Office Action 2: Notice of Allowance (2025-03-07)

CLAIMS:
IN THE CLAIMSPlease amend the claims as follows:

1\. (Currently Amended) A transfer apparatus comprising:a transfer arm configured to transfer a substrate;
an irradiator configured to irradiate light obliquely onto a passage area, through which the substrate passes, when the substrate is transferred by the transfer arm;
a light receiver configured to receive light reflected from the substrate when the substrate passes through the passage area; and
a controller configured to determine whether the substrate has passed through the passage area according to whether the light is received by the light receiver, wherein both the irradiator and the light receiver are disposed on the same surface side of the substrate when the substrate passes through the passage area.

2\. (Original) The transfer apparatus of claim 1, comprising:a plurality of the light receivers; and
a reflector configured to reflect the light irradiated from the irradiator to any one of the plurality of light receivers.

3 and 4. (Canceled).

5\. (Currently Amended) The transfer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the substrate has a first surface on which an element is formed, and

when the substrate passes through the passage area, the irradiator irradiates the light to an area in which the element is not formed, of the first surface of the substrate.

6\. (Canceled).

7\. (Currently Amended) The transfer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the substrate has a first surface on which an element is formed and a second surface opposite to the first surface, andwhen the substrate passes through the passage area, the irradiator irradiates the light to the second surface.

8\. (Canceled).

9\. (Currently Amended) The transfer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the irradiator includes a first irradiator configured to irradiate light to a first partial area of the passage area and a second irradiator configured to irradiate light to a second partial area of the passage area,the first irradiator and the second irradiator are configured to irradiate light when the substrate is carried into a chamber, which is connected to a transfer chamber in which the transfer arm is provided, from the transfer chamber,
the light receiver includes a first light receiver configured to receive light that is irradiated from the first irradiator and reflected from the substrate passing through the first partial area, and

a second light receiver configured to receive light that is irradiated from the second irradiator and reflected from the substrate passing through the second partial area, andthe controller controls the transfer arm such that the substrate passes through the passage area and specifies a reference position of the substrate based on a movement amount of the substrate, a time point at which the first light receiver receives the light reflected from the first partial area, and a time point at which the second light receiver receives the light reflected from the second partial area, and controls the transfer arm to carry the substrate into the chamber such that the specified reference position of the substrate is disposed at a predetermined position in the chamber.

10\. (Original) The transfer apparatus of claim 9, wherein the light receiver further includes a third light receiver and a fourth light receiver,the transfer arm transfers the substrate between the transfer chamber and one of a first chamber and a second chamber that are disposed adjacent to each other in a vertical direction and connected to the transfer chamber,
the irradiator irradiates the light to a first area and a second area, wherein the substrate passes through the first area when being transferred between the transfer chamber and the first chamber and the substrate passes through the second area when being transferred between the transfer chamber and the second chamber,
the third light receiver receives light reflected from the substrate when the substrate passes through the first area, and
the fourth light receiver receives light reflected from the substrate when the substrate passes through the second area.

11\. (Currently Amended) The transfer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the light receiver includes a first light receiver and a second light receiver,the transfer arm transfers the substrate between a transfer chamber, in which the transfer arm is provided, and one of a first chamber and a second chamber that are disposed adjacent to each other in a vertical direction and connected to the transfer chamber,
the irradiator irradiates the light to a first area and a second area, wherein the substrate passes through the first area when being transferred between the transfer chamber and the first chamber and the substrate passes through the second area when being transferred between the transfer chamber and the second chamber,
the first light receiver receives the light reflected from the substrate when the substrate passes through the first area, and
the second light receiver receives the light reflected from the substrate when the substrate passes through the second area.

12\. (Currently Amended) A transfer method comprising:a) irradiating light obliquely onto a passage area, through which a substrate passes, by an irradiator when the substrate is transferred by a transfer arm;
b) determining whether light reflected from the substrate is received by a light receiver when the substrate passes through the passage area; and
c) determining that the substrate has passed through the passage area when the light reflected from the substrate is received by the light receiver, wherein

the irradiator includes a first irradiator configured to irradiate light to a first partial area of the passage area and a second irradiator configured to irradiate light to a second partial area of the passage area,
the first irradiator and the second irradiator are configured to irradiate light when the substrate is carried into a chamber, which is connected to a transfer chamber in which the transfer arm is provided, from the transfer chamber,
the light receiver includes a first light receiver configured to receive light that is irradiated from the first irradiator and reflected from the first partial area, and a second light receiver configured to receive light that is irradiated from the second irradiator and reflected from the second partial area, and
the transfer method further comprises:
d) controlling the transfer arm such that the substrate passes through the passage area:
e) specifying a reference position of the substrate based on a movement amount of the substrate, a time point at which the first light receiver receives the light reflected from the first partial area, and a time point at which the second light receiver receives the light reflected from the second partial area; and
f) controlling the transfer arm to carry the substrate into the chamber such that the specified reference position of the substrate is disposed at a predetermined position in the chamber.

