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 claims 7-12 in the reply filed on 03/26/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites: “7. (Original) A polishing-head system for polishing a workpiece… a second flow rate when a polished workpiece is released from the polishing head, or when a workpiece to be polished is held on the polishing head.”. Claim 12, which depends on claim 7, recites: “gas supplied to the first pressure chamber while a workpiece is polished…a polishing abnormality of the workpiece based on a change”. As claimed, it is unclear whether all recited workpieces are referring to the same workpiece or entirely different workpieces. For examination purposes, all workpieces have been construed as the same.
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.
Claims 7-9, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liao (US 20120264354 A1).
Referring to claim 7: Liao discloses a polishing-head system (100/200 Fig. 1) for polishing a workpiece (w Fig. 1), comprising: a polishing head (200 Fig. 1) having an elastic membrane (204 Fig. 1; “The membrane 204 is, for example, an elastic membrane.” [0025]) forming a first pressure chamber (206a Figs. 1 and 2) and a second pressure chamber (206d Figs. 1 and 2);
a first gas delivery line (108 of 206a Fig. 1; “a plurality of gas pipes 108 communicating to the gas supply 104 and the air bags 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d respectively.” [0028]) and a second gas delivery line (108 of 206d Fig. 1) that communicate with the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber, respectively;
a first flow-rate control valve (106 mechanism of 206a. The distance controller 106 controls the pressure of each chamber; “a distance controller 106 to control the pressure in the air bags 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d” [0027]; “The distance monitoring device includes a plurality of distance detectors disposed on the frame corresponding to the air bags respectively to set a location of each of the distance detectors on the frame as a reference point. Each of the distance detectors is configured to measure a distance between each of the reference points and the membrane.” [0008]; Merriam-Webster: valve: a: “any of numerous mechanical devices by which the flow of liquid, gas, or loose material in bulk may be started, stopped, or regulated by a movable part that opens, shuts, or partially obstructs one or more ports or passageways”) and a second flow-rate control valve (106 mechanism of 206d) coupled to the first gas delivery line (108 of 206a Fig. 1) and the second gas delivery line (108 of 206d Fig. 1), respectively; and
a system controller (106 Fig. 1) configured to instruct the first flow-rate control valve and the second flow-rate control valve (“The distance controller 106 is coupled to the distance detectors 102 and the gas supply 104 to determine a gas flow rate communicating from the gas supply 104 to the air bags 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d” [0029]) to supply a gas into the first pressure chamber (206a Figs. 1 and 2) and the second pressure chamber (206d Figs. 1 and 2) at a first flow rate (first flow rate of 206a) and a second flow rate (second flow rate of 206d) “the polishing rates in the regions A, B, C, D can be adjusted individually” [0036]) when a polished workpiece (w Fig. 1) is released (before (via suction [0031]) and after polishing [0039]) from the polishing head, or when a workpiece (w Fig. 1) to be polished is held ([0032-0033]) on the polishing head.
Referring to claim 8: Liao discloses the polishing-head system according to claim 7, wherein a volume of the first pressure chamber (206a Figs. 1 and 2) is larger than a volume (If region A is being over-polished and region D is under-polished, the volume of 206a would be larger than 206d would be larger, and in turn the first flow rate would also be higher. See [0034] ) of the second pressure chamber (206d Figs. 1 and 2), and the first flow rate (first flow rate of 206a) is higher than the second flow rate (second flow rate of 206d).
Referring to claim 9: Liao discloses the polishing-head system according to claim 7, wherein the system controller (106 Fig. 1) is configured to: calculate (“the distance controller 106 then determines the gas flow rate” [0036]; “measured… decreases the gas flow rate” [0034]) a cumulative value of the first flow rate (first flow rate of 206a); instruct the first flow-rate control valve (106 mechanism of 206a) to supply the gas into the first pressure chamber (206a Figs. 1 and 2) at the first flow rate until the cumulative value of the first flow rate reaches a first target flow-rate cumulative value (“setting value” [0034]; based on the value, the gas flow rate is increased/ decreased accordingly [0034]);
calculate (“the distance controller 106 then determines the gas flow rate” [0036]; “measured… decreases the gas flow rate” [0034]) a cumulative value (“setting value” [0034]) of the second flow rate (second flow rate of 206d); and instruct the second flow-rate control valve (106 mechanism of 206d) to supply the gas into the second pressure chamber (206d Figs. 1 and 2) at the second flow rate until the cumulative value of the second flow rate reaches a second target flow-rate cumulative value (“setting value” [0034]; based on the value, the gas flow rate is increased/ decreased accordingly [0034]).
