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 .
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 sh 8all conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 8 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.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the same shape". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
It appears that the Applicant meant to have claim 8 depend from claim 7 rather than claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kono, et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2001/0012483).
Regarding claim 1, Kono discloses an apparatus comprising:
A wall defining a boundary of an evacuated space (shaft 34 is a cylindrical member that serves as a partition isolating the atmospheric environment form the lower pressure environment, paragraph 0120) and comprising a first side in the evacuated space and a second side exterior to the evacuated space (shaft 34 is a cylindrical member that serves as a partition isolating the atmospheric environment form the lower pressure environment, paragraph 0120);
A first plate (outer magnetic ring 38a) positioned on a first side of the wall and comprising a first magnet (38a);
A second plate (inner magnetic ring 36a) positioned on a second side of the wall and comprising a second magnet (36a);
Wherein the second magnet exerts an attractive force on the first magnet that causes rotation of the first plate in response to the rotation of the second plate (paragraph 0135).
Regarding claim 9, Kono discloses wherein the first plate further comprises a plurality of additional first magnets (46a) and the second plate further comprises a plurality of second additional magnets (42a);
The first magnet and the plurality of additional first magnets are spaced apart from each other and positioned a distance away from an axis of the rotation of the first plate (Fig. 2); and
The second magnet and the plurality of additional second magnets are spaced apart from each other and positioned the distance away from an axis of rotation of the second plate (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.
Claim(s) 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kono in view of Raj, et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0230269 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Kono discloses the apparatus of claim 1, but fails to teach that the apparatus is an ion production system.
Raj teaches an ion production system comprising a rotatable wafer holder (120), but does not go into detail as to the construction and function of this component.
Since Kono’s apparatus is a rotating wafer holder, and Raj’s apparatus calls for a rotating wafer holder, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to apply Kono’s apparatus as a part of an ion production system.
Claim 16 is drawn to the method of using the apparatus of claim 15, and the same rejection applies mutatis mutandis.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7, 10-14, and 17-20 are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claims 2 and 17, the prior art fails to teach wherein the attractive force enables heat transfer from the first plate to the second plate by drawing the first plate into thermal contact with the wall and the second plate into thermal contact with the wall.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art fails to teach a cooling coil in thermal contact with the second plate.
Regarding claims 4-6, the prior art fails to teach an axle coupled to the wall and having a first end on the first side of the wall and a second end on the second side of the wall, wherein the first plate rides on the first end of the axle, and wherein the second plate rides on the second end of the axle.
Regarding claim 7, Kono’s first and second plates must be different sizes in order for the device to work.
Regarding claim 10, the prior art fails to teach wherein the first plate slides along the first side of the wall during the rotation of the first plate and the second plate slides along the second side of the wall during the rotation of the second plate.
Regarding claim 11, the prior art fails to teach a fluoropolymer dry lube positioned between the first plate and the first side of the wall to reduce friction therebetween.
Regarding claims 12-14, the prior art fails to teach a target mounted on the first plate, the target configured to trap particles from an ion beam.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art fails to teach a refrigeration cycle that cools the exterior plate.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art fails to teach wherein driving the rotation of the exterior plate comprises operating a stepper motor coupled to the exterior plate.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art fails to teach wherein rotating the target increases an area of the target exposed to the ion beam due to misalignment of the ion beam relative to an axis of rotation of the target.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL P MASKELL whose telephone number is (571)270-3210. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10A-6P.
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/MICHAEL MASKELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878 21 March 2026