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
Claims 7, 10-14, 18 and 19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/20/2025.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-5, and 20-22 in the reply filed on 11/20/2025 is acknowledged.
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, 3, 5, 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakata [JPH02155726A, machine translation provided].
Nakata discloses a method for producing an organic core material, the method comprising steps of: preparing a plurality of sheets of first prepregs ach first prepreg having a first fiber cloth and a first resin layer formed from a first resin component and having the first fiber cloth embedded therein; (glass cloth prepregs placed in the intermediate layer, prepregs include glass cloth impregnated with thermosetting resin); preparing at least two sheets of second prepregs, each second prepreg having a second fiber cloth and a second resin layer formed from a second resin component and having the second fiber cloth embedded therein (glass nonwoven fabric used as the surface layer, including glass nonwoven fabric impregnated with thermosetting resin varnish); heating a laminated body including the second prepreg, a plurality of the first prepregs, and the second prepreg in order while applying a pressing force in a thickness direction of the laminated body (intermediate layer between surface layers is heated and pressed); wherein a content percentage of the second resin component based on a mass of the second prepreg is higher than a content percentage of the first resin component based on a mass of the first prepreg (surface layers have resin content of 66-70% and intermediate layer prepregs have a resin content 39-42%).
With respect to claim 3, Nakata discloses the content percentage of the second resin component based on the mass of the second prepreg is 60% by mass or more (surface layers with resin content 66-70%).
With respect to claim 5,Nakata discloses the first fiber cloth is a woven fabric (implied as a woven fabric as intermediate layer prepregs are described as glass cloth while other prepregs are explicitly disclosed as nonwoven).
With respect to claim 21, Nakata discloses prior to heating the laminated body, a first laminated body (intermediate layer) comprising the plurality of sheets of first prepregs is placed between two sheets of the at least two sheets of second prepregs (surface layers; see examples).
With respect to claim 22, Nakata discloses prior to heating the laminated body, placing the plurality of sheets of first prepregs (examples include 3 or 4 prepregs in intermediate layer) between two sheets of the at least two sheets of second prepregs (surface layers; see examples).
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata in view of Sanko [JPH05261861, machine translation provided].
Nakata discloses a method for producing an organic core material. Applicant is referred to paragraph 5 for a detailed discussion of Nakata. Nakata discloses intermediate and surface layers, but does not disclose the surface layer as including a woven fabric.
Sanko disclose a method of producing an organic core material. Sanko discloses a core layer and surface layers made of a base material including glass woven fabrics impregnated with a resin. Sanko discloses surface layers including a woven fabric (paragraphs 0004, 0006-7; Table 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the method of Nakata by using surface layers including woven glass fabric as taught by Sanko in order to improve the mounting of small parts to the laminated board by reducing the thermal expansion coefficient and improving the drilling of the laminate to mount the small parts.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakata in view of Kariba [JP6-97670, machine translation provided].
Nakata discloses a method for producing an organic core material. Applicant is referred to paragraph 5 for a detailed discussion of Nakata. Nakata discloses heating and pressing the laminate of prepregs forming an intermediate layer between surface layers, but does not disclose first heating a first laminated body of the plurality of the first prepregs while applying a pressing force in a thickness direction of the first laminated body; and then placing the first laminated body between two sheets of the at least two sheets of second prepregs.
Kariba discloses a method of making an organic core material including creating an inner layer circuit board by stacking sheets A2 and B and laminating the sheets with heat and pressure to obtain the composite structure 2, then the composite structure 2 is placed between prepreg sheets C and the stack is laminated and integrated with heat and pressure.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the method of Nakata by first heating and pressing the inner prepreg layers and after the first heating and pressing placing the laminate between two outer layers for a second heating and pressing as taught by Kariba in order to prevent a slip phenomenon that could occur by the pressing of a multilayer stack.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL MCNALLY whose telephone number is (571)272-2685. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/DANIEL MCNALLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1746
DPM
January 3, 2026