DETAILED ACTION
This is a Final Office Action on the Merits in response to communications filed by applicant on February 26th, 2026. Claims 1-10, 12-15, and 18 are currently pending and examined below.
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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendments to the claims, filed on February 26th, 2026, have been entered. Claims 1, 8, 14, 15, and 18 are currently amended and pending, claims 2-4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 13 are original, unamended, and pending, and claims 11, 16, 17, 19, and 20 have been canceled.
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 nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-6, 8-10, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11383940 B2 ("Xu") in view of US 5700046 A ("Van Doren").
Regarding claim 1, Xu teaches an automated transport vehicle for transporting an wafer cassette, comprising (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, “A robotic manipulator for handling a cassette and an automated cassette transport device are disclosed, the device including a mechanical arm (1), an end actuator (2) at an end of the mechanical arm (1) and a vision-based locating assembly (3) on the end actuator (2).”, Column 4 lines 10-20, “Reference is now made to FIG. 1, a schematic view of an automated cassette transport device constructed in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automated cassette transport device includes: an automatic guided vehicle (AGV); a carrier frame 5 mounted on the AGV; a robotic manipulator disposed on the carrier frame 5 for handling the cassettes; and cassette carriers disposed on the carrier frame 5. The robotic manipulator may be arranged at a corner of the carrier frame 5 relative to the cassette carriers. Preferably, the number of the cassette carriers is two, which are positioned one above the other.”):
a carrying seat for accommodating the wafer cassette (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20, “a carrier frame 5 mounted on the AGV; a robotic manipulator disposed on the carrier frame 5 for handling the cassettes; and cassette carriers disposed on the carrier frame 5.”);
a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20, “The robotic manipulator may be arranged at a corner of the carrier frame 5 relative to the cassette carriers.”);
and a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm for holding the wafer cassette (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the robotic manipulator essentially includes: a mechanical arm 1; an end actuator 2 at one end of the mechanical arm 1;”),
wherein the holding mechanism includes at least one first positioning post and at least one second positioning post (Xu: Column 4 line 66 – Column 5 line 17, “According to one embodiment, at least two locating pins 25 are provided on the recessed surface 21. The locating pins 25 can mate with corresponding notches in the flange 40.”)
and the second positioning post is in contact with a bottom surface of the wafer cassette (Xu: Column 5 lines 1-17, “The notches of the flange 40 may be triangular or circular, and the locating pins 25 are complementary to the notches of the flange 40 on the top of the cassette in terms of both position and shape. While the locating pins 25 have been described above as being cross-sectionally triangular or circular, the present invention is not so limited because the locating pins 25 may have any cross-sectional shape as long as they can be received in the notches of the flange 40, with the geometric centers of the locating pins 25 coinciding with those of the notches. When the notches of the flange 40 mate with the locating pins 25 on the recessed surface 21, the retained cassette will be self-centered, resulting in an additional improvement in locating accuracy of the cassette.”).
Xu does not teach and, when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette,
wherein the second positioning post is disposed closer to the opening than the first positioning post.
Van Doren, in the same field of endeavor, teaches and when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette (Van Doren: Column 4 lines 4-11, “FIG. 6 shows the gripper assembly of FIG. 5 in a gripping state in which the gripping members 44 have been moved together to grip the wafer 42 by means of six contactor elements 50.”, Column 4 line 59 – Column 5 line 4, “FIG. 11 illustrates a contactor element 50 in greater detail. It comprises a base 98 and an upwardly extending semi-cylindrical portion 100. The semi-cylindrical portion 100 defines a convex surface 102 for contacting the edge of a wafer. The inwardly extending portion 104 of the base 98 constitutes a flange for supporting the lower surface of a wafer, while the outwardly extending portion 106 of the base 98 serves as a securing formation for securing the element 50 to a gripping member as illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 14. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the semicircular portions of the gripping members 44 are provided with recesses for complimentarily receiving the portions 106 and part of the semi-cylindrical portions 100 of the elements 50.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the contactor elements comprise a cylindrical protrusion that contacts a sides surface of the object.),
wherein the second positioning post is disposed closer to the opening than the first positioning post (Van Doren: Column 4 lines 4-11, “FIG. 6 shows the gripper assembly of FIG. 5 in a gripping state in which the gripping members 44 have been moved together to grip the wafer 42 by means of six contactor elements 50.”, Column 4 line 59 – Column 5 line 4, “FIG. 11 illustrates a contactor element 50 in greater detail. It comprises a base 98 and an upwardly extending semi-cylindrical portion 100. The semi-cylindrical portion 100 defines a convex surface 102 for contacting the edge of a wafer. The inwardly extending portion 104 of the base 98 constitutes a flange for supporting the lower surface of a wafer, while the outwardly extending portion 106 of the base 98 serves as a securing formation for securing the element 50 to a gripping member as illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 14. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the semicircular portions of the gripping members 44 are provided with recesses for complimentarily receiving the portions 106 and part of the semi-cylindrical portions 100 of the elements 50.”).
Xu teaches a wafer cassette handling robot comprising a second positioning post that contacts a bottom surface of the wafer cassette, and an opening in the gripper. Van Doren teaches a gripper for gripping a wafer comprising a first positioning post that contacts a side of the wafer, and an opening in the gripper. Furthermore, Van Doren teaches a plurality of said first positioning post disposed radially around the gripping assembly and at different distances from the opening. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to modify the robot taught in Xu such that the second positioning post is closer to the opening than the first positioning post as taught in Van Doren. Such a combination would not have changed or introduced new functionality and would have required merely change the location of the positioning posts. No inventive effort would have been required. Therefore, the combination of Xu in view of Van Doren teaches the limitation “wherein the second positioning post is disposed closer to the opening than the first positioning post”.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu with and, when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette, wherein the second positioning post is disposed closer to the opening than the first positioning post taught in Van Doren with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it allows the wafer cassette to be centered in the end effector with a high degree of accuracy, reducing the overall complexity of the system (Van Doren: Column 3 lines 4-25, “For purposes of semiconductor wafer processing it is often essential to accurately center the wafer prior to the performance of some operation. As mentioned above, in the prior art devices this centering operation is typically performed in the process module. The present wafer gripper assembly has been developed to perform the centering operation when the wafer is picked up by the wafer handling robot. This saves space and reduces overall machine complexity. The various embodiments of the invention make use of a plurality of contactor elements. This centers the wafer with a degree of accuracy which exceeds the allowable tolerance on the wafer diameter. Specifically, target centering accuracy for the gripper assembly is better than 0.04 millimeters. Theoretically only three contact points are required to achieve accurate centering of a round wafer. However, the present invention envisages the use of a larger number of contact points. Specifically, at least six contactor elements are used. This has the advantage that the centering operation is insensitive to the location of flat sections or notches on the wafer. The position of the contact points can be optimized for maximum centering accuracy bearing in mind the geometric constraints imposed by either a wafer chuck or a wafer holding cassette.”).
