Appeal 2007-2909
Application 10/622,063
1
2 E. Analysis
3 The Examiner finally rejected claims 1-3, 11 and 24 under 35 U.S.C.
4 § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Ishida in view of Barrey and either
5 Chikahisa (US 6,562,406) or Chikahisa (WO99/49987) (collectively referred
6 to as “Chikahisa”). Applicants argue claims 1-3, 11 and 24 together as a
7 group (Br. 6 and 10).
8 Applicants do not dispute the Examiner’s findings with respect to
9 what Ishida and Chikahisa describe. Applicants’ argue, however, that
10 Barrey does not describe that the robotic manipulator is rotatable about an
11 axis generally parallel to the translational plane as found by the Examiner
12 (FFs 12-13).
13 Independent claims 1, 11, and 24 recite a machine including a stage
14 for mounting a workpiece for rotation and orthogonal translation. The stage
15 permits translation, e.g., movement, generally in a plane and “rotation about
16 an axis generally parallel to said plane” (emphasis added). This is seen, for
17 example, in the Specification Figs. 1 and 2, where the plane of translation is
18 defined as a first linear axis X and a second linear axis Y for a two-plane
19 translation of the workpiece on the stage 18 (Specification ¶ 0018). A
20 spindle 32 is mounted on the stage for rotation of the workpiece about an
21 axis A, which is parallel to the two-plane X-Y axes (Specification ¶¶ 0019,
22 0052-0053 and Figs. 1 and 2). Thus, the spindle 32 allows rotation of the
8
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