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 .
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.
Claims 4 and 8 are 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 4, the claim recites “a second determination that determines whether or not the pressing load of the grinding head acquired in the measurement performed again.” This is confusingly worded and unclear. Specifically, it is unclear what is meant by “the second determination” and “the measurement performed again,” as no first determination is claimed, and only a single measurement is claimed. It is unclear if the claim requires a multiple determinations and/or measurements. For the purposes of this examination, this claim will be interpreted as requiring a measurement when a determination determines the adjustment value or updated parameter is the appropriate value.
Regarding claim 8, the claim recites “perform a pressing operation” in line 11. It is unclear if this is the same or different from the pressing operation recited in claim 1. For the purposes of this examination, this will be interpreted as “the pressing operation”, as this appears to be applicant’s intent.
Further regarding claim 8, the claim recites “a third determination” in the 8th line. However, no first or second determination is recited in the claims, making it unclear if a three determinations are necessary to meet the claim. For the purposes of this examination, the “third determination” will be interpreted as being the only required determination in this claim.
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) 1-6 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yazawa (US 2017/0151646, cited by applicant).
Regarding claim 1, Yazawa discloses a load adjusting system comprising: a bevel grinding device comprising a grinding head (30) configured to grind a bevel part of a substrate ([0025]); and a control device (69), wherein the control device is configured to: acquire, from a load measuring device (300) that performs measurement of a pressing load applied from the grinding head ([0030]), measurement data acquired by performing the measurement (step 508 described [0041; fig 8); calculate, based on the measurement data and based on a set parameter (set parameter is “set value” of pressing force) set for the grinding head, an adjustment value (calculates calibration amount in step 509) used for adjusting the pressing load; and control a pressing operation (controls pressing load during polishing) of the grinding head based on the adjustment value ([0029], [0043]).
Regarding claims 2-5, Yazawa further discloses the control device is configured to generate an updated parameter acquired by updating the set parameter with the adjustment value (step 510; set value is calibrated with the calculated calibration; [0041]); perform a first determination that determines whether or not the adjustment value or the updated parameter is an appropriate value ([0041]; makes a determination based on if the actual measurement is equal to the set value; loop indicated in fig 8 indicates the calibration is repeated until updated set value is appropriate); perform a second determination (indicated by loop in fig 8) that determines whether or not the pressing load of the grinding head acquired in the measurement performed again based on the adjustment value or the updated parameter is the appropriate value ([0041]; makes a determination based on if the actual measurement is equal to the set value; loop indicated in fig 8 indicates the calibration and determination is repeated until updated set value is appropriate); and perform the second determination based on whether or not the pressing load of the grinding head acquired in the measurement performed again based on the adjustment value or the updated parameter falls within a predetermined numerical range ([0041]; whether the updated parameter falls within a numerical range equal to the actual measurement determines whether subsequent calibrations are carried out).
Regarding claim 6, Yazawa further discloses the control device is configured to cause a display device (301a) to perform display of information relating to the grinding head, and at least one of information based on the measurement data or the adjustment value is displayed in the display ([0041]; measurement indicated on display window).
Regarding claim 9, Yazawa discloses a load adjusting method for a bevel grinding device, the load adjusting method comprising acquiring, from a load measuring device (300) that performs measurement of a pressing load applied from a grinding head ([0030]), measurement data acquired by performing the measurement (step 508 described [0041; fig 8); calculating, based on the measurement data and based on a set parameter (set parameter is “set value” of pressing force) set for the grinding head, an adjustment value (calculates calibration amount in step 509) used for adjusting the pressing load; and controlling a pressing operation (controls pressing load during polishing) of the grinding head based on the adjustment value ([0029], [0043]), the acquiring, the calculating, and the controlling being performed by a control device (69) configured to control the bevel grinding device (as described [0041]) comprising the grinding head (30) configured to grind a bevel part of a substrate ([0025]).
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yazawa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chen (US 2018/0345454).
Regarding claim 7, Yazawa teaches all the elements of claim 1 as described above. Yazawa further teaches the set parameter is a parameter used for operating the grinding head to achieve a value of a pressing load set for the grinding head ([0041]; the set value of the pressing load is a set parameter used for achieving a desired pressing load value), and the control device is configured to calculate the adjustment value used for changing the set parameter such that the set parameter more accurately achieves the value of the pressing load set in the grinding head (as described [0041], calibration value is calculated in order to achieve a measured pressing load closer to set pressing load). Yazawa does not teach the calculation is based on set values for a plurality of different pressing loads and a plurality of measured values corresponding to the set values in the measurement (Yazawa’s adjustment value is only described as occurring at a single target load). Chen teaches a load adjusting system configured to calculate an adjustment value based on set values for a plurality of different pressing loads and a plurality of measured values corresponding to the set values in a measurement (as described [0074-0078], a plurality of measured load values are correlated to a plurality of different set positions/pressures, which are subsequently used to calculate adjustment values as described [0097-0102]). It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use set values of different pressing loads corresponding to a plurality of measured values corresponding to the set values in the measurement as a basis for performing the calculation of the adjustment value of Yazawa, as this achieves the predictable result of allowing a plurality of target load values to be accurately calibrated, which allows accurate force application across a range of values as taught by Chen ([0074], [0102-0103]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 8, Yazawa appears to be the closest prior art and teaches a load adjusting system with many of the same control schemes as claimed. Yazawa additionally teaches must of the same structure of the load measuring device recited in claim 8 (see fig 4 of Yazawa). However, Yazawa does not teach the control device is configured to determine, based on an image captured by an imaging device, that a surface of the support member and a surface of the grinding head are sufficiently parallel to one another, and perform the pressing operation when the control device determines a degree of parallelism is appropriate. While there are known systems and methods for determining parallelism between surfaces (see e.g. US 2020/0346317, US 2017/0345695), these systems determine a tilt or parallelism between the grinding device and workpiece, rather than between a surface of the abrasive device and a load measuring device. There is nothing in the prior art which renders the claimed features obvious for a person of ordinary skill, particularly in combination with the pressing load calculation and adjustment recited in claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Other similar load adjusting systems are cited.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCEL T DION whose telephone number is (571)272-9091. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9-5, F 9-3.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Keller can be reached at 571-272-8548. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARCEL T DION/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/BRIAN D KELLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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