Regarding claim 2, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches further comprising an image capturing module disposed on the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the robotic manipulator essentially includes: a mechanical arm 1; an end actuator 2 at one end of the mechanical arm 1; and a vision-based locating assembly disposed on the end actuator 2. The vision-based locating assembly is used for obtaining a position of a flange 40 on the top of a cassette (the flange being a feature of the cassette itself).”).
Regarding claim 4, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches wherein the holding mechanism has an opening, and the opening is rectangular (Xu: Figures 2 and 3. One of ordinary skill in the art would clearly see that the end actuator has a substantially rectangular opening.).
Regarding claim 5, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches wherein, when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, in a top view direction of the holding mechanism, the wafer cassette at least partially overlap with the holding mechanism (Xu: Figure 3. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that the wafer cassette at least partially overlaps with the opening in the end actuator.).
Regarding claim 6, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches wherein the holding mechanism further comprises a protrusion (Xu: Figure 2 shoulders 22, Column 5 lines 47-58, “The end actuator 2 may further include shoulders 22 and at least one presence sensor 23. The shoulders 22 are provided along a front side of the recessed surface 21 in order to avoid drop-off of the cassette upon sudden power off of the robotic manipulator.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the shoulders are formed at the end of the recessed surface, they form a protrusion of said recessed surface.).
Regarding claim 8, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches wherein, when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, the protrusion is in contact with another side surface of the wafer cassette (Xu: Figure 3, Column 5 lines 47-58, “The end actuator 2 may further include shoulders 22 and at least one presence sensor 23. The shoulders 22 are provided along a front side of the recessed surface 21 in order to avoid drop-off of the cassette upon sudden power off of the robotic manipulator.”. As can be seen on from the cite passage and figure, the wafer cassette contacts the shoulders to prevent the wafer cassette from falling forward and out of the grip[ping device.).
Regarding claim 9, Xu in view of Ueda teaches wherein the holding mechanism includes a base plate having the opening (Xu: Figures 2-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “The end actuator 2 includes a recessed surface 21 complementary to the flange 40 on the top of the cassette.”, Ueda: add citation showing base plate. Necessary to show that the combination of the two will have both protrusions on base plate and adjacent opening.),
and the at least one first positioning post and the at least one second positioning post are disposed on the base plate and adjacent to the opening (Xu: Figure 2 locating pins 25. One of ordinary skill in the art would clearly see that the guide members are on the base plate and adjacent to the opening. Van Doren: Figures 5-8 contactor element 50. One of ordinary skill in the art would clearly see that the guide members are on the base plate and adjacent to the opening.).
Xu teaches a second positioning post attached to the base plate and adjacent to the opening that contacts the bottom of the wafer cassette. Van Doren teaches a first positioning post attached to the base plate and adjacent to the opening that contacts the side of the wafer cassette. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the combination of Xu in view of Van Doren teaches the at least one first positioning post and the at least one second positioning post are disposed on the base plate and adjacent to the opening.
Regarding claim 10, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches wherein the opening of the holding mechanism is not closed by the base plate (Xu: Figure 2 recessed surface 21. One of ordinary skill in the art would clearly see that the base plate does not close the opening.).
Regarding claim 14, Xu in view of Van Doren teaches wherein the holding mechanism includes a plurality of protrusions arranged around the opening (Xu: Figure 3, Column 4 line 66 – Column 5 line 17, “According to one embodiment, at least two locating pins 25 are provided on the recessed surface 21. The locating pins 25 can mate with corresponding notches in the flange 40.”, Column 5 lines 47-58, “The end actuator 2 may further include shoulders 22 and at least one presence sensor 23. The shoulders 22 are provided along a front side of the recessed surface 21 in order to avoid drop-off of the cassette upon sudden power off of the robotic manipulator.”),
and, when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, a distance between the protrusions disposed on a left side and a right side of the wafer cassette is greater than or equal to a width of the wafer cassette and smaller than or equal to the width of the wafer cassette plus 3 mm (Xu: Figure 3, Column 5 lines 1-17, “The notches of the flange 40 may be triangular or circular, and the locating pins 25 are complementary to the notches of the flange 40 on the top of the cassette in terms of both position and shape. While the locating pins 25 have been described above as being cross-sectionally triangular or circular, the present invention is not so limited because the locating pins 25 may have any cross-sectional shape as long as they can be received in the notches of the flange 40, with the geometric centers of the locating pins 25 coinciding with those of the notches. When the notches of the flange 40 mate with the locating pins 25 on the recessed surface 21, the retained cassette will be self-centered, resulting in an additional improvement in locating accuracy of the cassette.”. As can be seen from the cited passage and figure, the locating pins are configured to contact the notches on either side of the cassette. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that that the distance between protrusions would be within the range of the wafer cassette width to the wafer cassette width plus 3 mm.),
and a distance between the protrusions disposed on a upper side and a lower side of the wafer cassette is greater than or equal to a length of the wafer cassette and smaller than or equal to the length of the wafer cassette plus 3 mm (Xu: Figure 3, Column 5 lines 47-58, “The end actuator 2 may further include shoulders 22 and at least one presence sensor 23. The shoulders 22 are provided along a front side of the recessed surface 21 in order to avoid drop-off of the cassette upon sudden power off of the robotic manipulator. The at least one presence sensor 23 is arranged on the recessed surface 21, preferably in an area coming into contact with the flange 40, in order to sense whether the cassette is held on the recessed surface 21. Preferably, the presence sensor 23 may include a mechanical switching element, as shown in FIG. 4, which will be triggered to, once the cassette is self-centered, raise a signal indicating the presence of the cassette.”. As can be seen from the cited passage and figure, the shoulder and presence sensor (both of which constitute a protrusion) contact either side of the cassette. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that the distance between these protrusions clearly falls within the range of the length of the wafer cassette to the length of the wafer cassette plus 3 mm.).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11383940 B2 ("Xu") in view of US 5700046 A ("Van Doren") in further view of CN 204715826 U ("Wu").
