surface (opposed surface) of the insertion hole 74 via the sealing member 75 when the sealing member 75 is extended in a vertical direction by fastening the sleeve 76 to the sealing member 75 (Fig. 4, [0038]), for the purpose of avoiding vacuum leak ([0007], 2nd last sentence).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added sleeve and sealing members 75 of ‘808, between the barrel 33 and tube evaporator A 32 of ‘479, for the purpose of avoiding vacuum leak, as taught by ‘808 ([0007], 2nd last sentence). Note the imported sleeve is considered part of the injector tube.
‘479 further teaches the limitations of:
Claims 10-11: When the separation of the evaporation source is completed, the gate valve 25 is closed to separate the vacuum atmosphere of the deposition chamber 20 and the evaporation source chamber, and the evaporation source chamber breaks the vacuum and fills the crucible in the evaporation source under atmospheric pressure (5th paragraph of page 4, includes the claimed “wherein a shutoff device is movably arranged within the vacuum chamber between a release position and a blocking position, wherein, in the blocking position, the shutoff device separates the at least one spray head arranged in its removal position from the vacuum chamber in a gas-tight manner” of claim 10 and “wherein the at least one removal chamber has a ventilation valve” of claim 11).
Alternatively, claims 1, 10-11, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘479, in view of Boroson et al. (US 20070104864, previously cited from IDS, hereafter ‘864).
‘479 teaches some limitations of claim 1 and does not teach the other limitations of claim 1 and claim 16 as discussed above.
‘864 is analogous art in the field of Deposition System Using Sealed Replenishment Container (title), A method for vaporizing particulate material and depositing it onto a surface to form a layer, includes providing a supply of particulate material in a replenishment container, the replenishment container having a sealed interface fitting; mounting the replenishment container to a supply hopper defining at least one feed opening, and breaking the seal at the interface fitting; transferring particulate material from the replenishment container to the supply hopper; and transferring such particulate material through the feed opening along a feeding path to a vaporization zone where at least a component portion of the particulate material is vaporized and delivered to the surface to form the layer (abstract). ’864 teaches that A loaded bottle 422 is fitted into an adapter 424 that is fitted with O-ring seals 423 and 425 ([0124], 2nd sentence, Fig. 12A shows the bottle 422 is capable of “the vapor-tight seal being maintained while the spray head remains received within the injector tube during axial movement between the operating position and the removal position”).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added an adapter 424 and O-ring seals 423 and 425 of ‘864, between the barrel 33 and tube evaporator A 32 of ‘479, for the purpose of avoiding vacuum leak, as taught by ‘808 ([0007], 2nd last sentence). Note the imported adapter is considered part of the injector tube.
‘479 further teaches the limitations of claims 10-11 as discussed above.
Claims 2, 6, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘479 and ‘808 (or ‘864), as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Negishi (US 20090061090, hereafter ‘090).
‘479 is vaporizing the metal power 55 in the crucible 40 (Fig. 4) and delivery the vaporized metal into the tube evaporator 32. ‘479 does not teach feeding solid material from the crucible, as storage, and vaporized the solid material in the tube evaporator 32 by heater 51, therefore, the combination ‘479 and ‘808 (or ‘864) does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 2: wherein the at least one spray head has at least one coating material feed and at least one gas supply, wherein, in the operating position of the at least one spray head, the at least one coating material feed and the at least one gas supply are guided through a vacuum feedthrough from outside the vacuum chamber into the vacuum chamber.
Claim 9: wherein the vacuum feedthrough is formed and arranged within the at least one spray head.
‘090 is analogous art in the field of VAPOR DEPOSITION APPARATUS FOR AN ORGANIC VAPOR DEPOSITION MATERIAL (title), The organic vapor deposition material is placed on a conveying unit by an amount for a single substrate, and conveyed into a vapor deposition vessel preliminarily heated. Since a small amount of the organic vapor deposition material is heated and exhausted through generation of an organic material vapor under heating condition for each substrate, neither decomposition nor quality change with moisture occurs because heating time is short (abstract). ’090 teaches that Conveying units (boats) 30a and 30b are arranged inside the loading chambers 32a and 32b, respectively. Receiver portions 31a and 31b are formed in upper portions of the conveying units 30a and 30b, respectively. Here, the receiver portions 31a and 31b are concaves formed in the conveying units 30a and 30b, but they may be constructed by receiving trays which are placed on the conveying units 30a and 30b (Fig. 2, [0049]), The receiver portions 31a and 31b are directed vertically upwardly, and positioned under connecting portions between the loading chambers 32a and 32b and the pooling tanks 34a and 34b. The organic vapor deposition materials fall inside the loading chambers 32a and 32b drop and are placed onto the receiver portions 31a and 31b ([0050]), A gas feeding system 17 is connected to the loading chambers 32a and 32b; and a cooling gas (inert gas such as a rare gas including argon gas or nitrogen gas) is introduced into the loading chambers 32a and 32b so that the conveying units 30a and 30b are cooled to be temperatures lower than the vapor generating temperature by the heat conduction of the gas ([0075]), Each of the chambers 11, 32a and 32b and the tanks 34a and 34b may be evacuated by the same vacuum evacuating system 15 ([0063], therefore, loading chamber has vacuum feedthrough for both the powder and gas feeds).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced the crucible 40 that heat the entire metal powder 55 in ‘479 with the conveying units 30a of ‘090, including the receiver portions 31a in loading chamber 32a, pooling tanks 34a, and gas feeding system 17 with a vacuum feedthrough of ‘090, for the purpose of decomposition nor quality change with moisture, as taught by ‘090 (abstract).
