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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR Patent No. 102504956.
Claims 1 and 12, KR-102504956 teaches a magnetic levitation apparatus 1 comprising: a mover 101 including a first magnetic force unit 103; a second magnetic force unit 202 positioned opposed to the first magnetic force unit 103, wherein a magnetic force acts between the second magnetic force unit 202 and the first magnetic force unit 103; a guide unit 204,205,206 configured to support the mover 101; and a control unit 3 configured to control a position and an attitude of the mover 101 Figs. 4-5, wherein one of the first magnetic force unit 103 and the second magnetic force unit 202 includes a coil, and another one of the first magnetic force unit 103 and the second magnetic force unit 202 includes a magnet, wherein the control unit 3 is configured to control a current flowing through the coil 202 to control the position and the attitude of the mover 101, and wherein the control unit 3 is configured to start, when the mover 101 is in contact with the guide unit 204,205,206, position control with respect to the mover 101 in a levitation direction, and start, when the mover 101 is in contact with the guide unit 201 after the position control, zero power control with respect to the mover 101 to levitate the mover 101 from the guide unit 201 Abstract.
Claim 2, KR-102504956 teaches the guide unit 204,205,206 comprises a plurality of guide units 204,205,206, and wherein the control unit 3 is configured to start the zero power control after the mover 101 is separated from any one of the plurality of guide units 204,205,206 by the position control P0040-0043.
Claim 3, KR-102504956 the control unit 3 is configured to control the position and the attitude of the mover 101 in a first direction which is the levitation direction (Z-direction), a second direction (X direction) intersecting with the first direction, a third direction (Y direction) intersecting with the first direction and the second direction, a fourth direction which is a rotation direction about a first axis along the first direction, a fifth direction which is a rotation direction about a second axis along the second direction, and a sixth direction which is a rotation direction about a third axis along the third direction P0018.
Claim 4, KR-102504956 the first direction is a vertical direction (Z direction) P0018.
Claim 5, KR-102504956 the second direction is a horizontal direction (X direction) and the third direction (Y direction) is another horizontal direction.
Claim 6, KR-102504956 the control unit 3 is configured to start the zero power control in at least one of the first direction (Z direction), the fifth direction, and the sixth direction P0018.
Claim 7, KR-102504956 the mover 101 has a negative spring characteristic in at least one of the first direction, the fifth direction, and the sixth direction P0018.
Claim 8, KR-102504956 the control unit 3 is configured to start the zero power control when a magnetic spring constant via 103,202 of the mover 101 is greater than a spring constant of the guide unit 204,205,206.
Claim 9, KR-102504956 teaches the first magnetic force unit 103 includes the magnet, and wherein the second magnetic force unit 202 includes the coil.
Claim 10, KR-102504956 teaches the mover 101 is movable in a direction intersecting with the levitation direction while being levitated in the levitation direction P0018.
Claim 11, KR-102504956 teaches the magnet 103 is a permanent magnet 103.
Claim 13, KR-102504956 teaches a manufacturing system comprising: the magnetic levitation apparatus 1 according to claim 1; and a process apparatus configured to work a workpiece 102 being transported by the mover 101 Abstract.
Claim 15, KR-102504956 teaches a method of manufacturing an article 102 using the manufacturing system according to claim 13, the method comprising: transporting the workpiece 102 by the mover 101, and working, by the process apparatus, the workpiece 102 being transported by the mover 101.
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 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(s) 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR Patent No. 102504956 in view of Katagiri U.S. Patent No. 5,170,714.
Claim 14, KR-102504956 does not teach as Katagiri teaches the workpiece 1 is a substrate, and wherein the process apparatus is a film formation apparatus configured to form a film on the substrate 1 C1 L15-35; Abstract. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to combine the transport disclosed in KR-102504956 with the process taught in Katagiri with a reasonable expectation of success because
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAVEL SINGH whose telephone number is (571)272-2362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8am-6pm.
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/KAVEL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
KS
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