Regarding claim 3, Xu in view of Van Doren does not teach wherein, in a top view of the automated transport vehicle, a ratio of a length to a width of the carrying seat is between 0.8 and 1.5.
Wu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein, in a top view of the automated transport vehicle, a ratio of a length to a width of the carrying seat is between 0.8 and 1.5 (Wu: ¶ 0026, “As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle plate exchange automobile handling robot 2 includes a frame body 21, a vehicle plate lifting mechanism installed in the frame body 21, an omnidirectional walking drive mechanism installed next to the vehicle plate lifting mechanism, a control system 28, a power supply device, and preferably may also include a navigation device, a safety detection device, etc.”, ¶ 0027, “The loading plate lifting mechanism of the handling robot includes a lifting plate 22 installed at both ends of the frame body and a hydraulic drive mechanism, wherein the hydraulic drive mechanism can also be replaced by a spiral lifter or a scissors lifter or an electric push rod. The length-to-width ratio of the lifting plate 22 can be 1 to 50. The hydraulic drive device includes a lifting guide column 23 connected to a hydraulic pump 24 and the lifting plate 22.”. Even though the cited passages teach a ratio of length to width of a much larger range, the range of 1 to 1.5 is still taught by the cited passages.).
The only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art is that the prior art does not combine the autonomous transportation vehicle and the ratio of length to width of the carrying seat into a single reference. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with the ratio of length to width of the carrying seat taught in Wu. Furthermore, the carrying seat taught in Xu in view of Van Doren is already rectangular, so modifying the length or width such that the ratio of length to width falls within the range taught in Wu would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of an autonomous transportation vehicle that has a length to width ratio of the carrying seat of 0.8 to 1.5.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combined the automated transport vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with the ratio of a length to a width of 0.8 to 1.5 of the carrying seat taught in Wu with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it would have yielded predictable results.
Claim(s) 7 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11383940 B2 ("Xu") in view of US 5700046 A ("Van Doren") in further view of US 11658058 B2 ("Abe").
Regarding claim 7, Xu in view of Van Doren does not teach wherein a material of the protrusion includes an organic material.
Abe, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein a material of the protrusion includes an organic material (Abe: Column 8 lines 1-9, “Consequently, when the protrusion 60 and the grasping protrusion 566 come in contact with the substrate S, the plate surface of the substrate S can be maintained flat. It is preferable that the protrusion 60 is made of an antistatic material, and as an example, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) may be used.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would know that polyethylene is an organic material.).
The only difference between the prior art and the claimed invention is that the prior art does not combine the autonomous transportation vehicle and the protrusions being made of an organic material into a single reference. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with the protrusion being made of an organic material taught in Abe. Furthermore, changing the material of the protrusions taught Xu in view of Van Doren with the materials taught in Abe is a simple substitution of materials that are known and commonly used in the art, and performing such a substitution would be well within the technological capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, changing the material would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination is therefore a simple substitution of known materials.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with the protrusion being made of an organic material taught in Abe with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it is a simple substitution of known materials.
Regarding claim 12, Xu in view of Van Doren does not teach wherein a top surface of the second positioning post is a curved surface.
Abe, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein a top surface of the second positioning post is a curved surface (Abe: Column 5 lines 46-63, “The robot hand 156 of the present embodiment includes a base body 56, a grasp module 54 to grasp the substrate S, a suction module 52 to attract a front surface or a back surface of the substrate S by suction to hold the surface, and a protrusion 60 provided on the base body 56.”, Column 8 lines 1-9, “Furthermore, it is preferable that the tip of the protrusion 60 is formed to have a curved surface such as a hemispherical shape so as not to damage the plate surface of the substrate S.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with the positioning post having a curved tip taught in Abe with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the curved tip helps prevent damage when the protrusion comes into contact with the wafer cassette (Abe: Column 8 lines 1-9, “Furthermore, it is preferable that the tip of the protrusion 60 is formed to have a curved surface such as a hemispherical shape so as not to damage the plate surface of the substrate S.”).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11383940 B2 ("Xu") in view of US 5700046 A ("Van Doren") in further view of JP 2022042669 A ("Ueda") in further view of JP 7039050 B2 ("Albright").
Regarding claim 13, Xu in view of Van Doren does not teach wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm
and a ratio of a length of the holding mechanism to the thickness of the holding mechanism is between 20 and 130.
Ueda, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm (Ueda: ¶ 0024, “The hand 107 has a shape that allows it to be attached to the collaborative robot 110 without interfering with the imaging of the camera 106, and in order to maintain the carrying capacity of the collaborative robot 110, its weight is set to 1.0 kg or less, and the thickness of the hand 107 is set to 10 mm or less so that the flange 108 can be accessed.”).
Xu in view of Van Doren teaches an automated transport vehicle comprising a holding mechanism. Xu in view of Van Doren does not teach wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm. Ueda teaches wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the holding mechanism taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm taught in Ueda. Changing the thickness of the manipulator requires no inventive effort and would have been well within the technological capabilities a person of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, modifying the thickness of the manipulator would not change or introduce new functionality. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of an autonomous transportation vehicle with a holding mechanism wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the automated transport vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren with wherein a thickness of the holding mechanism is between 3 mm and 15 mm taught in Ueda with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Xu in view of Van Doren in further view of Ueda does not teach and a ratio of a length of the holding mechanism to the thickness of the holding mechanism is between 20 and 130.
Albright, in the same field of endeavor, teaches and a ratio of a length of the holding mechanism to the thickness of the holding mechanism is between 20 and 130 (Albright: ¶ 0034, “The total length of the finger 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2D, the distance from the right side of the link 11 to the left side of the link 13 is from 30 times the minimum thickness of the joint 17 to 50 times the minimum thickness of the joint 17. Alternatively, it may be from 30 times the minimum thickness of the joint 19 to 50 times the minimum thickness of the joint 19. In one embodiment, the total length of the robot finger 1 may be from 75 mm to 125 mm.”).
