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.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters "9521" and "9522" have both been used to designate second gas supply nozzle (SEE [0098]-[0099]). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show Figure 13 as described in the specification (SEE [0042] & [00101]). Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, 12, 15, 17, 18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR20210054647 (KR ‘647). KR ‘647 discloses a substrate treating apparatus (1) including a housing (3210) providing a treating space therein; and a support unit (1300, SEE Figure 9) configured to support a substrate (W) at the treating space, and wherein the support unit includes: a support plate (1320) supporting the substate; a heater member (1400) provided at the support plate to heat the substrate; and a cooling unit (900) configured to cool the heater member, and wherein the cooling unit includes: a gas supply nozzle (952) to supply a cooling gas to the heater member, and wherein a flow rate amplifier (956) is provided at a discharge unit of the gas supply nozzle. In re claim 3, the examiner is interpreting the valve (956) which controls the flow of cooling gas as being inherently attachable/detachable to the nozzles (952) as they are separate structures that are joined together. In re claim 4, KR ‘647 discloses that the gas supply nozzle supplies the cooling gas to a bottom surface of the heater member (SEE Figure 9). In re claim 5, KR ‘647 discloses a controller for controlling the cooling unit, and wherein the controller (not shown) adjusts a flow rate of a cooling gas discharged from the gas supply nozzle so the heater member reaches a predetermined temperature (SEE [0066]). In re claim 12, KR ‘647 discloses a substrate treating apparatus (1) including a housing (3210) providing a treating space therein; and a support unit (1300) configured to support a substrate at the treating space (SEE Figure 9), and wherein the support unit includes a support plate (1320) supporting the substate (W); a heater member (1400) provided at the support plate to heat the substrate; and a cooling unit (900) configured to cool the heater member, and wherein the cooling unit includes a first gas supply nozzle (952) positioned under an edge of the heater member for supplying a cooling gas to a center direction of a bottom surface of the heater member (the nozzle is rotatable and is capable of being directed toward the edge of the heater member); a second gas supply nozzle (also 952, SEE Figure 9) positioned under a center of the heater member for supplying the cooling gas in an edge direction of the bottom surface of the heater member (the nozzle is rotatable and is capable of being directed toward the edge of the heater member), and wherein a flow rate amplifier (956) is provided at a discharge unit (954) of the first gas supply nozzle among the first gas supply nozzle and the second gas supply nozzle (SEE Figure 9). In re claim 15, KR ‘647 discloses a controller (not shown) for controlling the cooling unit, and wherein the controller adjusts a flow rate of a cooling gas discharged from the first gas supply nozzle and the second gas supply nozzle so the heater member reaches a predetermined temperature (SEE [0066]). In re claim 17, KR ‘647 discloses that the first gas supply nozzle (952) discharges the cooling gas from a position lower than the heater member toward the bottom surface of the heater member in an upwardly inclined direction (SEE Figure 9 wherein the nozzle is rotatable such that it can positioned in an upwardly inclined direction). In re claim 18, KR ‘647 discloses that the second gas supply nozzle (952) discharges the cooling gas from a position lower than the heater member toward the bottom surface of the heater member in an upwardly inclined direction (SEE Figure 9 wherein the nozzle is rotatable such that it can positioned in an upwardly inclined direction). In re claim 20, KR ‘647 discloses that the first gas supply nozzle (952) is provided in a plurality, and is positioned along a circumferential direction of the heater member (SEE Figure 10).
Claim(s) 1 and 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 102303593 (KR ‘593). KR ‘593 discloses a substrate treating apparatus (1) having a housing (3210) providing a treating space therein; and a support unit (1300) (Figure 9) configured to support a substrate (W) at the treating space, and wherein the support unit includes a support plate supporting the substate; a heater member (1400) provided at the support plate to heat the substrate; and a cooling unit (900) configured to cool the heater member, and wherein the cooling unit includes :a gas supply nozzle (952) to supply a cooling gas to the heater member, and wherein a flow rate amplifier (956) is provided at a discharge unit (954) of the gas supply nozzle (SEE [0070]). In re claim 3, the examiner is interpreting the valve (956) which controls the flow of cooling gas as being inherently attachable/detachable to the nozzles (952) as they are separate structures that are joined together. In re claim 4, KR ‘593 discloses that the gas supply nozzle supplies the cooling gas to a bottom surface of the heater member (SEE Figure 9). In re claim 5, KR ‘593 discloses a controller (not shown) for controlling the cooling unit, and wherein the controller adjusts a flow rate of a cooling gas discharged from the gas supply nozzle so the heater member reaches a predetermined temperature (SEE Abstract and [0076]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. KR20210054610 also teaches a substrate treating apparatus in which a cooling gas is directed toward the bottom surface of a heating plate using nozzles (952) and further having nozzles angled toward the edge of the bottom surface as per Figure 11.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-11 are allowed.
Claims 2, 13, 14, 16 and 19 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY A WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 7:00am-4:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steve McAllister can be reached at 571-272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/GREGORY A WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762 February 16, 2026