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 1 – 19 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.
Claims are rejected as failing to define the invention in the manner required by 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
The claim(s) are narrative in form and replete with indefinite language. The structure which goes to make up the device must be clearly and positively specified. The structure must be organized and correlated in such a manner as to present a complete operative device. The claim(s) must be in one sentence form only. Note the format of the claims in the patent(s) cited.
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 1, 2 and 12 – 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (KR 2021/0064601).
(Claim 1) Lee et al. teach a bonding method of bonding a third object after bonding a second object to a first object, the method comprising:
evaluating a bonding result (fig. 1 #S140) of bonding the second object to the first object (S120);
deciding, based on the bonding result, the third object to be bonded to the first object bonded with the second object from a plurality of the third objects; and
bonding, based on the decision in the deciding, the third object to the first object bonded with the second object (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, fig. 1 #S160).
(Claim 2) Lee et al. teach wherein in the evaluating, as the bonding result, a positional shift amount between the first object and the second object bonded to the first object is evaluated (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
(Claim 12) Lee et al. teach wherein in the evaluating,
the positional shift amount is obtained from one of an image obtained by capturing the first object bonded with the second object,
a load value upon bonding the second object to the first object,
a position of at least one of a substrate holding unit holding the substrate and a carrier holding unit holding the first carrier upon bonding the second object to the first object, and
information indicating a presence/absence of an abnormality upon bonding the second object to the first object (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
(Claim 13) Lee et al. teach wherein processing of bonding the second object to the first object and processing of bonding the third object to the first object bonded with the second object are performed by the same bonding apparatus (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, fig. 2).
(Claim 14) Lee et al. teach wherein processing of bonding the second object to the first object and processing of bonding the third object to the first object bonded with the second object are performed by different bonding apparatuses (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
(Claim 15) Lee et al. teach the method, further comprising conveying, to a bonding apparatus, a substrate formed with the first object, a first carrier holding a plurality of the second objects, and a second carrier holding a plurality of the third objects (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
(Claim 16) Lee et al. teach wherein the second object and the third object are objects of the same kind, and the first carrier and the second carrier are the same carrier (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
(Claim 17) Lee et al. teach wherein the number of the first objects formed on the wafer is larger than the number of the second objects mounted on the first carrier and the number of the third objects mounted on the second carrier (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS, second objects mounted on the first objects, therefore first objects greater than or equal to second objects. Similarly for third objects mounted on the second objects).
(Claim 18 Lee et al. teach a bonding apparatus that bonds a third object after bonding a second object to a first object, the apparatus comprising:
an evaluation unit configured to evaluate a bonding result of bonding the second object to the first object;
a decision unit configured to decide, based on the bonding result, the third object to be bonded to the first object bonded with the second object from a plurality of the third objects; and
a bonding unit configured to bond the third object to the first object bonded with the second object based on the decision of the decision unit (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
(Claim 19) Lee et al. teach an article manufacturing method comprising:
preparing a first object;
preparing a second object;
preparing a third object;
forming a bonded object by bonding the third object after bonding the second object to the first object in accordance with a bonding method; and
manufacturing an article by processing the bonded object (DESCRIPTION-OF-EMBODIMENTS).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 11 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, and overcoming 112 Rejections.
(Claims 3) wherein in the deciding, based on the positional shift amount and rank information including data indicating a rank of each third object, the third object to be bonded to the first object bonded with the second object is decided.
(Claim 6) wherein in the decided, the third object to be bonded to the first object bonded with the second object is decided based on the positional shift amount and rank information including data indicating a rank of each first object and data indicating a rank of each third object.
Conclusion
Prior art made of record and not relied upon, considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are listed in PTO – 892 Form.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IGWE U ANYA whose telephone number is (571)272-1887. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 6:00 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, Matthew Landau can be reached at (571) 272- 1731. 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.
/IGWE U ANYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
September 14, 2026
Prosecution Insights