DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-13 are pending.
The foreign priority document No.2021-208259 filed on December 22, 2021 in Japan has been received and it is acknowledged.
The examiner would like to note that the foreign priority document is made of record with the pages out of order.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because a single view used in an application to illustrate the claimed invention must not be numbered and the abbreviation “FIG” must not appear (see 37 C.F.R. 1.84 (u) Numbering of views). 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
“FIG.1” in par.0013 and par.0137 should be corrected to read “The FIGURE”.
The limitation “in FIG.1” in par.0137 should be corrected to read “in the FIGURE”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 102 that forms 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, 3-7, and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Karakawa (JP2021-039201 A, with attached machine translation)
With regard to claim 1, Karakawa teaches a photosensitive composition comprising:
-a resin (A) containing an ethylenically unsaturated group and a carboxyl group;
-an epoxy resin (B);
-a photopolymerizable monomer (C); and
-a photopolymerization initiator (D)(abstract).
Karakawa further teach that the photopolymerizable monomer (C) comprises at least an ethylenically unsaturated group and may comprise an alkylene oxide chain (abstract, par.0062-0065).
An epoxy resin is a thermosetting resin (B), as defined in par.0080 of the specification of the instant application.
Therefore, the photosensitive composition of Karakawa anticipates the photosensitive resin composition in claim 1 of the instant application.
With regard to claim 3, Karakawa teaches that the photopolymerizable monomer (C) may be represented by the formula:
PNG
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42
440
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(par.0142).
This compound comprises 9 butyleneoxy groups.
With regard to claims 4 and 5, teach that the photopolymerizable monomer (C) may be an ethyleneoxy(EO)-modified bisphenol A acrylate (par.0064).
This compound comprises a polyoxyethylene chain, and meets the limitations of claim 5.
With regard to claim 6, Karakawa teaches that the photosensitive composition may comprise the photopolymerizable monomer (C) in an amount of preferably 1-10mass% (par.0067). This range is within the claimed range.
With regard to claim 7, Karakawa teaches that the photosensitive composition may further contain an inorganic filler (E)(par.0073-0074).
With regard to claim 10, Karakawa teaches a photosensitive film obtained by applying the photosensitive composition onto a supporting substrate and drying the solvent to form a photosensitive resin composition layer (par.0098-0099).
With regard to claim 11, Karakawa teaches a printed wiring board including a layer formed from a cured product of the photosensitive composition (par.0106).
With regard to claim 12, Karakawa teaches a process comprising the steps of:
-coating the photosensitive composition onto a circuit board and drying the solvent to form a photosensitive film on the circuit board (par.0108);
-exposing the photosensitive layer with actinic rays through a mask (par.0113);
-developing the exposed layer to form a pattern (par.0115); and
-curing the developed pattern (par.0122).
With regard to claim 13, Karakawa teaches a process comprising the steps of:
-forming a photosensitive film on one or both sides of a circuit board using a photosensitive film with a support (par.0111).
-exposing the photosensitive layer with actinic rays through a mask (par.0113);
-developing the exposed layer to form a pattern (par.0115); and
-curing the developed pattern (par.0122).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karakawa (JP2021-039201 A, with attached machine translation) in view of Ono et al. (TW 202136324, with citations from the English equivalent US 2023/0145264).
With regard to claim 8, Karawaka teaches the photosensitive resin composition of claim 1 (see paragraph 7 above), but fail to teach that the composition comprises a compound (D) with 10-35 oxyalkylene groups in the polyoxyalkylene chain.
Ono et al. teach a photosensitive resin composition comprising a binder polymer, a photopolymerizable compound, and a photopolymerization initiator (abstract). The photopolymerizable compound may comprises a compound having three or more (meth)acryloyl groups from the viewpoint of improving sensitivity and adhesiveness, and the compound having three or more (meth)acryloyl groups may be an EO-modified ditrimethylolpropane tetra(meth)acrylate and EO-modified dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate (par.0048).
