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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 4/17/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 16 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/17/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18 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.
In claim 10, each of sub-steps A-1 to A-7 is separate from the other steps, i.e., as claimed, any of these steps can be performed, without performing the others. Therefore, the following phrases lack proper antecedent basis, since none of the steps can rely on another of the sub-steps for antecedent basis: “the at least one reference mark” in steps A-3 and A-4, “the at least one opening” in A-6.
In claim 12, each of sub-steps C-1 to C-5 is separate from the other steps, i.e., as claimed, any of these steps can be performed, without performing the others. Therefore, the following phrases lack proper antecedent basis, since none of the steps can rely on another of the sub-steps for antecedent basis: “the at least one reference mark”.
In claim 13, each of sub-steps D-1 to D-4 is separate from the other steps, i.e., as claimed, any of these steps can be performed, without performing the others. Therefore, the following phrases lack proper antecedent basis, since none of the steps can rely on another of the sub-steps for antecedent basis: “the tool” and “the at least one reference mark” in D-2, “the separation points” in D-4.
In claim 18, each of sub-steps A-4-1 to A-4-5 is separate from the other steps, i.e., as claimed, any of these steps can be performed, without performing the others. Therefore, the following phrases lack proper antecedent basis, since none of the steps can rely on another of the sub-steps for antecedent basis: “the perforation line” in A-4-3 and A-4-4 *separate from “at least one perforation line” recited in claim 10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 9-15 and 18-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Suzuki (JP2005-191090A).
Suzuki discloses the claimed invention as follows:
Claim 9. A method for manufacturing circuit boards, comprising:
step A: providing an electrically conducting shaped part (4, Fig. 5(d)) with at least two segments (see multiple partitioned metal plates 7’ in Fig. 2; 7 in Fig. 7) which are integrally connected by webs (8, Fig. 2) of material;
step B: embedding the segments in insulating material (71; see Fig. 5(e) and [0040]) to form at least one circuit-board substrate (see Fig. 5(f));
step C: applying a conductor structure (12 and 42, Fig. 6; see [0034] and [0044]) to the circuit-board substrate to form the circuit board; and
step D: releasing the integral connection of the segments by cutting through the webs of material (see [0046] and Fig. 7).
Claim 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein step A comprises at least one of the following sub-steps:
A-1: providing the electrically conducting shaped part as a planar surface element made of metal;
A-2: attaching or forming at least one reference mark (10, Figs. 2 and 5) on the shaped part;
A-3: aligning the shaped part using the at least one reference mark; and
A-4: perforating the shaped part along at least one perforation line to form at least one circuit board section with the at least two segments, as a function of the at least one reference mark of the shaped part;
A-5: forming at least one opening in the shaped part in the region of at least one of the segments, within a self-contained parting line;
A-6: filling the at least one opening of the shaped part with insulating material such that the surface of the insulating material is flush with the surface of the shaped part; and
A-7: roughening of the shaped part by chemical or mechanical processing.
Claim 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein step B comprises at least one of the following sub-steps:
B-1: providing the insulating material in a moldable state as a flexible surface element (71; see Fig. 5(e)); see [0040]);
B-2: applying the insulating material to one side or both sides of the shaped part, such that the insulating material coats the respective side of the shaped part laminarly;
B-3: introducing the insulating material between the segments by pressing the insulating material onto the shaped part so that the insulating material partially or completely fills the space between the segments;
B-4: embedding each circuit board segment in insulating material so that the circuit board segment is completely surrounded by insulating material on all sides with the exception of the webs of material; and
B-5: curing of the insulating material.
Claim 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein step C comprises at least one of the following sub-steps:
C-1: providing an electrically conducting surface element (12; 42);
C-2: applying an electrically conducting surface element to one side or to both sides of the circuit-board substrate such that the electrically conducting surface element coats the respective side of the circuit-board substrate laminarly;
C-3: positioning the conductor structure, with strip conductors and/or connection points, on the circuit-board substrate as a function of the at least one reference mark of the shaped part, such that the conductor structure, when projected onto the plane of extension of the shaped part is offset from the webs of material and does not cover the webs of material;
C-4: working out the conductor structure, with strip conductors and/or connection points for electronic components, from the electrically conducting surface element, by material removal; and
C-5: connecting the conductor structure to at least one circuit board segment by contacts.
Claim 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein step D comprises at least one of the following sub-steps:
D-1: providing a tool (23, Fig. 7; see [0046]) for cutting through the webs of material;
D-2: aligning the tool for cutting through the webs of material to the circuit board as a function of at the least one reference mark on the shaped part;
D-3: cutting through the webs of material by material removal by drilling or milling; and
D-4: filling the separation points of the webs of material with insulating material such that a joint between the segments is completely filled with insulating material.
