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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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, 16, 17, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sugishita et al (2015/0370245). Sugishita et al discloses a furnace (300) comprising: a furnace body comprising a furnace tube (360) and an insulation layer (300-1) disposed around the furnace tube, a heat exchange gas channel (352) formed between an outer wall of the furnace tube and the insulation layer (SEE Figure 2), the heat exchange gas channel comprising a first gas inlet (353) and a first gas outlet (354); and a heat exchange device (357) comprising a gas flow channel (which receives gas from 354 as controlled by shutters 359) and a cooling channel (interpreted as the surrounding structure in which cooling water flows in heat exchange with the gas from the outlet, SEE [0047]), the gas flow channel connected to the first gas outlet, the cooling channel configured to provide a cooling medium for exchanging heat with a gas in the gas flow channel ([0047]). In re claim 16, Sugishita et al discloses an outer peripheral wall of the furnace body (360) is provided with a plurality of first gas inlets (SEE Annotated Figure 1, below), the plurality of first gas inlets are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the furnace body, each of the plurality of first gas inlets is connected to the heat exchange gas channel.
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In re claim 17, Sugishita et al discloses a suction device (356), wherein the suction device is connected to the heat exchange device (52) and an outlet (354) of the gas flow channel, a suction flow rate of the suction device is greater than a gas inlet flow rate of the first gas inlet (SEE [0059]). In re claim 19, Sugishita et al discloses a semiconductor processing equipment (SEE Abstract) comprising: a furnace (300) comprising: a furnace body comprising a furnace tube (360) and an insulation layer (300-1) disposed around the furnace tube, a heat exchange gas channel (352) formed between an outer wall of the furnace tube and the insulation layer (Figure 2), the heat exchange gas channel (352) comprising a first gas inlet (353) and a first gas outlet (354); a heat exchange device (357) comprising a gas flow channel (which receives gas from 354 as controlled by shutters 359), the gas flow channel connected to the first gas outlet (354) (Figure 2), the cooling channel configured to provide a cooling medium for exchanging heat with a gas in the gas flow channel (SEE [0047]); and a gas supply system (SEE Figure 10, the gas supply inlet is unnumbered) connected to the first gas inlet (353) and configured to supply heat exchange gas into the heat exchange gas channel through the first gas inlet (SEE [0044]). In re claim 20, Sugishita et al inherently discloses that the gas supply system comprises a gas source and a gas supply line, the gas supply line is connected between the gas source and the first gas inlet, the gas source is configured to provide the heat exchange gas into the heat exchange gas channel through the gas supply line (SEE Figures 2 & 10 and [0044]).
Claim(s) 1, 16, 17, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Murata et al (2015/0093909). Murata et al discloses a furnace (10) comprising: a furnace body comprising a furnace tube (14) and an insulation layer (18) disposed around the furnace tube, a heat exchange gas channel (22) formed between an outer wall of the furnace tube and the insulation layer (SEE Figure 1), the heat exchange gas channel comprising a first gas inlet (@ 24) and a first gas outlet (@ 36, 56); and a heat exchange device (28) comprising a gas flow channel (26) and a cooling channel (SEE [0099]), the gas flow channel connected to the first gas outlet (56), the cooling channel configured to provide a cooling medium for exchanging heat with a gas in the gas flow channel (as per [0099]). In re claim 16, Murata et al discloses an outer peripheral wall (18) of the furnace body (SEE Figure 2) is provided with a plurality of first gas inlets (54), the plurality of first gas inlets are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the furnace body (SEE Figure 6A), each of the plurality of first gas inlets is connected to the heat exchange gas channel. In re claim 17, Murata et al discloses a suction device (30), wherein the suction device is connected to the heat exchange device (28) and an outlet (56) of the gas flow channel (22), a suction flow rate of the suction device is greater than a gas inlet flow rate of the first gas inlet (SEE [0114]). In re claim 19, Murata et al discloses a semiconductor processing equipment (SEE Abstract) comprising: a furnace (10) comprising: a furnace body comprising a furnace tube (14) and an insulation layer (18) disposed around the furnace tube, a heat exchange gas channel (22) formed between an outer wall of the furnace tube and the insulation layer (SEE Figure 2), the heat exchange gas channel includes a first gas inlet (located @ 24) and a first gas outlet (located @36 or 56); a heat exchange device (28) comprising a gas flow channel and a cooling channel (SEE [0099]), the gas flow channel (22) connected to the first gas outlet (26), the cooling channel configured to provide a cooling medium for exchanging heat with a gas in the gas flow channel (SEE [0099]); and a gas supply system (inherent) connected to the first gas inlet (@ 24) and configured to supply heat exchange gas into the heat exchange gas channel through the first gas inlet. In re claim 20, Murata et al inherently discloses that a gas supply system comprises a gas source and a gas supply line (@ 24), the gas supply line is connected between the gas source and the first gas inlet, the gas source would clearly provide the heat exchange gas into the heat exchange gas channel through the gas supply line.
Claim(s) 1 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sarres et al (2011/0115137). Sarres et al discloses a furnace (retort furnace 1) comprising: a furnace body (2) comprising a furnace tube (3) and an insulation layer (SEE [0017]) disposed around the furnace tube, a heat exchange gas channel (4) formed between an outer wall of the furnace tube and the insulation layer (SEE Figures 1 & 2), the heat exchange gas channel comprising a first gas inlet (14) and a first gas outlet (11); and a heat exchange device (12) comprising a gas flow channel (a continuing tube between outlet 11 and inlet 14) and a cooling channel (the space around the continuing tube wherein cooling airflow from fan 13 is used to cool hot gas, SEE [0075]), the gas flow channel connected to the first gas outlet (11) (via valve 21), the cooling channel configured to provide a cooling medium for exchanging heat with a gas in the gas flow channel. In re claim 17, Sarres et al discloses a suction device (13), wherein the suction device is connected to the heat exchange device (12) (SEE Figure 1) and an outlet of the gas flow channel, a suction flow rate of the suction device is greater than a gas inlet flow rate of the first gas inlet (SEE [0020]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-15 and 18 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY A WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 7:00am-4:30pm.
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/GREGORY A WILSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762 August 18, 2026
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