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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species C, claims 1 and 4 in the reply filed on 25 September 2026 is acknowledged.
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 of this title, 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 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ellis et al. (US 2018/0166314 A1) in view of Compen et al. (US 2010/0195080 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ellis et al. discloses a chuck 20 comprising: a chuck surface 52; and a plurality of extendible port assemblies 130 (embodiment of figures 8A-9B) distributed over the chuck surface, each of the extendible port assemblies being separately connectable to a suction source 70 and a tube 110 that distally extends from the chuck surface, the tube having a distal end 112 configured to form a seal when in contact with a workpiece and configured to be collapsible when suction is applied by the suction source after formation of the seal: a plurality of non-extendible vacuum ports 60 that are interspersed with the extendible port assemblies on the chuck surface, and at least one areal seal 64 that extends from the chuck surface and bounds a region of the chuck surface that includes at least one non-extendible vacuum port of the plurality of non- extendible vacuum ports, the areal seal configured to form an airtight seal when the areal seal is in contact with the workpiece, wherein each of the plurality of extendible port assemblies and each of the plurality of non-extendible vacuum ports is separately connectable via a conduit 96/66.
Ellis et al. does not disclose that the conduits include a flow restrictor to the suction source. Compen et al. teaches the use of a vacuum chuck 1 that comprises vacuum port assemblies 102/103/104 connected to vacuum conduits 107/108/109, each conduit including a flow restrictor 112 for the purpose of providing flow resistance in the conduits and vacuum port assemblies. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to have combined the conduits of Ellis et al. with the flow restrictors of Compen et al. in order to prevent the vacuum conduits and vacuum port assemblies from becoming over pressurized and damaging a substrate held by the chuck.
Regarding claim 4, the modified invention of Ellis et al. discloses wherein the tube 110 is configured to re-extend after cessation of application of the suction.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Codatto (US 5,964,568) discloses a vacuum chuck with extendible port assemblies.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC ANDREW GATES whose telephone number is (571)272-5498. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 9-6, Alt Fr 9-5.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sunil Singh, can be reached on 571-272-3460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC A. GATES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722 14 October 2026
