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 .
Response to Amendment
That the amendment to the claims filed on 8/18/25 has been fully considered and made of record. Claims 10-14, 21-35 are now pending in that claims 21-35 are nonelected and requested to be canceled or taken an appropriate action.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters "20, 22” and "80" have been used to designate same part for reason provided from the record. (See proper sample DWG. below).
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The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the subject matter as presented in claims 11-14 (as amended) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
(Sample of method diagram Fig. below) rather than intermediate product entities of Figs, 29-33.
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AlA), 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-AlA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. This rejection is set forth from previous Action under 112 rejections dated 6/12/25.
Newly amended claims 11-14 still raise issues of 112
The phrase:” wherein the electrical component has a protective structure,” (claim 11, line 2) is improper method claim formats, since it directed to structure of the component. Also, it is unclear as to how forming the trench can be practiced in the protective structure of the electrical component, since no forming of the component prior to this step.
Similar to claim 11 applied to claim 12 it is not known as to how “applying heat to close the opening in the thermoplastic material and enclosing the conductive strand within the trench” (see claim 12, lines 2-4), since no process of forming an opening in the in the thermoplastic material prior to this step.
Claim 13 does not further limit the base claim 10, since it is a redundant of line 7 of claim 1. Also, it is suggested claim 13 should be rewritten prior to line 7 of claim 10 for clarity of method claim formats.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/18/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. because the prior art discloses the invention of claims 10-14 of the instant application for same reason provided from record.
The Drawings:
Applicant(s) contents that “strands 80 refers to strands in general, whereas warp strands 20 and weft strands 22 are specific types of strands 80. This is explained in para. 0061 of applicant's specification” (see under “Remarks” ¶ [0002]). This has been carefully evaluated and not found to be persuasive, therefore the previous drawing objection is retained for reason of record. A new separate Fig. where 80 may include 20 and 22 is suggested.
Further, Applicant(s) also contents that “FIGS. 29-33. In FIG. 30, thermoplastic material 148 is deposited in trenches 134. In FIG. 32, strands 80 are placed within openings 150, which are in turn located in trenches 134. In FIG. 33, heat is applied to melt reflow solder 142 and melt thermoplastic material 148” (see under the “Remarks”, page 2, ¶ [0007]) this has been carefully noted and found to be persuasive therefore the drawing objection to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) has been removed and in view of new drawing objection to (see above).
The 112:
Applicant(s) contents that “the structure elements in the preamble are not intended to be claimed as method steps in claim 10” (see under the “Remarks” page 3, ¶ [0003] this has been reconsidered and not found to be convinced, since the method clearly directed to “a method for attaching an electrical component to fabric . . . .”(see preamble lines 1-4). Therefore, for the” depositing solder, inserting thermoplastic material, “ into the trench of the electrical component, at first “the component and the fabric” configurations in the preamble must be provided prior to step of “depositing”. (see further 112 applied to amended claims 11-14 above).
The Prior Art:
Applicant(s) argument regarding the prior art (see under “Remarks” page 4, ¶ [0005] – page 5, ¶¶ [0001-0002] has been carefully considered and found to be persuasive thus, the previous rejection has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/MINH N TRINH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729 mt