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 .
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to the amendment filed 04/09/2026. As directed by the amendment: claims 1, 2, 4-11, and 20 are amended; claims 3 and 12-19 are cancelled; claims 21 and 22 are added.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/09/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant alleges that Ogura fails to teach the drain valve being at a lower elevation than the supply valve, the intermediate valve is at a lower elevation than the supply valve, and that the limitations were not explained in the rejection.
However, as seen in the previously provided annotated figure below, when rotated about the annotated axis of rotation, and tilted as annotated (see lowest position and highest position), the drain valve 46 and the intermediate valve 42 are at a lower elevation than the supply valve 41.
Applicant alleges that Ogura fails to teach the treatment solution to be drained by free fall due to the pumps.
However, the pumped fluid would still free fall out of the drain valve. The claim does not necessitate the drainage occurring due to gravity.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-6, 8-10, and 20-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ogura (JP 2022-139697).
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Annotated Figure 8 from Ogura.
Regarding claim 1, Ogura discloses:
An apparatus (1) for processing a substrate (W), the apparatus (1) comprising: (see translation page 2)
a chamber (7) defining a processing space for processing a substrate (W; see translation page 2)
a support (5) disposed in the processing space and being configured to support the substrate (W; see translation page 2)
a nozzle (31) configured to discharge a treatment solution onto the substrate (W) when processing the substrate (W; see translation page 2)
a liquid supply unit (11) configured to supply the nozzle (31) with the treatment solution (see translation page 2)
wherein the liquid supply unit (11) includes:
a liquid supply source (61) for supplying the treatment solution (see translation page 3)
a supply line (15-18) connected between the liquid supply source (61) and the nozzle 31 (see Figure 8)
a supply valve (41) in the supply line (15-18) and being configured to open and close a passage of the supply line 15-18 (see Figure 10 a-d)
a discharge line (77) in the supply line (15-18) downstream of the supply valve (41) and being configured to discharge the treatment solution from the supply line 15-18 (see translation page 15)
a drain valve (46) in the discharge line (77) and being configured to open and close a passage of the discharge line 77 (see translation page 15)
the drain valve (46) being at a lower elevation than the supply valve 41 (see annotated figure above)
Regarding claim 2, Ogura discloses:
wherein the discharge line (77) is in the supply line (15-18), the discharge line (77) extending downwardly in elevation from the supply line 15-18 (see annotated figure above)
Regarding claim 4, Ogura discloses:
wherein the liquid supply (11) further includes an intermediate valve (42) in the supply line (15-18), the intermediate valve (42) being downstream of the supply valve 41 (see translation page 8)
Regarding claim 5, Ogura discloses:
a controller (65) configured to control the supply valve (41), the drain valve (46), and the intermediate valve (42)
wherein the controller (65) is configured to control the intermediate valve (42) and the supply valve (41) such that the intermediate valve (42) is set to a closed state before the supply valve (41) is set from an open state to a closed state (see translation pages 7-8)
Regarding claim 6, Ogura discloses:
wherein the intermediate valve (42) is at a lower elevation than the supply valve 41 (see annotated figure above)
Regarding claim 8, Ogura discloses:
wherein the supply line (15-18) includes:
a first line (15) with the supply valve (41)
a second line (16) extending from the first line (15) and being at a lower elevation than the first line (15), and the discharge line (77) being connected to the second line 16 (see annotated figure above)
Regarding claim 9, Ogura discloses:
wherein the supply line (15-18) further includes a third line (18) at a higher elevation from the second line (16) and connected to the nozzle (31), and a top end (14) of the third line (18) being at a higher elevation than a top end of the first line (15) and a top end of the second line 16 (see annotated figure above)
Regarding claim 10, Ogura discloses:
a controller (65) configured to control the supply valve (41) and the drain valve (46), wherein when, in the supply line (15-18), the supply line (15-18) is in a closed state and the drain valve (46) is in an open state by the controller (65), an upstream side of the supply valve (41) is sealed and a downstream side of the supply valve (41) is exposed to lower pressure to cause the treatment solution to be drained by free fall (see translation pages 15, 16)
Further regarding atmospheric pressure, a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations.
