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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 5610715 A (Yoshii et al., hereinafter: Yoshii) in view of US 20230207368 A1 (Mori et al., hereinafter: Mori).
Regarding claim 1, Yoshii teaches a multi-axis operation apparatus (see attached annotated fig. 5) in an isotropic arrangement (it can be seen in fig.5), comprising:
a carrying device (see attached annotated fig. 5) including:
a moving mechanism (see attached annotated fig. 5) being movable along a first direction (see attached annotated fig. 5) and a second direction (see attached annotated fig. 5) that is perpendicular to the first direction (it can be seen in fig.5); and
a carrying platform (see attached annotated fig. 5) having a target region (see attached annotated fig. 5) that is configured for placement of a target object (4, in fig.4 or 8B), wherein the carrying platform is installed on the moving mechanism (see attached annotated fig. 5), such that the carrying platform is movable in a displacement plane jointly defined by the first direction and the second direction through the moving mechanism (it can be seen in fig. 5);
a plurality of two-dimensional scale regions (see attached annotated fig. 5) being located on the carrying platform (it can be seen in fig. 5), wherein the two-dimensional scale regions (it can be seen in fig. 5 or 8B) are configured to be parallel to the target object or the target region and to be arranged at an outer side of the target object or the target region (it can be seen in fig. 5 or 8B); and
an operating mechanism (see attached annotated fig. 5) spaced apart from the carrying platform along an interval direction (see attached annotated fig. 5) that is perpendicular to the displacement plane (it can be seen in fig.5), wherein the operating mechanism includes:
a working member (see attached annotated fig. 5) configured to face toward the target object or the target region along the interval direction (it can be seen in fig.5); and
a plurality of position sensors (see attached annotated fig. 5, see column 9, lines 8-17, element heads 210 which is or are operable to perform the detection, on the basis of the light quantity of the reflected light, of the light directed to the one-dimensional diffraction grating of the wafer scale 22a) respectively facing toward the two-dimensional scale regions along the interval direction (it can be seen in fig.5);
wherein, when the multi-axis operation apparatus (see attached annotated fig. 5) is operated to perform a predetermined operation (Fig. 11), the operating mechanism confirms (see attached annotated fig. 5) a real-time position of the target object from the two-dimensional scale regions through the position sensors (it can be seen in fig. 11), such that the working member (see attached annotated fig. 5) performs a predetermined process on a predetermined area of the target object along the interval direction according to the real-time position (column 9, line65 -column 10 line 40, teaches that working member 2 obtains position of wafer in real time so, accurate circuit pattern can be printed)
Yoshii teaches claimed arrangement of two-dimensional scale regions; However, Yoshii’s scale regions are one dimensional (scale regions 22a-22b).
Mori teaches use of two-dimensional scale regions (424, in Fig. 5, Note: Furthermore, Mori teaches a linear X and Y encoders are replicable with two-dimensional encoders, see ¶0077 Note that instead of employing the two-dimensional encoder, a linear encoder may be employed concerning each of the X-axis and the Y-axis. Also, in ¶0080, Mori teaches a plurality of encoder heads may be arranged, and, for example, the plurality of encoder heads may selectively be used in accordance with the position of the bonding target portion. This configuration is advantageous in reducing footprint, Alternatively, a pair of encoder heads may be arranged to be symmetrical with respect to the bonding target portion. This Alternative arrangement of Mori is as claimed and as shown in Yoshii.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention to have modified Yoshii by replacing one-dimensional scale region with two-dimensional scale region in view of Mori in order to achieve position of target region in X and Y direction in its movable range (See, ¶0077) and to facilitate position of chip (51 in fig. 5) or placing a second object to a predetermined portion of a first object or target or target region at high accuracy concerning a first direction and a second direction (see ¶0003).
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Regarding claim 2, a combination of Yoshii and Mori teaches all the limitations of claim 1. Modified Yoshii also teaches when the multi-axis operation apparatus (Fig.5) is operated to perform the predetermined process, the carrying platform moves in the displacement plane (see attached annotated fig.5), and a projection region defined by orthogonally (see attached annotated fig.5) projecting each of the position sensors (21a-21d, Fig. 5, column 10 lines 5-7) onto the carrying platform along the interval direction (Z, fig. 5) remains located on a corresponding one of the two-dimensional scale regions (See attached annotated fig. 5).
