DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 6/22/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-3, 5 and 7-13 remain pending in the application. Claim 4 and 6 was cancelled.
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 1-5 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshii (JPH 11175771 A) in view of Liu (US 20190164771 A1), Takenouchi (US 20180286708 A1) and Kouichi (JPH 03147954 A).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a cutting apparatus (see Figure 5) comprising:
a chuck table (T, paragraph 0011) for holding thereon a workpiece having a plurality of devices including electrodes that are constructed in respective areas demarcated on a face side of the workpiece by a plurality of projected dicing lines (see Figure 3), wherein an X-axis (left and right axis direction in Figure 2) and a Y-axis (in and out axis direction in Figure 2) are perpendicular and are aligned within a plane parallel to a plane of the chuck table (see Figures 1-5);
a cutting unit (3) having a rotatable cutting blade (2) for cutting the workpiece held on the chuck table, the cutting blade extending along the X-axis (see Figure 2);
an X-axis feed mechanism for cutting-feeding the chuck table and the cutting unit relatively to each other along the X-axis (paragraph 0011 and Figure 3);
a Y-axis feed mechanism for indexing-feeding the chuck table and the cutting unit relatively to each other along the Y-axis (paragraph 0011 and Figure 3);
a cutting liquid supply nozzle (5) disposed adjacent to a cover of the cutting unit (cover of 3), for supplying a cutting liquid to a point of contact between the cutting blade and the workpiece (see Figure 2); and
a supply nozzle (7), the supply nozzle being fixed to a portion of the cutting unit so that the fluid moves in unison with the cutting unit (see Figures 1-3), and the supply nozzle having a hollow body which includes a plurality of ejection ports aligned in a same direction (see Figure 3), such that a length of the hollow body along the Y-axis is in excess of the width of the workpiece along the Y-axis (see Figures 2-3), and the hollow body of the supply nozzle is arranged along a direction intersecting to the cutting direction of the cutting blade of the cutting unit (see Figure 2-3),
wherein the plurality of ejection ports are configured to supply the supply nozzle simultaneously across the entire width of the workpiece during cutting (see Figures 2-3).
Yoshii fails to teach a cover mounted on the cutting unit and covering the cutting blade; a cutting liquid supply channel constructed as part of the cover of the cutting unit, for supplying a cutting liquid from an ejection port formed in the cover to a point of contact between the cutting blade and the workpiece; the supplying nozzle is a rust inhibitor supply nozzle supplying a rust inhibitor to the workpiece on the chuck table to prevent the electrodes of the devices from being rusted, a cylindrical hollow body.
Liu teaches a semiconductor wafer manufacturing method using both a rust inhibitor and water via two separate nozzles/tanks (paragraph 0029 and 0035, see Figure 1B of Liu).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to modify the device of Yoshii to have to change the cutting fluid to water and the supplying nozzle to supply with a rush inhibitor, as taught Liu, in order to provide a suitable liquid for the cutting environment for cutting wafer (paragraph 0029 and 0035, see Figure 1B of Liu). The resulting device of modified Yoshii teaches the supplying nozzle is a rust inhibitor supply nozzle supplying a rust inhibitor to the workpiece on the chuck table to prevent the electrodes of the devices from being rusted (as modified by Liu, paragraph 0035 of Liu).
Takenouchi teaches a cutting apparatus including a cover mounted on the cutting unit and covering the cutting blade (see Figure 8); a cutting liquid supply channel (38) constructed as part of the cover of the cutting unit (see Figure 8), for supplying a cutting liquid from an ejection port formed in the cover to a point of contact between the cutting blade and the workpiece (see Figure 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to modify the device of Yoshii to have to change the location of the cutting liquid supply nozzle, as taught by Takenouchi. Since the courts have held that a rearrangement of parts is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art, absent any showing of unexpected results. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) MEPE 2144.04 VI. C.
Kouichi teaches a wafer cutting device with a supply nozzle having a cylindrical hollow body which includes a plurality of ejection ports aligned in a same direction (see Figure 11).
