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 .
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) 1-8, 11-13, 15, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 2022-0026360 in view of Seldomridge.
Regarding claim 1, KR 360 teaches an article transfer apparatus at which an OHT, 20, transfers a container, 10, the article transfer apparatus comprising:
a top support unit, 111, fixed to a top space within a semiconductor fab;
a bottom support unit, 113, positioned spaced apart below the top support unit and on which the container, 10, is mounted;
a link unit, 123, coupled between the top support unit and the bottom support unit;
a driving unit, 130, connecting the top support unit and the link unit, and configured so when not driven a space that the container can be mounted on is formed by the link unit being spread, and when driven the bottom support unit closely contacts the top support unit by folding the link unit, see figures 1 and 2, and
wherein the driving unit is positioned to not go beyond a top portion of the support unit, see figures 1 and 2.
The KR ‘360 patent does not teach that the link unit can be folded. Seldomridge teaches a lift including a top support, a bottom support, a link unit, and a folding driving unit, where the folding driving unit connects the top support unit and the link unit and configured fold and unfold the link unit to move the top support up and down. See figure 3, reproduced below.
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Since both KR ’360 and Seldomridge teach link units for connecting supports so that the support can be lifted and lowered, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to replace the non-folding link of KR ‘360 with the folding link of Seldomridge in order to achieve the predictable result of reliably lifting and lowering the bottom support relative to the top support.
Regarding claim 2, Seldomridge teaches that the top support unit has an open region, and the folding driving unit is positioned at the open region of the top support unit, where the open region of Seldomridge is read as the open space below the top support and above the bottom support, and the folding driving unit is positioned at the open region, see figure 3, above.
Regarding claim 3, Seldomridge teaches the link unit is configured in a plurality and positioned spaced apart from each other, and each of the plurality of link units include:
a first support bar, 13, having an end rotatably coupled to the top support unit; and a second support bar, 14, having an end coupled to the other end of the first support bar and having the other end rotatably coupled to the bottom support unit, see figure 4.
Regarding claim 4, Seldomridge teaches the link unit includes: a first link unit connected to the top support unit and the bottom support unit; a second link unit connected to the top support unit and the bottom support unit, positioned spaced apart from the first link unit, and folding in a direction facing the first link unit, see figures 2 and 3; a third link unit connected to the top support unit and the bottom support unit, positioned spaced apart from the first link unit, and folding in a same direction as the first link unit; and a fourth link unit connected to the top support unit and the bottom support unit, positioned facing the third link unit, and folding in a same direction as the second link unit, see figures 1 and 2, which show the third and fourth link spaced apart from the first and second link in the width direction of the support.
Regarding claim 5, Seldomridge teaches the link unit includes: a first link shaft, 15, connecting points at which the first link unit and the third link unit pin couple to; and a second link shaft, 15, connecting points at which the second link unit and the fourth link unit pin couple to, see figures 1 and 3.
Regarding claim 6, Seldomridge teaches the link unit includes: a first folding shaft, 12, connected between the first link unit and the third link unit, and which couples to the folding driving unit; and a second folding shaft, 12, connected between the second link unit and the fourth link unit, and which couples to the folding driving unit, see figure 1.
Regarding claim 7, Seldomridge teaches the folding driving unit includes: a first rod, 11, having an end coupled to a folding shaft, 12, of the link unit; and a driving actuator, 10, having an end coupled to the other end of the first rod and a body coupled to the top support unit, and when forwardly driven forwardly drives the first rod and when backwardly driven backwardly drives the first rod, see page 1, lines 45-75.
Regarding claim 8, KR ‘360 teaches a fixing member for coupling between the top support unit and the semiconductor fab, see figure 1.
Regarding claim 11, KR ‘360 teaches a control system which controls the OHT to transfer the OHT positioned in a loaded state according to a transfer scheduling of the container, or to load the container to a region which is not loaded, see English translation of patent which teaches “The carrier storage apparatus 200 may further include a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operations of the first driving unit 257 and the second driving unit 259 “
Regarding claim 12, KR ‘360 teaches: a load detection sensor, 253 and 255, installed at the bottom support unit and which generates a load signal when mounted on the container.
Regarding claim 13, KR ‘877 teaches the control system is input with the load signal in communication with the load identification sensor, the load identification sensor generates a load/unload information for each region at which the load identification sensor is installed, sets the load/unload information as a load state with respect to a region at which the load sensor is generated, and which sets the load/unload information as an unload state with respect to a region at which the load signal is not generated, see English translation and referenced paragraph here: “In addition, the carrier storage device 200 is disposed on the first shelf 211 and the second shelf 213, respectively, a first sensor 253 that can check whether the carrier 10 is loaded or unloaded. and a second sensor 255 . The first sensor 253 and the second sensor 255 may transmit a signal whether the carrier 10 is loaded or unloaded to the control unit.”.