The only difference between the prior art and the claimed invention is that the prior art does not combine the autonomous transportation vehicle and the ratio of the length to the thickness of the holding mechanism into a single reference. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have combine the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren in further view of Ueda with the ratio of the length to the thickness of the holding mechanism taught in Albright. Furthermore, the thickness of the holding mechanism taught in Xu in view of Van Doren in further view of Ueda is 10 mm, so setting the length to be within the ratios of length to thickness taught in Albright would be simple to determine. Additionally, changing the length of the manipulator such that the ration of length to thickness falls within a specific range would no change or introduce new functionality. Changing the length of the manipulator requires no inventive effort. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of an autonomous transportation vehicle with a holding mechanism whose length to width ratio is between 20 and 130.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the autonomous transportation vehicle taught in Xu in view of Van Doren in further view of Ueda with the ratio of length to thickness of the holding mechanism being between 20 and 130 taught in Albright with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11383940 B2 ("Xu") in view of US 11865707 B2 ("Kalouche").
Regarding claim 15, Xu teaches a method for transporting an article arranged on a base, comprising (Xu: Column6 lines 37-49, “Cassette Transportation: the task may include either removal of the cassette from shelf/process equipment or placement thereof onto the shelf/process equipment.”):
providing an automated transport vehicle including (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, “A robotic manipulator for handling a cassette and an automated cassette transport device are disclosed, the device including a mechanical arm (1), an end actuator (2) at an end of the mechanical arm (1) and a vision-based locating assembly (3) on the end actuator (2).”, Column 4 lines 10-20, “Reference is now made to FIG. 1, a schematic view of an automated cassette transport device constructed in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automated cassette transport device includes: an automatic guided vehicle (AGV); a carrier frame 5 mounted on the AGV; a robotic manipulator disposed on the carrier frame 5 for handling the cassettes; and cassette carriers disposed on the carrier frame 5. The robotic manipulator may be arranged at a corner of the carrier frame 5 relative to the cassette carriers. Preferably, the number of the cassette carriers is two, which are positioned one above the other.”):
a carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20, “a carrier frame 5 mounted on the AGV; a robotic manipulator disposed on the carrier frame 5 for handling the cassettes; and cassette carriers disposed on the carrier frame 5.”);
a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20, “The robotic manipulator may be arranged at a corner of the carrier frame 5 relative to the cassette carriers.”);
a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the robotic manipulator essentially includes: a mechanical arm 1; an end actuator 2 at one end of the mechanical arm 1;”),
and an image capturing module arranged on the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the robotic manipulator essentially includes: a mechanical arm 1; an end actuator 2 at one end of the mechanical arm 1; and a vision-based locating assembly disposed on the end actuator 2. The vision-based locating assembly is used for obtaining a position of a flange 40 on the top of a cassette (the flange being a feature of the cassette itself).”);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Xu: Column 6 lines 41-67, “The automated transport device moves to a parking position in the vicinity of the load port of the process equipment/shelf.”, Column 7 lines 1-18, “The first camera 300, and hence the sonar sensor 24, is turned laterally, by the end actuator to face toward the target cassette. The first camera 300 measures the X-directional distance X between the flange 40 of the cassette and the first camera 300.”, Column 7 lines 19-25, “Image processing may then be carried out to determine the positions of the notches of flange 40, from which a Y-directional distance from the flange 40 to the first camera 300 can be obtained.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the x and y positions of the article on a shelf relative to the robot are determined.);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a second time (Xu: Column 7 lines 31-35, “Based on the measured X-, Y-, Z- and Rx-directional positions of the flange 40 of the cassette relative to the first camera 300, the robotic manipulator brings the second camera 310 above the notches of the flange 40 on the top of the cassette.”. As can be seen in the cited passage and in the steps disclosed in the passages prior to the one cited, the second camera is used to capture a second image of the notches on the base.),
wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image for the first time (Xu: Column 7 lines 36-40, “Image processing may be performed to determine the positions of more than two notches of the flange 40, from which, along with the nominal dimensions of the flange 40 itself, X-, Y- and Rz-directional positions of the flange 40 relative to the second camera 310 can be calculated.”, One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the second image is take from a second camera, and because the manipulator was moved above the notches prior to this second image being capture, the distance between the imaging apparatus and the mark would be smaller than that of the first image.).
and using the holding mechanism to move the article from the base to the carrying seat (Xu: Column 7 lines 50-56, “The controller of the automated cassette transport device dictates the mechanical arm to follow a certain motion trajectory to put the cassette held by the end actuator in place onto a cassette carrier in the device itself.”).
