DETAILED ACTION
1. This is the initial office action of application 18/200,912 with a filling date of 04/14/2023 that claims a foreign priority to Korean Application number KR10-2022-0054387 with a filing date of 05/02/2022. Claims 1-20 are pending below.
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
2. Claims 14-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 02/17/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, directed to claims 1-13 in the reply filed on 02/17/2026 is acknowledged.
Drawings
3. The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show pressure providing member 170 in FIGS. 1-3 as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the pressure providing member 170 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“substrate floating unit for floating a substrate” in claim 1;
“measurement unit for measuring a floating amount of the substrate” in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
4. Claim 3 recites “substrate is in contact with substrate floating unit” The term is interpreted as coating operation of the substrate and the overall claim is understood as the measurement unit is able to measure a floating height during a coating process when a substrate is in contact with a coater/nozzle (substrate floating unit) through a coating material. Additionally, coater 112 is interpreted as the substrate floating unit as the specification mentions substrate floating unit is includes a stage 110 and stage 11-includes a coater 112. Therefore, coater 112 is part of floating unit [see specification para 0046 of PGPUB US20230350300A1 of the app 18300912].
5. Claim 7 recites, “substrate is in contact with substrate floating unit” The term is interpreted as coating operation of the substrate and the overall claim is understood as the measurement unit is able to measure a floating height during a coating process when a substrate is in contact with a coater/nozzle (substrate floating unit) through a coating material. Additionally, coater 112 is interpreted as the substrate floating unit as the specification mentions substrate floating unit is includes a stage 110 and stage 11-includes a coater 112. Therefore, coater 112 is part of floating unit [see specification para 0046 of PGPUB US20230350300A1 of the app 18300912].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
6. Claim(s) 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yukio et al. (CN110676192 (A) in view of Takayama et al. (US 20210090927 A1) and further in view of Wang et al. (US 20160349718 A1).
Regarding Claim 1: Yukio teach a coating apparatus 1 that is comprised of a floating workable unit 3 (substrate floating unit) [para 85], coating mechanism 6 with nozzle unit 60 with nozzle 61 that applies a liquid [para 97]. Nozzle 61 extends along a Y axis and positioned above substrate W as shown in fig 1, 6, and 7 [para98-99]. Coating apparatus 1 also includes a measuring unit 70 that measures a vertical position of substrate W that is being lifted (floating amount) [para 128].
Yukio further teaches a controlling unit 9 that measures a vertical position of floating substrate (floating amount of substrate) with the assistance of measuring instruments 72 of measuring unit 70 by comparing a measured value of a vertical position with a threshold. Additionally, if the vertical position is determined to be abnormal, the control unit 9 can notify the outside of the situation through a designated output mechanism [para 144-147].
However, Yukio is silent on obtaining a serial number of substrates using a controller.
Takayama et al. teach a substrate treating apparatus that is comprised of carriers 3 with substrates W and barcode readers 31 attached to carrier 3. Each carrier has a barcode (serial number) for identifying substrates W. Substrates goes through a treatment (coating) and then distinguished depending on their characteristics such as diameter, thickness and named W1, W2, ..., Wn depending on the characteristics. Afterwards, substrates are transferred to different carriers 3 with bar codes. Each carrier holds plurality of substrates with similar characteristics and different carriers have different bar codes. Barcode readers 31 reads barcodes of carriers with the assistance of substrate detector 89 and feed information to controller 9 and controls operations depending on the carrier of substrate [par 82-113; 169; 235-238]
It would have been obvious to include the combination of substrate carrier, barcode reader into the invention of Yukio because Takayama teach that having barcodes associated with the substrates assists in determining shapes of substrates and also barcode is used as an identifier of substrates. The controller identifies whether substrates have a normal diameter. [para 237-238].
However, both Yukio and Takayama fails to teach "providing control to change, based on the serial number, reference signal data used by the measurement unit to measure the floating amount of the substrate."
Wang et al. teach a coating apparatus comprised of a detection device 50 is configured to detect a variation of an altitude(height) of a top surface of substrate 10 and to compute a variation curve of an interval between application nozzle 30 and the substrate 10. A controller controls the nozzle drive according to the variation curve of the interval between the nozzle and the substrate computed by detection device 50, so that the nozzle drive forces the nozzle 30 moving and adjusts the vertical distance between the nozzle 30 and the substrate 10 according to the variation curve of the interval (change, based on the serial number, reference signal data used) [para 27; claim 1 and claim 4].
It would have been obvious to include the detection device into the combination of Yukio and Takayama because Wang teaches that detection device helps adjusting a consistent vertical distance between nozzle and substrate so that thickness of the coated film is uniform [para 27].
Regarding Claim 2: Yukio teaches that measuring unit 70 measures a vertical position (height) of floating substrate W by emitting a light and the light being reflected from substrate W. A sensor measures the amount of reflected light which gives a vertical position [para 128-129].
Regarding Claim 3: Yukio teaches that measuring unit 70 measures a vertical position (height) of floating substrate W by emitting a light (beam) and the light being reflected from substrate W. A sensor measures the amount of reflected light which gives a vertical position [para 128-129]. The term “substrate is in contact with substrate floating unit” used in claim 3 is interpreted as coating operation of the substrate and the overall claim is understood as the measurement unit is able to measure a floating height during a coating process when substrate W is in contact with coater 112 (substrate floating unit) through a coating material (see para 4 above). Yukio’s measurement unit 70 can measure a vertical position (height) of substrate W over coating worktable 32, where coating of substrate W takes place [para 128]. The measurement unit 70 can measure a vertical position (floating amount) of substrate W while a coating (substrate is in contact with floating unit) of the substrate takes place through nozzle 61 [see para 147].
