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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/19/2026 is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s Amendment filed 04/22/2026 is entered and being considered. Claims 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are amended. No new matter appears to have been added with these amendments.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s Amendments and arguments stemming therefrom are considered to change the scope of the claims so as to no longer be within that of the prior art used to proffer the previous rejections over 35 USC 102 and 35 USC 103. As such, these rejections are withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendment to correct the dependency of claim 6 is considered to overcome the 35 USC 112(b) rejection set forth in the prior office action. This rejection is withdrawn.
After further search and consideration, the examiner sets forth a new grounds of rejection. Applicant’s amendment to the claims necessitated the new grounds.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamei et al (US 20090211787 A1) and (Kamei et al (US 8664535 B2 - hereafter Kamei-2).
Regarding Claims 1 and 3-8, Kamei discloses a printed circuit board comprising a suspension body, a first insulation layer, a write wiring and a read wiring trace thereatop, a second insulating layer thereatop the wiring traces, a second write and read wiring trace, and a third insulating layer thereatop. The second wiring trace is wider than the first wiring trace (Fig 1, Abstract).
As per the discussion at [0046]-[0092], in a first embodiment the suspension board 10 is composed of stainless steel or aluminum ([0060] and [0061]) having a thickness of 5-50 microns.
A first insulating layer 41 is formed thereatop, wherein the insulating layer is formed mainly of polyimide resin.
A first write and read wiring traces (first conductive layer) W1 and R1 are formed thereatop from copper. Another metal such as gold, aluminum, or an alloy of copper or gold or aluminum may be used.
A second insulating layer 42 is formed atop the first wiring traces, wherein the second insulating layer is formed mainly of polyimide resin.
A second set of wiring traces (second conductive layer) W2 and R2 are formed atop the second insulating layer 42, wherein they may be formed of the same materials or different materials as W1 and R1 traces. The second wiring traces are wider than the widths of the first wiring traces so as to equalize the impedance of the wiring traces W1 and W2 and the read wiring traces R2 and R1 to avoid transmission errors ([0089]-[0092]. The second wiring has a portion that are overlapped with the first wiring in the thickness direction (vertical positioning – see Figs 1 and 4e) and at least one portion (therefore – has a portion) that is not overlapped with the first wiring in the thickness/vertical direction.
A third insulating layer 43, made mainly of polyimide resin, is formed atop the wiring traces W2 and R2 ([0078]).
However, Kamei does not disclose that a photosensitive resin is used in the formation of the second insulating layer. Kamei discloses that the insulating layers are formed from polyimide resin, but does not specifically state a photosensitive embodiment or a particular method of forming the insulating layers.
This limitation is met by Kamei-2.
Kamei-2 discloses a wired circuit board and methods of making such, where the wired board includes a first insulating layer, a first wire formed on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer formed on the first insulating layer so as to cover the first wire, and a second wire place opposite to the second wire in a thickness direction and formed in a smaller width than that of the first wire (Abstract).
The board and method of making are generally disclosed from Column 2 Line 50 to Column 7 Line 42 and in the Figures 1-6.
The wired board of Kamei-2 includes a metal supporting board 2, with an insulating base layer 3 formed thereupon. The board also bears first wires 4 formed on the insulating layer 3, an intermediate insulating layer 5 formed atop the wires 4 and base insulating layer 3, second wires 6 formed on the intermediate insulating layer 5, and an insulating cover layer 7 formed on the intermediate insulating layer 5 so as to cover the wires 6.
The supporting board is made of metal foil or is a metal plate ranging in 10-30 microns in thickness. The insulating base (first) layer 2 is formed on the entire upper surface in a widthwise direction, and is 1-10 microns thick.
The first wires 4 are formed on the surface of the insulating base layer 3 in a parallel arrangement and formed in rectangular shapes when viewed in cross-section, and are between 1-50 microns in thickness.
The intermediate (second) insulating layer 5 is formed atop the first wires 4 and base insulating layer 3, so that the wires are covered. Second wires 6 are formed atop the layer 5, so that they are above and opposite to the first wires.
