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 § 102
18. 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.
19. 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 –
20. (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.
21. (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.
22. Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishikata et al. (JP2008282996).
Regarding Claim 1 Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand(3), see Figs 1-4, comprising: a plurality of blades(35) for supporting substrates(W) and stacked with the plurality of blades(35) being spaced away from each other; and a support mechanism(54) for supporting the plurality of blades, wherein each of the plurality of blades(35) is connected to the support mechanism(54) by an eccentric element(57), paragraph 24 “As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the pitch conversion mechanism 34 includes a servo motor 58 for angle control installed on the mount base 54, bearing frames 5555 on both sides erected on the mount base 54 so as to face each other on the left and right, a pair of front and rear drive shafts 5656 supported by both bearing frames 55, eccentric blocks 57 mounted on both ends of each drive shaft 56, gears 6061 mounted on shaft portions of each drive shaft 56 and meshing with each other, a gear 59 mounted on an output shaft of the servo motor 58 and meshing with one gear 60, and a plurality of links 62 connecting each step of the stepped shape in each eccentric block 57 and the hand base 70 of each hand 35”, paragraph 10 “a plurality of transfer hands (35) corresponding to the number of stacked workpieces which are supported to be capable of ascending and descending along the vertical rod (53)”, paragraph 25 “The lower end of each link 62 is pivotally supported by each stepped portion of the eccentric block 57, and the upper end of each link 62 is pivotally supported by the hand base 70 of the corresponding hand 35”, paragraph 26 “More specifically, in the pitch conversion mechanism 34, among the total of four eccentric blocks 57 on the left, right, front, and rear sides”.
As of Claim 2, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand and all the limitations of Claim1.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand, wherein the support mechanism(54) includes a linkage for changing a pitch between the blades(35); the linkage includes a plurality of links(62); and each of the plurality of blades(35) is connected to corresponding one of the plurality of links(62) by the eccentric element(57), see Fig 7, paragraph 25 “The lower end of each link 62 is pivotally supported by each stepped portion of the eccentric block 57, and the upper end of each link (62) is pivotally supported by the hand base 70 of the corresponding hand 35”, paragraph 24 “As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the pitch conversion mechanism 34 includes a servo motor 58 for angle control installed on the mount base 54, bearing frames 5555 on both sides erected on the mount base 54 so as to face each other on the left and right, a pair of front and rear drive shafts 5656 supported by both bearing frames 55, eccentric blocks 57 mounted on both ends of each drive shaft 56, gears 6061 mounted on shaft portions of each drive shaft 56 and meshing with each other, a gear 59 mounted on an output shaft of the servo motor 58 and
meshing with one gear 60, and a plurality of links 62 connecting each step of the stepped shape in each eccentric block 57 and the hand base 70 of each hand 35”.
As of Claim 3, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand(3) and all the limitations of Claim2.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand(3), wherein the blade(35) includes a hole(73), the eccentric element(57) includes an eccentric bolt(72) including a shaft(56)t and a flange eccentrically arranged from a rotation center axis of the shaft(56), the eccentric bolt(72) being inserted in the hole(73); and fine adjustment of a height position of each of the plurality of blades(35) is performed by moving the blade(35) in an upward/downward direction by rotating the eccentric bolt(72) inserted in the hole(73) with the flange being in contact with an interior side surface of the hole(37), see Figs 5a and Fig 5b, paragraph 29 “of the insertion holes formed in each hand base 70, an arbitrary pair of left and right insertion holes are attachment holes 73”; paragraph 29 “Each hand base 70 is formed with a pair of left and right mounting holes 73 at different positions. Further, each of the sliding bearings 72 has a mounting flange portion on an upper periphery thereof. The length of the slide bearing 72 is such that, in a state in which the hand bases 70 are arranged at half pitch intervals, the slide bearing 72 passes through the large-diameter holes 74 formed in the other five hand bases 70 located below the hand bases 70”, Claim 2 “The workpiece inter-cassette transfer apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the pitch changing mechanism includes a drive shaft that rotates in conjunction with an angle control motor, a stepped eccentric block fixed to the drive shaft, and a plurality of links that couple each step of the stepped eccentric block and each hand, wherein the height and the loading pitch of each hand are maximized at an uppermost height position of the eccentric block with respect to the drive shaft, and the height and the arrangement pitch of each hand are sequentially reduced according to an inclination angle of the eccentric block by rotation of the drive shaft from the uppermost height position”.
