Patent Application 18009773 - WAFER LOCKING MECHANISM WAFER POSITIONING DEVICE

Title: WAFER LOCKING MECHANISM, WAFER POSITIONING DEVICE AND WAFER CONVEYING APPARATUS

Application Information

Invention Title: WAFER LOCKING MECHANISM, WAFER POSITIONING DEVICE AND WAFER CONVEYING APPARATUS
Application Number: 18009773
Submission Date: 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z
Effective Filing Date: 2022-12-12T00:00:00.000Z
Filing Date: 2022-12-12T00:00:00.000Z
National Class: 414
National Sub-Class: 222010
Examiner Employee Number: 85180
Art Unit: 3617
Tech Center: 3600

Rejection Summary

102 Rejections: 1
103 Rejections: 0

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

US 0196127🔗

Office Action Text

DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the AIA first to invent provisions. 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 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The abstract exceeds 177 words and includes phrases such as “The present disclosure” (line 1). Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure: The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details. The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
Claim Objections
Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 21, lines 1-2, recites “the bottom plate” which appears that it should recite - - the base plate- -.
Appropriate correction is required.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.

The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.

Claims 8 and 9 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.
Claim 8 recites the limitation “smoothly transiting in shape.” The term “smoothly” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “smoothly” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. As such, the metes and bounds of the manner in which the shape is “transiting” is indefinite and thereby renders the claim as indefinite.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the plurality of rods conduct respective expected motions" in lines 3-4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the “respective expected motions” in the claim. As such, the limitation renders the claim as indefinite.

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.

Claim(s) 1, 6-9, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zama et al. (U.S. P.G. Publication No. 2010/0196127 A1; “Zama”).
Zama discloses:
Regarding claim 1:
A wafer locking mechanism (3) configured to lock a wafer (5; ¶ 32), the wafer locking mechanism comprising:
a wafer base (20, 21), constructed in a form of a frustum shape tapering from a bottom portion thereof towards a top portion thereof (¶ 38 describes the wafer base 20 as having a “tapered plane 20a” as depicted in at least FIG. 4A), and configured to be elevatable along a direction of an axis thereof (¶ 38, “The roller 31 rolls on a tapered plane 20a of an elevating plate 20 which is displaced in an up-and-down direction by the displacing unit 17, in synchronization with the displacement of the elevating plate 20. This causes the up-and-down displacement of the elevating plate 20 to be converted into the horizontal displacement of the restriction movable piece 15” );
a plurality of rods (15, 32), which are diametrically aligned in pairs perpendicular to the axis (depicted in FIG 4; see MPEP § 2125); and
a plurality of compression springs (16), which are respectively sheathed on respective distal ends of the plurality of rods distal to the wafer base (FIG. 3A depicts springs 16 located on the distal end portion of portion 15 of the rods), in one-to-one correspondence and extend radially outwards (depicted in FIG. 2), wherein the plurality of rods are respectively provided with both a plurality of ball-head portions (31) which are located at respective proximal ends thereof proximate to the wafer base and abut against the wafer base, in one-to-one correspondence (depicted in FIG. 2), and a plurality of jaws (39) which protrude from the respective distal ends along a direction of the axis on a same single side of the top portion (at least FIG. 3A depicts the jaws extending in a vertically upward direction) and are pressed radially inwards by the plurality of compression springs (16), in one-to-one correspondence (¶ 41).
Regarding claim 6:
The wafer locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of rods comprises an even number of pairs of rods (¶ 30 that six rods i.e. three pairs of rods “extend radially in six directions at even intervals and at even angles”).
Regarding claim 7:
The wafer locking mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the even number of pairs of rods comprises two pairs of rods arranged at uniform angular interval in a circumferential direction perpendicular to the axis (¶ 30 that six rods i.e. three pairs of rods “extend radially in six directions at even intervals and at even angles).
Regarding claim 8:
The wafer locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the wafer base is shaped to have a contour which is a truncated cone on an upper portion thereof (at 20 in FIG. 4A) and a cylindrical shape on a lower portion thereof (at 21 in FIG. 4A), with an intermediate portion smoothly transiting in shape being formed therebetween (the smooth travel of the ball portion 31 along the cylindrical shape to the truncated cone shaft is indicative of a smooth transition therebetween).
Regarding claim 9:
The wafer locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the wafer base is shaped to have a longitudinal section whose contour at a side surface of the wafer base is a curve (the angle and associated curvature of surface 20, see in FIG. 4A-4C) along which the plurality of rods conduct respective expected motions (see relative motions depicted across at least FIG. 4A-4B), as a function of an elevating or descending movement of the wafer base (¶ 38).

Regarding claim 11:
The wafer locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the wafer locking mechanism further comprises a rod base (4) formed with an axial channel (19, 22; FIG. 3A) through which the wafer base is elevatable (¶ 39) and a plurality of radial channels through which the plurality of rods are extendable (FIG. 2 depicts the channels in which the rods are disposed at each of the plurality of rods at 11).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 10, and 12-24 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL D YABUT whose telephone number is (571)270-5526. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor John Olszewski can be reached on (571) 272-2706. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL D YABUT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3656