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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1 and 8 are allowable. The restriction requirement between species, as set forth in the Office action mailed on March 23, 2026, has been reconsidered in view of the allowability of claims to the elected invention pursuant to MPEP § 821.04(a). The restriction requirement is hereby withdrawn as to any claim that requires all the limitations of an allowable claim. Specifically, the restriction requirement of March 23, 2026 is withdrawn. Claims 2-4, 9, 11, 15, 17, and 18, directed to a non-elected species are no longer withdrawn from consideration because the claim(s) requires all the limitations of an allowable claim.
In view of the above noted withdrawal of the restriction requirement, applicant is advised that if any claim presented in a divisional application is anticipated by, or includes all the limitations of, a claim that is allowable in the present application, such claim may be subject to provisional statutory and/or nonstatutory double patenting rejections over the claims of the instant application.
Once a restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable. See In re Ziegler, 443 F.2d 1211, 1215, 170 USPQ 129, 131-32 (CCPA 1971). See also MPEP § 804.01.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities: In lines 1 and 2, the “gap storage room” should be amended to read, “gas storage room”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Claim limitation “pressurizing and drying mechanism” has/have been interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because it uses/they use a generic placeholder “mechanism” coupled with functional language “pressurizing and drying” without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function. Furthermore, the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Since the claim limitation(s) invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, claims 2 and 14 has/have been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
Claim limitation “gas pressure module” has/have been interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because it uses/they use a generic placeholder “module” coupled with functional language “allowing the dry gas to be injected into the gas mixing room from the pressure-resistant container, whereby the gas mixing room has the predetermined test environment for allowing the electrical test to be performed to the DUT” without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function. Furthermore, the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier.
Since the claim limitation(s) invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, claims 1-7 has/have been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitation:
pressurizing and drying mechanism →pump
gas pressure module → a gas input valve, gas input pipe, gas output valve, and gas output pipe
If applicant wishes to provide further explanation or dispute the examiner’s interpretation of the corresponding structure, applicant must identify the corresponding structure with reference to the specification by page and line number, and to the drawing, if any, by reference characters in response to this Office action.
If applicant does not intend to have the claim limitation(s) treated under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112 , sixth paragraph, applicant may amend the claim(s) so that it/they will clearly not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, or present a sufficient showing that the claim recites/recite sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function to preclude application of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
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 14-16 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.
With respect to claim 14, the claim requires a pressurizing and drying mechanism connected to the gas storage room and connected to at least one of the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion of each of the contactless test devices. The claim goes on to require performing a vacuuming process to the test space of each of the contactless test devices. However, claim 14 depends from claim 12. Claim 12 does not require each of the contactless test devices to include a first accommodating portion nor a second accommodating portion. The claim requires any one of the contactless devices to include the first and second accommodating portions. Thus, claim 12 encompasses an embodiment where only one contactless test device includes a first and second accommodating chamber. This creates confusion in claim 14 since is refers to the first and second accommodating portions of each contactless test device. It is unclear if all of the plurality of test devices must have the first and second accommodating portions, or if only the test device with the first and second accommodating portions must be connected to the pressurizing and drying mechanism of claim 14. For the purposes of examination, the examiner is going to treat the claim as if it read, “further comprising a pressurizing and drying mechanism that is connected to the gas storage room and that is connected to at least one of the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion of the any one of the contactless test devices, wherein, after the pre-closed process is complete, the pressurizing and drying mechanism is configured to perform a vacuuming process to the test space of the any one of the contactless test devices for implementing the locking process”.
With respect to claim 16, the claim recites the limitation "the interconnected end portion” in line 2 and 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, the examiner is going to treat the claim as if it read, “wherein, in any one of the contactless test devices, the driver includes a gear portion, the interconnecting end portion of each of the locking members is a gear, the transmission member is a transmission chain that is engaged with the gear portion and the interconnected end portions, the gear portion and the interconnecting end portions of each of the locking members are arranged in a plane that is higher than the first test chamber with respect to the machine, and central axes of the interconnected end portions are parallel to each other”.
Claim 15 is also rejected by virtue of dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 and 17-20 are allowed.
Claims 14-16 would also be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record, when considered as a whole, alone or in combination fails to teach nor render obvious the particular combination of the instant claims including: the parallel-mode cooling device is configured to reduce a temperature of the dry gas in the gas storage room to the first cooling critical value through the first heat exchanger, and then further to reduce the temperature of the dry gas from the first cooling critical value to a predetermined temperature through the second heat exchanger, the predetermined temperature being greater than or equal to the second cooling critical value as required by instant claims 1 and 8.
Specifically, Sugatani (US2020/0124299) teaches many of the features of claim 1 including: a multi-stage cooling system (figure 1), comprising: a pressure-resistant container (2) including a gap storage room (4) and a control valve (13) that is in spatial communication with the gas storage room (4), wherein the gap storage room is configured to store a dry gas that has a dew point temperature being less than -10°C and that has a pressure being greater than 1 atm. Sugatani fails to disclose the a parallel-mode cooling device as claimed, the contactless test devices as claimed , nor the gas pressure module as claimed. Without some teaching, suggestion, or motivation, one skilled in the art would not be motivated to modify the base reference as claimed without improper hindsight reasoning.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CASSEY D BAUER whose telephone number is (571)270-7113. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs: 10AM-8PM (ET).
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, Frantz Jules can be reached at 571-272-6681. 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.
/CASSEY D BAUER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
