DETAILED ACTION
Priority
1. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
2. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
3. Claim 3 is 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.
Regarding claim 3, the phrases “some of the plurality of guide pieces” and “the remains of the plurality of guide pieces” render the claim indefinite because it is not clear how many of each are required in order to inform a person of ordinary skill how to make and use the invention. Further, the limitation “parts of the plurality of guide pieces” lacks proper antecedent basis, and is unclear as to how many of the guide pieces it encompasses.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. Claims 1, 2, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2006/129715 (Nakatogawa).
Regarding claim 1, Nakatogawa teaches a substrate storage container door (14) comprising:
a door body (20) that is detachably fitted onto an open front of a container body (13) for storing a substrate;
a cover (25) for the door body; and
an attachment mechanism (22 and 26) for attaching the cover to the door body, wherein
the door body includes: a closing plate member (20) that closes the open front of the container body; a peripheral wall (21a) formed around a periphery of the closing plate member; and a space (21) defined between a central part of the closing plate member and the peripheral wall,
the cover includes a covering plate member (25) that covers the space in the door body, wherein a width of the covering plate member is configured to be smaller than a width of the space (25 fits within 21), and the covering plate member is slidable between the central part of the door body and a side part of the peripheral wall (25 can slide within 20), and
the attachment mechanism includes: a plurality of cover attaching portions (26) formed on a side area of an upper portion of the peripheral wall of the door body and a side area of a lower portion of the peripheral wall of the door body; and a plurality of door body attaching portions (22) formed on a side area of an upper portion of the covering plate member of the cover and a side area of a lower portion of the covering plate member of the cover, wherein the plurality of door body attaching portions are attached, in an overlapping manner, to the plurality of cover attaching portions when the covering plate member is slid from the central part of the door body toward a side part of the peripheral wall (see phantom movement in Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 2, further comprising a locking mechanism (15) installed between the space of the door body and the cover, wherein the locking mechanism includes: an operation plate (30) supported on a supporting part of the closing plate member of the door body so as to be rotatable from an outside of the cover; and an engaging claw (28) that can come out and retract through a through hole in the peripheral wall of the door body (see location of 28 extending through an unlabeled space between 20 and 20d in Fig. 8C) as the operation plate is rotated.
Regarding claim 5, the attachment mechanism includes (read as “comprising”) an attaching slot (22) formed in the side part of the peripheral wall of the door body and an attaching projection (26) formed on a side part of the covering plate member of the cover so as to be able to oppose the attaching slot, wherein when the covering plate member of the cover has been slid from the central part of the door body toward the side part of the peripheral wall, the attaching projection is fitted into the attaching slot (see phantom movement in Fig. 13).
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
7. Claim 4 is 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.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3, Nakatogawa fails to teach any guide pieces holding the operation plate therebetween.
Regarding claim 4, Nakatogawa fails to teach guide pieces or a cutout.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES N SMALLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-4547. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathan Jenness can be reached at (571) 270-5055. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES N SMALLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3733