‘090 further teaches the limitations of:
Claim 6: The cooling gas introduced into the loading chambers 32a and 32b does not enter the vapor deposition vessel 12 in such a state that the interiors of the loading chambers 32a and 32b are shielded from that of the vapor deposition vessel 12 by the sealing plates 33a and 33b ([0075], see also Figs. 3(a), 3(b), 4(a) and 4(b), includes the claimed “wherein a chamber wall element forms the at least one removal chamber and seals it off against the at least one spray head, which is movable from the operating position into the removal position and back, by means of a sealing element”).
Claims 3-5, 7-8, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘479, ‘808 (or ‘864), and ‘090, as being applied to claims 2 and 6 rejection above, further in view of Allovon et al. (US 4607152, hereafter ‘152).
The combination of ‘479, ‘808 (or ‘864), and ‘090 does not teach teaches limitations of:
Claim 3: wherein the at least one spray head is attached to a flange which is connected to a wall portion of the vacuum chamber by means of a bellows-like connecting element.
Claim 4: wherein the bellows-like connecting element forms the at least one removal chamber.
Claims 5 and 15: wherein, in the removal position, the at least one spray head is arranged completely within the bellows-like connecting element.
‘152 is analogous art in the field of Vacuum Evaporation Device (title), recharging of these cells (col. 1, line 15). ’152 teaches that Cell 22 is retractable by the mechanical means essentially constituted by a bellows 40 associated with a bellows guidance mechanism 42 … A slide valve 50 makes it possible to insulate the main enclosure 10 from the auxiliary chamber 20, when the cell is retracted (Figs. 1-2, col. 2, lines 37-43).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced the rigid loading chamber 32a of ‘090 with bellows of ‘152, and then combined with ‘479 and ‘808 (or ‘864), for its suitability for recharging with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07.
The combination of ‘479, ‘808 (or ‘864), ‘090, and ‘152 further teaches the limitations of:
Claims 7-8: by replacing the rigid loading chamber 32a of ‘090 with bellows of ‘152, the connection unit 39a and the gas inlet have to be re-arranged away from the bellow, there is only limited choice of the location of the connection unit 39a and the gas inlet to be close to the sealing plate 33a or away from the sealing plate, includes the claimed “wherein the at least one spray head is attached to a flange at its longitudinal end facing away from the outlet opening and wherein the vacuum feedthrough is formed on the flange” of claim 7 and “wherein the vacuum feedthrough is formed on the flange” of claim 8)
Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘479 and ‘808 (or ‘864), as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, in view of Remondiere et al. (US 4880960, hereafter ‘960).
‘479 teaches one gate valve 25 for each source chamber which corresponds to the sealed off function of claim 1 (subsequently the sealing element of claim 6). The combination of ‘479 and ‘808 (or ‘864) does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 13: wherein the injector tube has a shutoff valve which is movable between a release position and a blocking position, wherein the shutoff valve blocks a flow through the injector tube in the blocking position.
‘960 is analogous art in the field of Continuous Vacuum Evaporation Device For Metal (title), A deposition material in particle form is stored in a reservoir closed on its lowermost part by a plate (abstract). ’960 teaches that Funnel 50 is closed on a lowermost portion by a closure means such as plate 54 mounted at one end of a rigid arm 56 able to pivot around a horizontal axis 58 (Fig. 1, col. 5, lines 26-28, corresponds to the gate valve 25 of ‘’479), crucible 18 is closed at its uppermost part by a wall 36 equipped at its center with a round opening 38. The latter may be sealed by a stopper or valve 40 movable between a closed position 40a and an open position 40b (shown in phantom lines) (col. 4, lines 35-38), for the purpose of high yield and eliminating the risks of clogging (col. 2, lines 42-44).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added a valve 40 of ‘960, between the gate valve 25 and the tube evaporator 32 of ‘479, for the purpose of high yield and eliminating the risks of clogging, as taught by ‘960 (col. 2, lines 42-44).
The combination of ‘479, ‘808 (or ‘864), and ‘960 is capable of the claimed:
Claim 14: the imported valve 40 need to be operable as shown in Fig. 3 of ‘479 (therefore, to the inner side of the spray head, includes the claimed “wherein, in the blocking position of the shutoff valve, the at least one spray head is arranged in portions within the injector tube”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/03/2026 have been fully considered but they are not convincing in light of the new grounds of rejection above.
In regarding to claim objection of claim 1, Applicants’ amendment overcomes the objection.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 6037241 is cited for carrier gas mixed with powder supply (Fig. 5).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEATH T CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1870. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am-5:00 pm.
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/KEATH T CHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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