As of Claim 4, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand(3) and all the limitations of Claim3.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand(3), wherein the eccentric bolt(72) includes an end part with which a nut is threadedly engaged; and the eccentric bolt(72) serves both as an element for fine adjustment of the height position of each of the plurality of blades(35) in an upward/downward direction, and an element for fastening the blade(35) to corresponding one of the plurality of links(62), see Fig 1, Claim 1 “A pitch changing mechanism configured to adjust a height and a loading pitch of each hand by reducing a movement amount of each hand from an upper hand to a lower hand along the vertical rod, Claim 2 “The workpiece inter-cassette transfer apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the pitch changing mechanism includes a drive shaft that rotates in conjunction with an angle control motor, a stepped eccentric block fixed to the drive shaft, and a plurality of links that couple each step of the stepped eccentric block and each hand, wherein the height and the loading pitch of each hand are maximized at an uppermost height position of the eccentric block with respect to the drive shaft, and the height and the arrangement pitch of each hand are sequentially reduced according to an inclination angle of the eccentric block by rotation of the drive shaft from the uppermost height position”, paragraph 6 “As another pitch changing mechanism, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is proposed a pantograph type in which the hands can be linked to each other by a strip-shaped link, and the interval between the wafers is changed by an adjusting means (a threaded drive shaft that penetrates each hand and is rotated by a drive motor or the like, a driven nut that is attached to any one of the hands and is screwed to the drive shaft, or the like)”.
As of Claim 5, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand and all the limitations of Claim 2.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand, further comprising a driver(56) for driving the linkage, wherein the plurality of links(62) include a first link(62) connected to the driver(56), and a plurality of second links(62) connected to the plurality of blades(35); and each of the plurality of blades(35) is connected to corresponding one of the plurality of second links by the eccentric element(57), see Fig 4, paragraph 11 “The above invention is preferably developed as in claims 2 to 4. The pitch changing mechanism insides a drive shaft (56) rotating in conjunction with an angle control server block(58), a stepped eccentric block (57) fixed to the drive shaft, and a plurality of links (62) connecting each step of the stepped eccentric block and each hand (35), wherein the height and the loading pitch of each hand are maximized at an uppermost height position of the eccentric block(57) with respect to the drive shaft (56), and the height and the arrangement pitch of each hand is sequentially reduced according to an inclination angle of the eccentric block(57) by rotation of the drive shaft from the uppermost height position.
As of Claim 6, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand(3) and all the limitations of Claim 5.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand, wherein the plurality of links(62) further includes a third link(57) connecting the plurality of second links(62) to each other, Fig 4, paragraph 26 “Each hand 35 and each stage of the corresponding eccentric block 57 are connected by a total of six links 62 which are rotatably supported”.
As of Claim 7, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand(3) and all the limitations of Claim 2.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand(3), comprising a first substrate-holding hand(50), and a second substrate-holding hand(51) arranged on or above the first substrate-holding hand(50) for operating independently of the first substrate-holding hand(50), wherein the blades(35) include a first blade(35) provided to the first substrate- holding hand(50) and fixed to the first substrate-holding hand(50), and a plurality of second blades(35) provided to the second substrate-holding hand(53) forming the pitch between the blades to be changed by the linkage, see Figs 1-6, paragraph 23 “A lower fixed table 50 and an upper fixed table 51 are provided on the distal end side of the horizontal plate portion of the lifting table 31 so as to face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, and a total of twelve vertical rods 53 for lifting guide are provided in an arrangement of two rows in the front-rear direction and three rows in the left-right direction in a state in which the upper and lower ends of the vertical rods 53 for lifting guide are supported by both the fixed tables 5051 and. As shown in FIG. 3, each hand 35 includes a hand base 70 and a hand finger 71 that protrudes from the hand base 70 and holds the workpiece W. The hand base 70 is provided with six insertion holes on one side and twelve insertion holes on both sides in two front and rear columns and three left and right rows corresponding to the respective rods 53”, paragraph 6 “As another pitch changing mechanism, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is proposed a pantograph type in which the hands can be linked to each other by a strip-shaped link, and the interval between the wafers is changed by an adjusting means (a threaded drive shaft that penetrates each hand and is rotated by a drive motor or the like, a driven nut that is attached to any one of the hands and is screwed to the drive shaft, or the like”.