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Regarding claim 15, KR ‘360 teaches: a buffer control unit configured to be input with a container information of the container by communicating with the container when the container is mounted on the mounting region, and which transmits the container information which is input to the control system, see English translation and referenced paragraph here: “The control unit may receive signals from the first sensor 253 and the second sensor 255 to control driving of the first driving unit 257 and the second driving unit 259 .”, where the first and second sensor sense container information, such as the presence of the container.
Regarding claim 18, Seldomridge teaches the folding driving unit further includes a manual operation unit, 8, and wherein the manual operation unit couples to a side of the top support unit, connects to a driving shaft of the folding driving unit, and by rotating in a direction the folding driving unit is driven to fold the link unit, and by rotating in another direction the folding driving unit is driven to open the link unit, see paged 1, lines 45 through 70.
Claim(s) 9, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR '360 in view of Seldomridge as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of CN 101134528.
Regarding claim 9, neither the KR ’360 reference nor Seldomridge teaches a buffer identification sensor, as claimed. CN ‘528 teaches an article transfer apparatus at which an OHT transfers a container, to apparatus comprising: a top support, 520, a bottom support, 250, a buffer identification sensor, 530a-e, coupled to the top support unit and which transmits a buffer information to the OHT by communicating with the OHT, which teaches that the OHT reads the code 530a-530e to determine when to stop, see figures 8 and 9.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to combine buffer identification sensor taught by CN ‘258 with the article transfer apparatus taught by the combination of KR ‘360 and Seldomridge in order to achieve the predictable result of controlling OHT so that a container can be properly loaded into the correct space within the buffer on the bottom support.
Regarding claim 10, CN ‘528 teaches the buffer identification sensor is formed as an RFID tag, the RFID tag includes the buffer information, and the OHT reads the buffer information if it adjoins a region at which communication with the RFID tag is possible, where the English translation of the CN ‘528 reference states “As an alternative, it can use any other code information, such as IC tag (i.e. RFID), a two-dimensional bar code and so on.”.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 2022-0026360 in view of Seldomridge as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Lee (US 2023/0197494).
Regarding claim 16, neither the KR ‘360 reference nor Seldomridge teach: an antenna unit installed at the bottom support unit; and a buffer communication unit electrically connected to the antenna unit and which communicates with the control system, and transmits the container information to the control system when the container is loaded.
Lee teaches an article transfer apparatus that includes an antenna, AP, for communication with the control system, 350. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the at the time the invention was filed to combine the antenna of Lee with the transfer apparatus taught by KR ‘360 in order to achieve the predictable result of boosting the signal of the buffer communication unit so that the control system can reliably receive data from the sensors of the buffer communication unit.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 2022-0026360 in view of Seldomridge as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of CN 117246698.
Regarding claim 17, neither KR ‘360 nor Seldomridge teaches: a reflective plate which couples with the bottom support unit and which reflects a light; and wherein the OHT determines a mounting region of the container by sensing the reflective plate.
CN ‘698 teaches an article transfer apparatus comprising a top support and a bottom support and a reflective plate, 410, which reflects lights; and wherein the OHT determines a mounting region of the container by sensing the reflective plate, see figure 2 and English translation and paragraph referenced here, ” The detection target 410 can represent identification information of the article storage S, storage position information of the article storage S, reference position information, first distance information at a first distance from the reference position in the first direction, second distance information at a second distance from the reference position in the second direction, At least one of article information, manufacturer information, administrator information, product identification information, and combinations thereof can be stored at a third distance from a reference position in a third direction.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to combine the reflective plate and sensor with the transfer apparatus taught by KR ‘360 in order to achieve the predictable result of sensing the target transfer position of the container by the OHT onto the bottom support.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 14 claims a load identification sensor installed at each of the plurality of mounting regions, and the control system activates the folding driving unit to a driving possible state if the load signal is not generated at an entirety of the load identification sensors, and deactivates the folding driving unit so it does not drive if at least one among the load identification sensor generates the load signal.
The KR ‘360 reference is the best prior art and teaches load identification sensors, 253 and 255, but not teach that the load signal control the drive unit, 130, which is considered to be the folding drive unit, as it is the drive unit which moves the link unit. The load signal, as claimed, was not found to be taught among the prior art.
Claim 20 is allowed.
Claim 20 is a combination of all the features of claims 1-18, including that of allowable claim 14. Therefore, independent claim 20 is allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art cited on the PTO-892 show additional examples of article transfer apparatuses with OHT transfers and examples of folding link units for lifting and lowering a support. They are included to show the general state of the prior art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAITLIN S JOERGER whose telephone number is (571)272-6938. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5 (CST).
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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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/KAITLIN S JOERGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
4 February 2026