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Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on October 03, 2025.
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I (Claims 1-10) in the reply filed on October 03, 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the restricted groups contain overlapping subject matter and there is no burden of search on the Examiner to conduct an examination of all the claims. This is not found persuasive because as stated in the previous office action, the inventions as claimed are either not capable of use together or can have a materially different design, mode of operation, function, or effect. Groups II and III each require limitations that are not required by Group I, thus designating them and distinct and independent groups. Invention I requires a gas cabinet configured to store therein a gas pipe and a gas cylinder connected to the gas pipe, that is not required by Invention II or Invention III. Therefore, the prior art applicable to one invention would not likely be applicable to another invention, thus creating an undue burden of search on the Examiner. Furthermore, there is no rejoinder of groups, as rejoinder pertains to restrictions between products and processes; not distinct products or distinct processes.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 2, 3 and 9 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.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the connector" in Line 1 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Re Claim 2, the claim limitation “gasket replacement means” invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. However, the written description fails to disclose the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the entire claimed function and to clearly link the structure, material, or acts to the function. The written description lacks an adequate disclosure of the corresponding structure that performs the “gasket replacement”. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Re Claim 3, the claim limitation “cleaning means” invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. However, the written description fails to disclose the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the entire claimed function and to clearly link the structure, material, or acts to the function. The written description lacks an adequate disclosure of the corresponding structure that performs the “cleaning”. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Re Claim 9, the claim limitations “cleaning means” and “gasket replacement means” invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. However, the written description fails to disclose the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the entire claimed function and to clearly link the structure, material, or acts to the function. The written description lacks an adequate disclosure of the corresponding structure that performs the “cleaning” and “gasket replacement. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Applicant may:
(a) Amend the claim so that the claim limitation will no longer be interpreted as a limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph;
(b) Amend the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites what structure, material, or acts perform the entire claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(c) Amend the written description of the specification such that it clearly links the structure, material, or acts disclosed therein to the function recited in the claim, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)).
If applicant is of the opinion that the written description of the specification already implicitly or inherently discloses the corresponding structure, material, or acts and clearly links them to the function so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize what structure, material, or acts perform the claimed function, applicant should clarify the record by either:
(a) Amending the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function and clearly links or associates the structure, material, or acts to the claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(b) Stating on the record what the corresponding structure, material, or acts, which are implicitly or inherently set forth in the written description of the specification, perform the claimed function. For more information, see 37 CFR 1.75(d) and MPEP §§ 608.01(o) and 2181.
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) 1, 2, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kita et al. (JP 2023093586, herein referenced by the EPO English Machine Translation), in view of Lee et al. (KR 10- 20200095975, herein referenced by the EPO English Machine Translation).
Re Claim 1; Kita discloses a gas cylinder replacement system comprising: a gas cabinet GA configured to store therein a gas pipe 802 and a gas cylinder S connected to the gas pipe 802; a gas cylinder replacement apparatus R1, R2; and a controller (not shown) configured to control the gas cylinder replacement apparatus R1, R2, the gas cylinder replacement apparatus R1, R2 includes: a body including a first surface (not labeled) and a second surface (not labeled) different from each other (See figure 4A, note: the manipulators of R1 and R2 are similar); a locomotion unit (not shown) installed on the second surface and configured to travel in a semiconductor process line (Par. 0014, Note: Kita discloses the replacement apparatus R1 transports gas cylinders S between various locales. This inherently provides for a “locomotion unit”); a manipulator 101, 520 installed on the first surface and including a tool changer 110, 510; a vision unit 550 (note, the vision unit on R1 us not shown) installed at a distal end of the manipulator 101 and configured to determine a location of the gas cylinder S (Pars. 0016, 0027 and 0034); a valve manipulation unit 140 configurable to be attached to or detached from the first surface, the valve manipulation unit 140 includes: a first fastener 145 configured to connect to the tool changer 110; and a first gripper 141 connected to the first fastener 145 and configured to grip and rotate a valve locking device 601 of the gas cylinder S; and a pipe handling unit configurable to be attached to or detached from the first surface, the pipe handling unit includes: a second fastener 516 configured to connect to the tool changer 510; a second gripper 515 connected to the second fastener 516 and configured to grip a connector 800 of the gas pipe 802 (Par. 0009 and 0030-0034, Figs. 1-4B). Kita does not explicitly disclose a gear configured to rotate the second gripper.