Ono et al. specifically teach EO-modified ditrimethylolpropane tetramethacrylate with 12 EO groups, EO-modified dipentaerythritol hexamethacrylate with 18 EO groups, and dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate with 12 EO groups (par.0114).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to use EO-modified ditrimethylolpropane tetramethacrylate with 12 EO groups, EO-modified dipentaerythritol hexamethacrylate with 18 EO groups, or dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate with 12 EO groups as photopolymerizable monomer (C) in the photosensitive composition of Karakawa, in order to improve the sensitivity and adhesiveness of the photosensitive composition.
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karakawa (JP2021-039201 A, with attached machine translation) in view of Komuro et al. (US 2019/0031790).
With regard to claim 8, Karawaka teaches the photosensitive resin composition of claim 1 (see paragraph 7 above), but fail to teach that the composition comprises an ion scavenger.
Komuro et al. teach a photosensitive composition comprising (A)an acid-modified vinyl group-containing epoxy resin, (B) a photopolymerization initiator, (C) an ion scavenger, and (D) a photopolymerizable compound (abstract).
Komuro et al. further teach that by including an ion scavenger (C) it is possible to form a resist pattern with an excellent resist shape. In addition, adhesion and fluidity tend to be improved. Furthermore, by containing an ion scavenger (C) it is possible to capture and deactivate ions that affect the reliability, so the ion scavenger (C) contributes to improvement in reliability (par.0116).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to include an ion scavenger in the photosensitive composition of Karakawa in order to improve the resist pattern shape, and to improve the adhesion, fluidity, and reliability of the composition.
With regard to claim 9, Karawaka teaches the photosensitive resin composition of claim 1 (see paragraph 7 above), but fail to teach that the composition comprises an elastomer.
Komuro et al. teach a photosensitive composition comprising (A) an acid-modified vinyl group-containing epoxy resin, (B) a photopolymerization initiator, (C) an ion scavenger, and (D) a photopolymerizable compound (abstract). The composition further comprises an elastomer (H)(par.0149).
Komuro et al. further teach that by adding an elastomer (H) it is possible to suppress deterioration in flexibility and adhesive strength due to strain inside the resin caused by curing shrinkage of the resin (A) and is possible to improve the flexibility, adhesive strength of the cured film formed by the photosensitive composition (par.0149).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to include an elastomer in the photosensitive composition of Karakawa in order to obtain a photosensitive composition which produces a cured film with improved flexibility and adhesive strength.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Karakawa (JP2018-165795 A, with attached machine translation) teaches a photosensitive resin composition comprising:
-a resin (A) containing an ethylenically unsaturated group and a carboxyl group;
-an inorganic filler (B);
-a photopolymerization initiator (D), and
-an epoxy resin (E)(par.0010).
The photosensitive resin composition may further comprise a reactive diluent (F) with one or more (meth)acryloyl groups in the molecule (par.0063).
The reactive diluent (F) may be trimethylolpropane EO-adduct tri(meth)acrylate, or glycerin PO-adduct tri(meth)acrylate (par.0064).
Nomoto et al. (US 2024/0160103) teach a photosensitive composition comprising: (A) an acid-modified vinyl group-containing resin, (B) an elastomer, (C) a photopolymerization initiator, and (E) an inorganic filler (abstract). The photosensitive composition may further comprise a photopolymerizable compound (F) which may be EO-modified trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, PO-modified trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate, EO- and PO-modified trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate (par.0082, par.0084).
Nakamura et al. (US 2025/0271758) teach a photosensitive composition comprising (A) and acid-modified vinyl group-containing resin, (B) a thermosetting resin, (C) a photopolymerization initiator, (D) a photopolymerizable compound, and (E)an elastomer (abstract).
Yamashita et al. (US 2024/0337934) teach a photosensitive resin composition comprising (A) an acid-modified vinyl group-containing resin, (B) a photopolymerization initiator, and (C) a photopolymerizable compound (abstract). The composition may further contain a thermosetting resin (E)(par.0045). The photopolymerizable compound (C) may include alkylene oxide-modified di(meth)acrylates such as EO-modified bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate and PO-modified bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate (par.0036).
Nomoto et al., Nakamura et al., and Yamashita et al. are not available as prior art.
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/ANCA EOFF/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722