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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the application filed on 08/09/2024. Claims 1-18 are currently pending and have been examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 18, the limitation “to bring the pressure actuators together with the actuator support portion into close proximity to the polishing surface” is indefinite because the term “close ” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “close” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. How close is “close”, applicant’s pp [0049] gives a result desired but that does not give one or ordinary skill in the art how much the actuators are supposed to compensate.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7-8, 10, 12-15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Brown et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/0402546), hereinafter referred to as Brown.
Regarding claim 1, Brown et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/0402546) discloses a polishing head [Brown, fig 1, 140], comprising:
a plurality of pressure actuators [Brown, fig 2C, 184 and fig 2D, showing a plurality of 184s] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Brown, page 3, pp 0035];
an actuator operation controller [Brown, fig 1, 189 which is connected to 190] configured to control an operation of each of the pressure actuators [Brown, page 3, pp’s 0036-0038], the actuator operation controller being mounted on a head main body [Brown, fig 1, 189 is mounted to main body 143];
the head main body [Brown, fig 1, 143] comprising an actuator support portion [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, item A] configured to support the pressure actuators [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, showing item A supports 184]; and
an elastic holder configured to hold the actuator support portion [Brown, fig 2c, 144 configured to hold item A by 144 being in contact with item A].
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Regarding claim 2, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 1, wherein the pressure actuators are arranged along a radial direction and a circumferential direction of the actuator support portion [Brown, fig 2D, showing 184 being arranged radially of 144 and fig 2D, showing 184 being arranged circumferentially around 144].
Regarding claims 3-4, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 1, wherein the elastic holder comprises a bag-shaped airbag [Brown, fig 2c, 144 is bag shaped and capable of filling with air] (clm 3); and
wherein the airbag comprises a plurality of pressurized chambers arranged concentrically [Brown, fig 2c, 144 has chambers 146a-146c arranged concentrically] (clm 4).
Regarding claim 5, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 1, wherein the elastic holder comprises an elastic sheet fixed to the head main body [Brown, page 4, pp 0050, 144 is a flexible membrane].
Regarding claim 7, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 1, wherein the actuator operation controller is mounted on the actuator support portion [Brown, fig 1, 189 is on 143 and mounted to 185a through intermediate members].
Regarding claim 8, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 1, wherein the actuator operation controller is mounted on a flange portion of the head main body [Brown, fig 1, 189 is a flange mounted to 143].
Regarding claim 10, Brown discloses a polishing head [Brown, fig 1, 140], comprising:
a plurality of pressure actuators [Brown, fig 1, 184] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Brown, page 3, pp 0035];
a head main body [Brown, fig 1, 141] comprising an actuator support portion [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, item A] configured to support the pressure actuators [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, item A supported 184];
an elastic holder configured to hold the actuator support portion [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, 144 supports item A]; and
an elastic cover configured to cover the pressure actuators [Brown, fig 2C, 182].
Regarding claim 12, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 10, wherein the pressure actuators are arranged along a radial direction and a circumferential direction of the actuator support portion [Brown, fig 2D, showing 184 being arranged radially of 144 and fig 2D, showing 184 being arranged circumferentially around 144].
Regarding claims 13-14, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 10, wherein the elastic holder comprises a bag-shaped airbag [Brown, fig 2c, 144 is bag shaped and capable of filling with air] (clm 13); and
wherein the airbag comprises a plurality of pressurized chambers arranged concentrically [Brown, fig 2c, 144 has chambers 146a-146c arranged concentrically] (clm 14).
Regarding claim 15, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 10, wherein the elastic holder comprises an elastic sheet fixed to the head main body [Brown, page 4, pp 0050, 144 is a flexible membrane].
Regarding claim 17, Brown further discloses the polishing head according to claim 10, wherein the polishing head comprises an actuator operation controller configured to control an operation of each of the pressure actuators [Brown, fig 1, 189 which is connected to 190 and page 3, pp’s 0036-0038], and wherein the actuator operation controller is mounted on the head main body [Brown, fig 1, 189 is on 143 and mounted to 185a through intermediate members].
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.
Claims 6 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brown et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/002546) as applied to claims 1 and 10, respectively, and in further view of Hozumi et al (Japanese Patent Publication No. KP2021137908) as evidenced by the machine translation of Hozumi, hereinafter referred to as Brown and Hozumi, respectively.
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Brown discloses the polishing head according to claims 1 and 10, respectively, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the polishing head comprises a linear guide member configured to restrict a movement direction of the actuator support portion to a direction along a pressing direction of the pressing actuator.