Xu does not teach using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base;
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time,
wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time;
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the article stored on the base to confirm that the article needs to be transported;
Kalouche, in the same field of endeavor, teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, “The local feature positioning system on the other hand may utilize conductive, capacitive, infrared (IR) or other sensors used to detect features within the warehouse, for example, a sensor to detect and count rail or grid space crossings, a magnetic sensor designed to detect magnets or ferrous material in grid 126, an imager to read barcodes or AR/QR codes on bins 110, the rails or other structures (which can subsequently be relayed to the remote processor 103 to determine the location of the mobile manipulator robot), an imager capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), encoders in the mobility assembly 204 to measure distances traveled, magnetic, NFC, RFID, or any other type of positioning sensor within any of the mobile robots described herein and/or the grid so long as the remote computer can determine the location of each individual mobile robot and control the position of each individual mobile robot.”, Column 31 lines 28-51, “Container retrieval device 668 may further include a sensor 688 such as a camera, depth imager, or similar device to align the hoist plate to the top of container 110. The sensor can use markers such as AR tags or barcodes on containers 110, or otherwise use features of the container itself, to facilitate proper alignment.”);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, “The local feature positioning system on the other hand may utilize conductive, capacitive, infrared (IR) or other sensors used to detect features within the warehouse, for example, a sensor to detect and count rail or grid space crossings, a magnetic sensor designed to detect magnets or ferrous material in grid 126, an imager to read barcodes or AR/QR codes on bins 110, the rails or other structures (which can subsequently be relayed to the remote processor 103 to determine the location of the mobile manipulator robot), an imager capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), encoders in the mobility assembly 204 to measure distances traveled, magnetic, NFC, RFID, or any other type of positioning sensor within any of the mobile robots described herein and/or the grid so long as the remote computer can determine the location of each individual mobile robot and control the position of each individual mobile robot.”, Column 31 lines 28-51, “Container retrieval device 668 may further include a sensor 688 such as a camera, depth imager, or similar device to align the hoist plate to the top of container 110. The sensor can use markers such as AR tags or barcodes on containers 110, or otherwise use features of the container itself, to facilitate proper alignment.”),
wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time(Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, “The local feature positioning system on the other hand may utilize conductive, capacitive, infrared (IR) or other sensors used to detect features within the warehouse, for example, a sensor to detect and count rail or grid space crossings, a magnetic sensor designed to detect magnets or ferrous material in grid 126, an imager to read barcodes or AR/QR codes on bins 110, the rails or other structures (which can subsequently be relayed to the remote processor 103 to determine the location of the mobile manipulator robot), an imager capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), encoders in the mobility assembly 204 to measure distances traveled, magnetic, NFC, RFID, or any other type of positioning sensor within any of the mobile robots described herein and/or the grid so long as the remote computer can determine the location of each individual mobile robot and control the position of each individual mobile robot.”, Column 31 lines 28-51, “Container retrieval device 668 may further include a sensor 688 such as a camera, depth imager, or similar device to align the hoist plate to the top of container 110. The sensor can use markers such as AR tags or barcodes on containers 110, or otherwise use features of the container itself, to facilitate proper alignment.”);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the article stored on the base to confirm that the article needs to be transported (Kalouche: Column 28 lines 47-64, “With the product grasped, picking arm 206 may then lift the target product from container 110 and optionally position or wave/rotate the product in front of scanners 264 to scan an identifier such as a barcode or RFID located on the target product for the purpose of confirming that the correct product has been grasped…”. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that a scanner for reading a barcode is a type of imaging device. Additionally, the cited passages teach that the article is contained within a container, which one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize functions as a base.).
Xu teaches capturing a using the image capturing module to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base using a first image of the base and a second image of the base taken after the first image. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the second image is take from a second camera, that because the cameras are disposed on the end effector, and because the manipulator was moved above the notches prior to this second image being capture, the distance between the imaging apparatus and the mark would be smaller than that of the first image. Kalouche teaches obtaining a first mark on the base to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base. Furthermore, the method taught in Kalouche can be performed with an imaging device. Additionally, because Xu teaches capturing an image of a notch in order to determine the relative position between the robot and the shelf, Xu could easily be modify to perform the same process but using the mark as taught in Kalouche according to methods known in the art. Such a modification would not have changed or introduced new functionality to either. No inventive effort would have been required. Therefore the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche clearly teaches the limitations using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base” and “using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time, wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time”.
The only difference between the prior art and the claimed invention is that the prior art does not combine the method of transporting an article and the method of an image of the article stored on the base to confirm that the article needs to be transported and an image of a first mark on the base into a single reference. A person of ordinary skill would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the method of transporting an article taught in Xu with the method of capturing an image of the article to confirm it needs to be transported taught in Kalouche. Furthermore, the method taught in Xu is already configured to determine the vehicles position and distance to the article based on images, so modifying the method such that it performs a step of verifying if the article need to be transported would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of a method of transporting articles that captures an image of said article to confirm it needs to be transported and an image of the first mark on the base.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the method of transporting an article taught in Xu with the method of capturing an image of the article stored on the base to confirm that the article needs to be transported and an image of the first mark on the base taught in Kalouche with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it would have yielded predictable results.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 11383940 B2 ("Xu") in view of US 11865707 B2 ("Kalouche") in further view of US 2023/0211963 A1 ("Yoon").
Regarding claim 18, Xu teaches a method for transporting an article arranged to a base, comprising (Xu: Column 6 lines 37-49, “Cassette Transportation: the task may include either removal of the cassette from shelf/process equipment or placement thereof onto the shelf/process equipment.”):
providing an automated transport vehicle including (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, “A robotic manipulator for handling a cassette and an automated cassette transport device are disclosed, the device including a mechanical arm (1), an end actuator (2) at an end of the mechanical arm (1) and a vision-based locating assembly (3) on the end actuator (2).”, Column 4 lines 10-20, “Reference is now made to FIG. 1, a schematic view of an automated cassette transport device constructed in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automated cassette transport device includes: an automatic guided vehicle (AGV); a carrier frame 5 mounted on the AGV; a robotic manipulator disposed on the carrier frame 5 for handling the cassettes; and cassette carriers disposed on the carrier frame 5. The robotic manipulator may be arranged at a corner of the carrier frame 5 relative to the cassette carriers. Preferably, the number of the cassette carriers is two, which are positioned one above the other.”):
a carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20, “a carrier frame 5 mounted on the AGV; a robotic manipulator disposed on the carrier frame 5 for handling the cassettes; and cassette carriers disposed on the carrier frame 5.”);
a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20, “The robotic manipulator may be arranged at a corner of the carrier frame 5 relative to the cassette carriers.”);
a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the robotic manipulator essentially includes: a mechanical arm 1; an end actuator 2 at one end of the mechanical arm 1;”),
and an image capturing module arranged on the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44, “Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the robotic manipulator essentially includes: a mechanical arm 1; an end actuator 2 at one end of the mechanical arm 1; and a vision-based locating assembly disposed on the end actuator 2. The vision-based locating assembly is used for obtaining a position of a flange 40 on the top of a cassette (the flange being a feature of the cassette itself).”);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Xu: Column 6 lines 41-67, “The automated transport device moves to a parking position in the vicinity of the load port of the process equipment/shelf.”, Column 7 lines 1-18, “The first camera 300, and hence the sonar sensor 24, is turned laterally, by the end actuator to face toward the target cassette. The first camera 300 measures the X-directional distance X between the flange 40 of the cassette and the first camera 300.”, Column 7 lines 19-25, “Image processing may then be carried out to determine the positions of the notches of flange 40, from which a Y-directional distance from the flange 40 to the first camera 300 can be obtained.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the x and y positions of the article on a shelf relative to the robot are determined.);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a second time (Xu: Column 7 lines 31-35, “Based on the measured X-, Y-, Z- and Rx-directional positions of the flange 40 of the cassette relative to the first camera 300, the robotic manipulator brings the second camera 310 above the notches of the flange 40 on the top of the cassette.”. As can be seen in the cited passage and in the steps disclosed in the passages prior to the one cited, the second camera is used to capture a second image of the notches on the base.),
wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image for the first time (Xu: Column 7 lines 36-40, “Image processing may be performed to determine the positions of more than two notches of the flange 40, from which, along with the nominal dimensions of the flange 40 itself, X-, Y- and Rz-directional positions of the flange 40 relative to the second camera 310 can be calculated.”, One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the second image is take from a second camera, and because the manipulator was moved above the notches prior to this second image being capture, the distance between the imaging apparatus and the mark would be smaller than that of the first image.).
