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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 1 drawn to Claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 13 April 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 11-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species 2, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 13 April 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nishikunibaru et al. (US 2019/0076782 A1).
With regards to Claim 1 Nishikunibaru teaches:
A container, part 1, which contains a manufacture device, part 2, which reads on applicant's claimed wafter handling chamber comprising an upper region of the chamber, part 1, which reads on applicant's claimed upper region comprising a plurality of openings and a lower region positioned below the upper region which comprises a pump for feeding air, part 7, which reads on applicant's claimed fan. A blower, part 9, which reads on applicant's claimed blower downstream from the fan, part 7. A desiccant dehumidifier, part 39, and a nitrogen purifier, part 40, which reads on applicant's claimed set of purifiers located downstream from the blower as the air recirculates through the air chamber, to the lower region, through pipe part B, to the fan, part 7, through the air purifier, part 40, to the blower, part 9, through the desiccant dehumidifier, part 29, and then to the pipe, part D, and finally back to the upper region of the chamber. The air then flows through another fan which is part of the air purification fan filter unit, part 3, which also reads on applicant’s claimed fan such that the set of purifiers are downstream of the pump for feeding air, part 7, which then reads on the blower. The HEPA or ULPA filter of he air purification filter, part 3, which reads on applicant's claimed particle filter downstream from the set of purifiers and coupled between the set of purifiers and the fan, either part 7 or as arranged within part 3. (See Nishikunibaru Fig. 1 and Paragraphs 15-16, 17, 20, 23-25)
With regards to Claims 2 and 3 Nishikunibaru teaches:
Each of the first and second purifier, parts 39 and 40, are configured to remove oxygen and water from the air. Paragraph 25 teaches that the purifiers may be combined to create a single purifier that both removes oxygen and water from the air. Paragraph 23 and 24 teach that multiple purifiers may be used in parallel to keep the air well filtered while regeneration of the catalyst is performed. (See Nishikunibaru Paragraphs 23-25)
With regards to Claims 4 and 5 Nishikunibaru teaches:
Valves, parts 23, 24, and 25, which are located between the set of purifiers and the chamber, valves 35, 27, 28, 29, and 30, which control the flow of air to either go through the purifiers to bypass them or recycle the air for further purification which are used to control a direction of air flow through the set of purifiers. The valves are located between the fan, part 3, and the purifiers, parts 39 and 40, as well as between the blowers, parts 7 and 9, and at least one purifier or both in the case of recycle flows. Valve 27 is located at an outlet of the first purifier, part 40, and valve 29 is located at an outlet of the second purifier, part 39. (See Nishikunibaru Fig. 1 and Paragraph 20)
With regards to Claim 6 Nishikunibaru teaches:
The fan, part 3, comprises a fan cowling that is integrated into a sidewall of the wafer handling chamber. (See Nishikunibaru Fig. 1)
With regards to Claim 7 Nishikunibaru teaches:
The fan, part 3, which reads on applicant's claimed centrifugal fan configured to draw air from the upper region of the wafer handling chamber and push it to the air handling system comprising the purifiers, parts 39 and 40, through the pipe, part B. (See Nishikunibaru Fig. 1 and Paragraphs 15-16, 17, 20, 23-25)
With regards to Claim 8 Nishikunibaru teaches:
The first and second purifiers comprise a desiccant dehumidifier portion, part 39, which reads on applicant's claimed purifier comprising a plurality of porous pellets configured to absorb moisture from the air. (See Nishikunibaru paragraph 17 and 23-25)
With regards to Claim 9 Nishikunibaru teaches:
The first and second purifiers comprise a nitrogen purifier portion, part 40, which comprise a catalyst configured to absorb oxygen from the air. (See Nishikunibaru Paragraphs 15-16, 23-25)
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishikunibaru et al. (US 2019/0076782 A1) in view of Segawa et al. (US 9,704,727 B2).
With regards to Claim 10:
Nishikunibaru teaches:
The purification aspects of the apparatus as detailed above. The chamber holds a manufacture device, part 2. (See Nishikunibaru Paragraph 15)
Nishikunibaru does not explicitly teach:
The wafer handling chamber further comprises a mechanically driven arm configured to pass through each opening in the chamber.
Segawa teaches:
A wafer transport apparatus, part 2, with an arm, part 2a, which reads on applicant's claimed mechanically-driven arm which is configured to pass through load ports, part 4, which reads on applicant's claimed multiple openings. (See Segawa Col. 6 line 25 to Col. 7 line 35)
Nishikunibaru discloses the claimed invention except for a mechanically-driven arm configured to transfer wafers through multiple openings in the chamber, part 1. Segawa teaches that it is known to utilize a mechanically driven arm, part 2a, to pass wafers through load ports, part 4, and into a housing part 3. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the chamber, part 1, of Nishikunibaru to include multiple openings and to modify the manufacture device, part 2, of Nishikunibaru to include the mechanically driven arm, part 2a, as taught by Segawa, since Segawa states at Col. 6 lines 60 to 62 that such a modification would make it possible to move a wafter out of one chamber and into another chamber for processing. See MPEP 2144
Other Applicable Prior Art
All other art cited not detailed above in a rejection is considered relevant to at least some portion or feature of the current application and is cited for possible future use for reference. Applicant may find it useful to be familiar with all cited art for possible future rejections or discussion.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIT E ANBACHT whose telephone number is (571)272-9876. The examiner can normally be reached on M, T, R, F 11 am - 4 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached on (571) 270-7872. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-9876.
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/BRIT E. ANBACHT/Examiner, Art Unit 1776
BRIT E. ANBACHT
Examiner
Art Unit 1776
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