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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. 2019/0326134 and in view Sung et al. 2008/0304944.
In Re Claim 1, Suzuki et al. teach an equipment front end module (EFEM), comprising: a transfer chamber (3) in which wafers (W) are transferred between a wafer storage device (2) and process equipment (MS); a first opening (21a) allowing connection of a FOUP (4) of the wafer storage device to the transfer chamber; a first door (22) provided in the transfer chamber so as to open and close an inside of the first opening;
Suzuki et al. do not teach a first chamber surrounding the transfer chamber at a position outside the transfer chamber.
However, Sung et al. teach a first chamber (36) surrounding the transfer chamber (14) at a position outside the transfer chamber.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed to add a first chamber to the EFEM of Suzuki et al. as taught by Sung et al. with a reasonable expectation for success in order to reduce exposure of wafers to detrimental substances.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-7 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hong et al. teach a EFEM comprising a transfer chamber, first opening and first door. Reimer et al. teach a first chamber surrounding a transfer chamber.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GLENN F MYERS whose telephone number is (571)270-1160. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4 PM.
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GLENN F. MYERS
Examiner
Art Unit 3652
/GLENN F MYERS/Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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