Referring to claim 11: Liao discloses the polishing-head system according to claim 7, wherein the system controller (106 Fig. 1) is configured to instruct (“The distance controller 106 is coupled to the distance detectors 102 and the gas supply 104 to determine a gas flow rate communicating from the gas supply 104 to the air bags 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d” [0029]) at least one of the first flow-rate control valve (106 mechanism of 206a) and the second flow-rate control valve (106 mechanism of 206d) to change at least one of the first flow rate and the second flow rate while (“real time” [0035]; paragraph 0034 explains how the “polishing rates” of specific regions are adjusted) the gas is supplied into the first pressure chamber (206a Figs. 1 and 2) and the second pressure chamber (206d Figs. 1 and 2).
Referring to claim 12: Liao discloses the polishing-head system according to claim 7, wherein the first flow-rate control valve (“The distance controller 106 is coupled to the distance detectors 102 and the gas supply 104 to determine a gas flow rate communicating from the gas supply 104 to the air bags 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d” [0029]) is configured to measure a flow rate (“gas flow rate”) of the gas supplied to the first pressure chamber (206a Figs. 1 and 2) while a workpiece (w Fig. 1) is polished with the polishing head (200 Fig. 1);
and the system controller (106 Fig. 1) is configured to calculate a polishing flow-rate cumulative value (“Consequently, the polishing rates in the regions A, B, C, D can be adjusted individually” [0036]) which is a cumulative value of the measured flow rate (“gas flow rate” [0036]) and determine (“data feedback” [0036]) a malfunction of the elastic membrane or a polishing abnormality of the workpiece based on a change in the polishing flow-rate cumulative value (“capable of detecting the surface flatness of the substrate in real time during the polishing” [0038]).
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao (US 20120264354 A1).
Referring to claim 10: Liao discloses the polishing-head system according to claim 7, wherein the system controller (106 Fig. 1) is configured to: calculate the first flow rate and calculate the second flow rate (“The distance controller 106 is coupled to the distance detectors 102 and the gas supply 104 to determine a gas flow rate communicating from the gas supply 104 to the air bags 206a, 206b, 206c, 206d” [0029]).
But is silent on:
calculating the first flow rate specifically by dividing a first target flow-rate cumulative value for the first pressure chamber by preset operating time;
and calculate the second flow rate by specifically dividing a second target flow-rate cumulative value for the second pressure chamber by preset operating time.
Per MPEP 2143-E, choosing from a finite number of identified predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success supports a conclusion of obviousness. In the instant case, the flow rate formula can be reached by calculations resulting in (m^3)/s, (cubic meters divided by time); further, the prior art teaches calculating both flow rates.
Therefore, modifying the polishing-head system of Liao to calculate the first and second flow rate by specifically dividing a first and second target flow-rate cumulative value for the first and second pressure chamber by preset operating time, respectively, can easily be made without any change in the operation of the polishing-head system of Liao with reasonable expectations of success.
Since the application’s disclosure has not proven criticality why the flow rate must be calculated in that manner, specifically, and specifically, why the operation would’ve failed otherwise, it would have been obvious to have modified the polishing-head system of Liao by having the first and second flow rate calculated by specifically dividing a first and second target flow-rate cumulative value for the first and second pressure chamber by preset operating time, respectively, for the purpose of making the flow rate calculations with the available parameters.
Conclusion
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CHRISTOPHER SOTO
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/CHRISTOPHER SOTO/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/MONICA S CARTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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