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 .
Statement re Text of U.S. Code
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Election/Restrictions
In the reply filed October 24, 2025, Applicant elected species (iii) (the third species of electrostatic chuck, depicted in Figure 4) without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Noting the breadth of claim 5, claim 5 is being considered to read on the elected species, given that there are inherently first and second “parts” of the base plate (200) of the species of Figure 4 that can be drawn so as to meet the limitation re a width of a first “part” (that overlaps with an outer circumferential edge of the placement surface, as recited in claim 4) being narrower than a width of a second “part” (that is a part of the base plate on a further outer circumferential side relative to the first part).
That said, no claims are being withdrawn at the present time.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s):
the first and second openings of the coolant path that are both “arranged at a position overlapped with the outer circumferential edge of the placement surface”, as encompassed by the language “at least one of the first opening or the second opening is arranged at a position overlapped with the outer circumferential edge of the placement surface” in claim 4 (see Figure 4, noting that as shown, only opening 255 is located at a position overlapped with the outer circumferential edge E of the placement surface, whereas opening 256 is not located at a position overlapped with edge E).
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 4, lines 13-16, the claim sets now forth “the coolant flow path includes a first opening and a second opening formed in a surface of the base plate opposite to a surface of the base plate joined to the dielectric substrate”. However, it is unclear as claimed whether “formed in a surface of the base plate opposite to a surface of the base plate joined to the dielectric substrate” is intended to only go with “second opening”, or whether “formed in a surface of the base plate opposite to a surface of the base plate joined to the dielectric substrate” is also intended to go with “first opening”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 4-5, as best understood in view of the above rejections based on 35 USC 112, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0286755 A1 to Ito (hereinafter, “Ito”).
Ito teaches:
an electrostatic chuck (see, for example, Figures 1-2 and paragraphs 0026-0028, as well as paragraph 0032, for example) comprising:
a dielectric substrate (20; see Figures 1-2, as well as at least paragraphs 0027-0028, noting that paragraph 0028 teaches that the ceramic plate 20 can be made of ceramics such as aluminum nitride or alumina; see also paragraph 0013 of the present specification which teaches that the dielectric substrate 100 is formed of a ceramic body including aluminum oxide Al2O3, also known as alumina) including a placement surface (20a) on which an object (W) to be attracted is placed (see Figures 1-2, as well as at least paragraphs 0027-0028 and 0032, for example); and
a base plate (40) which is joined (via an adhesive sheet 30; see paragraph 0027) to the dielectric substrate (20) (see also Figures 1-2, for example) and which (40) has formed therein a coolant flow path (50) through which a coolant is able to flow (see at least Figure 2 and paragraph 0029), wherein
when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the placement surface (20a),
the base plate (40) includes
a first part (such as the “part”/portion of 40 labeled in the annotated reproduction of Figure 2 below as “P1”) serving as a part overlapped with an outer circumferential edge (shown at, for example, the location at which the left vertical side of 20 in Figure 2 intersects the placement surface 20a) of the placement surface (20a) (see the annotated reproduction of Figure 2 below), and
a second part (such as the “part”/portion labeled in the annotated reproduction of Figure 2 below as “P1”) serving as a part on a further outer circumferential side relative to the first part (P1) (see the annotated reproduction of Figure 2 below; see also Figure 1),
the coolant flow path (50) is formed in each of the first part (P1) and the second part (P2) (see the annotated reproduction of Figure 2 below),
the coolant flow path (50) includes a first opening (either of 58i or 58o) and a second opening (the other of 58o or 58i) (see Figures 2-3 and also at least paragraph 0031, for example) formed in a surface (40b) of the base plate (40) opposite to a surface (top surface of 40) of the base plate (40) joined to the dielectric substrate (20) (see Figure 2, for example), and the coolant flow (50) path extends between the (aforedescribed) first opening and the (aforedescribed) second opening (see paragraph 0031, for example, as well as Figures 2-3), and
when viewed from the direction (i.e., a vertical axis re Figure 2) perpendicular to the placement surface (20a),
at least one of the first opening or the second opening is arranged at a position overlapped with the (aforedescribed) outer circumferential edge of the placement surface (20a) (see annotated Figure 2 below, noting that opening 58o is located at such a position).
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Regarding claim 5, a width (such as in the left/right horizontal direction re Figure 2) of the first part (P1) is narrower than a width (such as in the left/right horizontal direction re Figure 2) of the second part (P2). See the annotated reproduction of Figure 2 above, noting that P1 is narrower than P2.
Response to Arguments
Regarding the previous rejections under 35 USC 112(b) and 35 USC 112(a), Applicant indicates (on page 4 of the response filed 4/6/2026) that the claims have been amended to address the concerns. However, attention is directed to the above rejections under 35 USC 112(b) for any issues with respect thereto that either remain, or that were newly created via the amendment filed 4/6/2026.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 4-5 re the previous rejection of claim 4 under 35 USC 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0133244 to Knyazik et al. have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICA E CADUGAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4474. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 5:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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/ERICA E CADUGAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3722
eec
April 30, 2026
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