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
Claims 1-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Applicant’s election of Invention II and Species A in the reply filed on July 2, 2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
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) 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsuzaki US 2019/0181029 in view of Margeson US 2005/0211867.
Matsuzaki discloses a semiconductor package manufacturing method, comprising: preparing a package substrate (13) including a package area (15) having a plurality of semiconductor packages (17, 41) arranged thereon and a scrap area (13a) surrounding the package area; positioning the package substrate on a chuck table (24) including a vacuum pipe (see Fig. 6 below channel formed also see ¶0057) that adsorbs the package area and a fixing device (26) that positions and fixes the scrap area; applying vacuum pressure to the vacuum pipe; sawing the package substrate to singulate the plurality of semiconductor packages (¶0059-63); and releasing the vacuum pressure to the vacuum pipe.
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Matsuzaki discloses wherein “the vacuum pressure developed by the suction source is caused to act on the sheet 21. In addition, the clamps 26 are turned to secure the frame 31 in position” (¶0059). Matsuzaki does not explicitly state that the vacuum source is used to actuate the clamps from a clamping state to an unclamped state but seems to imply that it does. Nevertheless, it is well known in the substrate holding art to use a vacuum source for holding a substrate to a surface while also actuating a plurality of clamping members to secure said substrate to said surface at an edge of said substrate as evidence by Margeson. Margeson discloses a chuck table (20) having a vacuum pipe (420, 430, 320, 320’) that absorbs a substrate (10) and a fixing device that is connected to the vacuum pipe (320’) and positions and fixes the substrate (10) to the chuck table (20), wherein when applying of a vacuum pressure to the vacuum pipe, the fixing device approaches an upper surface of the scrap area (20), and in the releasing of the vacuum pressure to the vacuum pipe, the fixing device moves away from the upper surface of the scrap region (20).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify the chuck table and clamping members of Matsuzaki to vacuum actuated clamping member as taught by Margeson as an alternative means for actuating the clamping members to and from a clamped and unclamped position for securing the package substrate to the chuck table.
As for claim 16, The semiconductor package manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein the vacuum pressure is released by picking up at least one semiconductor package singulated by the sawing [see Figs. 6-8; workpiece is removed from vacuum chuck table from modifying layer forming step (fig. 6) to the expanding step (fig. 7) to the peeling step (fig. 8)].
Claim(s) 15-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsuzaki US 2019/0181029 in view of Miura JPH 05285876A.
Matsuzaki discloses a semiconductor package manufacturing method, comprising: preparing a package substrate (13) including a package area (15) having a plurality of semiconductor packages (17, 41) arranged thereon and a scrap area (13a) surrounding the package area; positioning the package substrate on a chuck table (24) including a vacuum pipe (see Fig. 6 below channel formed also see ¶0057) that adsorbs the package area and a fixing device (26) that positions and fixes the scrap area; applying vacuum pressure to the vacuum pipe; sawing the package substrate to singulate the plurality of semiconductor packages (¶0059-63); and releasing the vacuum pressure to the vacuum pipe.
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Matsuzaki discloses wherein “the vacuum pressure developed by the suction source is caused to act on the sheet 21. In addition, the clamps 26 are turned to secure the frame 31 in position” (¶0059). Matsuzaki does not explicitly state that the vacuum source is used to actuate the clamps from a clamping state to an unclamped state but seems to imply that it does. Nevertheless, it is well known in the substrate holding art to use a vacuum source for holding a substrate to a surface while also actuating a plurality of clamping members to secure said substrate to said surface at an edge of said substrate as evidence by Miura.
Miura discloses a chuck table (1) having a vacuum pipe (4, 34) that absorbs a substrate (8) and a fixing device (22) that is connected to a fluid pipe (5, 33, 31) and positions and fixes the substrate (8) to the chuck table (1), wherein when applying of a fluid source to the fluid pipe, the fixing device moves away from an upper surface of the scrap area (1), and wherein when no fluid is applied to the fluid pipe, the fixing device moves toward the upper surface of the scrap region (1).
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First, the operation and configuration for moving the fixing device toward and away from the scrap area of Miura differs from the claimed invention in that a pressurized fluid is used for moving the fixing device versus a vacuum pressure. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize this function as a mere reversal of parts through routine engineering to substitute the pressurized fluid with the vacuum source (Miura, 4) while also substituting out the compression spring (Miura, 28) with a tension spring for biasing the fixing device 5 to a release position thus providing a reversal in function. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify Miura to use the vacuum source (Miura, 4) and supply pipe and tension spring to actuate the fixing members (Miura, 22) toward and away from the scrap area and further to modify fixing device Matsuzaki to the modified Miura to vacuum actuated clamping members as taught by Miura as an alternative means for actuating the clamping members to and from a clamped and unclamped position for securing the package substrate to the chuck table.
As for claim 16, the modified Matsuzaki teaches wherein the vacuum pressure is released by picking up at least one semiconductor package singulated by the sawing [see Matsuzaki, Figs. 6-8; workpiece is removed from vacuum chuck table from modifying layer forming step (fig. 6) to the expanding step (fig. 7) to the peeling step (fig. 8)].
As for claim 17, the modified Matsuzaki teaches wherein the applying of the vacuum pressure (Miura, 4) to the vacuum pipe (Miura, 31) includes: compressing a compression member (Miura, 30) of the fixing device; moving a moving member (Miura, 5) of the fixing device connected to the compression in a direction pulled by the compression member within the vacuum pipe (Miura, 31); and approaching an upper surface of the scrap area by a fixing member (Matsuzaki, 26) connected to the moving member.
As for claim 18, the modified Matsuzaki teaches wherein the releasing of the vacuum pressure (Miura, 4) to the vacuum pipe (Miura, 31) includes: releasing the compression of the compression member (Miura, 30); the moving member (Miura, 5) moves in a direction pushed by the compression member in the vacuum pipe; and the fixing member (Matsuzaki, 26) moves away from an upper surface of the scrap area.
As for claim 20, the modified Matsuzaki teaches wherein the fixing member (Matsuzaki, 26 / Miura, 22) linearly moves in a direction parallel to a moving direction of the moving member (Miura, 5).
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsuzaki US 2019/0181029 in view of Miura JPH 05285876A as applied to claim 18 above, and further in view of Voight DE 102019126204 A1.
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As for claim 19, the modified Matsuzaki teaches wherein the fixing member (Matsuzaki, 26) rotates in a direction corresponding to a moving direction of the moving member (see Matsuzaki, Figs. 5-6, fixing member 26 rotatable). Matsuzaki does not specify the structure to provide such a rotation. However, the use of rotatable fixing members is well known in the art as evidence by Voight who teaches, see figs. 2a-2b, a toggle linkage system (20, 51, 52) for a gripping device (10) wherein the fixing member (20) rotates in a direction corresponding to a moving direction of a moving member (52). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify and or substitute the rotating structure of Matsuzaki with a toggle linkage system as taught by Voight as an alternative means for providing a rotatable fixing device for releasing and fixing a workpiece to a chuck table.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TYRONE V HALL JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5948. The examiner can normally be reached Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm.
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/TYRONE V HALL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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