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Regarding claim 3, the combination of Yoshii and Mori teaches all the limitations of claim 1. Modified Yoshii teaches an outer surface of the target object is coplanar with the two-dimensional scale regions and is parallel to the displacement plane (it can be seen in fig. 5 and 11), and the two-dimensional scale regions are spaced apart from the target object by a same interval (it can be seen in fig. 5 and 11).
Modified Yoshii discloses the claimed invention except for wherein a size of each of the two-dimensional scale regions is configured to be greater than or equal to a size of the target object or the target region.
It would have been an obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed matter of design choice to modified wherein a size of each of the two-dimensional scale regions is configured to be greater than or equal to a size of the target object or the target region in order to achieve improving potion measurement accuracy (¶0080, of Mori), since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. (See MPEP 2144.01_IV section A).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Yoshii and Mori teaches all the limitations of claim 1. Yoshi does not explicitly teach wherein each of the two-dimensional scale regions is a two-dimensional encoder (Note: Yoshii teaches one-dimensional, or a linear X and Y scale regions is one-dimensional diffraction-grating scales 22a-22d. See Note in ejection of claim 1).
Mori teaches the two-dimensional scale regions is a two-dimensional encoder (See, ¶0077 The encoder scale 424 is a two-dimensional encoder scale).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention to have modified each one-dimensional encoder of Yoshii by replacing the two-dimensional scale regions is a two-dimensional encoder in view of Mori in order to achieve position of target region in X and Y direction in its movable range (See, ¶0077) and to facilitate position of chip (51 in fig. 5) or placing a second object to a predetermined portion of a first object or target or target region at high accuracy concerning a first direction and a second direction (see ¶0003).
Modified Yoshii discloses the claimed invention except for an outer contour of each of the two-dimensional scale regions is configured to be equal to an outer contour of the target object or the target region.
It would have been an obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed matter of design choice to modified an outer contour of each of the two-dimensional scale regions is configured to be equal to an outer contour of the target object or the target region in order to achieve improving potion measurement accuracy (¶0080, of Mori), since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. (See MPEP 2144.01_IV section A).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Yoshii and Mori teaches all the limitations of claim 1. Modified Yoshii also teaches an arrangement distance is defined between a center of each of the two-dimensional scale regions (see Fig. 8B, the distance between center of target 4 and center of 22a is interpreted as a an arrangement distance) and a center of the target object or the target region (4 in fig. 8B), and the arrangement distances that respectively correspond to the two-dimensional scale regions are equal to each other (it can be seen in fig. 8B).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 5610715 A (Yoshii et al., hereinafter: Yoshii) in view of US 20230207368 A1 (Mori et al., hereinafter: Mori) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 6203082 (Bendant et al., hereinafter: Bendant).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Yoshii and Mori teaches all the limitations of claim 1. Modified Yoshii also teaches wherein the working member (see above attached annotated fig. 5) is configured to remain stationary along the first direction and the second direction (it can be seen in fig. 5, Carrying device moves in the first and second direction working member is stationary).
Modified Yoshii does not explicitly teach the working member is configured to adsorb a chip that is transported by an external transfer mechanism; wherein the working member is configured to place the chip onto the predetermined area of the target object along the interval direction during the predetermined process.
Bendant teaches the working member (92 in fig. 4) is configured to adsorb a chip that is transported by an external transfer mechanism (100 in fig. 4); wherein the working member (92 in fig. 4) is configured to place the chip (102 in fig. 4) onto the predetermined area of the target object (104 in fig. 4) along the interval direction (Z axis in fig. 4) during the predetermined process (see, column 5, line 50- column 6, line 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of applicant’s claimed invention to have modified a combination of Yoshii and Mori by incorporating the working member is configured to adsorb a chip that is transported by an external transfer mechanism; wherein the working member is configured to place the chip onto the predetermined area of the target object along the interval direction during the predetermined process in view of Bendant in order to adapt for picking and placing microscopic components with higher accuracy to other semiconductor devices like substrate or wafer (Column 2, lines 2-10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8, and 10 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. US 20200174373 A1 (Akoi) and US 10132656 B2 (Liu) teaches use of two-dimensional scale regions for positioning wafer stage.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAIMIN G PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-0052. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at 517-272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAUL RODRIGUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3652
/JAIMIN G PATEL/Examiner, Art Unit 3652
