DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to a Non-Final office action, filed on 01/27/2026, on an application filed on 03/06/2023. Claims 1-7 and 9-22 are presented for examination consideration.
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 .
Drawings
Applicant’s Drawing and Specification Amendments (filed on 01/27/2026) are persuasive in bullets 3-11 in the cited drawing objections from the last office action (mailed on 10/28/2025) due to the following:
Corrected by amending Fig. 2 of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #3.
Corrected by amending Fig. 2 of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #4.
Corrected by amending ¶[0030] of the Amended Specification, in bullet #5.
Corrected by amending ¶[0030] of the Amended Specification, in bullet #6.
Corrected by amending ¶[0037] of the Amended Specification, in bullet #7
Corrected by amending Figs. 4H-4J of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #8.
Corrected by amending Figs. 4H-4J of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #9.
Corrected by amending Figs. 4H-4J of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #10.
Fig. 4G of the Original Drawings shows "item 452", in bullet #11.
However, the drawing objection cited in bullets 1-2 will NOT be withdrawn, since the “item 153e” and “item 165d” has not been changed to the correct item number.
The drawing objections in bullets 3-11 cited in the last office action are withdrawn.
Specification
Applicant’s Specification and Drawing Amendments (filed on 01/27/2026) are persuasive in the cited specification objections from the last office action (mailed on 10/28/2025) due to the following:
Corrected by amending ¶[0030] of the Amended Specification, in bullets #1 & #4.
Corrected by amending ¶[0030] of the Amended Specification, in bullets #2 & #5.
Corrected by amending ¶[0034] of the Amended Specification, in bullet #3.
Corrected by amending ¶[0037] of the Amended Specification, in bullet #6.
Corrected by amending Figs. 4H-4J of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #7.
Corrected by amending Figs. 4H-4J of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #8.
Corrected by amending Figs. 4H-4J of the Amended Drawings, in bullet #9.
The specification objections cited in the last office action are withdrawn.
Response to Remarks & Claim Amendments
Applicant's Claim Amendments (filed on 01/27/2025) with respect to the 112(b) rejection of claim 6 that was cited in the office action (mailed on 10/28/2025) is persuasive due to amending base claim 6 so as to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter. Amended claim 6 resolved the indefinite limitation phrase “conductive plane”, that was cited in the office action, by amending FROM “wherein the conductive plane is a ground plane, a signal plane, or a power plane” TO “a wherein the conductive layer is a ground plane, a signal plane, or a power plane”.
The 112(b) rejection of claim 6 is withdrawn.
Applicant's Claim Amendments (filed on 01/27/2025) with respect to the 112(b) rejection of claim 9 that was cited in the office action (mailed on 10/28/2025) is persuasive due to amending base claim 6 so as to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter. Amended claim 6 resolved the indefinite limitation phrase “conductive plane”, that was cited in the office action, by amending FROM “and a conductive plane extending between the second and third dielectric layers” TO “and a conductive layer extending between the second and third dielectric layers”.
The 112(b) rejection of claim 9 is withdrawn.
Applicant's Claim Amendments (filed on 01/27/2026) with respect to the 35 USC § 102 rejection of independent claim 1 is persuasive due to rolling-up and incorporating the limitations of objective claim 8. The required limitations of claim 8 defines the following structural limitation:
“Where the first plane is devoid of metal except for the at least one first loading pad”.
The rejection of claim 1 and the rejection of the claims depended on claim 1 cited in the last Office Action (mailed 10/28/2025) are withdrawn.
Nevertheless, Applicant's Amendment and Remarks with respect to the 35 USC § 102 rejection of the claims are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection due to the amended limitations in independent claims 15 and 20. Independent claim 15 has been amended to “and the plane is devoid of conductive features except for the second subject of the conductive features; and a via formed through the conductive features and the stack of multiple dielectric layers”. Independent claim 20 has been amended to “to form at least one loading pad such that no other conductive features are formed on the surface of the first dielectric layer except for the at least one loading pad”.
Drawings Objections
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following features must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s):
FIG. 1 should HAVE “item 153e” changed to “item 165d” INSTEAD OF “item 165e” to comply with bullet #1 of the office action (mailed on 10/28/2025).
