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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 13 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities: “[Equations 1]” and “[Equations 2” should read --Equation 1-- and --Equation 2--, respectively, and without brackets. Appropriate correction 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 13 and 15 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.
The claims require an “MD dimensional change rate” and a “TD dimensional change rate of -0.3 to 0.3%, respectively”. However, the specification does not include a description of how this is achieved.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 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-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims include multiple reference values in parentheses (e.g. “S100”, “S200” and so on). However, references in parentheses are not considered part of the claim. Therefore, language such as “of the (S100) step” must be interpreted omitting the reference in parentheses, i.e. “of the step”. The scope of the claims is, therefore, indefinite, because there are multiple such instances of “of the step”, making it unclear to which particular step this language refers.
Claims 13 and 15 require the limitation “an MD dimensional change rate” and a “TD dimensional change rate of -0.3 to 0.3%, respectively”. However, the claims do not specify what A, B, C and D are. Therefore, the scope of the claims is unclear, since the MD and TD values cannot be calculated, based on the listed equations, since the variables are not properly identified.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US2009/0007421A1) in view of Lee (JP2007/005805A).
Chen discloses the claimed invention as follows (limitations not disclosed are crossed out, below):
Claim 1. A method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board by a roll-to-roll continuous manufacturing method, the method comprising:
forming one or a plurality of first holes (121, Fig. 4; see [0023]) and a plurality of first recognition marks1 (120, Fig. 4) in a first coverlay film continuously supplied from a first coverlay supply roller (22, Fig. 2) around which the first coverlay film is wound;
forming a first laminate by laminating (using laminating device 31; see Fig. 2 and [0025]) a metal foil 11, Figs. 2 and 3) continuously supplied from a metal foil supply roller (21, Fig. 2) around which the metal foil is wound on a first surface of the first coverlay film of the syep (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)); and
forming a second laminate by laminating a first dry film (on surface 112; see [0032]) and a second dry film (on surface 111; see [0032]) continuously supplied from a first and second dry film supply roller (see “feeding roller” in [0033]) on a first surface (112, Fig. 2) and a second surface (111, Fig. 2) of the first laminate, respectively,
Claim 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method does not comprise, after the step and before the step, forming a recognition mark for alignment during exposure in the metal foil of the first laminate. See rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b). Recognition marks 110 in the metal foil are pre-formed. See [0021].
Claim 3. The method of claim 1,
Claim 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the
Claim 14. A flexible printed circuit board manufactured by the method according to one claim 1.
Claim 15. The flexible printed circuit board of claim 14, wherein the flexible printed circuit board has an MD dimensional change rate and a TD dimensional change rate of -0.3 to 0.3%2, respectively, according to Equations 1 and 2 below,
[Equations 1]
M
D
d
i
m
e
n
s
i
o
n
a
l
c
h
a
n
g
e
r
a
t
e
%
=
(
A
-
B
)
F
-
A
-
B
I
A
-
B
I
+
C
-
D
F
-
(
C
-
D
)
I
(
C
-
D
)
I
2
X 100, and
[Equations 2]
TD dimensional change rate (%) =
(
A
-
C
)
F
-
A
-
C
I
A
-
C
I
+
B
-
D
F
-
(
B
-
D
)
I
(
B
-
D
)
I
2
X 100.
wherein in [Equations 1] and [Equations 2], (A-B)F is the distance between A-B of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, (A-B)I is the distance between A-B of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate, (C-D)F is the distance between C-D of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, (C-D) is the distance between C-D of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate, (A-C)F is the distance between A-C of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, (A-C)I is the distance between A-C of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate, (B-D)F is the distance between B-D of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, and (B-D)I is the distance between B-D of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate.
Chen discloses the claimed invention, except for the limitations crossed out above. Additionally, although Chen discloses supplying dry film from a feeding roller (understood to refer to 3a separate feeding roller for each dry film), the pertinent discussion in Chen is vague.
Lee discloses a copper-clad laminate 10, in which the coverlay film is wider than the copper foil C. See Fig. 1a. Position-sensing holes H are formed in the coverlay film (see [0012] and [0013]), which can also serve as sprocket holes (as holes 120 of Chen). See [0014].