and using the holding mechanism to move the article from the base to the carrying seat (Xu: Column 7 lines 50-56, “The controller of the automated cassette transport device dictates the mechanical arm to follow a certain motion trajectory to put the cassette held by the end actuator in place onto a cassette carrier in the device itself.”).
using the holding mechanism to move the article from the carrying seat to the base. (Xu: Column 8 lines 26-31, “Based on the obtained distance, the mechanical arm follows a certain motion trajectory to put in place the cassette onto the cassette tray on the load port of the process equipment/shelf.”).
Xu does not teach using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base;
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time,
wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time;
using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base;
Kalouche, in the same field of endeavor, teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, “The local feature positioning system on the other hand may utilize conductive, capacitive, infrared (IR) or other sensors used to detect features within the warehouse, for example, a sensor to detect and count rail or grid space crossings, a magnetic sensor designed to detect magnets or ferrous material in grid 126, an imager to read barcodes or AR/QR codes on bins 110, the rails or other structures (which can subsequently be relayed to the remote processor 103 to determine the location of the mobile manipulator robot), an imager capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), encoders in the mobility assembly 204 to measure distances traveled, magnetic, NFC, RFID, or any other type of positioning sensor within any of the mobile robots described herein and/or the grid so long as the remote computer can determine the location of each individual mobile robot and control the position of each individual mobile robot.”, Column 31 lines 28-51, “Container retrieval device 668 may further include a sensor 688 such as a camera, depth imager, or similar device to align the hoist plate to the top of container 110. The sensor can use markers such as AR tags or barcodes on containers 110, or otherwise use features of the container itself, to facilitate proper alignment.”);
using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, “The local feature positioning system on the other hand may utilize conductive, capacitive, infrared (IR) or other sensors used to detect features within the warehouse, for example, a sensor to detect and count rail or grid space crossings, a magnetic sensor designed to detect magnets or ferrous material in grid 126, an imager to read barcodes or AR/QR codes on bins 110, the rails or other structures (which can subsequently be relayed to the remote processor 103 to determine the location of the mobile manipulator robot), an imager capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), encoders in the mobility assembly 204 to measure distances traveled, magnetic, NFC, RFID, or any other type of positioning sensor within any of the mobile robots described herein and/or the grid so long as the remote computer can determine the location of each individual mobile robot and control the position of each individual mobile robot.”, Column 31 lines 28-51, “Container retrieval device 668 may further include a sensor 688 such as a camera, depth imager, or similar device to align the hoist plate to the top of container 110. The sensor can use markers such as AR tags or barcodes on containers 110, or otherwise use features of the container itself, to facilitate proper alignment.”),
wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time(Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, “The local feature positioning system on the other hand may utilize conductive, capacitive, infrared (IR) or other sensors used to detect features within the warehouse, for example, a sensor to detect and count rail or grid space crossings, a magnetic sensor designed to detect magnets or ferrous material in grid 126, an imager to read barcodes or AR/QR codes on bins 110, the rails or other structures (which can subsequently be relayed to the remote processor 103 to determine the location of the mobile manipulator robot), an imager capable of performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), encoders in the mobility assembly 204 to measure distances traveled, magnetic, NFC, RFID, or any other type of positioning sensor within any of the mobile robots described herein and/or the grid so long as the remote computer can determine the location of each individual mobile robot and control the position of each individual mobile robot.”, Column 31 lines 28-51, “Container retrieval device 668 may further include a sensor 688 such as a camera, depth imager, or similar device to align the hoist plate to the top of container 110. The sensor can use markers such as AR tags or barcodes on containers 110, or otherwise use features of the container itself, to facilitate proper alignment.”);
using the image capturing module to capture of the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base (Kalouche: Column 27 lines 22-31, “ FIG. 22 is a flowchart 2200 illustrating a high-level overview of an example method for controlling the operation of a mobile piece picking robot, such as piece picking robot 200, by a system, such as operator system 102. As shown in block 2202, the system outputs one or more images of an inventory item.”, Column 28 lines 12-26, “Gripping tool 248 may be selected based upon the type of task or the product type (which may be determined by the remote computer through inventory tracking of the product types in each bin), analysis of the image data and/or as a result of historical data relating to successful picks of that product or similar constructed products.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that the cited passages described the process of capturing an image of an item in a storage area and determining the type of item in the image data.).
Xu teaches capturing a using the image capturing module to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base using a first image of the base and a second image of the base taken after the first image. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the second image is take from a second camera, that because the cameras are disposed on the end effector, and because the manipulator was moved above the notches prior to this second image being capture, the distance between the imaging apparatus and the mark would be smaller than that of the first image. Kalouche teaches obtaining a first mark on the base to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base. Furthermore, the method taught in Kalouche can be performed with an imaging device. Additionally, because Xu teaches capturing an image of a notch in order to determine the relative position between the robot and the shelf, Xu could easily be modify to perform the same process but using the mark as taught in Kalouche according to methods known in the art. Such a modification would not have changed or introduced new functionality to either. No inventive effort would have been required. Therefore the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche clearly teaches the limitations using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base” and “using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time, wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time”.