It would have been an obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Yoshii to change the shape of the hollow body into whatever form or shape was desired or expedient, such as cylindrical shape, as taught by Kouichi. As a change in form or shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art, absent any showing of unexpected results. In re Dailey et al., 149 USPQ 47. MEPE 2144.04 IV. B.
Regarding claim 2, modified Yoshii further teaches the cutting liquid supply channel supplies pure water or a mixture of an organic acid and an oxidizing agent as the cutting liquid (as modified by Liu, water, paragraph 0035 of Liu).
Regarding claim 3, modified Yoshii further teaches the cutting liquid supply channel is disposed on an opposite side of the cutting blade as the rust inhibitor supply nozzle along the X-axis (See Figure 3 of Yoshii).
Regarding claim 5, modified Yoshii further teaches the rust inhibitor supply nozzle trails the cutting blade along the X-axis (See Figure 3 of Yoshii).
Regarding claim 7, modified Yoshii further teaches a rust inhibitor storage tank which stores the rust inhibitor and a rust inhibitor path interconnecting the rust inhibitor storage tank and rust inhibitor supply nozzle (as modified by Liu, tank 102, see Figure 1B); and a cutting liquid storage tank which stores the cutting liquid and a cutting liquid path interconnecting the cutting liquid storage tank and the cutting liquid supply nozzle (as modified by Liu, tank 102a, see Figure 1B), wherein the rust inhibitor is a liquid different from the cutting liquid (as modified by Liu, paragraph 0035, see Figure 1B).
Regarding claim 8, modified Yoshii further teaches each of the plurality of ejection ports of the rust inhibitor supply nozzle is oriented obliquely downwardly toward the workpiece (see Figure 2 of Yoshii).
Regarding claim 9, modified Yoshii further teaches the ejection port of the cutting liquid supply channel is oriented obliquely downwardly toward the workpiece (see Figure 2 of Yoshii).
Claims 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshii (JPH 11175771 A) in view of Liu (US 20190164771 A1), Takenouchi (US 20180286708 A1) and Kouichi (JPH 03147954 A) and in further view of Miyahara (US 20110143636 A1).
Regarding claim 10, modified Yoshii further teaches all elements of the current invention as set forth in claim 1 above.
Modified Yoshii fails to teach a controller configured to control supply of the cutting liquid through the cutting liquid supply channel and supply of the rust inhibitor through the rust inhibitor supply nozzle; and a first valve disposed in a cutting liquid path connected to the cutting liquid supply channel and a second valve disposed in a rust inhibitor path connected to the rust inhibitor supply nozzle, wherein the controller independently actuates the first valve and the second valve.
Miyahara teaches a controller (22) configured to control supply of a first liquid through the first liquid supply channel and supply of the second liquid through the second liquid supply nozzle; and a first valve disposed in a first liquid path connected to the first liquid supply channel (assembly of 37, 30) and a second valve disposed in a second liquid path connected to the second liquid supply nozzle (assembly of 47 and 40), wherein the controller independently actuates the first valve and the second valve (see Figure 1).
It would have been an obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Yoshii to change add the valve control systems, as taught by Miyahara, in order to better control the liquid dispensed in the system (abstract of Miyahara).
Regarding claim 11, modified Yoshii further teaches the controller is configured to actuate the first valve and the second valve to simultaneously supply the cutting liquid through the cutting liquid supply channel and the rust inhibitor through the rust inhibitor supply nozzle during cutting channel (as modified by Miyahara, see Figure 1 of Miyahara).
Regarding claim 12, modified Yoshii further teaches the controller is configured to actuate the second valve to supply the rust inhibitor after the cutting liquid is supplied through the cutting liquid supply channel (as modified by Miyahara, see Figure 1 of Miyahara).
Regarding claim 13, modified Yoshii further teaches the controller is configured to control at least one of a supply timing and a supply duration of at least one of the cutting liquid and the rust inhibitor channel (as modified by Miyahara, see Figure 1 of Miyahara).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/22/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-3, 5 and 7-13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 LIANG DONG whose telephone number is (571)270-0479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8 AM-6 PM.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 8/20/2026
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