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 § 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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lew Jae Ik et al. (KR 2015-0086831), hereafter referred to as Ik.
Consider claim 1. Ik teaches a substrate processing apparatus for performing heat treatment on a substrate, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chamber (6) comprising a chamber opening (at bottom of 6) through which the substrate enters or exits, a chamber upper surface (top of 6) on an opposite side of the chamber opening, and a chamber side surface (side of 6) between the chamber opening and the chamber upper surface, wherein the chamber upper surface and the chamber side surface form a heat treatment space in which the substrate is accommodated (see fig. 1); a chamber door (8) configured to open or close the chamber opening; and an outer chamber (5) configured to surround the chamber, wherein the outer chamber comprises: an outer chamber upper surface (top of 5) spaced apart outwardly from the chamber upper surface; an outer chamber side surface (side of 5) spaced apart outwardly from the chamber side surface; and an outer chamber base (bottom of 5 and 9) on an opposite side of the outer chamber upper surface and configured to seal between the chamber side surface and the outer chamber side surface, wherein the outer chamber upper surface, the outer chamber side surface, and the outer chamber base form a sealed space between the outer chamber and the chamber (see paragraphs [0035]-[0036]).
Consider claim 2. Ik teaches that the heat treatment space is sealed by the chamber upper surface, the chamber side surface, and the chamber door (see paragraphs [0035]-[0036]).
Consider claim 3. Ik teaches a locking mechanism (22, 23) for locking the chamber door.
Consider claim 4. Ik teaches that the chamber door comprises a first sawtooth structure (22) protruding outwardly, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a donut-shaped rotating body (20) that rotates on an outer side of the chamber door; and a second sawtooth structure (23) protruding inwardly from the rotating body, wherein the first sawtooth structure and the second sawtooth structure are capable of overlapping each other (see paragraphs [0053]-[0054]).
Consider claim 5. Ik teaches a substrate loader (12) disposed on the chamber door and on which the substrate is loaded.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 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. The attached PTO-892 lists references which teach various substrate heaters having an inner chamber, an outer chamber, and a chamber door.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN D SNELTING whose telephone number is (571)270-7015. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:30 EST.
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, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571)272-7097. 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.
/JONATHAN SNELTING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
Prosecution Insights