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.
Claims 13-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Inadomi (US 2017/0256398).
In regards to claim 13, Inadomi teaches a substrate processing apparatus (3) comprising:
a substrate processing container (31, main body) forms a processing space capable of receiving a substrate (W) in the substrate processing container, and having an opening (31a) for loading and unloading the substrate in a side surface of the substrate processing container (fig. 3-5; para. 46-48)
a holding plate (42) holds the substrate horizontally, and having a cover/lid member (41) in contact with the opening when the substrate is loaded into the substrate processing container (fig. 4-5; para. 55);
a lifter/lift mechanism (46) provided outside the substrate processing container, and moves vertically to separate the substrate from the holding plate or bring the substrate into contact with the holding plate (fig. 4-5; para. 58-60),
where the lifter includes:
a plurality of substrate support pins (49) supports the substrate from below by passing through an opening formed in the holding plate so that upper ends of the substrate support pins protrude upward from the holding plate and are brought into contact with a lower surface of the substrate (fig. 4-5; para. 62, 67, 76-78, 81-83);
a lift table (46a, support) connected with lower ends of the substrate support pins (fig. 6-7; para. 58-60); and
a driving motor (46c, lifter drive) moves the lift table vertically (fig. 6-7; para. 58-60), and
where the driving motor (lifter drive) moves the lift table (46a) vertically between a delivery position at which the substrate support pins pass through the holding plate and are in contact with the lower surface of the substrate to separate the substrate from the holding plate, and a standby position at which the upper ends of the substrate support pins are located below the holding plate, by moving the support upward and downward, respectively (fig. 5-7; para. 67, 75-78).
In regards to claim 14, Inadomi teaches the holding plate (42) moves horizontally between inside and outside of the substrate processing container (fig. 4-5; para. 67, 75-76).
In regards to claim 15, Inadomi teaches the holding plate (42) moves horizontally between inside and outside of the substrate processing container and is capable of providing the lifter is located at the standby position to allow movement of the holding plate into the substrate processing container, as the substrate support pins do not move into the substrate processing container (fig. 4-5; para. 67, 75-76).
In regards to claim 16 and 21, Inadomi teaches the substrate (W) comprises a upper surface on which a liquid film such is formed is loaded into the substrate processing container by moving the substrate horizontally and the substrate processing container is capable of a process of drying the substrate loaded into the substrate processing container (fig. 3-5; para. 42, 45-46, 53, 67).
In regards to claims 17-18 and 22-23, Inadomi teaches the substrate processing container has a supply port which connects to a fluid supply line (35) and a discharge port which connects to a discharge line (34), where the port are provided along walls which are capable of being characterized/labeled as a lower wall or side wall of the substrate processing container (fig. 4-5; para. 49-50).
In regards to claims 19-20 and 24, Inadomi teaches lift table which is vertically movable to and from the holding plate which is shown as a particular position and the holding plate move horizontally to open and close the opening of the substrate processing container (fig. 5A, 5D; para. 67, 75).
The lift table and the holding plate teach the structure of the claim and are capable of the process of the lift table (support) approaches the holding plate when the lift table is at the delivery position, along with the process of horizontally moving the holding plate when the lift table is at a standby position. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Binu Thomas whose telephone number is (571)270-7684. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday, 8:00AM-5:00PM PT.
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/Binu Thomas/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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