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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Katou (US 2015/0185611).
Katou is directed to a photosensitive resin composition which is excellent in a light transmittance and a fine patterning property even in a thick film in order to form patterns by exposing a rib part and a cover part of a hollow structure to light and which provides a resin cured product thereof with a high heat resistance and has a low moisture absorption property and a low moisture permeability in order to enhance the moisture and heat resistance. (Para, 0034). Katou discloses the photosensitive resin composition of the present invention comprises the photopolymerizable compound (A) having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and the photopolymerization initiator (B). (Para, 0036).
Katou discloses the photopolymerizable compound having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group is preferably a compound containing a carbon-nitrogen bond and includes a polymerizable compound having an amide bond and a polymerizable compound having a urethane bond. (Para, 0037). Katou explains this provides high moisture and heat resistance, and the high adhesive property can be provided by using the above compounds containing a carbon-nitrogen bond. (Para, 0037). Katou further discloses the photopolymerizable compound having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group includes, for example, compounds obtained by reacting polyhydric alcohols with α, β-unsaturated carboxylic acids, polymerizable compounds having an amide bond and at least one ethylenically unsaturated group, bisphenol A base (meth)acrylate compounds, compounds obtained by reacting glycidyl group-containing compounds with α, β-unsaturated carboxylic acids, urethane monomers or urethane oligomers such as (meth)acrylate compounds having a urethane bond and compounds which are copolymers of alkyl (meth)acrylates and into which ethylenically unsaturated groups are introduced. (Para, 0038). Katou discloses they can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds thereof. (Para, 0038). Katou also discloses examples of the various monomers. (Para, 0039; 0041-0048). These disclosures teach the limitation of claim 1, ‘A negative photosensitive composition for forming a top plate portion of a hollow structure, the negative photosensitive composition comprising: polyfunctional (meth)acrylate compound…’
Katou also discloses A content of the foregoing photopolymerizable compound (A) having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group is preferably 80 to 99.9% by mass, more preferably 90 to 99.5% by mass and particularly preferably 95 to 99% by mass based on a whole amount of solid matters containing no inorganic filler in the photosensitive resin composition (that is, an amount of the components excluding the inorganic filler and the solvent). If a content of the foregoing photopolymerizable compound (A) having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group is 80 to 99.9% by mass, the rib pattern and the cover formed have a good shape and are provided with a sufficiently high resin strength, and a hollow structure is less liable to be crushed.
Katou discloses the resin composition also comprises a photopolymerization initiator which is the component (B) contained together with the foregoing photopolymerizable compound (A) having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group. (Para, 0051). Katou discloses this component B shall not specifically be restricted as long as it produces free radicals by irradiation with an active energy light ray, and it includes, for example, aromatic ketones, acylphosphine oxides, oxime esters, quinones, benzoin ether compounds, benzyl derivatives, 2,4,5-triarylimidazole dimers, acridine derivatives, N-phenylglycine, N-phenylglycine derivatives, coumarin base compounds and the like. (Para, 0051-0062). This disclosure teaches the limitation of claim 1, ‘A negative photosensitive composition for forming a top plate portion of a hollow structure, the negative photosensitive composition comprising: …a photoradical polymerization initiator.’ Katou discloses a content of the photopolymerization initiator (B) described above is preferably 0.1 to 20% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 10% by mass and particularly preferably 1 to 5% by mass based on a whole amount of solid matters in the photosensitive resin composition. (Para, 0063). Katou explains controlling a content of the photopolymerization initiator (B) to 0.1 to 20% by mass makes it possible to enhance a sensitivity of the photosensitive resin composition and prevent the form of the resist from being deteriorated. (Para, 0063).
Katou discloses that in addition to these components the resin composition further comprises an inorganic filler (C) in addition to the photopolymerizable compound (A) having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and the photopolymerization initiator (B). (Para 0064). Katou discloses that materials capable of being used as the inorganic filler are silica, alumina, titanium oxide, zirconia, ceramic fine powders, talc, mica, boron nitride, kaolin, barium sulfate and the like each having a volume average particle diameter falling in a range of 10 nm to 50 µm. (Para, 0064; 0073-0074). These disclosures teach the limitation of claim 3.