The top (third) insulating layer 7 is formed atop the intermediate layer 5 and the second wires.
The insulating material used in forming the insulating layers is preferably a photosensitive synthetic resin, such as a photosensitive polyimide – which in the examples is formed by using a photosensitive polyamic acid (claim 3, claim 6) that is cured into polyimide after film formation. The insulating layer may be formed by coating a varnish (varnish coating - claim 5) onto the surface of the board (or, for intermediate or top layers, onto underlying layers/wires) and then heating to cure. Alternatively, a patterning method wherein a photosensitive varnish is coated (varnish coating), dried, exposed to light, developed, and then cured is also contemplated. Further, forming the synthetic resin into a film and then sticking it to the surface of the metal support/underlying layer with an adhesive is also contemplated (claim 4).
Kamei and Kamei-2 are each directed to the formation of circuit wiring boards using substantially similar materials for forming insulating layers and wiring layers. Kamei-2 establishes that polyimide resins may be formed from the treatment of polyamic acid resins (and Applicant’s specification also asserts this at [0022], [0026], [0056], [0072], [0079], and [0082]). A person having ordinary skill in the art seeking to form a polyimide resin as per Kamei would consider the teachings of Kamei-2 - forming a polyamic acid to then be imidized by heating/curing – as instructive to forming the desired polyimide insulating layer(s). Such a person would expect that the polyamic acid compositions of Kamei-2 would be usable in formation of the layers of Kamei, where the polyamic acid layers are precursors placed and then cured after to form the polyimide insulating layers.
A person having ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to arrive at the claimed invention from the general disclosure of Kamei and Kamei-2, using the polyamic acid precursor compositions of Kamei-2 in the formation process of Kamei to arrive at a wiring board having high insulation performance imparted by the resultant polyimide layers.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamei et al (US 20090211787 A1) and (Kamei et al (US 8664535 B2 - hereafter Kamei-2) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Tamura et al (US 20100224391 A1).
Regarding Claim 2, Kamei and Kamei-2 disclose the limitations of the claim as discussed above regarding claim 1. However, Kamei and Kamei-2 do not teach that the film of the second insulating layer is compressively bonded to the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer (wiring). Rather, Kamei and Kamei-2 discuss heat-curing the layers which would bond them, or using an adhesive sheet.
This limitation is met by Tamura.
Tamura discloses a suspension board with circuit patterns thereupon, where the board includes a metal supporting board, an insulating base layer formed on the metal supporting board, a conductive pattern formed on the based insulating layer, and a second insulating layer formed on the insulating base layer so as to cover the conductive pattern (Abstract).
The board of Tamura is generally discussed from [0007]-[0154], wherein the insulating base layer is formed from polyimide using a solution of photosensitive polyamic acid (polyimide precursor) resin to form a coating on the board, then exposing it to light, developing it, and curing by heating to imidize the resin ([0065]). The insulating cover layer which is formed atop the base layer and the circuit pattern, may be formed of a photosensitive polyamic acid resin and similarly patterned as per the base insulating layer – or alternatively may be formed onto a sheet in advance and pressure-bonded onto the base insulating layer and circuit pattern ([0073]-[0077]).
Kamei, Kamei-2, and Tamura each recite circuit boards having base insulating layers, circuit pattern(s) thereatop, and another insulating layer further atop the base and circuit layers – wherein both Kamei-2 and Tamura discuss photosensitive polyamic acids as film-forming compositions for insulating layer manufacture and both reference pre-forming a sheet of the material for bonding to the board and layers thereupon.
A person having ordinary skill in the art would consider the application of a pressure bonding step as taught by Tamura to be an application of a known method (the pressure bonding) to a known product (the preformed polyamic acid sheet) with the expectation that such method would be successful. Such success would also be considered likely as both film compositions are polyamic acid and the structural similarities thereof would abet similar properties such as compression bonding.
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 ANDREW PRESTON TRAYWICK whose telephone number is (571)272-2982. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8-5.
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/A.P.T./Examiner, Art Unit 1737
/SALLY A MERKLING/SPE, Art Unit 1738
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