DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/07/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 3-4, 12-13, and 16 have not been provided with the proper status identifier. Therefore, appropriate correction, such as adding (Withdrawn), is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 22-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 22, the amended limitation “the lateral extension has a length, measured in the first direction, that is greater than its width, measured in a second direction that is across the second surface and is perpendicular to the first direction” in lines 11-13 would raise a new matter issue since the specification of the instant application does not fully and clearly describe such limitation to comply with the written description requirement. Particularly, while Fig. 2 and paragraphs 28-29 in the instant application describe that a circuit board 108 (corresponding to “a dielectric material” in the claim) has a lateral extension 156 protruding out from a main/center portion of the circuit board 108 in a lateral direction (corresponding to “a first direction” in the claim), the instant application does not fully and clearly describe that a length of the lateral extension 156 in the lateral direction is greater than a width of the lateral extension 156 in a second direction perpendicular to the lateral direction. Furthermore, while Applicant asserts that support for the amended limitation in claim 22 is in Fig. 2 (See Remarks, pages 2-3), Applicant is reminded that the specification of the instant application does not disclose that the drawings are to scale either (See MPEP2115, II. “PROPORTIONS OF FEATURES IN A DRAWING ARE NOT EVIDENCE OF ACTUAL PROPORTIONS WHEN DRAWINGS ARE NOT TO SCALE”). Claims 23-26, which depend from claim 22, are also rejected by virtue of their dependencies.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 5-11, 14-15, 18-19, 27, 30-32, and 34-37 are allowable over the cited prior arts. Reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter is discussed in the Office Action dated 12/08/2025. Withdrawn claims 3-4, 12-13, and 16, which depend from allowable claim 1, would be rejoined when the instant application is in condition for allowance since these claims require all the limitations of an allowable claim 1. See MPEP § 804.01.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim 22 have been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection as set forth above in this Office Action.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL B WHALEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3418. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8AM-5PM.
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, Sue Purvis can be reached on (571)272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DANIEL WHALEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Prosecution Insights