13\. (Canceled).

14\. (New) The transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the irradiator includes:

a first irradiator configured to irradiate light obliquely onto a first passage area through which the substrate passes when the substrate is transferred by the transfer arm; and
a second irradiator configured to irradiate light obliquely onto a second passage area through which the substrate passes when the substrate is transferred by the transfer arm, and
a reflector configured to reflect light irradiated from the first irradiator to the second passage area when the substrate is not present in the first passage area.

15\. (New) The transfer apparatus of claim 14, wherein:the light receiver is configured to receive:
light irradiated from the second irradiator and reflected by the substrate when the substrate passes through the second passage area, and
light irradiated from the first irradiator and reflected by the reflector when the substrate is not present in both the first passage area and the second passage area, and
the controller is configured to determine whether the substrate has passed through the first passage area or the second passage area according to whether the light is received by the light receiver.

16\. (New) The transfer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:a first reflector configured to reflect light irradiated from the irradiator or light reflected by the substrate; and
a second reflector configured to reflect light reflected by the first reflector.

17\. (New) The transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the transfer arm includes:
a first transfer arm; and
a second transfer arm disposed below the first transfer arm.

18\. (New) The transfer apparatus of claim 17, wherein:the light receiver includes:
a first light receiver configured to receive light irradiated from the irradiator and reflected by the substrate when the substrate, supported by the first transfer arm, passes through the passage area; and
a second light receiver configured to receive light irradiated from the irradiator and reflected by the substrate when the substrate, not supported by the first transfer arm but supported by the second transfer arm, passes through the passage area, and
the controller is configured to determine whether the substrate has passed through the passage area according to whether the light is received by the first light receiver and the second light receiver.

19\. (New) The transfer apparatus of claim 17, wherein:the irradiator includes:
a first irradiator configured to irradiate light obliquely onto the passage area through which the substrate passes when the substrate is transferred by the first transfer arm; and
a second irradiator configured to irradiate light obliquely onto the passage area through which the substrate passes when the substrate is transferred by the second transfer arm, and

Reply to Office Action of November 12, 2024 the light receiver is configured to receive:light irradiated from the first irradiator and reflected by the substrate when the substrate, supported by the first transfer arm, passes through the passage area, and
light irradiated from the second irradiator and reflected by the substrate when the substrate, not supported by the first transfer arm but supported by the second transfer arm, passes through the passage area.

OFFICE 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 .
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of the instant application as a whole either taken alone or in combination.  In particular, the prior art of record does not teach the transfer apparatus further having an irradiator and a light receiver  disposed on a same surface side of a substrate when the substrate passes through a passage area.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee.  Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKS/ARGUMENTS
Favorable reconsideration of this application is respectfully requested.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 7, 9-12 and 14-19 are pending in the present application. Claims 1, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 12 are amended; Claims 3, 4, 6, 8 and 13 are canceled without prejudice or disclaimer, and Claims 14-19 are newly added by the present amendment. Support for new Claims 14 and 15 can be found for example in Fig. 14 and the corresponding description, support for new Claim 16 can be found for example in Figs. 15 and 16 and the corresponding description, support for new Claim 17 can be found for example in Figs. 11 and 12 and the corresponding description, support for new Claim 18 can be found for example in Fig. 11 and the corresponding description, and support for new Claim 19 can be found for example in Fig. 12 and the corresponding description. No new matter is presented.
In the Office Action:
Claims 1, 3, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JPH 11145257A.
Allowable Subject Matter
Applicant thanks the Examiner for the indication that Claims 2, 4-11, and 13 contain allowable subject matter. By this Amendment, without acceding to the rejections and solely to expedite passage of this application to issue, (1)
Claim 1 is amended to include subject matter based on the allowable subject matter of Claim 4 and its intervening Claim 3,
and (2)
Claim 12 is amended to include subject matter based on the allowable subject matter of Claim 13.
Therefore, Applicant respectfully submits that independent Claims 1 and 12, and any respective dependents, including new dependent Claims 14-19 are in condition for allowance.
Conclusion