Regarding claim 20, Ogura discloses:
An apparatus (1) for processing a substrate (W), the apparatus (1) comprising: (see translation page 2)
a chamber (7) defining a processing space for processing a substrate (W; see translation page 2)
a support (5) disposed in the processing space and being configured to support the substrate (W; see translation page 2)
a nozzle (31) configured to discharge a treatment solution onto the substrate (W) when processing the substrate (W; see translation page 2)
a liquid supply (11) configured to supply the nozzle (31) with the treatment solution
wherein the liquid supply (11) includes: (see translation page 2)
a liquid supply source (61) configured to supply the treatment solution (see translation page 3)
a supply line (15-18) connected between the liquid supply source (61) and the nozzle 31 (see Figure 8)
a supply valve (41) in the supply line (15-18) and configured to open and close a passage of the supply line 15-18 (See Figures 10 a-d)
a first discharge line (see annotated figure above) in the supply line (15-18) and connected downstream of the supply valve (41), the first discharge line (see annotated figure above) being connected with a drain port (see annotated figure above) and configured to discharge the treatment solution, the first discharge line (see annotated figure above) being at a lower elevation than the supply line 15-18 (see translation page 15)
a second discharge line (75) connected to the drain port (see annotated figure above) and the first discharge line (see annotated figure above), the second discharge line (75) being configured to discharge the treatment solution through the first discharge line (see annotated figure above), the second discharge line (75) being at a lower elevation than the first discharge line (see annotated figure above)
a drain valve (46) in the first discharge line (see annotated figure above), and being configured to open and close a passage of the first discharge line (see annotated figure above), the drain valve (46) being at a lower elevation than the supply valve 41 (see translation page 15)
an intermediate valve (42) in the supply line (15-18), the intermediate valve (42) being downstream of the supply valve (41), the intermediate valve (42) being set to a closed state before the supply valve (41) is set from an open state to a closed state, the intermediate valve (42) being at a lower elevation than the supply valve 41 (see annotated figure above; see translation page 15)
the supply line (15-18) includes:
a first line (15) with the supply valve (41) (see Figure 8)
a second line (16) extending from the first line (15) and being positioned at a lower elevation than the first line (15), the second line (16) being connected with the first discharge line (see annotated figure above)
a third line (18) extending upwardly from the second line (16) and being connected to the nozzle (31), the third line (18) having a top end (14) at a higher elevation than a top end of the first line (15) and a top end of the second line 16 (see annotated figure above)
Regarding claim 21, Ogura discloses:
wherein the liquid supply (11) is configured such that the supply line (15-18) and discharge line (77) are in direct fluid communication with each other when the supply valve (41) and the drain valve (46) are open (see Figure 8)
Regarding claim 22, Ogura discloses:
wherein the liquid supply (11) is configured such that the supply line (15-18) and discharge line (77) are in direct fluid communication with each other when the supply valve (41), the drain valve (46), and the intermediate valve (42) are open (see Figure 8)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 7 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogura in view of Nakamizo et al. (U.S. 2018/0308730).
Regarding claims 7 and 11, Ogura discloses the invention as essentially claimed and further discloses wherein the supply valve (41) is a diaphragm valve.
Ogura fails to disclose wherein the intermediate valve is a diaphragm configured to open and close via a disk that is controlled by a solenoid; wherein the supply valve and the drain valve are diaphragm valves configured to open and close via a disk that is controlled by a solenoid.
Ogura Figure 3 teaches a valve is a diaphragm valve (see Figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention as effectively filed to have modified Ogura to provide wherein the intermediate valve and the drain valve are diaphragm valves, as taught by Ogura Figure 3. Doing so would provide leak-tight valves.
Nakamizo teaches a substrate processing apparatus comprising a liquid supply unit wherein a valve is controlled by a solenoid (see paragraph 0058).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Ogura to provide wherein the intermediate valve is controlled by a solenoid; wherein the supply valve and the drain valve are controlled by a solenoid, as taught by Nakamizo. Doing so would provide increased accuracy and reliability.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/KELSEY E CARY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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