Detail 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 .
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 (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 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) 1-2, 7 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Arai (JP 2014087257 A).
Regarding claim 1, Arai discloses a substrate transfer module (Fig. 1 and 2) comprising:
a transfer space (30) in which a transport body (24) including a magnet moves in a lateral direction while being levitated from a floor by magnetic force to transfer a substrate (¶0003, 0004);
a hole forming member having a through-hole formed in a vertical direction (Fig 1-3, element 50);
a partition member (¶0030, Fig. 4, 60) that forms the floor by overlapping a hole edge portion of the through-hole (it can be seen in Fig. 4), in the vertical direction to block the through-hole (element 60 is blocking the vertical hole in fig. 4),
and defines the transfer space (see attached annotated fig.1) having an atmosphere that is separated from a non-transfer space (see attached annotated fig.1) including a portion under the floor outside the transfer space (see attached annotated fig.1); and
a plurality of electromagnets (Fig.4 element 56, ¶0032) provided in the non-transfer space (it can be seen in fig. 4) at positions overlapping the through-hole to move the transport body in the lateral direction (Fig 1-4), wherein
each of the electromagnets (56) is individually fed with power from a power feeder (¶0029) provided in the non-transfer space via a power feed line (¶0029, The plurality of coils 56 are mounted on the lower cooling manifold 54. Each of the plurality of coils 56 is electrically connected to the circuit board 52. The power supply to each of the plurality of coils 56 is individually on / off controlled by the main control device via the switching FET 64).
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Regarding claim 2, Arai discloses all limitation of the claim 1, it also discloses the partition member (60) is a portion of a case body (each element 50 are creating a case and case body), wherein
the plurality of electromagnets (56) is installed in an interior of the case body (it can be seen in fig. 4),
wherein the non-transfer space includes the interior of the case body and the portion under the floor that is a region under the case body (see attached annotated fig. 1) and wherein
the power feed line is installed from the interior of the case body to the portion under the floor (¶0029).
Regarding claim 7, Arai discloses all the limitations of the claim 2, It also discloses a cooler configured to cool the interior of the case body (Fig. 4-5, 54, 70a, 70b ¶0028, ¶0035, ¶0058).
Regarding claim 11, Arai discloses a substrate (W) transfer method for transferring, by a transport body (24) including a magnet (26),
a substrate (W) in a transfer space in which an atmosphere is separated from a non-transfer space (it can be seen in attached annotated fig.1), the substrate transfer method comprising:
feeding power from a power feeder provided in the non-transfer space individually to each of a plurality of electromagnets via a power feed line (see ¶0029, power feeder lines are provided in non-transfer space) wherein
the transfer space (see attached annotated fig. 1) is defined by a partition member (Fig. 4, 60), which forms a floor by blocking a through-hole formed in a hole forming member in a vertical direction to overlap a hole edge portion of the through-hole in the vertical direction (it can be seen in Fig. 4 and 5),
the non-transfer space is located outside the transfer space and includes a portion under the floor (It can be seen in attached annotated fig.1), and
the plurality of electromagnets (56) is installed in the non-transfer space at positions overlapping the through-hole (Fig. 1-4); and
transferring the substrate (W) by moving the transport body in a lateral direction in a state of being levitated from the floor by a magnetic force (¶0003 and ¶0004).
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 non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 3 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arai (JP 2014087257 A) in view of Kurita et al. (US 9691650 B2).
Regarding claim 3, Arai discloses all the limitations of claim 2, it also teaches the floor forms a bottom portion (See attached annotated fig. 1), wherein the non-transfer space is a space having an air atmosphere (can be seen in Fig. 1).
It explicitly fails to teach a housing the non-transfer space is a space having an air atmosphere outside of the hosing and an exhaust mechanism is provided to exhaust the transfer space inside the housing to create a vacuum atmosphere.
Kurita et al. teaches a housing (200) the non-transfer space (outside area of 115 in Fig. 2B) is a space having an air atmosphere outside of the hosing (it is noted that outside area of 115 has an air atmosphere outside of 200) and an exhaust mechanism (Fig. 2B, vacuum pump) is provided to exhaust the transfer space inside the housing to create a vacuum atmosphere (¶0030).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention to have modified Arai by incorporating a housing the non-transfer space is a space having an air atmosphere outside of the hosing and an exhaust mechanism is provided to exhaust the transfer space inside the housing to create a vacuum atmosphere in view of Kurita et al. in order to maintain low presser with in the housing (¶0030).
Regarding claim 8, Arai discloses the hole forming member (50) is a grid- shaped frame body (see attached annotated fig. 3-4),
which includes an outer frame and a plurality of crosspieces extending in a front-rear direction (see attached annotated fig. 3-4) and a left-right direction within the outer frame to define a plurality of through-holes (see attached annotated fig. 3-4), and
wherein the case body is provided in each of the through-holes such that there is a plurality of case bodies (see attached annotated fig. 3-4).
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Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8-9 of remark, filed on 03/11/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-3, 7-8, and 11 under 35 U.S.C. §103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Arai (JP 2014087257 A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 and 9-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Additional cited references show substrate transfer module with magnetic levitation force. Also, specifically Raatz et al. (US 20210249291 A1) and Mimura (US 20200189054 A1) teaches some of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAIMIN G PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-0052. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at 517-272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAUL RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3652
/JAIMIN G PATEL/Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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