DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to claims filed on 12/12/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/12/2024 was filed on the filing date of the application. 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
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tung et al. US 20210226183 A1 (Hereinafter “Tung”), in view of Nakano et al. US 20080265688 A1 (Hereinafter “Nakano”).
Regarding Claim 1, Tung teaches a substrate transfer device (Fig. 1, 100) comprising:
a robot unit ([0031], rotary robot arm); and
a moving unit (Fig. 1, 104) configured to move the robot unit in a magnetic levitation manner along a first direction ([0031]), wherein the moving unit includes:
a moving body (Fig. 1, workpiece 106) including an electromagnet module that provides power for magnetic levitation ([0031]); and
a rail structure ([0031], rail system) with a guide rail installed along the first direction to define a movement path of the moving body, and
Tung does not expressly disclose a first direction (X axis), the electromagnet module includes:
a body;
electromagnets provided on an upper surface, a lower surface, and one side surface of the body, the electromagnets being configured to levitate and guide the moving body; and
an epoxy molding part formed by molding the body and the electromagnets with an epoxy resin.
However, Nakano teaches to move a first direction (X axis) (Nakano [0065], the substrate stage PST moves in the X axial directions by the drive that is produced by the electromagnetic interaction between the slider 42 and the stator 41),
the electromagnet module includes:
a body (Nakana Fig. 4, 31 & 32);
electromagnets (Nakano Fig. 4, 72) provided on an upper surface, a lower surface, and one side surface of the body, the electromagnets being configured to levitate and guide the moving body (Nakano [0127]); and
an epoxy molding part formed by molding the body and the electromagnets with an epoxy resin (Nakano [0094]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a first direction (X axis), the electromagnet module includes: a body; electromagnets provided on an upper surface, a lower surface, and one side surface of the body, the electromagnets being configured to levitate and guide the moving body; and an epoxy molding part formed by molding the body and the electromagnets with an epoxy resin as taught by Nakano in the substrate transfer device of Tung, for the purpose to insulate the electrical properties.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
gap sensors fixed to the body and for measuring a levitation directional gap and a guide directional gap of the moving body; and an epoxy molding part formed by molding the body, the electromagnets, and the gap sensors with an epoxy resin.
and an epoxy molding part formed by molding the body, the electromagnets, and the gap sensors with an epoxy resin, and the guide rail has a 'C'-shape that surrounds the electromagnet module and is open toward the outside of the movement path.
Claims 2-11 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. Berger et al. US 20210296150 A1 teaches a substrate transfer systems are used to move the substrates between each of the process chambers. The process chambers and the substrate transfer system can each be held under vacuum. One arrangement used for substrate transfer systems is a linear arrangement where process chambers are arranged in rows along each side of a linear (rectangular) chamber.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CORTEZ M COOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7954. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CORTEZ M COOK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
Prosecution Insights