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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Applicants' amendment of the claims, filed on 04/27/2026, in response to the rejection of claims 1-8 from the non-final office action, mailed on 01/28/2026, by amending claims 1-7, is acknowledged and will be addressed below.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
(1) Across the claim list,
All the “rectangularly-shaped region (or regions)” should be “rectangular region (or regions)”, based on the applicants’ original claims and disclosures.
(2) The applicants add a new term “said” only one time. Across the claim list, the applicants use the term “the” to indicate the antecedent basis. For the purpose of consistency, it is respectfully requested the applicants use the same form of the limitation. Consequently, for the purpose of examination, it will be examined inclusive of “the”.
(3) The “the first heater layer including a plurality of rectangularly-shaped regions each having one side facing an adjacent one of said rectangularly-shaped regions and each having a film-shaped heater comprising a plurality of rectangular elements therein” of Claim 1 would have much clearer form if amended to be:
“the first heater layer including a plurality of rectangular regions, each region having one side facing an adjacent rectangular region and having a film-shaped heater comprising a plurality of rectangular elements therein”.
(4) The “wherein” of Claim 1 would have a better form if amended to be “wherein:”.
(5) The “each group includes four power supply paths and one return path, and each of the four power supply paths is electrically connected to a first point of each film-shaped heater of one of the rectangularly-shaped regions of the group and is configured to supply power from a direct-current power supply, and the one return path is electrically connected to a second point of each film-shaped heater and is configured to return power to the direct-current power supply” of Claim 1 would be much clearer form if amended to be:
“each group includes four power supply paths and one return path, and each of the four power supply paths is electrically connected to a first point of each film-shaped heater in each rectangular region of the group and is configured to supply power from a direct-current power supply, and the one return path is electrically connected to a second point of each film-shaped heater and is configured to return the power to the direct-current power supply”.
(6) The “and a plurality of film-shaped heaters is disposed” of Claim 2 should be “and a plurality of film-shaped heaters are disposed”.
(7) Because of the redundancy, the “wherein a potential of at least one of the first points where each of the film-shaped heaters of the group is connected to the four power supply paths has a lower potential than a potential of the second point where each of the film-shaped heaters is connected to the one return path” of Claim 6 would have much clearer form if amended to be:
“wherein a potential of at least one of the first points is lower than a potential of the second point”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1-8 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
(1) The “the first-heater layer comprises a plurality of groups of four of the plurality of rectangularly-shaped regions arranged such that each group also has a rectangular shape and, in each group, two sides of the plurality of rectangularly-shaped regions which form the group each face two sides of rectangularly-shaped regions which form an adjacent group” of Claim 1 is not clear, because:
First, the limitations are considered to be arranged in a narrative form, and it lacks of conciseness.
Second, what does the “a plurality of groups of four of the plurality of rectangularly-shaped regions” means? does it mean each group has four regions?
Third, the intention of the term “also” is not clear. It is considered being an unnecessary term.
Fourth, the “in each group, two sides of the plurality of rectangularly-shaped regions” is not clear. It is considered the applicants intend to define each group has four regions. Why the plurality of regions are recited again in each group, instead of the “four”?
Fifth, the “each face” is not clear. What is indicated by the “each”? does it mean the “two sides” or “one of the two sides”? Further, is the “face” is verb or noun? If it is verb, it should be “each faces”.
For the purpose of examination, it will be examined inclusive of:
“the plurality of rectangular regions form a plurality of groups, each group has four rectangular regions and has a larger rectangular shape formed by the four rectangular regions, and two sides of four rectangular regions in a first group face two sides of four rectangular regions in a second group, which is adjacent to the first group”.
(2) The “and includes three or more regions including a central circular region disposed in a center of an upper surface of the disk-shaped base material of the sample table, a middle ring-shaped region which is concentrically disposed around the central region, and an outer ring-shaped region that surrounds an outer periphery of the middle ring-shaped circular region” of Claim 2 is not clear.
First, there is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitations, “an upper surface of the disk-shaped base material of the sample table”.
Second, the “central region” and “middle ring-shaped circular region” are not clear. The applicants intend to define “central circular region” and “middle ring-shaped region”, which are prior cited in Claim 2?
For the purpose of examination, it will be examined inclusive of:
“and includes three or more regions forming a central circular region disposed in a center of the upper surface of the disk-shaped base material of the sample table, a middle ring-shaped region which is concentrically disposed around the central circular region, and an outer ring-shaped region that surrounds an outer periphery of the middle ring-shaped region”
(3) Claim 3 recites “the return path” and “the base material”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for each limitation in the claim.
It will be examined inclusive of “the one return path” and “the disk-shaped base material”.
(4) The “wherein the second point at which the return path is connected is a position where one corner of each of the four rectangularly-shaped regions of the group are adjacent to one another, and in each of the four rectangularly-shaped regions of the group, the power supply path is connected to a corner at a diagonal position with respect to the second point where the return path is connected” of Claim 4 is not clear.
First, there is insufficient antecedent basis for the “return path”.
Second, the “one corner” and “a corner” are not clear. It is respectfully requested to differently recite them by different naming.
Third, the “power supply path” means each of the power supply paths?
For the purpose of examination, it will be examined inclusive of:
“wherein: in each group,
the second point is at a position where one corner of each of the four rectangular regions is adjacent to one another, and each first point is a corner at a diagonal position with respect to the second point”.
(5) Claim 7 recites the “film-shaped heater layer of the second heater layer”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for each limitation in the claim.
It will be examined inclusive of “film-shaped heater of the second heater layer”.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments filed on 04/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not convincing in light of the new ground of rejection above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIDEN Y LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-1440. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9am-5pm PT.
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/AIDEN LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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