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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. EP22176341.0, filed on 05/31/2022.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 20. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m). The same claim is presented twice.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claim is drawn to method of using without providing any method steps.
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.
Claim 20 is 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 20 is indefinite because it merely recites a use without any active, positive steps delimiting how this use is actually practiced.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: novel and inventive over prior art of record. The closest prior art Bachrach et al. (US 20120064225 A1) discloses a module kit suitable for a chemical and/or electrolytic surface treatment of a substrate, said kit comprising: a process chamber (124) [0043],
a first exchangeable dispense unit for dispensing a first liquid on the substrate (see any of spray dispenser cartridge 230a-d of any of first or second spray deposition regions 220a-d) [0046], and a second exchangeable dispense unit for dispensing a second liquid on the substrate (see any of spray dispenser cartridge 230a-d of any of first or second spray deposition regions 220a-d) [0047], wherein the process chamber is dimensioned to receive either the first exchangeable dispense unit or the second exchangeable dispense unit (the dispense units have the same dimensions) (Fig. 2), the first exchangeable dispense unit and the second exchangeable dispense unit are each dimensioned to receive the substrate (Fig. 3).
However, the independent claims 1 and 19 require the process chamber comprises a kit interface the first exchangeable dispense unit comprises a first inlet interface for the first liquid, wherein the second exchangeable dispense unit comprises a second inlet interface for the second liquid, and the kit interface, the first inlet interface and the second inlet interface are configured for an exchangeable cooperation, either between the kit interface and the first inlet interface, or between the kit interface and the second inlet interface.
Gleissner et al. (US 20190032240 A1) discloses a distribution system for a chemical and/or electrolytic surface treatment of a substrate comprising: a process chamber [0012], a first dispense unit (21) for dispensing a first liquid on the substrate (30) [0049], and a second dispense unit (21) for dispensing a second liquid on the substrate (30) [0049], wherein the process chamber is dimensioned to receive either the first exchangeable dispense unit or the second exchangeable dispense unit (Fig. 1), the first dispense unit (21) and the second dispense unit (21) are each dimensioned to receive the substrate (30) (Fig. 1).
However, the independent claims 1 and 19 require the first and the second dispense units to be exchangeable, and the process chamber comprises a kit interface for supplying the first liquid or the second liquid and the first exchangeable dispense unit comprises a first inlet interface for the first liquid, wherein the second exchangeable dispense unit comprises a second inlet interface for the second liquid, wherein the kit interface, the first inlet interface and the second inlet interface are configured for an exchangeable cooperation, either between the kit interface and the first inlet interface, or between the kit interface and the second inlet interface.
Similarly, Ötzlinger et al. (US 20230075605 A1) discloses a distribution system for a chemical and/or electrolytic surface treatment of a substrate comprising a process chamber, two dispense unites and a substrate. However, Ötzlinger does not disclose the process chamber comprising kit interface configured for exchangeable cooperation either between the kit interface and the first inlet interface, or between the kit interface and the second inlet interface.
The prior art of record does not disclose nor suggest the instantly claimed invention as a whole.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Wojciech Haske whose telephone number is (571)272-5666. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Lin can be reached at 571-272-8902. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WOJCIECH HASKE/ Examiner, Art Unit 1794