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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2 April 2026 has been entered.
Claim Interpretation
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: sensing module in Claims 1-9 and 11-20.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Adachi (US 2019/0248581) in view of Lee et al. (US 6772046) (“Lee”). Adachi discloses:
Claim 1: a stocker apparatus (para. [0039; “not show in the figures”);
a transfer robot including a sensing module and a robot arm (12/14/15/etc.);
a manual port (4/etc.) including a lamp (combination of LED (lamp) 15b and 27’s) and configured to operate as an interface (FIG. 6-7), which transfers a container (2), between the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot; and
a controller in communication with the transfer robot (FIG. 1),
wherein the lamp is configured to display a state of the stocker apparatus,
wherein the state of the stocker apparatus is one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode (the modes may be at least three different orientations/modes of the stocker apparatus),
wherein the sensing module is configured to sense the lamp,
wherein the controller is configured to determine that the container is transferrable by the robot arm between the manual port of the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot based on a sensing result of the sensing module (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
wherein the third mode is a mode showing a state of whether the stocker apparatus is prepared or not prepared to transfer the container based on that the lamp is activated in a third pattern (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
Claim 2: wherein the manual port includes the lamp for indicating the state of the stocker apparatus (combination of LED (lamp) 15b and 27’s), and
the controller determines that the container is transferrable using the sensing result obtained by the sensing module sensing of the lamp (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
Claim 3: wherein the sensing module senses an indication of the lamp (at least para. [0103]-[0104]);
Claim 4: wherein the controller determines that the container is transferrable depending on an illuminance of light output from the lamp (at least para. [0103]-[0104]; at least color illuminance in para. [0063]-[0065]);
Claim 5: wherein the sensing module senses a position of the transfer robot relative to a designated position (at least para. [0103]-[0104]);
Claim 6: wherein the sensing module determines a deviation between a designated position and a position of the transfer robot (at least para. [0103]-[0104]);
Claim 7: wherein the controller determines that the stocker apparatus is prepared to load or unload the container and determines that the container is present in the manual port (at least para. [0103]-[0104]);
Claim 8: wherein the transfer robot loads the container into the stocker apparatus or unloads the container from the stocker apparatus depending on a determination that the container is present in the manual port (at least para. [0103]-[0104]);
Claim 9: wherein the determination that the container is transferrable by the robot arm between the manual port of the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot is performed at a predetermined time interval (predetermined positions correspond to predetermined time interval);
Claim 10: wherein the sensing module includes a vision sensor (para. [0053]);
Claim 11: wherein the manual port includes a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is used to load the container to the stocker apparatus, and the second opening is used to unload the container from the stocker apparatus (different 4a positions in at least FIG. 4);
Claim 12: wherein the robot arm is disposed in a frame of the transfer robot, and the robot arm is extendable to outside of the frame (at least between 12a/12c in FIG. 4);
Claim 13: wherein a sensing range of the sensing module is at least one of wider than a width of the manual port or greater than a height of the manual port (12 goes up and down past multiple 4a’s);
Claim 14: wherein the sensing module senses the lamp, and
the controller determines the state of the stocker apparatus based on a result obtained by the sensing of the lamp, and determines that the stocker apparatus is prepared for a transfer of the container (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
Claim 15: wherein the sensing module senses that the lamp is one of turned on, flashing, or turned off (turned on), and
the state of the stocker apparatus is one of states, in which the container is loaded in the stocker apparatus, the container is unloaded from the stocker apparatus, or the stocker apparatus is not available for transfer of the container (at least para. [0103]-[0104]);
Claim 16: wherein the sensing module is rotatable on a surface of the transfer robot (via 22);
Claim 17: wherein the sensing module is extendable from a surface of the transfer robot (14 extends from 12b via 25; alternatively, 14 may be removed and moved away from 12b);
Claim 18: a frame (at least between 12a/12c in FIG. 4);
a robot arm disposed in the frame and extendable to outside of the frame; and
a lamp sensing module (combination of LED (lamp) 15b and 27’s) configured to output a signal indicative of whether a stocker apparatus is prepared to transfer a container (12/14/15/etc.; at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2) based on a sensing result of a lamp of a manual port (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2),
wherein the lamp is configured to display a state of the stocker apparatus, and the state of the stocker apparatus is one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode (the modes may be at least three different orientations/modes of the stocker apparatus);
wherein the third mode is a mode showing a state of whether the stocker apparatus is prepared or not prepared to transfer the container based on that the lamp is activated in a third pattern (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