As of Claim 8, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-holding hand and all the limitations of Claim 2.
Nishikata et al. further discloses a substrate-holding hand(3), wherein each of the plurality of blades(35) includes a blade body(35) for holding the substrate(W), a support(54) supporting the blade body, and a connection part(57) connecting the support(54) to corresponding one of the plurality of links(62); and the connection part(53) of each of the plurality of blades(35) is connected to corresponding one of the plurality of links(62) by the eccentric element(57), , see Figs 1-6, paragraph 23 “A lower fixed table 50 and an upper fixed table 51 are provided on the distal end side of the horizontal plate portion of the lifting table 31 so as to face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, and a total of twelve vertical rods 53 for lifting guide are provided in an arrangement of two rows in the front-rear direction and three rows in the left-right direction in a state in which the upper and lower ends of the vertical rods 53 for lifting guide are supported by both the fixed tables 5051 and. As shown in FIG. 3, each hand 35 includes a hand base 70 and a hand finger 71 that protrudes from the hand base 70 and holds the workpiece W. The hand base 70 is provided with six insertion holes on one side and twelve insertion holes on both sides in two front and rear columns and three left and right rows corresponding to the respective rods 53”, paragraph 6 “As another pitch changing mechanism, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is proposed a pantograph type in which the hands can be linked to each other by a strip-shaped link, and the interval between the wafers is changed by an adjusting means (a threaded drive shaft that penetrates each hand and is rotated by a drive motor or the like, a driven nut that is attached to any one of the hands and is screwed to the drive shaft, or the like.
As of Claim 9, Nishikata et al. discloses a substrate-conveying robot comprising: robot arm(11), and a substrate-holding hand(3) arranged in a distal end part of the robot arm(11), wherein the substrate-holding hand(3) includes a plurality of blades(35) for supporting substrates(W) and stacked with the plurality of blades(35) being spaced away from each other, and a support mechanism(54) for supporting the plurality of blades(35), and each of the plurality of blades(35) is connected to the support mechanism(54) by an eccentric element(57), see Figs 1-4, paragraph 19 “Further, each of the cassettes 1 and 2 has a container shape, one side surface of which is opened as an entrance and is opened and closed by a door (not shown), and has rack portions 11-12 and which face each other on both inner side surfaces and are provided in multiple stages at a predetermined pitch. In this case, the pitch of the rack portion 12 is set to ½ of the pitch of the rack portion 11. That is, in each of the drawings, in order to simplify the description, the number of stacked wafers W is set to 12, that is, the number of stages of each of the rack portions 11 and 21 is set to 12, but it is needless to say that the number of stages is set to any number”, paragraph 24 “As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the pitch conversion mechanism 34 includes a servo motor 58 for angle control installed on the mount base 54, bearing frames 5555 on both sides erected on the mount base 54 so as to face each other on the left and right, a pair of front and rear drive shafts 5656 supported by both bearing frames 55, eccentric blocks 57 mounted on both ends of each drive shaft 56, gears 6061 mounted on shaft portions of each drive shaft 56 and meshing with each other, a gear 59 mounted on an output shaft of the servo motor 58 and meshing with one gear 60, and a plurality of links 62 connecting each step of the stepped shape in each eccentric block 57 and the hand base 70 of each hand 35”, paragraph 18 “In FIG. 1, a transfer apparatus 3 is an example of transferring a wafer W in a standard cassette 1 as a cassette to a half-pitch cassette 2 having a different pitch, and includes an elevating table 31 disposed at the center, a slide table 33 provided on the elevating table 31 and reciprocating in the horizontal direction, a plurality of vertical rods 53 for guide provided adjacent to one side of the elevating table 31 and facing each other on a wafer transfer position (hereinafter, referred to as a transfer position), a plurality of hands 35 for transfer supported to be movable up and down along each vertical rod 53, and a pitch conversion mechanism 34 for adjusting the height and the loading pitch of each hand 35 by reducing the movement amount of each hand 35 from the upper hand to the lower hand along the vertical rod 53”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL T KIO whose telephone number is (571)270-0743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8a.m -5 p.m. 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, Robert W Hodge can be reached at 571-272-2097. 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.
/MTK./
Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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