The only difference between the prior art and the claimed invention is that the prior art does not combine the method of transporting an article and the method of capturing an image of the base to determine if an article is present and an image of the first mark on the base into a single reference. A person of ordinary skill would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the method of transporting an article taught in Xu with the method of capturing an image of the base to determine if an article is present and an image of the first mark on the base taught in Kalouche. Even though the method taught in Kalouche is used to determine the correct gripping tool/grasping pose for the item identified in the image taken of the storage area, modifying the method such that it performs a step of verifying if there is already an article in the base would not change or introduce new functionality, as the method already teaches a substantive verification process. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of a method of transporting articles that captures an image of said article to confirm it needs to be transported and an image of the first mark on the base.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the method of transporting an article taught in Xu with the method of capturing an image of the base to determine if an article is present and an image of the first mark on the base taught in Kalouche with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it would have yielded predictable results.
Xu in view of Kalouche does not teach using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base.
Yoon, in the same field of endeavor, teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base (Yoon: Figures 2 and 3, ¶ 0044, “First, referring to FIG. 2, the first transport plate 101 of the first transport mounting portion 10 supports the first-class article T1 from below. The first-class article T1 may be a wafer storage container. For example, a first engagement groove 19 (see FIG. 4) is formed on the bottom surface of the first-class article T1, and the first positioning pins 10a (see FIG. 4) of the first transport plate 101 fit in the first engagement groove 19 (see FIG. 4).”, ¶ 0048, “Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates the first support 71 installed on the pillar 79. The first support 71 includes a first support plate 71b and a plurality of fourth positioning pins 71a formed on the first support plate 71b. A groove 71c is formed in the first support plate 71b. Although this is not illustrated separately, the second support 72 and the third support 73 have substantially the same shape as the first support 71.”. The cited passages and figures clearly show that the base includes a plurality of positioning elements.).
Xu in view of Kalouche teaches a method for transporting an article to a base, comprising: providing an automated transport vehicle including: a carrying seat; a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat; a holding mechanism connected with the mechanical arm; and an image capturing module arranged on the mechanical arm; using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base; using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base; using the holding mechanism to move the article from the carrying seat to the base. Xu in view of Kalouche does not teach using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base. Yoon teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base. A person of ordinary skill in the would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the method taught in Xu in view of Kalouche with using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base. Furthermore, even though Yoon does not teach capturing an image of the positioning elements on the base, the method taught in Xu in view of Kalouche teaches capturing an image of the base when determining if an article is stored in the base. As such, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that if modified with the positioning elements taught in Yoon, the image captured of the base taught in Xu in view of Kalouche would include the positioning elements of the base. The modification itself would only require adding positioning elements to the base taught in Xu in view of Kalouche, a task well within the technological capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art. Such a modification would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of a method comprising: using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the method taught in Xu in view of Kalouche with using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base taught in Yoon with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, specifically regarding the limitation “wherein the second positioning post is disposed closer to the opening than the first positioning post”, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's arguments filed February 26th, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding Applicant’s arguments on Pages 7-9, Applicant argues that the prior art does not teach the limitations of the amended independent claims 1, 15, and 18.
Specifically on Page 7, Applicant argues that The combination of Xu in view of Van Doren does not teach the limitations “the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette” and “the second positioning post is in contact with a bottom surface of the wafer cassette” of the amended independent claim 1. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As was stated in the Non-Final Office Action mailed December 1st, 2025, and above in the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection section, the primary reference Xu teaches an automated transport vehicle for transporting an wafer cassette, comprising (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, Column 4 lines 10-20): a carrying seat for accommodating the wafer cassette (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20); a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20); and a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm for holding the wafer cassette (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44), wherein the holding mechanism includes at least one first positioning post and at least one second positioning post (Xu: Column 4 line 66 – Column 5 line 17) and the second positioning post is in contact with a bottom surface of the wafer cassette (Xu: Column 5 lines 1-17). As can clearly be seen, the robot in Xu is configured with locating pins that come into contact with a recess on the bottom surface of the wafer cassette, which allows the wafer cassette to be more accurately placed. Xu, therefore, clearly teaches the limitation “the second positioning post is in contact with a bottom surface of the wafer cassette”. The secondary reference Van Doren teaches when the holding mechanism holds the wafer cassette, the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette (Van Doren: Column 4 lines 4-11, Column 4 line 59 – Column 5 line 4), wherein the second positioning post is disposed closer to the opening than the first positioning post (Van Doren: Column 4 lines 4-11, Column 4 line 59 – Column 5 line 4). Van Doren clearly teaches a plurality of contact elements disposed radially around the gripper that come into contact with a side of the wafer. These contact elements are used to position the wafer more accurately on the gripper. Van Doren, therefore, clearly teaches the limitation “the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette”. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that the combination of Xu in view of Van Doren teaches the limitations “the first positioning post is in contact with a side surface of the wafer cassette” and “the second positioning post is in contact with a bottom surface of the wafer cassette”.
Specifically on Page 7, Applicant argues that the secondary reference Van Doren is nonanalogous prior art. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. In response to applicant's argument that Van Doren is nonanalogous art, it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor’s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention. See In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 24 USPQ2d 1443 (Fed. Cir. 1992). In this case, Van Doren teaches a wafer gripper assembly used to grip and transport a semiconductor wafer. The wafer gripper further comprises a plurality of contact elements placed radially around the gripper assembly that contact a side portion of the wafer to properly place the wafer. As the claimed invention relates to a gripper for gripping and transporting a semiconductor wafer, Van Doren clearly in the field of the inventor’s endeavor. Additionally, because Van Doren teaches a gripper assembly with contact elements that contact the sider of an object to properly place said wafer, Van Doren is also reasonable pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor is concerned. As such, Van Doren is clearly analogous prior art.
