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 .
Status of Claims
This office action is responsive to claims filed on February 11, 2025.
Claims 1-7 are being examined in this office action.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The recitation:
“wherein rotating the rotatable latch includes engaging an actuation feature provided on a base of the rotatable latch with an actuator, and the actuator rotating the rotatable latch through the engagement with the actuating feature,”
appears to be repetitive in nature, and reads unclear. Consider amending for clear readability. Examiner proposes:
“wherein rotating the rotatable latch includes engaging an actuation feature provided on a base of the rotatable latch with an actuator, wherein the actuatorrotates the rotatable latch through the engagement with the actuating feature.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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 “actuation feature” and “actuator” (Claim 2) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). 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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 6, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kato et al. (US 2018/0068882 A1, herein Kato).
Regarding claim 1, Kato discloses [0041] a method of closing a reticle container (1) (Fig. 1), comprising passing a head (14c) (Fig. 1) of a rotatable latch (14a) (Fig. 1) through an aperture (15) (Fig. 5) provided on a first container segment (3) (Fig. 1) and rotating the rotatable latch (14a) such that the head (14c) engages a retention recess (6) (Fig. 1) intersecting the aperture (15).
Regarding claim 6, Kato discloses wherein the aperture (13) is a slot. In this case, the aperture defined by the gasket (13) is being interpreted as a slot for holding the lid (3).
Regarding claim 7, Kato discloses wherein the head (14c) (Fig. 1) includes two opposing projections.
Alternatively, claims 1, 3, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kato et al. (US 2018/0068882 A1, herein Kato).
Regarding claim 1, Kato discloses [0041] a method of closing a reticle container (1) (Fig. 1), comprising passing a head (14c) (Fig. 1) of a rotatable latch (14a) (Fig. 1) through an aperture (6) (Fig. 1) provided on a first container segment (2) (Fig. 1) and rotating the rotatable latch (14a) such that the head (14c) engages a retention recess (15) (Fig. 5) intersecting the aperture (6).
Regarding claim 3, Kato discloses wherein the rotatable latch (14a) (Fig. 1) is included in a second container segment (3) (Fig. 1), and a reticle (W) is located between the first container segment (2) and the second container segment (3).
Regarding claim 6, Kato discloses wherein the aperture (6) is a slot.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 4 and 5 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.
** Please see the pertinent art section below regarding the prior art which Examiner has deemed to be the closest prior art. This prior art was not applied due to key structural differences, discussed in further detail below.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chuang et al. (US 2021/0116821 A1,herein Chuang) discloses a reticle retaining system comprising an inner pod and an outer pod. The inner pod comprises an inner base and an inner cover configured to couple to the inner base thereby forming an interior for housing a received workpiece, and a hold down pin movably arranged through the inner cover and configured to press the received workpiece.
Conn et al. (US 2011/0127895 A1, herein Conn) discloses an apparatus comprising a frame and a cover removably attached to the frame. The apparatus further comprises a geared latch assembly attached to the cover, the geared latch assembly having a geared latch. If the geared latch is rotated from a first position to a second position, the cover moves linearly from a closed state to an open state.
Wu et al. (US 6,622,883 B1, herein Wu) discloses a door for a wafer container, including a rotatable cammed member that is vertically aligned and moved in and out of respective first latch holes on the wafer transport module upon rotary motion of the rotatable cammed member, and two second links respectively coupled to the first links and horizontally moved in and out of respective second latch holes on the wafer transport module upon movement of the first links.
Neither Chuang, Conn, nor Wu disclose wherein rotating the rotatable latch includes engaging an actuation feature provided on a base of the rotatable latch with an actuator. Furthermore, neither Chuang nor Conn disclose wherein a spring contacting the rotatable latch applies force driving engagement of the head with the retention recess; or wherein a retention ring is provided in a retention ring groove formed in a shaft of the rotatable latch.
Furthermore, Wright et al. (Us 2006/0000747 A1, herein Wright) does not disclose a rotatable latch as recited in claim 1. Rather, Wright discloses four U-shaped latches which are received in a snap fit relation on a tab that is integrally connected to the base of the lower section and are received in the notch in the upper section (Wright, Paragraph [0031]-[0032]). These latches, when received in all sections, keep the container closed (Wright, Paragraph [0033]). The latches described in Wright are not rotatable, that is they are not configured to be rotated between a first and second orientation. The only movement the latches in Wright has a slight deformation in order to have the latches fit in the respective notches (Wright, Paragraph [0032]). As such, Wright does not disclose a rotatable latch as recited by claim 1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PRAACHI M. PATHAK whose telephone number is (571)272-8005. The examiner can normally be reached Monday & Tuesday 8:30 am-5:30 pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shelley Self can be reached at (571) 272-4524. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Praachi M Pathak/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
May 4, 2026
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