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 of Groups I claims 1-12 and 15-18 in the reply filed on 28 December 2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 13-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 28 December 2025.
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.
Claim 9 is 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.
As to claim 9, the recitation “wherein the electrolyte has a cation concentration greater than a cation concentration of an electrolyte in an electroplating bath of the galvanic metallization.” Is unclear because antecedently the electrolyte has a cation concentration thus unclear if “an electrolyte” of “The galvanic metallization” is different that electrolyte previously claimed because “the galvanic metallization” explicitly uses “the electrolyte” of the paste.
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.
Claims 1, 4-7, 9-12, 15, 16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Glatthaar et al (DE 10-2014-221-584 A1).
As to claim 1, Glatthaar discloses method for filling at least one hole formed in a printed circuit board (pg. 3 “as an electrical connection between electrical conductors in different layers of a printed circuit board (filling the vias)”, comprising:
providing a paste comprising an electrically conductive metal powder (“Composition A” “a composition (A) comprising between 10 and 99.8% by weight of metallic particles” pg. 3, “Composition (A) is normally applied to the substrate surface (O) in the form of a paste “ pg. 5) and an electrolyte into the at least one hole of the printed circuit board (“electrolyte solution” pg. 5); and
galvanic metallisation of the printed circuit board so that elemental metal is deposited from the electrolyte in the at least one hole during the galvanic metallisation (Step iii “acting on the substrate surface (O) metal particles (P) with an electrical voltage (U) against a in the electrolyte solution (E) located counter electrode (G).” pg. 3.).
As to the limitation of “introducing”, Glatthaar explicitly discloses using the paste and method of filling vias in printed circuit boards thus necessarily must introduce the paste into the via in order to carry out the method of the metallization as claimed. See MPEP 2112.02 I.
As to claim 4, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the metal powder comprises copper particles, silver particles and/or silver-plated copper particles. (pg. 4 “Preferably, the metallic particles (P) contain silver, copper, tin, gold, lead, zinc, nickel or a mixture thereof. Particularly preferred metals are silver and / or copper and / or tin”).
As to claim 5, Glatthaar further discloses wherein an average particle diameter of the metal powder is greater than or equal to 10 µm (pg. 4 “The metallic particles (P) preferably have a size of 5 nm to 100 μm, more preferably a size of 10 nm to 30 μm, even more preferably 20 nm to 3.0 μm. The size of the particles (P) is preferably at least 5 nm, more preferably at least 10 nm, most preferably at least 20 nm. In one embodiment, the metallic particles (P) have a size of 20 nm to 200 nm. This embodiment is particularly suitable for inkjet processes. In a further embodiment, the metallic particles (P) have a size of 1 μm to 5 μm. This embodiment is particularly suitable for screen printing”).
As to claim 6, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the paste comprises 90 wt% or more of the metal powder (pg. 4 “Preferably, composition (A) contains not more than 99.5% by weight, more preferably not more than 90.0% by weight of metallic particles (P)”).
As to claim 7, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the electrolyte comprises a solvent (pg. 4” Composition (A) may further contain, and preferably contains one or more solvents preferably in an amount of not more than 10% by weight”) and cations dissolved in the solvent, the cations corresponding to a metal of the metal powder. (pg. 7 “In a second embodiment of the invention, the proportion of metal ions which can be deposited from the electrolytic solution (E) in the process according to the present invention can be up to 30% by weight, based on the electrolyte solution, for example silver, copper, tin, gold -, lead, zinc or nickel ions”).
As to claim 9, the cation concentration would be lower during galvanic metallization because when a cation is initially present at a given concentration, during plating, the concentration lowers due to the deposition of the cation from solution.
As to claim 10, Glatthaar further discloses herein the paste comprises 10 wt% or less of the electrolyte (pg. 4” Composition (A) may further contain, and preferably contains one or more solvents preferably in an amount of not more than 10% by weight”).
As to claim 11, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the paste further comprises an additive (pg. 4 “Solvents are commonly employed to reduce the viscosity of composition (A), for example, those used for the application process, such as e.g. Printing process to achieve necessary viscosity. Suitable organic coatings, dispersants, binders and solvents are known in the art”).
As to claim 12, Glatthaar further discloses that no resins are used in the paste via their exclusion from the description.