Since Lee shows it is known in the art to make the metal foil narrower than the coverlay film, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found obvious the claimed arrangement, as a matter of selecting among conventional laminate designs (i.e. fill-width metal foil vs foil narrower than the coverlay). Further, if Applicant disagrees holes 120 of Chen are recognition marks, the use of these holes 120 as position-sensing (i.e., recognition) holes would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, based on the teaching in Lee.
Claims 4, 5 and 7-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen and Lee, further in view of Lichtblau (US3913219A).
Chen further discloses the claimed invention as follows:
Claim 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) comprises: line-laminating the first coverlay film on the metal foil by using a pair of first
Claim 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) step
Claim 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) step:
partially exposing the first dry film by using a photo mask (see [0035]) to form a cured area and an uncured area (this is how photomasks work);
developing (see [0036]) the second laminate of the (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) step to remove a predetermined area of the first dry film;
etching (see [0037] the second laminate of the (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) step to form a circuit pattern
forming a third laminate by simultaneously removing (see [0038]) the first and second dry films from the second laminate of the (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) step.
Claim 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after the (see rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b)) step, laminating a second coverlay film (13, Fig. 2; see [0045]) on a first surface of the third laminate.
Claim 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second coverlay film contains one or a plurality of second holes (131, Fig. 5) and a plurality of third recognition marks (130, Fig. 5).
Claim 10. The method of claim 8,
Claim 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the laminating of the second coverlay film and the third laminate is performed by line-lamination using a pair of second
Claim 12. The method of claim 11,
Claim 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the flexible printed circuit board has an MD dimensional change rate and a TD dimensional change rate of -0.3 to 0.3% (see footnote 2), respectively, according to Equations 1 and 2 below,
[Equations 1]
M
D
d
i
m
e
n
s
i
o
n
a
l
c
h
a
n
g
e
r
a
t
e
%
=
(
A
-
B
)
F
-
A
-
B
I
A
-
B
I
+
C
-
D
F
-
(
C
-
D
)
I
(
C
-
D
)
I
2
X 100, and
[Equations 2]
TD dimensional change rate (%) =
(
A
-
C
)
F
-
A
-
C
I
A
-
C
I
+
B
-
D
F
-
(
B
-
D
)
I
(
B
-
D
)
I
2
X 100.
wherein in [Equations 1] and [Equations 2], (A-B)F is the distance between A-B of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, (A-B)I is the distance between A-B of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate, (C-D)F is the distance between C-D of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, (C-D) is the distance between C-D of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate, (A-C)F is the distance between A-C of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, (A-C)I is the distance between A-C of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate, (B-D)F is the distance between B-D of the second coverlay film in the final flexible printed circuit board, and (B-D)I is the distance between B-D of the second coverlay film before lamination on the third laminate.
Chen as modified in view of Lee renders obvious the claimed invention, except for the limitations crossed out above.
Regarding claims 4 and 11, Lichtblau shows it is known to use heated rollers when laminating a metal foil to a coverlay film (see heated pressure rollers in Fig. 5; see col. 4, lns. 3-12. Regarding claim 7, Lichtblau shows it is known to form, together with forming of circuit patterns, registration marks that can be sensed (i.e., recognition marks) and are used to maintain registration of the circuits with the processing apparatus (see col. 5, lns. 20-24; the marks 92 are formed on two sides of the patterned foil, as shown in Fig. 7).
In view of the teachings of Lichtblau, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to make the rollers 31 and 32 of Chen to be heated rollers, to aid in the lamination process, as shown to be conventional by Lichtblau. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to form registration marks on two sides of the metal foil when forming the circuit pattern, for the purpose of maintaining registration of the circuits with the processing apparatus.
Regarding claims 5 and 12, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to set the laminating and other processing time as needed to ensure a quality product is obtained.
Regarding claim 10, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to set the width of the second coverlay as needed for the particular product being made.
Conclusion
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/LIVIUS R. CAZAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
1 Holes 120 are capable of use as recognition marks.
2 The coverlays 12 and 13 can be made of polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), i.e., the same materials used in the present application for substrates 11 and 51. The metal foil 11 is made of copper (see [0020]), same as copper foil 20 of the present application. Therefore, the same properties are expected, as claimed. See rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
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