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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 07/14/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 06/15/2026 has been entered. Claims 3-9 are new. Claim(s) 1-9 remain pending and have been examined below.
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.
Claims 1 and 4-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okamoto (Chinese Patent Publication No. CN202010475185) as evidenced by the machine translation, in view of Wakamatsu (US PGPUB No. 2023/0330811), hereinafter referred to as Okamoto and Wakamatsu, respectively.
Regarding claim 1 (Currently Amended), Okamoto discloses a processing apparatus [Okamoto, fig 1, 10] for processing a workpiece in a first processing chamber [Okamoto, fig 13, 101 is the processing chamber and fig 1, A1 showing the first of at least three], comprising:
a chuck table for holding the workpiece thereon [Okamoto, fig 2, 30];
a processing chamber cover [Okamoto, figs 12-13, 102] having a first side plate [Okamoto, fig 13, 104a] with a first delivery port defined therein [Okamoto, figs 13, 103] to allow the chuck table that is holding the workpiece to be delivered therethrough into and out of the first processing chamber [Okamoto, figs 13, 103 allows for delivery of 2 within 103];
a first processing unit for processing the workpiece delivered into the first processing chamber [Okamoto, fig 12, 40A] with a first processing tool [Okamoto, fig 13, 4]; and ,
wherein the processing chamber cover [Okamoto, fig 13, 102] includes a first transverse member [Okamoto, see annotated fig 13, item B] extending from a lower edge of the first side plate [Okamoto, see annotated fig 13, item B extends from a lower edge of 104a] in a region above the first delivery port [Okamoto, see annotated fig 13, item B is above 103] and in a direction outwardly of the first processing chamber [Okamoto, see annotated fig 13, item B extends outwards from 104a and 102a], whereby the first transverse member defines an enlarged gap between a lower surface of the first transverse member and an upper surface of the pedestal which inhibits processing water from being scattered out of the first processing chamber [Okamoto, see annotated fig 13, item B extends outward and creates a gap and is capable of inhibiting processing water from being scattered out of 101].
Okamoto does not explicitly disclose a first processing water supply unit for supplying first processing water to at least one of the workpiece or the first processing tool when the workpiece is processed in the first processing chamber; and a pedestal positioned in the first delivery port when the workpiece is processed in the first processing chamber, wherein the pedestal is adjacent to and separated from the chuck table.
Wakamatsu teaches a processing apparatus for processing a workpiece in a first processing chamber [Wakamatsu, fig 1, 5], comprising:
a chuck table for holding the workpiece thereon [Wakamatsu, fig 4, 51b hold W];
a processing chamber cover [Wakamatsu, fig 5, 130] having a first side plate with a first delivery port defined therein to allow the chuck table that is holding the workpiece to be delivered therethrough into and out of the first processing chamber [Wakamatsu, figs 4-5, showing that 134. 131 and 132 form a delivery port for W];
a first processing unit for processing the workpiece delivered into the first processing chamber with a first processing tool [Wakamatsu, fig 4, 51c which has tool D, and page 4, pp 0061];
a first processing water supply unit for supplying first processing water to at least one of the workpiece or the first processing tool when the workpiece is processed in the first processing chamber [Wakamatsu, fig 4, 140 and page 5, pp 0065]; and
a pedestal positioned in the first delivery port when the workpiece is processed in the first processing chamber [Wakamatsu, fig 5, 138], wherein the pedestal is adjacent to and separated from the chuck table [Wakamatsu, fig 5, showing 138 is adjacent to 51b and separated from 51b].
Regarding the water supply unit, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have added the water supply unit into the system of Okamoto as taught by Wakamatsu because this reduces grinding resistance to suppress heat generation [Wakamatsu, page 5, pp 0067, summarized].
Regarding the pedestal, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have further modified Okamoto to include the pedestal and the placement of the pedestal as taught by Wakamatsu because the pedestal suppresses the particles generated in the grinding chamber from being flown to the outside of the grinding chamber [Wakamatsu, page 5, pp 0070, summarized].
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Regarding claim 4 (New), Okamoto as modified further discloses the processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chuck table and the pedestal are both mounted on a turntable [Okamoto, fig 10, 20 is a turntable, and Wakamatsu, fig 5, 51b and 138 are both mounted on turntable 51a].
Regarding claim 5 (New), Okamoto as modified further discloses the processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a turntable [Okamoto, fig 1, 20]; and a second chuck table [Okamoto, fig 1, showing multiple chuck tables], and wherein the turntable supports the chuck table, the second chuck table and the pedestal [Okamoto, fig 1, showing 20 supports the multiple chuck tables and Wakamatsu, fig 3, showing turntable 51a supports the multiple chucks and the pedestal 138].
Regarding claim 6 (New), Okamoto as modified further discloses the processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pedestal is positioned between the chuck table and the second chuck table [Wakamatsu, figs 3 and 5 showing 138 is between each chuck table].
Regarding claim 7 (New), Okamoto as modified further discloses the processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a turntable [Okamoto, fig 1, 20]; a second chuck table [Okamoto, fig 1, 30B]; a third chuck table [Okamoto, fig 1, 30C]; and a fourth chuck table [Okamoto, fig 30D], and wherein the turntable supports the chuck table, the second chuck table, the third chuck table, the fourth chuck table, and the pedestal [Okamoto, fig 1, 20 supports 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D, and Wakamatsu, fig 3, showing that turntable 51a supports four chuck tables of 51b, and the pedestal 138].
Regarding claim 8 (New), Okamoto as modified further discloses the processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pedestal is a cross-shaped pedestal the separates the chuck table, the second chuck table, the third chuck table, and the fourth chuck table from each other [Wakamatsu, figs 3 and 5, showing that 138 is in the form of a cross and separates 51a and each of the 51bs from each other].
Regarding claim 9 (New), Okamoto as modified further discloses the processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the upper surface of the pedestal is located at a position higher than an upper surface of the chuck table [Wakamatsu, fig 1, showing the top surface of 138 is higher than the top surface of 51b].
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant has argued on page 8 that Okamoto in view of Yamanaka does not teach the amended limitation. Respectfully because of the new grounds of rejection, of Okamoto in view of Wakamatsu, and that the applicant has not argued specifically other elements of the rejection using Okamoto, the arguments are a moot point.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is allowed.
Claim 3 is 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 claim 2 (Currently Amended), claim 2 now incorporates previous claim 1 and is in independent claim form and is allowed for the same reasons indicated in the office action dated 04/30/2026.
Regarding claim 3 (New), the prior art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “further comprising: a slide cover disposed below the chuck table, wherein the chuck table and the pedestal are both movable together with the slide cover” together in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim and in the independent claim.
Conclusion
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/ROBERT F NEIBAUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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