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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Invention II in the reply filed on 08/10/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)). Claims 1-11 and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Inventions I and III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Applicant's election with traverse of Species 1 in the reply filed on 08/10/26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) as described in the response filed on 08/10/26. After further consideration and in view of the prior art as found, the examiner agrees. The restriction requirement between Species 1-3 as set forth on 08/10/26 is hereby withdrawn.
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.
(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) 12-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 11,302,561 (Wang et al.).
Regarding Claims 12-14, Wang et al. teaches: Claim 12 - a transfer head comprising: a substrate (302) comprising a first major surface and a second major surface; and a transfer layer (306) onto the first major surface of the substrate (302) and comprising a transfer surface opposite the first major surface of the substrate, wherein the transfer layer (306) comprises a thermally-switchable shape memory polymer material that undergoes a phase change when heated, and further wherein the transfer surface of the transfer layer (306) is configured to be placed in contact with an outward-facing side of a chiplet (314) during a transfer operation; wherein the transfer layer (306) has a total thickness variation of less than 8 micrometers (Column 4, Lines 40-60), (Figures 1-10); Claim 13 – an optical absorber material (308 – Column 5, Lines 31-48) disposed between the first major surface of the substrate (302) and the transfer layer (306), (Figures 1-10); Claim 14 - a thermal element (308 - Column 5, Lines 31-48) disposed on the first major surface of the substrate (302) between the substrate (302) and the transfer layer (306), wherein the thermal element (308) is configured to change an operating temperature of a selected region of the transfer layer (306) in response to an input, (Figures 1-10).
In regards to claim 12, the recitation of “spin coated” is a product by process recitation and the "transfer layer" does not depend on the process of making it. The product-by-process limitation "spin coated" would not be expected to impart distinctive structural characteristics to the "transfer layer". Therefore, the claimed "transfer layer" is not a different and unobvious "transfer layer" from the transfer layer of the prior art reference of Wang et al. as used above.
Regarding Claims 15-19, Wang et al. teaches: Claim 15 - a transfer apparatus comprising: a transfer head comprising: a substrate (302) comprising a first major surface and a second major surface; and a transfer layer (306) onto the first major surface of the substrate and comprising a transfer surface opposite the first major surface of the substrate (302), wherein the transfer layer (306) comprises a thermally-switchable shape memory polymer material that undergoes a phase change when heated, and further wherein the transfer surface of the transfer layer (306) is configured to be placed in contact with an outward-facing side of a chiplet (314) during a transfer operation; wherein the transfer layer (306) has a total thickness variation of less than 5 cm (Column 4, Lines 40-60); and an energy source (different embodiments such as Figure 5 showing electrical system for applying power to thermal elements (308) which are electrically activated heating elements; and embodiment shown in Figure 7 applying energy in the form of laser light to the optical elements/absorber material (708)) configured to apply energy to the transfer head to selectively heat a region of the transfer layer (306) that corresponds to a location of the chiplet (314), wherein the region is configured to hold the chiplet (314) when the energy is removed during the transfer operation, wherein the region is configured to be subsequently heated during the transfer operation to release the chiplet (314), and further wherein the transfer layer (306) is reusable for repeated transfer operations, (Figures 1-10); Claim 16 – wherein the transfer head further comprises an optical absorber material (308 - Column 5, Lines 31-48) disposed between the first major surface of the substrate (302) and the transfer layer (306), (Figures 1-10); Claim 17 – wherein the energy source comprises an optical energy source (such as (714) as seen in Figure 7) configured to apply optical energy to the optical absorber material (708) to selectively heat the region of the transfer layer (706) that corresponds to the location of the chiplet (314), (Figures 1-10); Claim 18 – wherein the energy source further comprises an electrically-activated thermal element (308) disposed on the first major surface of the substrate (302) between the substrate (302) and the transfer layer (306), wherein the thermal element (308) is configured to selectively heat the selected region of the transfer layer (306) that corresponds to the location of the chiplet, (Figures 1-10); Claim 19 – a controller (312) coupled to the transfer head and configured to provide inputs to the thermal element (308) of the transfer head to selectively heat the region, (Figures 1-10).
In regards to claim 15, the recitation of “spin coated” is a product by process recitation and the "transfer layer" does not depend on the process of making it. The product-by-process limitation "spin coated" would not be expected to impart distinctive structural characteristics to the "transfer layer". Therefore, the claimed "transfer layer" is not a different and unobvious "transfer layer" from the transfer layer of the prior art reference of Wang et al. as used above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Josh Rodden whose telephone number is (303) 297-4258. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F, 8-5 MST.
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/JOSHUA E RODDEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