Katou discloses the resin composition may further comprise other components such as a sensitizer (D). (Para, 0075-0076). Katou discloses he resin may also comprises a heat resistant polymer (E) (Para, 0077-0078). Katou then discloses the resin may also comprise a thermally cross-linkable material (F). (Para, 0079). Katou discloses the thermally cross-linkable material (F) is preferably, for example, epoxy resins, phenol resins in which an a position is substituted with a methylol group and an alkoxymethyl group, melamine resins in which an N position is substituted with a methylol group and/or an alkoxymethyl group, urea resins and the like in terms of the resin strength after cured. (Para, 0079). Katou explains they are used alone or in a mixture of two or more kinds thereof. (Para, 0079). Katou discloses a content of the thermally cross-linkable material (F) described above is preferably 1 to 20% by mass based on a whole amount of solid matters in the photosensitive resin composition so that heat resistance and a resin strength of the photosensitive resin composition is improved, and a developability thereof is improved as well. (Para, 0080). These disclosures teach the limitation of claim 1, ‘A negative photosensitive composition for forming a top plate portion of a hollow structure, the negative photosensitive composition comprising: …an epoxy group-containing compound…’ and the limitation of claim 2.
Lastly, Katou discloses the resin composition may comprise a thermal acid generator. (Para, 0081). Katou discloses the thermal acid generator (G) includes, for example, salts formed from strong acids such as onium salts and the like and bases, imide sulfonates and the like. The onium salts include, for example, aryl diazonium salts, diaryl iodonium salts such as diphenyl iodonium salts and the like, di(alkylaryl) iodonium salts such as di(t-butylphenyl) iodonium salts and the like, trialkyl sulfonium salts such as trimethyl sulfonium salts and the like, dialkylmonoaryl sulfonium salts such as dimethylphenyl sulfonium salts and the like, diarylmonoalkyl sulfonium salts such as diphenylmethyl sulfonium salts and the like and triaryl sulfonium salts. (Para, 0081). Katou discloses a blending amount of the thermal acid generator (G) described above is preferably 0.1 to 30 parts by mass, more preferably 0.2 to 20 parts by mass and further preferably 0.5 to 10 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the component (A). (Para, 0082). These disclosures teach the limitation of claim 1, ‘A negative photosensitive composition for forming a top plate portion of a hollow structure, the negative photosensitive composition comprising: …a cationic polymerization initiator…’ and the limitation of claim 4.
Katou also discloses how this resin composition is used as a photosensitive film. Katou discloses in forming the rib pattern according to the present embodiment, desired patterns can be formed by passing through a lamination step in which the photosensitive resin layer (photosensitive resin film) formed by using the photosensitive resin composition or the photosensitive film each described above is laminated on a substrate, an exposing step in which a prescribed part of the above photosensitive resin layer is irradiated with an active energy light ray via a mask to photocure the exposed part, a removing step in which parts other than the exposed part described above in the photosensitive resin layer is removed by using a developer and a thermal curing step in which the exposed part in the photosensitive resin layer is thermally cured to form a resin cured product. (Para, 0091). Katou discloses that to form a hollow structure, the rib pattern comprising the resin cured product formed by the forming method described above has a sufficiently large film thickness, and a hollow structure can be formed by covering it with a ceramic substrate, a Si substrate, a glass substrate, a metal substrate, a polyimide film, a PET film, an acryl plate and the like as a cover. (Para, 0102). Katou also discloses the photosensitive resin composition or the photosensitive film obtained by turning it into a film can be used not only as the hollow structure rib part but also as the cover part. (Para, 0103). Katou discloses the film obtained by turning once the photosensitive resin composition described above into a film or the photosensitive film prepared in advance from it is stuck and laminated on an upper part of the pattern described above, and then it is allowed to pass through the exposing step and, if necessary, the developing step (removing step) and the thermal curing step, whereby the hollow structure can be formed. (Para, 0103). Katou discloses when the photosensitive resin composition or the photosensitive film of the present invention is applied for the cover, it does not necessarily have to pass through the developing step, but in the following case, the hollow structure device of the present invention is improved in a usability by employing the developing step. (Para, 0103). These disclosures teach the limitation of claim 5, ‘A method for producing a hollow structure consisting of a recess portion and a top plate portion closing an opening surface of the recess portion, the method comprising[[:]] forming the top plate portion using the negative photosensitive composition according to Claim 1
Therefore, the recitations of claims 1-5 are anticipated by the disclosures of Katou as discussed above.
Conclusion
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/CALEEN O SULLIVAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899