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 1-5 and 8-13 in the reply filed on 7/23/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 6, 7 and 14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 8, 9 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sugakawa et al. (US/ Pub. No. 2020/0365442).
Regarding claim 1, Sugakawa discloses a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a holder (141) configured to hold a substrate (W2) by attracting the substrate on an attraction surface (141a), wherein the attraction surface comprises an outer attraction portion (A1/A2) configured to attract an outer peripheral portion of the substrate and an inner attraction portion (B) configured to attract a portion of the substrate at an inner side than the outer peripheral portion (figures 7A/B and 15), and the holder comprises a transforming unit configured to transform the outer attraction portion relative to the inner attraction portion (figures 7A/B & 15 and paragraph 113).
Regarding claim 8 Sugakawa discloses wherein a front surface of the outer attraction portion and a front surface of the inner attraction portion are continuous with each other on a same plane (figures 7A/B and 15).
Regarding claim 9, Sugakawa discloses wherein the outer attraction portion (A1/A2) is divided into multiple sections along a circumferential direction of the holder (figure 15).
Regarding claim 11, Sugakawa discloses a measurement device configured to measure a position of the outer attraction portion (paragraph 101); and a controller (70) configured to transform the transforming unit based on measurement information obtained by the measurement device (paragraph 103), wherein the controller stops a transformation of the transforming unit when it is found out that the measured position of the outer attraction portion coincides with a target position (paragraph 97).
Regarding claim 12, Sugakawa discloses wherein the controller transforms the transforming unit when the measured position of the outer attraction portion does not coincide with the target position (paragraph 97).
Regarding claim 13, Sugakawa discloses wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a bonding apparatus configured to bond the substrate attracted by the holder to another substrate disposed at an opposing position to the substrate (figures 7A/B and Abstract & paragraphs 9-15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 and 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SARA ADDISU at (571) 272-6082. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Mondays and Wednesday-Friday).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil K. Singh can be reached on (571) 272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SARA ADDISU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722 9/24/26
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