Lee discloses a gas cylinder replacement system 1 comprising: a gas cabinet 2 configured to store therein a gas pipe and a gas cylinder 10 connected to the gas pipe; a gas cylinder replacement apparatus 3; and a controller (not shown) configured to control the gas cylinder replacement apparatus (Par. 0128), the gas cylinder replacement apparatus 3 includes: a manipulator installed on a first surface and including a tool changer 500; a vision unit 410 installed at a distal end of the manipulator and configured to determine a location of the gas cylinder 10 (Pars. 0128-0130, Fig. 13); a valve manipulation unit, the valve manipulation unit includes: a first gripper 600 configured to grip and rotate a valve locking device of the gas cylinder 10; and a pipe handling unit, the pipe handling unit includes: a second gripper 700 configured to grip a connector 30 of the gas pipe; and a gear 611-614 configured to rotate the second gripper 700 (Pars. 0116-0125, and 0139-0156, Figs. 1-20). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Kita by providing a gear configured to rotate the second gripper, as disclosed by Lee, as a known alternative means of rotating the second gripper.
Re Claim 2, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. The combination discloses a connector 710 that is configured to connect to the gas cylinder 10, the pipe handling unit further comprises gasket replacement means 800 connected to the second fastener and configured to replace a gasket 720 installed in the connector, the gasket replacement means 800 is configured to remove the gasket 720 installed in the connector 710 from the connector 710 (Pars. 0173-0208, Figs. 27-32b).
Re Claim 5, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. Kita discloses the controller (not shown) is configured to: control the manipulator 101, 520 to fasten the tool changer 110, 510 and the second fastener 516 to each other; control the second gripper to grip the connector of the gas pipe (Pars. 0030 Figs. 4a and 4B). Kita does not explicitly disclose the controller is configured to: control the gear to rotate the second gripper to remove the gas cylinder and the gas pipe from each other.
Lee discloses a controller is configured to: control the gear 611-614 to rotate the second gripper 700 to remove the gas cylinder 10 and the gas pipe from each other (Pars. 0139-0142). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Kita by providing a gear configured to rotate the second gripper, as disclosed by Lee, as a known alternative means of rotating the second gripper.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kita et al. (JP 2023093586, herein referenced by the EPO English Machine Translation), in view of Lee et al. (KR 10- 20200095975, herein referenced by the EPO English Machine Translation), as applied to claim 1, in view of Son et al. (KR 20230149373 A, herein referenced by the EPO English Machine Translation).
Re Claim 10, the combination as applied to claim 1 remains as previously applied. The combination does not explicitly disclose the gas cylinder includes an endcap, the gas cabinet includes endcap storage, wherein the controller is configured to: control the second gripper to grip the endcap; control the gear to rotate so as to remove the gas cylinder and the endcap from each other; and control the manipulator to store the endcap in the endcap storage.
Son discloses a gas cylinder replacement system comprising: a gas cabinet 1000 configured to store therein a gas pipe (not shown) and a gas cylinder 100 connected to the gas pipe; a gas cylinder replacement apparatus 200; and a controller 700 configured to control the gas cylinder replacement apparatus 200, the gas cylinder replacement apparatus 200 includes: a body including a first surface (not labeled, a side surface near direction indicator D1, D2, D2) and a second surface (not labeled, the top surface near numeral 200) different from each other (See figure 5); a locomotion unit 230 installed on the second surface and configured to travel in a semiconductor process line (Pars. 0024 and 0025, figure 4); a manipulator 300 installed on the first surface; a valve manipulation unit configurable to be attached to or detached from the first surface, the valve manipulation unit includes: a first gripper 320 configured to grip and rotate a valve locking device of the gas cylinder 100; and a pipe handling unit configurable to be attached to or detached from the first surface, the pipe handling unit includes: a second gripper 330 configured to grip a connector 340 of the gas pipe; and the gas cylinder 100 includes an endcap 120, the controller 700 is configured to: control the first gripper 320 to grip the endcap 120; control the gear to rotate so as to remove the gas cylinder 100 and the endcap 120 from each other and control the manipulator 300 to store the endcap 120 in the endcap storage (Pars. 0019-0022 and 0027-0054, Figs. 1-14). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Kita by providing an end cap for the gas cylinder and configuring the controller to remove and store the end cap as disclosed by Son, to provide a means for accessing the connector and attaching the gas pipe.
Claim Objections
Claims 3, 4, 6 and 7-9 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
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/BAYAN SALONE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3726