FIG. 1 should HAVE “item 165d” changed to “item 153e” INSTEAD OF “item 153d” to comply with bullet #2 of the office action (mailed on 10/28/2025)
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 15-19 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
In independent claim 15, the limitation phrase “second subject” in the limitation “and the plane is devoid of conductive features except for the second subject of the conductive features”, is confusing. The premise of the confusion is compounded by the limitation phrase “second subject” NOT having the proper antecedent basis. Therefore, the claim DOES NOT make it clear if the cited limitation structure “second subject” is the “second subset” in the earlier claim limitation, OR an entirely different limitation structure. The limitation “and the plane is devoid of conductive features except for the second subject of the conductive features” will be examine as “and the plane is devoid of conductive features except for the second subset of the conductive features”.
Claims 16-19 are rejected since the base independent claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph.
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 15-19 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 pre-AIA the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
In independent claim 15, the limitation phrase “second subject” in the limitation “and the plane is devoid of conductive features except for the second subject of the conductive features”, where the limitation phrase is not properly described in the specification, in the drawings, and in the original presented claims, consequently raising doubt of the claim invention at the time of filing. Specifically, NOWHERE in the specification and/or the drawings does it indicate and/or show that the “second subject”. Applicant's Remarks that were submitted on 01/27/2026 DOES NOT indicate where the limitation phrase “second subject” is supported in the specifications and/or drawings. Consequently, the limitation phrase is raising doubt of the claimed invention at the time of filing since NEW MATTER has been added to claim 15. The cited limitation phrase will be omitted for examination purpose.
Claims 16-19 are rejected since the base independent claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 1st paragraph.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), fourth paragraph:
Subject to the [fifth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA )], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 21 has the limitation “wherein removing the at least a portion of the first conductive layer forms one or more loading pads”, where the limitation is substantially the duplicate of the limitation of base independent claim 20.
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 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iwaki et al. (US20020034839A1 and Iwaki hereinafter, cited in the 10/29/2025 European Office Action).
Regarding claim 15, Iwaki discloses a printed circuit board (PCB) (Fig. 13E and ¶[0177] shows and indicates printed circuit board (PCB) of Fig. 13E {multi-level circuit substrate of Fig. 13E}), comprising: a stack of multiple dielectric layers (items 100C, 100B, 100A of Fig. 13E and ¶[0177] shows and indicates a stack of multiple dielectric layers 100C & 100B & 100A {three levels of insulation layers 100A-100C}); conductive features formed at an interface between each of the dielectric layers, wherein at least a first subset of the conductive features are formed on a conductive plane extending between adjacent dielectric layers (items 107, 106B, 150B, 106A, 150A of Fig. 13E and ¶[0177] shows and indicates where conductive feature 107 & 106B_150B section of conductive features 107 & 106B_150B with conductive feature 106A_150A {conductive structures formed by the following structures: ground layer or power source layer 107; land 106B & connection member 150B; and land 106A & connection member 150A} are formed at the interface between dielectric layers 100C & 100B in first subset 107-subset-106B_150B {subset formed by ground layer or power source layer 107 with land 106B & connection member 150B}; and where conductive feature 106A_150A section of conductive features 107 & 106B_150B with conductive feature 106A_150A are formed at the interface between dielectric layers 100B & 100A in first subset 106A_150A-subset {subset formed by land 106B & connection member 150B}; and where first subset 106A_150A-subset is formed on conductive plane 106A-plane {arrangement structure of the plane where land 106A is arranged on} that extends between adjacent dielectric layers 100B & 100A), least a second subset of the conductive features are formed on a plane defined by an interface between adjacent dielectric layers in direct contact, and the plane is devoid of conductive features except for the second subset of the conductive features (Fig. 13E and ¶[0177] shows and indicates where second subset 106A-subset {subset formed by land 106A} of conductive feature 106A_150A section of conductive features 107 & 106B_150B with conductive feature 106A_150A are formed on conductive plane 106A-plane that is defined by the interface between adjacent dielectric layers 100B & 100A in direct contact; and where conductive plane 106A-plane is devoid of conductive features 107 & 106B_150B & conductive feature 106A_150A except for second subset 106A-subset of conductive feature 106A_150A section of conductive features 107 & 106B_150B with conductive feature 106A_150A); and a via formed through the conductive features and the stack of multiple dielectric layers (Fig. 13E and ¶[0177] shows and indicates where via 150A_150B_150C {via conductor formed by connection members 150A-150C} is formed through conductive feature 107 & 106B_150B & conductive feature 106A_150A and the stack of multiple dielectric layers 100C & 100B & 100A).
