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.
Claims 1, 2, 10, 11, 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NIU US 2019/0099883 A1 in a view of LEE US 2023/0317504 A1.
Regarding claim 1, NIU discloses
A robot (figs 1-3) comprising: a base; a multi-joint arm configured to connect the hand to the base [0044, 0050]; one or more motors (item 401M) configured to drive the multi-joint arm and change a position of the hand relative to the base [0054]; a drive circuit (item 81) configured to supply driving power to the one or more motors [0054]; and a circuit case (item 5) configured to accommodate the drive circuit and be attached to the base in a removable manner [0886].
NIU does not disclose but LEE discloses a hand (fig. 1, item 221) configured to support a substrate [0034].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a hand disclosed by LEE in NIU’s teachings to handle the substrate.
Regarding claim 2, NIU discloses
a flange extending to partition between the arm and the base, wherein the circuit case is attached to the base such that the base is positioned between the circuit case and the flange.
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Regarding claim 10, NIU discloses
, wherein the base and the circuit case are located below the flange, and the flange holds the base with the circuit case separated from a floor surface [0137] (refer to fig. 1 for detail).
Regarding claim 11, NIU discloses
, wherein the base includes a first frame that imparts a load bearing capacity exceeding a total weight of the hand, the multi-joint arm, the flange, and the one or more motors to the base, the circuit case includes a second frame that imparts a load bearing capacity exceeding a total weight of the hand, the multi-joint arm, the flange, the one or more motors, and the base to the circuit base, and the second frame is attached to the first frame (NIU discloses the base supports the flange as shown in fig. 1. Frames are inherent part of the base along with a load bearing capacity since the base supports the flange).
Regarding claim 13, NIU discloses
, wherein the drive circuit includes a connector (fig. 12, item 91) to which the one or more motors are electrically connected, and the circuit case has wiring openings that expose the connector in a state where the circuit case is attached to the base [0085] (refer to fig. 12 for details).
Regarding claim 14, NIU discloses
a cover (item 44) capable of opening or closing the wiring openings while the circuit case is attached to the base [0072].
Regarding claim 15, NIU discloses
a power supply circuit (figs 1-3, item 82) configured to supply power to the drive circuit [0073], and a power supply case (item 44) configured to accommodate the power supply circuit and attached to the circuit case in a removable manner [0072].
Regarding claim 16, NIU discloses
, wherein the power supply case is attached to the circuit case such that it is aligned with the circuit case in a direction intersecting a direction in which the base and the circuit case are arranged [0072, 0092].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9, 12 and 17-19 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. Claim 3 discloses details about vent. Claim 12 discloses details about multiple hooks and claim 18 about a chamber.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
YAMAZAKI et al. (US 2016/0089775 A1) disclose outer side surfaces are detachably attached to the frame.
Hosek et al. (US 2008/0249651 A1) disclose a substrate transport apparatus.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BICKEY DHAKAL whose telephone number is (571)272-3577. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached on 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BICKEY DHAKAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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