DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 13, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by Foreign Patent No. DE 102019134410A1.
Foreign’s 410 discloses the invention/method including:
Claim 1; a plurality of processing stations 16 spatially divided from one another, which are connected to one another by a substrate carrier conveyor apparatus 24 in order to convey a substrate carrier 22 along a conveyor path (see Fig. 4) defined by the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus from one of the processing stations to the next one of the processing stations station, in order to subject a flat substrate (12, 14) placed on the substrate carrier successively to a plurality of processing steps in the respective processing stations, wherein one of the processing stations is configured as a loading station 18, which is designed to place a flat substrate on the substrate carrier, and wherein at least one of the processing stations is configured as an operating station 21, which is designed to process the flat substrate placed on the substrate carrier, and wherein one of the processing stations is configured as an unloading station 20, which is designed to remove a processed flat substrate from the substrate carrier; each station includes a plurality of conveyor apparatus.
Claim 3; wherein the loading station comprises a reception device 26a in order to receive the flat substrate and to place the received substrate on the substrate carrier, wherein the reception device comprises a handling system 46-47 and/or a suction gripping device with reduced-pressure modules, in order to suction the flat substrate onto the suction gripping device; and/or wherein the loading station comprises an inspection device in order to inspect the flat substrate before it is received.
Claim 4; wherein one or more of the processing stations comprise means 32 in order to exert a force acting in a direction of the substrate carrier onto the substrate wherein the means are configured to induce the force acting in the direction of the substrate carrier by applying a reduced pressure to a surface of the substrate facing toward the substrate carrier and/or to induce the force acting in the direction of the substrate by mechanical pressing or attraction of the substrate onto the substrate carrier, and/or to induce the force acting in the direction of the substrate carrier by adhesion forces or surface forces; and/or wherein the plant comprises a substrate carrier which comprises openings or an open porosity for applying reduced pressure to a placed substrate, and/or has a surface that has an increased electrostatic chargeability or increased tribological properties, in order to fix a placed substrate on the substrate carrier.
Claim 9; wherein the unloading station comprises a reception device (see Fig. 7, station 26a) in order to receive from the substrate carrier a processed flat substrate (12, 14) and/or useful material of the flat substrate, wherein the reception device comprises a handling system and/or a suction gripping device with reduced-pressure modules, in order to suction the processed flat substrate and/or useful material of the flat substrate onto the suction gripping device, and/or wherein the unloading station comprises an inspection device in order to inspect a processed flat substrate and/or useful material of the flat substrate before it is received.
Claims 10 and 13; wherein one of the processing stations is configured as a substrate carrier cleaning station 48, which is designed to clean the substrate carrier after a processed flat substrate and/or useful material of the flat substrate has been taken from the substrate carrier.
Claim 14; wherein a flat substrate is placed on the substrate carrier in a processing station configured as a loading station; and wherein the substrate carrier is conveyed together with the placed flat substrate from the loading station by means of a substrate carrier conveyor apparatus directly or via one or more further processing stations to a processing station configured as an operating station; and wherein the flat substrate placed on the substrate carrier is processed in the operating station; and wherein the substrate carrier is conveyed together with the placed processed flat substrate from the operating station by means of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus directly or via one or more further processing stations to a processing station configured as an unloading station; and wherein the processed flat substrate placed on the substrate carrier is taken from the substrate carrier in the unloading station.
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) 2 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foreign Patent No. DE 102019134410A1 in view of Balduin et al. (8,327,667).
Foreign’s 410 discloses the invention/method substantially as claimed except for the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus is configured as a carousel. However, Balduin et al. teaches the use of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus is configured as a carousel (see Fig. 1) for the purpose of returning the carrier to the loading station. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the device of Foreign’s 410 by providing the above limitation as taught by Balduin et al. in order to obtain a device that return the carrier to the loading station reducing the foot print.
Claim(s) 5-8 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foreign Patent No. DE 102019134410A1 in view of Balduin et al. (8,327,667).
The modified device of Foreign’s 410 discloses the invention/method substantially as claimed except for a pre-dividing station, separating station, and waste station. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the device of Foreign’s 410 by providing the above limitations for the purpose dicing, cutting, and/or diving the substrate and removing waste material, since use of the element claimed in lieu of those used in the reference solves no stated problem and would be an obvious matter of design choice within the skill in the art. In re Kuhle, 188 USPQ (CCPA 1975).
Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foreign Patent No. DE 102019134410A1 in view of Balduin et al. (8,327,667).
The modified device of Foreign’s 410 discloses the claimed invention except for wherein the loading station is arranged between the substrate carrier cleaning station and the pre-dividing station within the conveyor path; and/or wherein the pre-dividing station is arranged between the loading station and the separating station within the conveyor path; and/or wherein the separating station is arranged between the pre-dividing station and the waste station within the conveyor path; and/or wherein the waste station is arranged between the separating station and the unloading station within the conveyor path; and/or wherein the combined separating and waste station is arranged between the pre-dividing station and the unloading station within the conveyor path and/or wherein the unloading station is arranged between the waste station and the substrate carrier cleaning station within the conveyor path; and/or wherein the substrate carrier cleaning station is arranged between the unloading station and the loading station within the conveyor path; wherein the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus comprises a first conveyor section, a second conveyor section, a third conveyor section, and a fourth conveyor section, wherein at least one of the following is also satisfied: wherein the loading station is arranged inside the first conveyor section or the second conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus; wherein the pre-dividing station is arranged inside the second conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus; wherein the separating station is arranged inside the second conveyor section or the third conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus; wherein the waste station is arranged inside the second conveyor section or the third conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus; wherein the combined separating and waste station is arranged inside the second conveyor section or the third conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus; wherein the unloading station is arranged inside the third conveyor section or the fourth conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus; or wherein the substrate carrier cleaning station is arranged inside the fourth conveyor section of the substrate carrier conveyor apparatus. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the device of Foreign’s 410 by providing above limitations for better optimization, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4507. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Thursday8:00-4:00 pm.
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, Adam Eiseman can be reached at 571-270-3818. 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.
/OMAR FLORES SANCHEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3724