Regarding claim 16, Iwaki discloses a PCB, wherein the via is a signal via (item 102 of Fig. 13E and ¶[0161 & 0177] is interpreted to show and indicate where the via 150A_150B_150C is a signal via processing the signal of interconnect layers 102).
Regarding claim 17, Iwaki discloses a PCB, wherein the conductive features include one or more loading pads (Fig. 13E and ¶[0177] shows and indicates where conductive features 107 & 106B_150B with conductive feature 106A_150A includes loading pads 106A & 168).
Regarding claim 18, Iwaki discloses a PCB, wherein the conductive plane is a signal plane (item 102 of Fig. 13E and ¶[0161 & 0177] is interpreted to show and indicate where conductive plane 106A-plane is a signal plan processing the signal of interconnect layers 102 through via 150A_150B_150C).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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.
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 20 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Iwaki.
Regarding claim 20, Iwaki discloses a method for forming a PCB (Figs. 13B_13E and ¶[0174_0177 & 0179] shows and indicates the method for forming PCB of Fig. 13B to Fig. 13E {extrapolating the modification of the embodiment of Fig. 13B to the embodiment of Fig. 13E by various combination and arrangement of parts, indicated in ¶[0179]}), comprising: forming a first dielectric layer (item 100A of Figs. 13B_13E and ¶[0174 & 0177] shows and indicates forming first dielectric layer 100A {insulation layer 100A}); forming a first conductive layer on a surface of the first dielectric layer (items 106A, 107A of Fig. 13B and ¶[0174] shows and indicates forming first conductive layer 106A_107A {conductive layer formed by land 106A & ground layer or power source layer 107A} on a surface of first dielectric layer 100A); removing at least a portion of the first conductive layer to form at least one loading pad such that no other conductive features are formed on the surface of the first dielectric layer except for the at least one loading pad (Figs. 13B_13E and ¶[0174 & 0177] shows and indicates removing portion 107A of Fig. 13B of first conductive layer 106A_107A of Fig. 13B to form loading pad 106A of Fig. 13E such that no other conductive features are formed on the surface of first dielectric layer 100A except for loading pad 106A of Fig. 13E); and forming a second dielectric layer adjacent to at least a portion of the first dielectric layer (item 100B of Figs. 13B_13E and ¶[0174 & 0177] shows and indicates forming second dielectric layer 100B {insulation layer 100B} adjacent to first dielectric layer 100A).
Regarding claim 21, Iwaki discloses a method for forming a PCB, wherein removing the at least a portion of the first conductive layer forms one or more loading pads (Figs. 13B_13E and ¶[0174 & 0177] shows and indicates removing portion 107A of Fig. 13B of first conductive layer 106A_107A of Fig. 13B to form loading pad 106A of Fig. 13E).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-7, 9-14, and 22 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim 1, the prior art taken either singularity or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claim, in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103 would be improper. The prior art fails to teach a combination of limitations of printed circuit board (PCB), comprising: …wherein the first plane is devoid of metal except for the at least one first loading pad, as recited in combination in independent claim 1. After careful review of the specification and the claim in the application and a search of the prior art, considering the claim as a whole, the aforementioned recited limitations in combination in independent claim 1 it is believed to render the claim individually patentable and the claims respectively dependent thereto patentable over the prior art of record. Therefore, claims 2-7, 9-14, and 22 are allowed.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUILLERMO J EGOAVIL whose telephone number is (571)270-1325. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Thompson can be reached at (571) 272-2342. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GUILLERMO J EGOAVIL/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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