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 invention I in the reply filed on 5/20/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 10-23 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 5/20/26.
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, 4-6, 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Deppisch (US 20170067149).
Regarding claim 1. Deppisch teaches in fig. 6-11 an apparatus (apparatus 100 [32 33]) for coating a substrate (substrate 140 [32 33]) having a substrate surface (fig. 11, 140 is flexible substrate w both sides), comprising: a vacuum chamber (60 [32]) and at least one vacuum pump (670 [71]) configured to evacuate the vacuum chamber ([71]); at least one substrate mount (510 drum holding 140 fig. 11 [37]) arranged inside the vacuum chamber (fig. 11) and configured to receive the substrate (fig. 11, 510 receives 140 that wraps around it) to be coated (as discussed previously): and at least one device (dep units 680 [37 38]) arranged inside the vacuum chamber (fig. 11) and configured to produce a coating ([37 38]); wherein: the vacuum chamber (60) has at least one cleaning apparatus (at least substrate cleaning rolls 18 19 [59]) comprising at least one adhesion roller (both 18, 19 are capable of adhering/sticking particles [59]) having a surface (fig. 8, the outer surface of 18 19), the adhesion roller (18) configured to be guided over the substrate surface (fig. 8, 18 guided on surface of 140) and bind particles adhering to the substrate ([59-63]).
Regarding claim 4. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one collecting apparatus (2nd adhesive roll 19 [59-63]) arranged to be guided over the surface (fig. 8[59-63]) of the adhesion roller (fig. 8) and configured to bind particles adhering to the surface of the adhesion roller ([59-63]).
Regarding claim 5. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the collecting apparatus has an adhesive surface configured to bind particles adhering to the surface of adhesion roller ([59-63] fig. 8).
Regarding claim 6. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one device for producing a coating ([47-52]) is one or more selected from the group consisting of a plasma coating source, a magnetron, and an evaporation source, and/or the substrate mount is configured to heat or cool the substrate (it is a PECVD plasma coating source [47-52]).
Regarding claim 9. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one device for producing a coating is one or more selected from the group consisting of a plasma coating source, a magnetron, and an evaporation source, and/or the substrate mount is designed to heat or cool the substrate (see claim 6).
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) 2, 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deppisch (US 20170067149) in view of Cannella (US 20090068344).
Regarding claim 2. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, but does not teach wherein the adhesion roller comprises an elastomer. However, Cannella teaches in [38] the cleaning roller comprises an elastomer. It would be obvious to those skilled in the art at the invention time to modify Deppisch to use an alternate material for the adhesive cleaning roller [38].
Regarding claim 7. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one collecting apparatus arranged to be guided over the surface of the adhesion roller (see claim 4-6) and configured to bind particles adhering to the surface of the adhesion roller (see claim 4-6); but does not teach wherein: the adhesion roller comprises an elastomer. However, Cannella teaches in [38] the cleaning roller comprises an elastomer. It would be obvious to those skilled in the art at the invention time to modify Deppisch to use an alternate material for the adhesive cleaning roller [38]. Deppisch further teaches the collecting apparatus has an adhesive surface configured to bind particles adhering to the surface of adhesion roller (see claims 4-6).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deppisch (US 20170067149) in view of Ikenaga (US 20100050349).
Regarding claim 3. Deppisch teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, but does not teach further comprising an electrical voltage source configured to apply a charge to the adhesion roller; however, Ikenaga teaches in the drawings an electrical voltage source (eg DC source 9 [43-78, 69], abstract) configured to apply a charge to the adhesion roller (applies charge/bias to a roll cleaning mechanism 13 [16 68] fig. 9, and other roll like cleaning mechanisms, fig 6-7). It would be obvious to those skilled in the art at the time of the invention to modify Deppisch to enhance removal of particles [50 84-88] so that particles will not be attached to the surface of the samples to be processed, and the amount of contamination of the chamber will not be increased [88].
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deppisch (US 20170067149) in view of Cannella (US 20090068344) and Ikenaga (US 20100050349).
Regarding claim 8. Deppisch in view of Cannella teaches the apparatus according to claim 7, but does not teach further comprising: an electrical voltage source configured to apply a charge to the adhesion roller. However, Ikenaga teaches in the drawings an electrical voltage source (eg DC source 9 [43-78, 69], abstract) configured to apply a charge to the adhesion roller (applies charge/bias to a roll cleaning mechanism 13 [16 68] fig. 9, and other roll like cleaning mechanisms, fig 6-7). It would be obvious to those skilled in the art at the time of the invention to modify Deppisch to enhance removal of particles [50 84-88] so that particles will not be attached to the surface of the samples to be processed, and the amount of contamination of the chamber will not be increased [88].
Conclusion
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/YUECHUAN YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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