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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Naoi (JP-63-299857A).
With respect to claim 1, Naoi teaches a solder reflow apparatus (10) (title; figures; and machine translation) comprising: a reflow chamber (1) configured to receive a heat transfer fluid (solvent 2), the heat transfer fluid for transferring heat to a solder for mounting an electronic part (7) on a substrate (6); a heater (heat source 3) configured to heat the heat transfer fluid in the reflow chamber (figures; and machine translation); and a stage (transport belt 12 or lifting/ lowering mean 5) in the reflow chamber and configured to support the substrate (figures; and machine translation); and a guide (guide cylinder 20) in the reflow chamber and configured to direct the heat transfer fluid toward a central portion of the substrate (figures; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 2, Naoi teaches wherein the guide comprises at least one funnel (guide cylinder 20) at a (bottom) side surface of the stage (12), the funnel comprising a body and an outlet (tip opening 21) at an upper end of the body that is directed or oriented toward the central portion of the substrate (figures; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 3, Naoi teaches wherein the at least one funnel comprises a plurality of funnels (20 and 21A, 21B, 21C) configured to surround (broadest reasonable interpretation) the stage (figure 2).
With respect to claim 4, Naoi teaches wherein the guide comprises at least one eave (guide cylinder 20) at a (bottom) side surface of the stage, the eave comprising an inclined portion (tapered portion of the guide cylinder 20) and a horizontal portion (upper flat portion of 21) extending from the inclined portion toward the central portion of the substrate (figures 1-2; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 5, Naoi teaches wherein the at least one eave comprises a plurality of eaves (20 and 21A, 21B, 21C) configured to surround (broadest reasonable interpretation) the stage (figure 2).
With respect to claim 6, Naoi teaches a lifter (lifting lowering means 5) configured to lift the stage (figure 3; and the machine translation).
With respect to claim 7, Naoi teaches wherein the substrate comprises a package substrate (6) and the electronic part (7) comprises a semiconductor chip (figures; and machine translation). Also note that the material worked (substrate and electronic part) upon does not limit the structure of the claimed apparatus. See MPEP 2115.
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(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naoi (JP-63-299857A). This is an alternative rejection of claim 6.
With respect to claim 6, Naoi teaches a guide (guide cylinder 20) in the reflow chamber and configured to direct the heat transfer fluid toward a central portion of the substrate (figures 1-2; and machine translation); and a lifter (lifting lowering means 5) configured to lift the stage (figure 3; and machine translation).
At the time of filing the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the guide means of figures 1-2 of Naoi in the embodiment of figure 3 of Naoi in order to direct the vaporized solvent to the desired area of the components being bonded.
Claim(s) 8-15 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naoi (JP-63-299857A) in view of Biedorf et al. (US2003/0168495A1) (hereafter Biedorf).
With respect to claims 8 and 18, Naoi teaches a solder reflow apparatus apparatus (10) (title; figures; and machine translation) comprising: a reflow chamber (10) configured to receive a heat transfer fluid (solvent 2), the heat transfer fluid for transferring heat to a solder for mounting an electronic part (7) on a substrate (6); a heater (heat source 3) configured to heat the heat transfer fluid in the reflow chamber (figures; and machine translation); and a stage (transport belt 12 or lifting/ lowering mean 5) the reflow chamber to support the substrate (figures; and machine translation); and a guide (guide cylinder 20) in the reflow chamber and configured to direct the heat transfer fluid toward a central portion of the substrate (figures; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 8, Naoi does not teach the stage (1) inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the reflow chamber to induce the heat transfer fluid toward a central portion of the substrate
However, Biedorf teaches the stage (1) inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the reflow chamber (14) to induce the heat transfer fluid toward a central portion of the substrate (figures 1-3; and paragraphs 34-41).
At the time of filing the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the inclined stage of Biedorf in the apparatus of Naoi in order to allow bubble to escape from the solder.
With respect to claim 9, Naoi teaches wherein the guide comprises at least one funnel (guide cylinder 20) at a (bottom) side surface of the stage (12), the funnel comprising a body and an outlet (tip opening 21) at an upper end of the body that is directed or oriented toward the central portion of the substrate (figures; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 10, Naoi teaches wherein the at least one funnel comprises a plurality of funnels (20 and 21A, 21B, 21C) configured to surround (broadest reasonable interpretation) the stage (figure 2).
With respect to claim 11, Naoi teaches wherein the guide comprises at least one eave (guide cylinder 20) at a (bottom) side surface of the stage, the eave comprising an inclined portion (tapered portion of the guide cylinder 20) and a horizontal portion (upper flat portion of 21) extending from the inclined portion toward the central portion of the substrate (figures 1-2; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 12, Naoi teaches wherein the at least one eave comprises a plurality of eaves (20 and 21A, 21B, 21C) configured to surround (broadest reasonable interpretation) the stage (figure 2).
With respect to claim 13, Biedorf teaches wherein an inclined angle between the stage and the bottom surface of the reflow chamber is no more than about 90° (figures 1-3; and paragraphs 34-41).
With respect to claim 14, Biedorf teaches at least one clamp (clips that hold (2) in figures 1-2) configured to fix the substrate on the stage.
With respect to claim 15, Naoi teaches a lifter (lifting lowering means 5) configured to lift the stage (figure 3; and machine translation).
With respect to claim 18, Naoi teaches a solder reflow apparatus comprising: wherein the guide comprises a plurality of guides (guide cylinders 20) configured to surround (broadest reasonable interpretation) the stage (figure 2; and the machine translation).
With respect to claim 19, Naoi teaches wherein each of the plurality of guides comprises at least one funnel (guide cylinders 20) at a (bottom) side surface of the stage, the funnel comprising a body and an outlet (tip opening 21) at an upper end of the body that is directed or oriented toward the central portion of the substrate (figures 1-2; and the machine translation).
With respect to claim 20, Naoi teaches wherein each of the plurality of guides comprises at least one eave (20 and 21A, 21B, 21C) at a (bottom) side surface of the stage, the eave comprising an inclined portion (tapered portion of the guide cylinder 20) and a horizontal portion (upper flat portion of 21) extending from the inclined portion toward the central portion of the substrate.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Naoi (JP-63-299857A) in view of Biedorf et al. (US2003/0168495A1) (hereafter Biedorf). This is an alternative rejection of claim 15.
With respect to claim 15, Naoi teaches a guide (guide cylinder 20) in the reflow chamber and configured to direct the heat transfer fluid toward a central portion of the substrate (figures 1-2; and machine translation); and a lifter (lifting lowering means 5) configured to lift the stage (figure 3; and machine translation).
At the time of filing the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the guide means of figures 1-2 of Naoi in the embodiment of figure 3 of Naoi in order to direct the vaporized solvent to the desired area of the components being bonded.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-17 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KILEY SHAWN STONER whose telephone number is (571)272-1183. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday.
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/KILEY S STONER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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