As to claim 15, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the paste comprises 90 wt% or more of the metal powder (pg. 4 “Preferably, composition (A) contains not more than 99.5% by weight, more preferably not more than 90.0% by weight of metallic particles (P)”).
As to claim 16, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the electrolyte comprises a solvent (pg. 4” Composition (A) may further contain, and preferably contains one or more solvents preferably in an amount of not more than 10% by weight”) and cations dissolved in the solvent, the cations corresponding to a metal of the metal powder. (pg. 7 “In a second embodiment of the invention, the proportion of metal ions which can be deposited from the electrolytic solution (E) in the process according to the present invention can be up to 30% by weight, based on the electrolyte solution, for example silver, copper, tin, gold -, lead, zinc or nickel ions”).
As to claim 18, Glatthaar further discloses wherein the paste further comprises an additive (pg. 4 “Solvents are commonly employed to reduce the viscosity of composition (A), for example, those used for the application process, such as e.g. Printing process to achieve necessary viscosity. Suitable organic coatings, dispersants, binders and solvents are known in the art”).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2, 8, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Glatthaar in view of Kolics et al (US 2012/0013008 A1) and Ponnuswamy et al (US 7,964,506 B1).
As to claim 2, Glatthaar fails to explicitly disclose wherein prior to the introduction of the paste, an inner peripheral wall of the at least one hole is/are galvanically pre-metallised to form a sleeve-like metal layer and the paste is introduced into a space delimited by the sleeve-like metal layer.
Kolics discloses electroplating a hole in a printed circuit board (Abstract) via incorporation of an electrolyte with a copper metal powder to conduct electroplating ([0024] [0031]) which includes prior to the introduction of the paste, an inner peripheral wall of the at least one hole is pre-metallised to form a sleeve-like metal layer and the paste is introduced into a space delimited by the sleeve-like metal layer (layer #120 seed/barrier layer).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have pre-metallized the hole to form a seed layer as taught by Kolics in the method of Glatthaar in order to provide adequate conductivity to the substrate to effect electrochemical plating (Kolics [0020])
Glatthaar, as modified by Kolics, fails to explicitly disclose the pre-metallization is performed galvanically.
Ponnuswamy disclosed galvanically depositing conformal copper seed layers (Fig. 3 step 307 col. 5 line 51-55) into features of a substrate (col. 2 lines 1-5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have used a galvanic deposition process of forming seed layer as taught by Ponnuswamy in the method of Glatthaar, as modified by Kolics, because it allows for a conformal and continuous seed layer free of oxides (Ponnuswamy col. 5 line 51-53).
As to claims 8 and 17, Glatthaar fails to explicitly disclose wherein the electrolyte comprises CuCN, CuSO4,Cu[BF4]2, Cu(S03 NH2) 2, Cu[P207], AgCN, K[Ag(CN)2] or a mixture of at least two components thereof dissolved in the solvent, for example in aqueous solution, and/or wherein the cations originate from a salt dissolved in the solvent, for example in aqueous solution.
Kolics discloses cations originate from a salt dissolved in the solvent ([0020]).
Ponnuswamy discloses using copper salts to provide cations in the plating bath (col. 8 lines 11-24).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have used salts of the cations as taught in Kolics and Ponnuswamy because it is a recognized chemical structure to provide an expected result of providing metal cations into plating baths. See MPEP 2144.07.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Glatthaar in view of Fushie et al (US 2006/0201818 A1).
As to claim 3, Glatthaar fails to explicitly disclose wherein the printed circuit board exposed to galvanic metallisation is provided with a protective layer on the printed circuit board bottom side and/or the printed circuit board top side which protects against deposition of metal during galvanic metallisation on a copper layer applied to the printed circuit board bottom side and/or the printed circuit board top side.
Fushie discloses electroplating printed circuit boards (Abstract) and wherein the printed circuit board exposed to galvanic metallisation is provided with a protective layer on the printed circuit board bottom side and/or the printed circuit board top side which protects against deposition of metal during galvanic metallisation on a copper layer applied to the printed circuit board bottom side and/or the printed circuit board top side (#10 Fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have used a protective layer on the bottom or top side of the printed circuit board as taught by Fushie in the method of Glatthaar in order to prevent plating on the surfaces of the substrate following the electrolytic plating step (Fushie [0067]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LOUIS J RUFO whose telephone number is (571)270-7716. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
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/LOUIS J RUFO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1795