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 .
Claim status
Claim 13 has been amended. Support for the amendment can be found in [p. 0088] of the specification. Claims 13-29 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see p. 6-9, filed 01/26/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 13-20 and 22-29 under 35 U.S.C 103 over Du et al (CN 105504686 A) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Das et al (US 9902695 B1) in further view of Du et al (CN 105504686 A; references made to the English machine translation). This new ground of rejection is necessitated by amendment.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 13-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Das et al (US 9902695 B1) in further view of Du et al (CN 105504686 A; references made to the English machine translation) .
Das et al is directed towards thermosetting resins that are useful for the next-generation wireless standard [c. 1; lines 13-15]. Das et al teaches higher signal intensities required for 5G technologies will demand new composite materials that can maintain signal integrity (e.g. very low dielectric loss) and small circuit size (e.g. low dielectric constant) while maintaining the thermal, physical and mechanical properties desirable for printed circuit boards (PCB) and other mobile devices. Das et al teaches embodiments wherein the resins have the following
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structures [c. 4, lines 44-51; c. 6, lines 45-65; c. 33-34; c. 36; claims 5, 27, and 29 ]:
Das et al exemplifies preparation of the resin composition with functionalized trialkoxysilane coupling agents including vinyltriethoxy silane and 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate [polymerization 40 & 41].
Das et al teaches these resins may be used to provide prepregs, wherein the prepregs are generally manufactured using a reinforcement material including but not limited to woven glass, carbon, spectra, or quartz fibers; reading over the inorganic filler of instant claim 1 [c. 71, ll. 8-11]. Das et al further teaches these resins can be used in blends with electrical property modifiers, or any additives or fillers known in the art [c. 68, lines 50-55; c. 69, ll. 14-15].
Although Das et al is open to the use of additional additives and teaches the use of the resins in PCB applications, Das is silent with respect to laser direct sintering (LDS) additives.
Du is directed toward the field of laminate technology, and relates to a thermosetting resin composition, as well as a prepreg containing the composition, a laminate, and a circuit carrier [p. 0002]. The thermosetting resin composition of Du et al comprises a thermosetting resin, a laser direct molding additive, an inorganic filler, and a silane coupling agents [p. 0011].
Du teaches printed circuit boards (PCBs) are carrier boards for secondary packaging of electronic components and are one of the most important components in the electronics industry [p. 0004].
Du further teaches the conductive lines of conventional PCBs are manufactured using photolithography etching (subtractive etching), which has many disadvantages such as high material consumption, many production processes, large waste liquid discharge, and heavy environmental pressure [p. 0004].
In contrast, Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) is a technology that uses a laser to irradiate a digitized pattern onto the surface of a polymer material, and then directly metallizes the irradiated area to ultimately form a pattern on the polymer material surface. The LDS process is simple, produces less pollution, and compared to etching, it provides stronger adhesion to the conductors, allowing for more flexible circuit design and modifications [p. 0004].
Du et al teaches the laser direct forming additive is incorporated into the thermosetting resin composition, wherein the laser direct forming additive is a highly thermally stable, non-conductive, spinel-based oxide, which is stable and insoluble in aqueous acidic or alkaline metallizing electrolytes [p. 0014]. Du et al exemplifies thermosetting resin compositions wherein the laser direct molding additive is copper chromium oxide spinel (CuCr2O4¬) or copper phosphate spinel [ p. 0095, example 15, example 1].
In light of Du’s teaching that laser direct sintering is an advantageous method of preparing PCBs compared to conventional photolithographic etching, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to incorporate a laser direct molding additive in the resin composition of Das in order to prepare a PCB as Das teaches the resin can be used in blends with any additive or filler known in the art. Furthermore, the thermosetting resin composition of Du is similar to the resin of Das, therefore a skilled artisan would have a reasonable expectation of success in the incorporation of laser direct molding additives into the resin composition of Das.
Regarding claim 15; Du et al exemplifies thermosetting resin compositions wherein the laser direct molding additive is copper phosphate [p. 0077, example 1]. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed that thermosetting resin compositions prepared with a copper phosphate laser direct molding additive would have a hexavalent chromium content of less than 100 ppm.
Regarding claims 16; Du et al is silent with respect to the hexavalent chromium content of the laser direct forming additive. However, as Du et al uses exclusively Cr(III) species and the laser direct forming additive is taught to as thermally stable as well as stable to metallizing electrolytes, a skilled artisan would reasonably expect the resin composition prepared with Cr(III) laser direct forming additives would have a hexavalent chromium content less than 100 ppm (which also includes 0).
Regarding claims 17-19; Du et al exemplifies the use of copper chromium oxide spinel (Hunan Kohler Pigment Co., Ltd.), which does not appear to be surface treated [p. 0066]. Du et al teaches that, preferably, the laser direct forming additive is added by incorporating it into the thermosetting resin composition, coating it on the surface of the filler, or coating it with the filler to add it to the thermosetting resin composition, wherein the filler is the inorganic filler [p. 0011, 0017]. In light of this, the teachings of Du et al appear to obviously embrace embodiments wherein the laser direct structuring additive is not surface-treated.
Regarding claims 22-26; Das et al teaches the resin composition can be cured into a solid material [c. 26, ll. 58].
Regarding claim 28; Das et al teaches embodiments wherein the resins, reaction products, blends, polymers, compositions, etc. may be used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards, antennas (e.g. cellular phone antennas, satellite phone antennas, antennas for 5G communication devices, etc.), radar structures, or for general use in any electronic device [c. 70, ll. 65-68; c. 71, ll. 71-10; c. 72, ll. 33-60]. Although Das et al is silent with respect to the use of the cured resin in semiconductor devices, the general teachings of Das embrace the use of the cured resin in semiconductor devices, including cellphones and radars. In light of this, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to prepare a semiconductor device having the cured material of Das.
Regarding claims 27-29; Das et al teaches the thermosetting resin composition may be used to provide prepregs that are useful in the preparation of laminates for printed circuit boards [c. 70, ll. 65-68]. However, Das is silent with respect to plating the cured material.
Du et al teaches the thermosetting resin is can be used to prepare a circuit carrier wherein the resin composition prepreg is pressed into a laminate, the area on the laminate to be formed with conductive lines is irradiated by laser radiation, and then the irradiated area is metallized to obtain the circuit carrier [p. 0048, 0077, 0120].
In light of this, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to prepare cured resin composition of Das comprising an LDS additive and irradiate the portions of it that are to be metallized in order to obtain a circuit carrier.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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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/HOLLEY GRACE HESTER/Examiner, Art Unit 1766
/RANDY P GULAKOWSKI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1766
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