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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mizuno (JP 2013-189644) and further in view of Shimono (US 2022/0251254, newly cited).
Mizuno is directed to a resin composition having excellent dielectric properties and thermal expansion properties and having applicability in printed wiring boards, metal foil laminates, and prepregs. More particularly, said composition includes (a) a prepolymer comprising a maleimide compound having two or more N-substituted maleimide groups and a conjugated diene compound having 1,2 vinyl groups (corresponds with claimed resin B) and (b) an additional maleimide compound including two or more N-substituted maleimide groups (corresponds with claimed A). In such an instance, though, the maleimide compounds encompassed by Formula 2 do not include an indane ring (corresponds with fused ring of an aromatic ring and an aliphatic ring in a molecular structure thereof).
Shimono is similarly directed to a resin composition having applicability in circuit boards and promoting dielectric properties (Paragraphs 1, 2, 10, and 11). Shimono specifically states that the aforementioned benefits are a direct result of including an indane scaffold in the maleimide compound (Paragraph 11). A maleimide compound having such an indane scaffold is represented by Formula 1 in Paragraph 12 and such appears to be directly analogous to the claimed maleimide compound (also listed in Paragraph 25 of Applicant’s original disclosure). One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to form the maleimide compound of Mizuno with an indane scaffold, as taught by Shimono, for the benefits detailed above.
Lastly, regarding claim 1, given that (a) Mizuno suggests a conjugated diene (butadiene) that mimics an inventive conjugated diene and (b) the prepolymer or resin B of Mizuno incudes a conjugated diene and a maleimide compound in an analogous manner to the claimed invention, it reasons that the resin of Mizuno in view of Shimono would demonstrate an elastic modulus in accordance to the claimed invention.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, Formula 7 in Paragraph 33 of Shimono mimics that required by the claimed invention.
As to claim 6, the resin composition of Mizuno further includes a styrene thermoplastic elastomer (component F).
With respect to claims 7 and 9, Mizuno is directed to a prepreg.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, Mizuno teaches a laminate including one or more prepregs and a metal foil.
As to claims 10 and 11, Mizuno refers to printed wiring boards used for electronic device and one would recognize such a disclosure as encompassing semiconductors.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN R FISCHER whose telephone number is (571)272-1215. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 5:30-2:00.
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Justin Fischer
/JUSTIN R FISCHER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1749 June 11, 2026
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