Hozumi teaches a polishing head [Hozumi, fig 4, 1], comprising:
a plurality of pressure actuators [Hozumi, fig 4, 71 and 60] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Hozumi, page 29, pp 0039];
a head main body [Hozumi, fig 4, 1] wherein the polishing head comprises a linear guide member configured to restrict a movement direction of the actuator support portion to a direction along a pressing direction of the pressing actuator [Hozumi, fig 6, 90].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have included the linear guide member(s) to be between each actuator in the system of Brown as taught by Hozumi because per MPEP 2143(I)(A) the combination of old elements is held to be obvious over the prior art. Where in the instant case, to include the linear guide member as taught by Hozumi in the system of Brown, each individual element and its function are shown in the prior art, albeit shown in separate references. The only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art is the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the linear guide member as taught by Hozumi in the system of Brown because the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, the elements being the linear guide member around each actuator as taught by Hozumi. In the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination gave the predictable result of the linear guide member would isolate the actuators of Brown from each other.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 11 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 18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 9, Brown et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/002546) teaches an actuator operation controller configured to control an operation of each of the pressure actuators [Brown, fig 1, 189 which is connected to 190 and page 3, pp’s 0036-0038].
The prior art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “wherein the head main body has a space formed between the elastic holder and a flange portion of the head main body, and wherein the actuator operation controller is arranged in the space” together in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim and in the independent claim.
Regarding claim 11, Brown et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/0402546) teaches an elastic holder configured to hold the actuator support portion [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, 144 supports item A]; and an elastic cover configured to cover the pressure actuators [Brown, fig 2C, 182]. However, Brown is silent regarding a vacuum within the pressure actuators.
Hwang et al (US PGPUB No. 20210220965) teaches a polishing head [Hwang, fig 9, 100], comprising: a plurality of pressure actuators [Hwang, fig 9, 121 and 122] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Hwang, page 5, pp 0042]; and an elastic holder configured to hold an actuator support portion [Hwang, fig 13, 130 supports 140]. However, Hwang is silent regarding a vacuum between the pressure actuators.
Hozumi et al (Japanese Patent Publication No. KP2021137908) teaches a polishing head [Hozumi, fig 4, 1], comprising: a plurality of pressure actuators [Hozumi, fig 4, 71 and 60] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Hozumi, page 29, pp 0039]; an elastic holder configured to hold an actuator support portion [Hozumi, fig 4, 77]; and an cover configured to cover the pressure actuators [Hozumi, fig 4, 58]. However, Hozumi does not teach a vacuum between the actuators, but teaches a positive pressure within space 76.
Therefore, the prior art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “wherein the elastic cover is configured to form a suction space of the elastic cover between the pressure actuators adjacent to each other among the pressure actuators by forming a vacuum inside the elastic cover (emphasis added)” together in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim and in the independent claim.
Regarding claim 18, Brown et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/0402546) teaches an elastic holder configured to hold the actuator support portion [Brown, see annotated fig 2C, 144 supports item A]; and an elastic cover configured to cover the pressure actuators [Brown, fig 2C, 182]. However, Brown is silent regarding a vacuum within the pressure actuators.
Hwang et al (US PGPUB No. 20210220965) teaches a polishing head [Hwang, fig 9, 100], comprising: a plurality of pressure actuators [Hwang, fig 9, 121 and 122] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Hwang, page 5, pp 0042]; and an elastic holder configured to hold an actuator support portion [Hwang, fig 13, 130 supports 140]. However, Hwang is silent regarding a vacuum between the pressure actuators.
Hozumi et al (Japanese Patent Publication No. KP2021137908) teaches a polishing head [Hozumi, fig 4, 1], comprising: a plurality of pressure actuators [Hozumi, fig 4, 71 and 60] configured to independently press a specific portion of a substrate [Hozumi, page 29, pp 0039]; an elastic holder configured to hold an actuator support portion [Hozumi, fig 4, 77]; and an cover configured to cover the pressure actuators [Hozumi, fig 4, 58]. However, Hozumi does not teach a vacuum between the actuators, but teaches a positive pressure within space 76.
The prior art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “forming a suction space of an elastic cover between pressure actuators adjacent to each other among the pressure actuators by forming a vacuum inside the elastic cover covering the pressure actuators” together in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim and in the independent claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Watanabe et al (US PGPUB No. 2021/0308823) teaches a polishing head comprising a plurality of individually pressing actuators.
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/ROBERT F NEIBAUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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