Specifically on Page 8, Applicant argues that the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche does not teach the limitations “using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base” and “using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time, wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time” of the amended independent claim 15. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As was stated in the Non-Final Office Action mailed December 1st, 2025, and above in the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection section, the primary reference Xu teaches a method for transporting an article arranged on a base, comprising (Xu: Column6 lines 37-49): providing an automated transport vehicle including (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, Column 4 lines 10-20): a carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20); a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20,); a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44), and an image capturing module arranged on the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Xu: Column 6 lines 41-67, Column 7 lines 1-18, Column 7 lines 19-25); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a second time (Xu: Column 7 lines 31-35), wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image for the first time (Xu: Column 7 lines 36-40). and using the holding mechanism to move the article from the base to the carrying seat (Xu: Column 7 lines 50-56). The cited passages of Xu teaches that the wafer cassette robot is configured to capture a first image of a load port of a shelf (i.e. the base). The robot determines the relative distance between the end effector and the shelf using this image. The robot is then configured to move the manipulator such that a second camera views the shelf and captures a second image of the shelf. The robot determines the relative distance between the end effector and the shelf using this second image as well. Then the robot places the wafer cassette on the shelf. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the second image is take from a second camera, that the cameras are disposed on the end effector of the robot, and because the manipulator was moved above the notches prior to this second image being capture, the distance between the imaging apparatus and the base would be smaller than that of the first image. The secondary reference Kalouche teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51), wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time(Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the article stored on the base to confirm that the article needs to be transported (Kalouche: Column 28 lines 47-64). Kalouche teaches a robot system for retrieving items from a storage facility, wherein the robot is configured to capture an image of a mark on a shelf or bin in order to properly align itself to place and retrieve the desired items, and to identify the items to be placed/retrieved. Furthermore, because Xu teaches capturing an image of a notch in order to determine the relative position between the robot and the shelf, Xu could easily be modify to perform the same process but using the mark as taught in Kalouche according to methods known in the art. Such a modification would not have changed or introduced new functionality to either. No inventive effort would have been required. Therefore the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche clearly teaches the limitations “using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base” and “using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time, wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time”.
Specifically on pages 8-9, Applicant argues that the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche in further view of Yoon does not teach the limitation “using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base” of the amended claim 18. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As was stated in the Non-Final Office Action mailed December 1st, 2025, and above in the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection section, the primary reference Xu teaches a method for transporting an article to a base, comprising (Xu: Column6 lines 37-49): providing an automated transport vehicle including (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, Column 4 lines 10-20): a carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20); a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20,); a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44), and an image capturing module arranged on the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Xu: Column 6 lines 41-67, Column 7 lines 1-18, Column 7 lines 19-25); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a second time (Xu: Column 7 lines 31-35), wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image for the first time (Xu: Column 7 lines 36-40). and using the holding mechanism to move the article from the carrying seat to base (Xu: Column 7 lines 50-56). Xu clearly teach that the system is configured to capture multiple images of the base. The secondary reference Kalouche teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51), wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time(Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51); using the image capturing module to capture of the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base (Kalouche: Column 28 lines 47-64). Kalouche clearly teaches capturing an image of a first mark on a base and using this to determine if there is an object that is stored at that location. The secondary reference Yoon teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base (Yoon: Figures 2 and 3, ¶ 0044, ¶ 0048). Yoon clearly teaches that the base includes a plurality of positioning elements. Furthermore, even though Yoon does not teach capturing an image of the positioning elements on the base, the method taught in Xu in view of Kalouche teaches capturing an image of the base when determining if an article is stored in the base. As such, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that if modified with the positioning elements taught in Yoon, the image captured of the base taught in Xu in view of Kalouche would include the positioning elements of the base. The modification itself would only require adding positioning elements to the base taught in Xu in view of Kalouche, a task well within the technological capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art. Such a modification would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. Therefore, the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche in further view of Yoon teaches the limitation “using the image capturing module to capture an image a plurality of positioning elements on the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base”.
Specifically on Page 9, Applicant argues that the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche in further view of Yoon does not teach the limitation “” of the amended independent claim 18. As was stated in the Non-Final Office Action mailed December 1st, 2025, and above in the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection section, the primary reference Xu teaches a method for transporting an article to a base, comprising (Xu: Column6 lines 37-49): providing an automated transport vehicle including (Xu: Figure 1, Abstract, Column 4 lines 10-20): a carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20); a mechanical arm arranged on the carrying seat (Xu: Figure 1, Column 4 lines 10-20,); a holding mechanism connected to the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44), and an image capturing module arranged on the mechanical arm (Xu: Figures 1-3, Column 4 lines 21-44); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Xu: Column 6 lines 41-67, Column 7 lines 1-18, Column 7 lines 19-25); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the base for a second time (Xu: Column 7 lines 31-35), wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image for the first time (Xu: Column 7 lines 36-40). and using the holding mechanism to move the article from the carrying seat to base (Xu: Column 7 lines 50-56). The cited passages of Xu teaches that the wafer cassette robot is configured to capture a first image of a load port of a shelf (i.e. the base). The robot determines the relative distance between the end effector and the shelf using this image. The robot is then configured to move the manipulator such that a second camera views the shelf and captures a second image of the shelf. The robot determines the relative distance between the end effector and the shelf using this second image as well. Then the robot places the wafer cassette on the shelf. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that because the second image is take from a second camera, that the cameras are disposed on the end effector of the robot, and because the manipulator was moved above the notches prior to this second image being capture, the distance between the imaging apparatus and the base would be smaller than that of the first image. The secondary reference Kalouche teaches using the image capturing module to capture an image of a first mark on the base for a first time to calculate a relative position between the automated transport vehicle and the base (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51); using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time (Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51), wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time(Kalouche: Column 14 lines 1-42, Column 31 lines 28-51); using the image capturing module to capture of the base to determine whether there is an article stored on the base (Kalouche: Column 28 lines 47-64). Kalouche teaches a robot system for retrieving items from a storage facility, wherein the robot is configured to capture an image of a mark on a shelf or bin in order to properly align itself to place and retrieve the desired items, and to identify the items to be placed/retrieved. Furthermore, because Xu teaches capturing an image of a notch in order to determine the relative position between the robot and the shelf, Xu could easily be modify to perform the same process but using the mark as taught in Kalouche according to methods known in the art. Such a modification would not have changed or introduced new functionality to either. No inventive effort would have been required. Therefore the combination of Xu in view of Kalouche clearly teaches the limitation “using the image capturing module to capture an image of the first mark on the base for a second time, wherein a distance between the image capturing module and the base when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the second time is smaller than that when the image capturing module captures an image of the first mark for the first time”.
Therefore, for the reasons stated herein and in the 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection section, 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of the amended independent claims 1, 15, and 18.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/N.W.S./ Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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