Claim 19: wherein the sensing module senses that the lamp of the stocker apparatus is turned on, flashing, or turned off, or senses a color displayed by the lamp of the stocker apparatus, and senses a position of the transfer robot relative to a designated position (senses a color in para. [0063]-[0065]; at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
Claim 20: a stocker apparatus storing a container (2) in which a plurality of substrates are accommodated (para. [0039]; “not show in the figures”);
a transfer robot including a sensing module and a robot arm (12/14/15/etc.);
a manual port (4/etc.) including a lamp (combination of LED (lamp) 15b and 27’s) and configured to operate as an interface (FIG. 6-7), which transfers the container, between the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot; and
a controller controlling the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot (FIG. 1),
wherein the controller communicates with the sensing module to determine a state of the stocker apparatus,
the manual port includes the lamp (combination of LED (lamp) 15b and 27’s) indicating the state of the stocker apparatus, the state of the stocker apparatus being one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode (the modes may be at least three different orientations/modes of the stocker apparatus), the sensing module senses the lamp, and
the controller determines that the container is transferrable by the robot arm between the manual port of the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot, based on a sensing result of the sensing module (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2);
the robot arm transfers the container between the manual port of the stocker apparatus and the transfer robot depending on the state of the stocker apparatus (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2; para. [0063]-[0065]);
wherein the third mode is a mode showing a state of whether the stocker apparatus is prepared or not prepared to transfer the container based on that the lamp is activated in a third pattern (at least para. [0103]-[0104] based on at least posture of container 2).
Adachi does not directly show:
Claim 1: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different;
Claim 18: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different;
Claim 20: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different.
Lee shows a similar device having:
Claim 1: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different (col. 5, lines 3-39; a monitor suggests a lamp since a lamp has a light pattern; stocker mode S341, for example, suggests the first mode when the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus; stocker mode 01, for example, suggests the second mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot; Lee suggests the first and second modes on display; Adachi discloses the location and further functionality of the lamp);
Claim 18: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different (col. 5, lines 3-39; a monitor suggests a lamp since a lamp has a light pattern; stocker mode S341, for example, suggests the first mode when the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus; stocker mode 01, for example, suggests the second mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot; Lee suggests the first and second modes on display; Adachi discloses the location and further functionality of the lamp);
Claim 20: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different (col. 5, lines 3-39; a monitor suggests a lamp since a lamp has a light pattern; stocker mode S341, for example, suggests the first mode when the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus; stocker mode 01, for example, suggests the second mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot; Lee suggests the first and second modes on display; Adachi discloses the location and further functionality of the lamp);
with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of decreasing labor costs by eliminating the continuous monitoring of the operational state of the apparatus, while also decreasing production costs of substrates (col. 1, lines 13-63). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Adachi as taught by Lee and include Lee’s similar device having:
Claim 1: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different;
Claim 18: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different;
Claim 20: wherein the first mode is a mode in which the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus based on that the lamp is activated in a first pattern,
wherein the second mode is a mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot in the second mode based on that the lamp is activated in a second pattern,
wherein the first, second and third patterns are different;
with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of decreasing labor costs by eliminating the continuous monitoring of the operational state of the apparatus, while also decreasing production costs of substrates.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2 April 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive except for the objections which are withdrawn.
Re. the claimed first and second modes, see col. 5, lines 3-39 of Lee. In Lee, a monitor suggests a lamp since a lamp has a light pattern; stocker mode S341, for example, suggests the first mode when the manual port provides the container provided from the transfer robot to the stocker apparatus; stocker mode 01, for example, suggests the second mode in which the manual port receives the container from the stocker apparatus and provides the container provided from the stocker apparatus to the transfer robot. Lee suggests the first and second modes on display. Adachi discloses the location and further functionality of the lamp.
Re. the third mode, see at least para. [0103]-[0104] of Adachi based on at least posture of container 2.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gerald McClain whose telephone number is (571)272-7803. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at gerald.mcclain@uspto.gov (see MPEP 502.03 (II)).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Gerald McClain/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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