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 group I, claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 10/9/25 is acknowledged. Since the election is made without traverse, the restriction is deemed as proper and therefore made FINAL. Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from consideration.
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.
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 nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al US 2018/0327899 in view of Huang et al US 2022/0184561.
Per claims 1, 5-6, 9-10, Wu teaches a process of coating a body comprising the steps of coating an M-O-F coating (metal oxide) onto a surface of a chamber (abstract) to form a porous coating, wherein the metal may be aluminum (abstract, [0069], [0096]), where a drying step would be inherent and necessary to complete the intended purpose of the process (to provide a protective coating on a chamber part). Wu is silent regarding a colloidal suspension used to fill the pores of the porous ceramic layer. Huang teaches a process of manufacturing a porous substrate structure, where filling particles are used to fill pores in the substrate coating (abstract, [0018]), wherein the filling particles may be alumina [0018]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have utilized filing particles to fill the voids and pores of the metal oxide coating of Wu because Huang teaches that these filling particles can help to reduce pore size to make a more even surface [0018]. Although Huang is silent regarding placing the particles in a liquid suspension, it would have been obvious to have placed said particles in a suspension as taught by Wu (for example, Wu teaches liquid suspension plasma spraying in order to spray alumina particles [0066]) with a reasonable expectation for success and predictable results as disclosed by the prior art.
Per claim 2, Wu teaches a metal oxide (abstract) and anodizing the substrate to form the alumina coating [0110].
Per claim 3, Wu teaches coating a substrate support assembly [0054].
Per claim 4, Wu teaches the component comprising aluminum and the coating to be alumina [0069], [0127].
Per claim 7, Wu teaches plasma spraying [0008].
Per claim 8, Wu teaches a porosity of 2-5% [0066], which falls within the claimed range.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN T. LEONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5352. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00-6:00pm.
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/NATHAN T LEONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1715
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