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 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(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Soeda et al. (US PG. Pub. 2014/0353018) in view of Pai et al. (US PG. Pub. 2003/0174484).
Regarding claim 1 – Soeda teaches a multilayer board (figs. 18C-18D & 25B) comprising: a first substrate (109 [paragraph 0058] Soeda states, “upper multilayer printed wiring board 109”); a first terminal part (fig. 25B, upper terminal part 116 [paragraph 0054] Soeda states, “electrode 116”) being formed on a first surface (top surface) of the first substrate (110); a second substrate (110 [paragraph 0058] Soeda states, “lower multilayer printed wiring board 110”) being disposed so as to face the first surface (top surface) of the first substrate (109); a second terminal part (lower terminal part 116) being formed on a first surface (bottom surface) facing the first terminal part (upper pad of first substrate 110), of the second substrate (110); a limiting member (113 [paragraph 0055] Soeda states, “core material 113”) being interposed between the first substrate (109) and the second substrate (110) and being formed with a through hole (see through hole that accommodates the conductive paste 115 within the limiting member 113) that makes the first terminal part (upper terminal part 16) and the second terminal part (lower terminal part 16) communicate with each other at an area that is provided with the first terminal part and the second terminal part (claimed structure shown in figure 25B), the limiting member (113) being provided at an area that is not provided with the first terminal part and the second terminal part (claimed structure shown in figure 25B) and limiting a distance between the first substrate (110) and the second substrate (110); and a conductive paste (115 & 107 [paragraph 0126, claim 9 & 0107] Soeda states, “solder bump 115…the solder bump is formed by printing a solder paste on the pad…interlayer connection portion 107”) being disposed in the through hole and electrically connecting the first terminal part (terminal of first substrate 109) and the second terminal part (terminal of second substrate 110) to each other (claimed structure shown in figure 18C), wherein the limiting member (fig. 18C, 113) is fixed between the first substrate (109) and the second substrate (110) by a first adhesive (upper adhesive 112 [paragraph 0112] Soeda states, “adhesive layer 112”) adhering on the first surface (lower surface of first substrate 109) of the first substrate (109) and by a second adhesive (lower adhesive 112) adhering on the first surface (top surface) of the second substrate (110), and a thickness of the limiting member (fig. 25B, 113) is set so that a sum of a thickness of the first terminal part (upper terminal 116), a thickness of the second terminal part (lower terminal 116), and a thickness of the conductive paste (115/107) after being pressurized and heated to be cured and to reliably provide conductivity, is a sum of the thickness of the limiting member (113) and a thickness of each of the first adhesive (upper adhesive 112) and the second adhesive (lower adhesive 112) after being pressurized and heated ([paragraph 0112] Soeda states, “complete production of the interlayer connection substrate with the structure illustrated in FIG. 18D”; figures 18D and 25B are finished products and show the claimed structural features).
Soeda does not explicitly teach the first substrate is composed of an insulating material and the second substrate is composed of an insulating material, and the insulating materials of the first substrate and the second substrate and the limiting member are composed of insulating materials that thermally expand in a same manner.
Pai teaches a multilayer board (fig. 1I, 100I [title] Pai states, “lamination of high-layer-count substrate”) having a first (164 [paragraph 0031] Pai states, “HLC substrates 164, 166”) and second (166) substrate and a limiting member (160 [paragraph 0032] Pai states, “adhesive film 160 preferably includes a B-stage, or semi-cured, adhesive film compatible with the laminate material of the HLC substrates 164, 166 such as high Tg FR4”) wherein the first substrate (164 [paragraph 0023] Pai states, “Any of a variety of materials may be used in the HLC substrate 100, such as FR4, high Tg FR4”) is composed of an insulating material (high Tg FR4) and the second substrate (166) is composed of an insulating material (high Tg FR4), and the insulating materials of the first substrate (164) and the second substrate (166) and the limiting member (160) are composed of insulating materials that thermally expand in a same manner (The first and second substrates and the limiting member are all made of high Tg FR4 and will have the same thermal expansion properties).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the multilayer board having a first and second substrate with a limiting member therebetween as taught by Soeda with the first and second substrate and the limiting member are formed of insulating materials that thermally expand in a same manner as taught by Pai because Pai states, “portions of the top surface of the HLC substrate 166 and the bottom surface of the HLC substrate 164 or irregularities in those surfaces may be embedded in the adhesive film 160 to further strengthen the mechanical bond afforded by the adhesive film 160” [paragraph 0037]. Additionally having the CTEs (coefficient of thermal expansion) of the first and second substrates and the limiting member being the same will create a strong bond therebetween and prevent peeling/separation (from different expansion rates) when being heated/pressured in the processing step.
Regarding claim 2 – Soeda in view of Pai teach the multilayer board according to claim 1, characterized in that the limiting member (Soeda; fig. 18C & 25B, 113) is made of an unclad material (figure 18C and 25B is considered an “unclad material” and appears equivalent to that of the application having only the adhesive on the limiting member 113).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/22/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues regarding the rejection to claim 1 regarding the Soeda reference, “Such a configuration of Soeda cannot secure flatness of the substrate” [REMAKRS page 11].
In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., specific “flatness”) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
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 STEVEN T SAWYER whose telephone number is (571)270-5469. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 am - 5pm.
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/STEVEN T SAWYER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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