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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/12/23 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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, 5-6, 8-11, and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2021/0222834) in view of Nishikawa (us 2024/0145283).
Regarding claim 1,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
A gas supply stage (Fig. 2, all elements) comprising: a gas supply cabinet (K) that comprises a cabinet frame (K) and a holding module (100, ¶0045), wherein the cabinet frame(K) comprises an inner space configured to house a gas container (10), and the holding module comprises a connector holder (Fig. 3, 42) configured to be detachably fastened to a valve nozzle (23) of a valve structure of the gas container (10, ¶0058) and comprises a gas nozzle (80) configured to be in fluid communication with a flow path of the valve nozzle (23, connected through 42) when the connector holder (42)is fastened to the valve nozzle (23, ¶0058);
They do not disclose:
and a fastening vehicle that comprises a traveling unit configured to travel in a facility space in which the gas supply cabinet is installed, a multi-axis robot having a first end attached to the traveling unit and moving together with the traveling unit, and a module gripper mounted to a second end of the multi-axis robot and configured to detachably grip the holding module.
However, Nishikawa teaches (Fig. 5):
and a fastening vehicle (fig. 5, 2) that comprises a traveling unit (2) configured to travel in a facility space in which the gas supply cabinet is installed (¶0048), a multi-axis robot (22, ¶0087) having a first end attached to the traveling unit (2)and moving together with the traveling unit, and a module gripper (23) mounted to a second end of the multi-axis robot (22) and configured to detachably grip the holding module (grips and releases gas tank 7, ¶0087).
Regarding claim 1, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to take the gas supply cabinet that can from Choi that can automatically open, fill, and replace gaskets on a gas cylinder in a gas supply cabinet in order to improve safety (¶0023, ¶0026) and utilize a robot to handle the gas tanks in order to automate the process in order to improve safety as taught by Nishikawa (¶0018). This would further improve safety as gas container handling would be automated.
Regarding claim 5,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the gas supply cabinet further comprises a first holder (Fig. 4, 48) which is provided inside the cabinet frame and which is configured to be mounted by the holding module (42), and the first holder comprises a plug configured to fasten to the connector holder (¶0058).
Regarding claim 6,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the gas supply cabinet further comprises a valve manipulation (Fig. 4, 111) module located inside the cabinet frame, the valve manipulation module (111) is configured to manipulate the valve structure between an open position at which a gas is allowed to be discharged via the valve nozzle (23) and a closed position at which the gas is not allowed to be discharged via the valve nozzle (23, ¶0061), is configured to detachably grip the valve manipulation module (111) and the holding module (100, ¶0058, ¶0061).
They do not disclose:
and the module gripper
However, Nishikawa teaches (Fig. 5):
and the module gripper (Fig. 5, 23, ¶0087)
Regarding claim 6, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to take the gas supply cabinet that can from Choi that can automatically open, fill, and replace gaskets on a gas cylinder in a gas supply cabinet in order to improve safety (¶0023, ¶0026) and utilize a robot to handle the gas tanks in order to automate the process in order to improve safety as taught by Nishikawa (¶0018). This would further improve safety as gas container handling would be automated.
Regarding claim 8,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the holding module comprises a first vision mark, the valve manipulation module comprises a second vision mark, and the module gripper comprises a vision sensor configured to sense the first vision mark and the second vision mark (¶0046).
Regarding claim 9,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the gas supply cabinet further comprises a second holder (Fig. 2, two holders, 100) provided inside the cabinet frame (K) and configured to be mounted by the valve manipulation module (Fig. 4, 111, ¶0061).
Regarding claim 10,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the module gripper further comprises a gasket gripper (Fig. 6A, 500), and the gasket gripper is configured to grip a gasket (105) and insert the gripped gasket into an end of the gas nozzle of the connector holder (42, ¶0068).
Regarding claim 11,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the fastening vehicle further comprises a gasket feeder (Fig. 6a, 500) configured to provide a gasket to or collect the gasket from the gasket gripper (500, ¶0070), and the gasket feeder comprises a gasket loading box (520) and a gasket disposal box (510, ¶0074).
Regarding claim 15,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the number of gas containers accommodated in the gas supply cabinet is at least two (Fig. 2, shows 2 tanks).
Regarding claim 16,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
wherein the number of gas containers accommodated in the gas supply cabinet is equal to the number of holding modules (2 holding modules, 100) .
Regarding claims 17 and 18,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
further comprising a superordinate system configured to receive a first signal for replacing the gas container from the gas supply cabinet (¶0047)
They do not disclose:
and send a second signal to the fastening vehicle
However, Nishikawa teaches (Fig. 5):
and send a second signal to the fastening vehicle (2, ¶0087).
Regarding claim 17, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to take the gas supply cabinet that can from Choi that can automatically open, fill, and replace gaskets on a gas cylinder in a gas supply cabinet in order to improve safety (¶0023, ¶0026) and utilize a robot to handle the gas tanks in order to automate the process in order to improve safety as taught by Nishikawa (¶0018). This would further improve safety as gas container handling would be automated.
Regarding claim 19,
Choi discloses (fig. 2):
A gas supply stage (Fig. 2, all elements) comprising: a gas supply cabinet (K) that comprises a cabinet frame (K) and a holding module (100, ¶0045), wherein the cabinet frame(K) comprises an inner space configured to house a gas container (10) is placed, and the holding module comprises a connector holder (Fig. 3, 42) configured to be detachably fastened to a valve nozzle (23) of a valve structure of the gas container (10, ¶0058) and comprises a gas nozzle (80) communicating with a flow path of the valve nozzle (23, connected through 42) when the connector holder (42)is fastened to the valve nozzle (23, ¶0058);
They do not disclose:
and a fastening vehicle that comprises a traveling unit configured to travel in a facility space in which the gas supply cabinet is installed, a plurality of multi-axis robots each of which has a first end attached to the traveling unit and that moves together with the traveling unit, and a module gripper mounted to a second end of one of the plurality of multi-axis robots and that is configured to detachably grip the holding module.
However, Nishikawa teaches (Fig. 5):
and a fastening vehicle (fig. 5, 2) that comprises a traveling unit (2) configured to travel in a facility space in which the gas supply cabinet is installed (¶0048), a plurality of multi-axis robots (22, ¶0087) having a first end attached to the traveling unit (2) that moves together with the traveling unit, and a module gripper (23) mounted to a second end of the multi-axis robot (22) and configured to detachably grip the holding module (grips and ungrips gas tank 7, ¶0087).
Regarding claim 19, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to take the gas supply cabinet that can from Choi that can automatically open, fill, and replace gaskets on a gas cylinder in a gas supply cabinet in order to improve safety (¶0023, ¶0026) and utilize a robot to handle the gas tanks in order to automate the process in order to improve safety as taught by Nishikawa (¶0018). This would further improve safety as gas container handling would be automated.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 7, 12, and 20-22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 23 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 23, the prior art of record does not disclose alone or in combination specifically:
wherein the module gripper of the fastening vehicle comprises a power transmission shaft configured to be inserted into the valve manipulation module or the holding module and to provide power to the valve manipulation module or the holding module into which the power transmission shaft is inserted, and the gas supply cabinet comprises a holder on which at least one of the valve manipulation module and the holding module is mounted.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lu (US 2019/0221458) – semiconductor gas system
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/C.S.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2846 /KAWING CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846