DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Specifically, claim 1 recites the limitation “a direction of centrifugal force applied to the foils by rotational operation”. It is unclear from the claim language on what performs the function of the limitation. The recited function does not follow from the structure recited in the claim (i.e. the foils or support member). It is unclear whether the function requires some other structure or is simply a result of operating the foils or support member in a certain manner. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would not be able to draw a clear boundary between what is and is not covered by the claim. See MPEP 2173.05(g) for more information.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wassink (US PGPub 2009/0045357, hereinafter Wassink).
Regarding claim 1, Fig. 4 of Wassink discloses a plurality of foils (blades 5); and a supporting member (mounting elements) configured to support the plurality of foils (blades 5) (see paragraph [0053]), the plurality of foils (blades 5) each being made of a rolled thin plate (rolled sheet) that is tensile processed by rolling (see paragraph [0053], and a direction of centrifugal force applied to the foils by rotational operation coinciding or approximately coinciding with a rolling direction, which is a direction in which the foils are tensile processed (see paragraph [0053]).
Regarding claim 2, Wassink discloses an angle between the direction of the centrifugal force and the rolling direction ranges between 0 and 20 degrees (see paragraph [0053]).
Regarding claim 3, Wassink discloses the plasma generation unit is configured to excite a raw material (i.e. tin) emitting the light to generate the plasma (see paragraph [0048]), and the foils rotationally operate at a temperature at or above a melting point of the raw material (see paragraph [0004]).
Regarding claim 4, Fig. 2 of Wassink discloses the rolling direction is a direction in which the crystal trains constituting the rolled thin plate are elongated (see paragraph [0053]).
Regarding claim 5, Fig. 2 of Wassink discloses the rotary foil trap (foil trap 4) and the plasma generation unit (radiation source 2) (see paragraph [0049]).
Regarding claim 6, Fig. 2 of Wassink discloses the light includes EUV light (EUV source 2) (see paragraph [0049]).
Conclusion
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Hanway Chang
/HC/ Examiner, Art Unit 2881
/MICHAEL J LOGIE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881