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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-19) in the reply filed on 09/05/2025 is acknowledged. Non-elected claim 20 is withdrawn from consideration. Claims 1-19 are treated on the merit. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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, 5-8, 11 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE198330034 A1cited by applicant. Regarding claims 1 and 11, DE198330034 A1 discloses roller system for forming a material layer on a substrate, the roller system comprising an inductive power generator (5) to generate a magnetic field; an opposing member (2); and a roller (1) proximal to the opposing member (2), wherein the roller (1) and the opposing member (2) are configured to press the material layer (4) on the substrate interposed therebetween(Figure 1), the roller (1) including: a heater plate (roller surface) thermally coupled to the roller, the heater plate configured to: receive the magnetic field from the inductive power generator (5) ; and in response to receiving the magnetic field, generate an eddy current and heat a portion of the roller to thermally expand a diameter of the roller (col. 4, lines 56 to col. 5, lines 3, or translation page 2/3, paragraph begin “Finally, FIG. 5 shows…means of spindles or the like”. Regarding claim 5, DE198330034 A1 discloses the heater plate (surface of the roller) is configured to be secured to an end portion of the roller (Figure 1). Regarding claims 6-7 and 13-14, DE198330034 A1 discloses the inductive power generator (5) comprises one or more induction heating coils (5’) disposed adjacent to an end of the roller (Figure 2). Regarding claim 8, DE198330034 A1 discloses the operation controlled based on temperature monitoring (par. 0014-0017).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 9 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE198330034 A1 cited by applicant, in view of Ohno (US 2011/0135333). Regarding claims 9 and 16, DE198330034 A1 discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except the control unit is to utilize input from at least one temperature sensor that measures temperature along the roller to dynamically adjust the heating of the portion of the roller. Ohno discloses a control unit (53) is to utilize input from at least one temperature sensor (47, 48) that measures temperature along the roller to dynamically adjust the heating of the portion of the roller (40, par. 0057-par. 0058). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in DE198330034 A1 the control unit is to utilize input from at least one temperature sensor that measures temperature along the roller to dynamically adjust the heating of the portion of the roller as taught by Ohno in order to detect the surface temperature along the roller.
Claim(s) 10 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE198330034 A1 cited by applicant, in view of Tatematsu et al (US 2005/0201768). Regarding claims 10 and 17, DE198330034 A1 discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except the control unit is to control the inductive power generator using a closed-loop Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control system based on at least one of thickness or loading density of the material layer as measured by in-line metrology equipment. Tatematsu discloses control unit is to control the inductive power generator using a closed-loop Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control system based on at least one of thickness or loading density of the material layer as measured by in-line metrology equipment (par. 0121-par.0122). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in DE198330034 A1 control unit is to control the inductive power generator using a closed-loop Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control system based on at least one of thickness or loading density of the material layer as measured by in-line metrology equipment as taught by Tatematsu in order to provide high accuracy and precise control.
Claims 2-4, 12, 15 and 18-19 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.
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/QUANG T VAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 January 27, 2026