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 .
This Office Action acknowledges the applicant’s amendment filed on 2/2/2026 Claims 8 and 11-14 are pending in the application. Claims 1-7 and 9-10 are cancelled.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office Action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 8 and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schober et al. US 10,643,876 B2 in view of Maraschin et al. US 2016/0118282 A1, cited in Applicant’s IDS.
With regards to claim 8, Schober (Fig. 1) discloses a wafer container comprising: a container body 18 including a plurality of wafer supports stacked in a vertical direction to store a wafer; a top plate 16 on an upper side of the container body; and a bottom plate (14) on a lower side of the container body and including an inflow hole (at 20) for inert gas; wherein the wafer supports each includes: an outer frame 40 defining a side surface of the container body; a support 32abcd protruding inward from the outer frame to support the wafer; a first guide 60a and a second guide 60b inside the outer frame and facing each other in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction; the container body includes: a first flow path 70 defined by the first guide to guide the inert gas from the inflow hole upward; a horizontal flow path to guide the inert gas from the first flow path in a horizontal direction; and a second flow path 72 defined by the second guide to guide the inert gas from the horizontal flow path downward; in two of the wafer supports 18 stacked in the vertical direction, a first gap is located between the lower first guide and the upper first guide, and a second gap is located between the lower second guide and the upper second guide, depending on how the supports are arranged.
Schober does not specifically disclose a pair of third guides inside the outer frame and facing each other in a second direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to both the vertical direction and the first direction, that prevents the inert gas in the horizontal flow path from deviating in the second direction in the container body.
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However, Maraschin (Fig 19-22) discloses a substrate container that has a top plate 2106, a bottom base 2108, a container body including a plurality of wafer supports 2110 stacked in a vertical direction to store a wafer and includes a guides (shown in the annotated figure above) formed on the left and right side of the container that guides the gas toward the port. (Para. 0087)
The horizontal flow path that is formed between the channel 70 and the channel 72 disclosed in Schober and the flow path disclosed in Maraschin have in common the feature of being a horizontal flow path that flows over a wafer. And would also allow, depending on how the supports are arranged two of the wafer supports stacked in the vertical direction, a third gap is located between the lower third guide and the upper third guide; and the third gap is smaller than the first gap and smaller than the second gap.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the container in Schober by providing a third guide on the left and right as taught by Maraschin for the purposes of easily providing a member that is composed of a pair of left and right members that regulates the flow in the horizontal flow path disclosed in Schober from deviating.
With regards to claim 11, Maraschin further teaches the third guides (shown in the annotated figure above) includes a pair of inner peripheries extending along an outer periphery of the wafer supported by the support when viewed from above. (Fig. 22)
With regards to claim 12, Maraschin further teaches the third guides (shown in the annotated figure above) includes a pair of inner peripheries extending along an outer periphery of the wafer supported by the support when viewed from above; and in the container body including the wafer supports stacked one another, an assembly of the pairs of inner peripheries defines a restriction wall to prevent the inert gas in the horizontal flow path from deviating in the second direction. (Fig. 21 and 22)
Claim(s) 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schober et al. US 10,643,876 B2 in view of Maraschin et al. US 2016/0118282 A1, cited in Applicant’s IDS.
With regards to claim 13, Schober (Fig. 1) discloses a wafer support configured to support a wafer, the wafer support comprising: an outer frame 40 structured to surround the wafer; a plurality of supports 32abcd protruding inward from the outer frame to support the wafer; a first guide 60a and a second guide 60b inside the outer frame and facing each other in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a vertical direction; wherein when the wafer support is stacked, a first flow path 70 is formed by a first frame portion of the outer frame and the first guide, and a second flow path 72 is defined by a second frame portion of the outer frame and the second guide; and the supports are between the first guide and the second guide; when the wafer support is stacked in the vertical direction, a first gap is located between a lower first guide and an upper first guide, and a second gap is located between a lower second guide and an upper second guide; when the wafer support is stacked in the vertical direction. (12:5-10)
Schober does not specifically disclose a pair of third guides inside the outer frame and facing each other in a second direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to both the vertical direction and the first direction and the supports are between the first guide and the pair of third guides, and between the second guide and the pair of third guides.
See claim 8, for Maraschin teaching of the third (left and right) guides and the combination with Schober of having the third guides forming the third gap.
With regards to claim 14, Schober (Fig. 1) discloses the first guide 60a, the second guide 60b each have a circular or substantially circular shape surrounding an outer periphery of the wafer supported by the supports and Maraschin teaches it was known in the art to have guides (shown in the annotated figure above) have a circular or substantially circular shape surrounding an outer periphery of the wafer supported by the supports, therefore, the combination of Schober in view of Maraschin would disclose guides having a circular or substantially circular shape surrounding an outer periphery of the wafer supported by the supports when viewed from above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/2/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Applicant argues Schober fails to disclose the third gaps recited in claim 10, because in claim 8, Maraschin is cited to teach third guides. Therefore the Applicant has amended claims 8 and 13 to include the limitations. As recited above, Maraschin is cited to teach the third guides, and in combination, Schober, depending on how the supports are arranged discloses a third gap is located between the lower third guide and the upper third guide; and the third gap is capable of being smaller than the first gap and smaller than the second gap.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENINE SPICER whose telephone number is (313)446-4924. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Thursday.
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/JENINE SPICER/Examiner, Art Unit 3736
/CHUN HOI CHEUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3736
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