Regarding Claim 4: Yukio teaches that measuring unit 70 measures a vertical position of floating substrate W by emitting a light (laser beam) to substrate W [para 128-129].
Regarding Claim 5: Yukio teaches the measuring device 72 measures the vertical position of the upper surface Wf by measuring the distance from a reference position in a predetermined vertical direction (reference signal) to the vertical position of the upper surface Wf [para 128].
Alternatively, claim 5 recites a limitation that is directed to intended use of the product of claim 2. The limitation of claim 5 is also directed to a product by process claim and therefore carries no patentable weight. (see MPEP 2111.02.II and 2113)
Regarding Claim 6: Yukio teaches a controlling unit 9 that measures a vertical position of floating substrate (floating amount of substrate)
Takayama et al. (US 20210090927 A1) teach a substrate treating apparatus that is comprised of carriers 3 with substrates W and barcode readers 31 attached to carrier 3. Each carrier has a barcode (serial number) for identifying substrates W based on parameters such as diameter, and thickness. The barcode readers 31 reads barcodes and feed information to controller 9 [para 71, 78, 98, 101, 113, 235].
It would have been obvious to include the combination of substrate carrier, barcode reader into the invention of Yukio because Takayama teach that having barcodes associated with the substrates assists in determining shapes of substrates and also barcode is used as an identifier of substrates. The controller identifies whether substrates have a normal diameter. [para 237-238].
Regarding Claim 7: Yukio teaches that measuring unit 70 measures a vertical position (height) of floating substrate W by emitting a light (beam) and the light being reflected (displacement of beam) from substrate W. A sensor measures the amount of reflected light which gives a vertical position [para 128-129]. The term “substrate is in contact with substrate floating unit” used in claim 3 is interpreted as coating operation of the substrate and the overall claim is understood as the measurement unit is able to measure a floating height during a coating process. Yukio’s measurement unit 70, which is controlled by control unit 9[para 144-147], can measure a vertical position (height) of substrate W over coating worktable 32, where coating of substrate W takes place [para 128]. The measurement unit 70 can measure a vertical position (floating amount) of substrate W while a coating (substrate is in contact with floating unit) of the substrate takes place through nozzle 61 [see para 147].
Also, the limitation “when the reference signal data corresponding to a specific serial number of the substrate does not exist,” do not define a limitation of the structure and therefore, no patentable weight is given.
Regarding Claim 8: Yukio teaches that floating worktable 3 applies a buoyancy force to substrate W so that substrate W is floated at a consistent vertical position and maintaining the horizontal posture of substrate W.
Regarding Claim 9: Yukio teaches a measurement unit 70, controlled by control unit 9, measures a vertical position of floating substrate (floating amount of substrate) with the assistance of measuring instruments 72 of measuring unit 70 by comparing a measured value of a vertical position with a threshold (reference signal data) [para 144-147].
Yukio is silent on the limitation of “wherein the controller sets the reference signal data for the serial number of the substrate and, when the reference signal data corresponding to the specific serial number exists,”
Takayama et al. teach a substrate treating apparatus that is comprised of carriers 3 with substrates W and barcode readers 31 attached to carrier 3. Each carrier has a barcode (serial number) for identifying substrates W. Substrates goes through a treatment (coating) and then distinguished depending on their characteristics such as diameter, thickness and named W1, W2, ..., Wn depending on the characteristics. Afterwards, substrates are transferred to different carriers 3 with bar codes. Each carrier holds plurality of substrates with similar characteristics and different carriers have different bar codes. Barcode readers 31 reads barcodes of carriers with the assistance of substrate detector 89 and feed information to controller 9 and controls operations depending on the carrier of substrate [par 82-113; 169; 235-238]
It would have been obvious to include the combination of substrate carrier, barcode reader into the invention of Yukio because Takayama teach that having barcodes associated with the substrates assists in determining shapes of substrates and also barcode is used as an identifier of substrates. The controller identifies whether substrates have a normal diameter. [para 237-238].
Regarding Claim 10: Yukio teach a floating worktable station 3 (floating unit) comprised of a floating platform 31 (stage) with a surface with plurality of nozzles 31h (holes) for ejecting air supplied from floating control mechanism 35 (pressure providing member). Ejected air applies a buoyancy force to substrate W [para 85-87; fig 5].
Regarding Claim 11: Yukio floating worktable station 3 is comprised of inlet floating unit 31 (loader) coating unit 32 (coater) and outlet floating unit 33 (unloader) [fig5; para 85-87]. Nozzle 61 positioned above coating unit 32 to apply a processing liquid (liquid chemical) to substrate W [para 98-100].
Regarding Claim 12: Yukio teach measurement unit 70 is placed above coating region 32 (coater) because coating nozzle 61 is placed above coating region 32. Also, measurement unit 70 is placed on nozzle support 601 and moves along with the nozzle 61 [fig 6,7 and para 98-100; 132-133]
Regarding Claim 13: Yukio teach measurement unit 70 is placed above coating region 32 (coater) because coating nozzle 61 is placed above coating region 32. Also, measurement unit 70 is placed on nozzle support 601 and in an upstream side or a negative X direction of nozzle 61 (before a nozzle unit) [fig 6,7 and para 98-100; 132-133]
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Wasiqul Haq whose telephone number is (571)272-9973. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm ET.
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/WASIQUL HAQ/Examiner, Art Unit 1717
/Binu Thomas/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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