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 .
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 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.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 – 20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/15/2024 and 07/01/2025 were filed before the first office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Withers et al. (U. S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0128460 A1).
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Withers teaches a brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) for cleaning of a substrate (Fig. 3) with a fluid (Paragraph [0030]), the brush (110; Fig. 3) comprising: a polymeric brush body (Paragraph [0029]) comprising one or more contact surfaces (outer surface, 114; Fig. 5) for cleaning the substrate (substrate/semiconductor, 104; Fig. 8); and a mandrel (mandrel, 130; Fig. 4) configured to support the polymeric brush body (110; Paragraph [0026]), the mandrel (130) comprising: a plurality of apertures (pores, 156; Figs. 6 and 7) distributed over a surface (Fig. 7) of the mandrel (130; Fig. 7), and a bore (fluid channel, 150) configured to supply the polymeric brush body (110) with fluid via the plurality of apertures (Paragraph [0030]), the bore (150) having a diameter (Fig. 7) sufficient to supply the plurality of apertures (156) with substantially uniform aperture flow rates for bore flow rates (Paragraph [0038]).
Withers does not explicitly teach the substantially uniform aperture flow rates for bore flow rates between 200 mL/min and 2 L/min.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brush of Withers to explicitly include a substantially uniform aperture flow rates for bore flow rates between 200 mL/min and 2 L/min, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size/flow of a component. A change in size/flow is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding Claim 2, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) wherein the polymeric brush body (110) is substantially cylindrical (Paragraph [0028]) and the one or more contact surfaces (114) comprise a plurality of nodules (Fig. 1) extending from an outer surface of the cylindrical brush body (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 3, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) wherein the diameter of the bore (150) is larger than a diameter of a fastener (rotational engagement member, 160; Fig. 8) configured to attach the mandrel to a support arm (rotational device, 102).
Regarding Claim 4, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) wherein the mandrel (130) is configured to distribute the fluid to the polymeric brush body (110) through the plurality of apertures (158; Paragraph [0030]).
Withers does not explicitly teach a substantially constant pressure between different ones of the plurality of apertures.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brush of Withers to explicitly include a substantially constant pressure between different ones of the plurality of apertures, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size/pressure of a component. A change in size/pressure is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding Claim 5, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) wherein the bore (150) is configured to provide the fluid (Paragraph [0030]).
Withers does not explicitly teach the fluid at less than a predetermined pressure gradient from a first end of the mandrel to a second end of the mandrel.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brush of Withers to explicitly include the fluid at less than a predetermined pressure gradient from a first end of the mandrel to a second end of the mandrel, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size/pressure of a component. A change in size/pressure is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding Claim 6, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) wherein the polymeric brush body (110) comprises at least one of a polyvinyl acetal foam, a polyurethane foam, a polyolefin foam, a porous fluoropolymer, a silicone foam, a polyester foam, a nylon foam, or a polyacrylic foam (Paragraph [0029]).
Regarding Claim 7, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract) wherein the polymeric brush body (110) is molded over a brush support, assembled, and then mounted on the brush support, or assembled as a sponge-only brush (Paragraph [0031]).
Regarding Claim 8, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract), further comprising a brush support (rotational device, 102) configured to rotate the polymeric brush body (110; Fig. 8) about an axis (Fig. 15) of the polymeric brush body (110) and a fastener (160) configured to fasten the mandrel (130) to the brush support (102).
Regarding Claim 9, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract), wherein the fastener (160) is a clasp, a clip, or a threaded connector (Paragraph [0033]).
Regarding Claim 10, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract), wherein the fastener (160) is arranged between the mandrel (130) and the brush support (102) and comprises a smaller diameter (Fig. 5) at a first end that interfaces with the mandrel than the diameter of the bore (150; Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 11, Withers teaches the brush (Fig. 3; Abstract), wherein the fastener (160) comprises an inner diameter (Fig. 10) that is smaller than an inner diameter (Fig. 10) of the mandrel (130).
Regarding Independent Claim 12, Withers teaches a system (cleaning system, 100; Fig. 3) to clean a substrate (Paragraph [0002]), the system (100) comprising: a cleaning brush (110), comprising: a polymeric brush body (Paragraph [0029]) comprising one or more contact surfaces (114) for cleaning the substrate (substrate/semiconductor, 104; Fig. 8), a mandrel (130) configured to support the polymeric brush body (11), the mandrel (130) comprising: a plurality of apertures (156) distributed over a surface of the mandrel (130; Fig. 7), and a bore (150) configured to supply the polymeric brush body (110) with fluid via the plurality of apertures (150; Paragraph [0030]), the bore (150) having a diameter sufficient to supply the plurality of apertures (Paragraph [0030]), a brush support (102) configured to rotate the polymeric brush body (110) about an axis (a; Fig. 7) of the polymeric brush body (110); a fastener (160) configured to connect the mandrel (130) to the brush support (102; Fis. 8 and 15) and an actuator (electric motor; Paragraph [0033]) coupled to the fastener (160) and configured to rotate the polymeric brush body (110) along the axis of the polymeric brush body (110) via the brush support (102).
Withers does not explicitly teach the substantially uniform aperture flow rates for bore flow rates between 200 mL/min and 2 L/min.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brush of Withers to explicitly include a substantially uniform aperture flow rates for bore flow rates between 200 mL/min and 2 L/min, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size/flow of a component. A change in size/flow is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding Claim 13, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]) wherein the polymeric brush body (110) is substantially cylindrical (Paragraph [0028]) and the one or more contact surfaces (114) comprise a plurality of nodules (Fig. 1) extending from an outer surface of the cylindrical brush body (Fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 14, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]) wherein the mandrel (130) is configured to distribute the fluid to the polymeric brush body (110) through the plurality of apertures (158; Paragraph [0030]).
Withers does not explicitly teach a substantially constant pressure between different ones of the plurality of apertures.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brush of Withers to explicitly include a substantially constant pressure between different ones of the plurality of apertures, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size/pressure of a component. A change in size/pressure is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding Claim 15, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]) wherein the bore (150) is configured to provide the fluid (Paragraph [0030]).
Withers does not explicitly teach the fluid at less than a predetermined pressure gradient from a first end of the mandrel to a second end of the mandrel.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brush of Withers to explicitly include the fluid at less than a predetermined pressure gradient from a first end of the mandrel to a second end of the mandrel, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size/pressure of a component. A change in size/pressure is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Regarding Claim 16, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]) wherein the polymeric brush body (110) comprises at least one of a polyvinyl acetal foam, a polyurethane foam, a polyolefin foam, a porous fluoropolymer, a silicone foam, a polyester foam, a nylon foam, or a polyacrylic foam (Paragraph [0029]).
Regarding Claim 17, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]) wherein the polymeric brush body (110) is molded over a brush support, assembled, and then mounted on the brush support, or assembled as a sponge-only brush (Paragraph [0031]).
Regarding Claim 18, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]), wherein the fastener (160) is a clasp, a clip, or a threaded connector (Paragraph [0033]).
Regarding Claim 19, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]), wherein the fastener (160) is arranged between the mandrel (130) and the brush support (102) and comprises a smaller diameter (Fig. 5) at a first end that interfaces with the mandrel (130) than a second end that interfaces with the brush support (102; Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 20, Withers teaches the system (Fig. 3; Paragraph [0035]), wherein the fastener (160) comprises an inner diameter (Fig. 10) that is smaller than an inner diameter (Fig. 10) of the mandrel (130).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATINA N HENSON whose telephone number is (571)272-8024. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday; 5:30am to 3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at 571-272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KATINA N. HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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