Claim 14. A shaped part for producing a circuit board by the method according to claim 9, comprising at least two segments (7’ in Fig. 2) which are integrally connected via webs of material.
Claim 15. The shaped part according to claim 14, wherein the shaped part has slot-shaped perforations (6, Fig. 2) along a perforation line (3, Fig. 2), which are interrupted by the webs (8, Fig. 2) of material.
Claim 18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step A-41 comprises at least one of the following sub-steps:
A-4-1: forming a self-contained perforation line around the circuit board section so that the circuit board section within the perforation line is integrally connected to a surrounding edge region outside the perforation line only via isolated webs of material, wherein the self-contained perforation line has a polygon shape;
A-4-2: forming at least one open or closed perforation line for dividing the circuit board section into the segments, wherein the open or closed perforation line starts and/or ends at an edge of the circuit board section;
A-4-3: forming the at least one perforation line with a uniform width in a range from 200 to 2000 pm such that slot-shaped perforations along the perforation line are spaced apart from one another by the webs of material;
A-4-4: perforating the shaped part by material removal by laser radiation or by etching such that more than 90% of the material of the shaped part is removed along the perforation line, wherein the remainder is left as webs of material; and
A-4-5: forming a plurality of identical or different circuit board sections in the shaped part such that the circuit board sections are distributed in rows and columns across the shaped part in a matrix shape.
Claim 19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the flexible surface element is a resin-impregnated fiber mat (71) with a size matched to the shaped part (see Fig. 5(e)).
Claim 20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the insulating material layers arranged on both sides of the shaped part are integrally connected by the insulating material. See Fig. 5(f).
Claim 21. The method according to claim 12, wherein the electrically conducting surface element is copper. See [0044].
Claim 22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the electrically conducting surface element is a foil (see “foil” in [0029]).
Claim 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the electrically conducting surface element has a size matched to the shaped part. Clearly, the conducting surface element is part of a circuit design for the particular substrate size, so it has a size matched to the shaped part.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sugiyama (US2018/0310401A1).
Note: the rejection is based on the embodiment of Figs. 3A to 4, which is a second embodiment. However, except for the differences mentioned at [0047] to [0055], the manufacturing is the same as for the first embodiment of Figs. 1A to 2; the rejection, therefore, also includes references to paragraphs pertinent to the first embodiment, where such details are not described for the second embodiment. See [0048] and [0054].
Sugiyama discloses the claimed invention as follows z:
A method for manufacturing circuit boards, comprising:
step A: providing an electrically conducting shaped part (21, Fig. 3B) with at least two segments (210, 213 in Fig. 3A) which are integrally connected by webs (224, 225, 226 in Fig. 3A) of material;
step B: embedding the segments in insulating material (22; see Fig. 4; see 12 in Fig. 2 of first embodiment and [[0036]]) to form at least one circuit-board substrate;
step C: applying a conductor structure (see “conductive pattern” in [0043]; it is understood the same applies to the second embodiment) to the circuit-board substrate to form the circuit board; and
step D: releasing the integral connection of the segments by cutting through the webs of material (see cutting lines CL21 to CL25 in Fig. 4; see [0050]; see [0044] related to first embodiment);
wherein step A comprises at least one of the following sub-steps:
A-1: providing the electrically conducting shaped part (21) as a planar surface element made of metal;
A-2: attaching or forming at least one reference mark on the shaped part;
A-3: aligning the shaped part using the at least one reference mark; and
A-4: perforating the shaped part along at least one perforation line to form at least one circuit board section with the at least two segments, as a function of the at least one reference mark of the shaped part;
A-5: forming at least one opening in the shaped part in the region of at least one of the segments, within a self-contained parting line;
A-6: filling the at least one opening of the shaped part with insulating material such that the surface of the insulating material is flush with the surface of the shaped part; and
A-7: roughening of the shaped part by chemical or mechanical processing;
wherein the electrically conducting shaped part is made of copper (metal core substrate 11 of first embodiment is copper such as 210 µm; see [0025]; the same is understood to apply to 21 of second embodiment), and with a thickness in the range of 200 to 1000 µm.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US20050155789A1 discloses a metal plate 12 in which grooves 16 are formed along cutting lines 13. Insulator is applied to both sides (see Fig. 13), as well as conductive material for forming circuit patterns (see Figs. 13 and 14). Cutting is performed along lines 13.
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/LIVIUS R. CAZAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
1 Note that step A-4 of claim 10 is not necessarily requires. Claim 18 further provides sub-steps of step A-4, but none of these sub-steps are required to be present, for anticipation, if the reference discloses a sub-step other than A-4, for claim 10.
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