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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of group I in the reply filed on 06/24/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Toyama in view of Nishimura does not describe the system of claim 1. This is not found persuasive because as shown in below, a system of Kaneko et al. (US 20110013165) in view of Van Der Pasch et al. (US 20070195296 A1) teaches the system of claim 1.
Also newly submitted claim 20 belongs to the group IV. As a result, under restriction by original presentation, the claim 20 has been withdrawn from the consideration.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 of this title, 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaneko et al. (US 20110013165 hereinafter Kaneko) and in view of Van Der Pasch et al. (US 20070195296 A1 hereinafter Pasch).
As to claim 1, Kaneko teaches a parallel metrology sensor system (Figs. 8-10) comprising:
a reference frame (802); and
a plurality of integrated optics sensor heads (AL1, AL21, AL22, AL23 and AL24 and [0075-0078]),
each integrated optics sensor head configured to perform an independent measurement ([0005], claim 8 and 14);
wherein each of the integrated optics sensor heads is operable to measure its position with respect to the reference frame (baseline calibration of the primary and the secondary alignment system, claim 10)
However, Kaneko does not explicitly disclose each of the integrated optics sensor heads comprises a respective sensor head positioning system for measuring the position of its respective integrated optics sensor head with respect to the reference frame.
Pasch teaches each of the integrated optics sensor heads comprises a respective sensor head positioning system for measuring the position of its respective integrated optics sensor head with respect to the reference frame ([0014] and [0015]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the system of Kaneko by having each of the integrated optics sensor heads comprises a respective sensor head positioning system for measuring the position of its respective integrated optics sensor head with respect to the reference frame for the benefit including reducing measurement time and measurement accuracy by optimizing calibration process with own embedded position assuring system.
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20120242969 (Van Der Pasch et al.) teaches reference frame element being mounted on the sensor frame along with first sensor head to determine a position of the first sensor head w.r.t. the reference element.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 4 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
As to claim 3, none of the prior art alone or in combination disclose or teach of each sensor head positioning system is operable to emit positioning system measurement radiation from its respective integrated optics sensor head and capture scattered radiation, scattered from a reference structure on said reference frame, via said respective integrated optics sensor head along with other limitations in the claim.
Claim 4 is indicated as allowable due to their dependencies only.
Conclusion
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/SUNGHEE Y GRAY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2886
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