DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 06 May 2026 is acknowledged. Non-elected Claim 10 is noted as having been cancelled via the amendment filed therewith.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02 December 2024 and 14 January 2026 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
1. Claims 5-8 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.
With regard to Claims 5-8, each depend from a cancelled claim (Claim 4), and are thus ambiguous. For purposes of examination, each of Claims 5-8 are presumed to depend from Claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 and 9 are allowed. Claims 5-8 would similarly be allowable to the extent they are amended to depend from Claim 1 as noted above.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The closest prior art is deemed to be CN 108611620 to Yang et al. (“Yang”) and DE 102013100767 to Krause et al. (“Krause”), translations of which are provided herewith and referred-to herein. Yang teaches a continuous vacuum coating apparatus comprising a controller, buffer chamber, pump (transition) chamber, and target (coating) chamber arranged in sequence (see Abstract; FIG. 1; ¶¶ [0008]-[0015], [0031]-[0033], [0036]-[0037]). Position sensors (detection elements) communicate substrate presence to a controller which adjusts the speed of conveyor belts on which the substrates reside, thereby controlling distances therebetween (Id.). Krause teaches a continuous vacuum treatment process and system comprising a gate region (buffer), passing region (transition), and processing region (coating) (see Abstract; FIGs. 3-4). The passing region of Krause comprises position detectors (see FIG. 4 elements 10; ¶¶ [0045]-[0046]). Conveyor speed is adjusted based on substrate detection (see ¶ [0036]). Yang and Krause do not teach or suggest a configuration wherein the transition chamber comprises first and second chambers integrally connected and arranged such that the first chamber is adjacent the buffer chamber, the second chamber is adjacent the coating chamber, and wherein the first and second chambers are provided with detection elements as claimed.
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 Michael P Rodriguez whose telephone number is (571)270-3736. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 - 6:00 Eastern M-F.
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/Michael P. Rodriguez/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1712
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