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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed May 20, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
1)Regarding objection to the drawings, the applicants state: “Applicant respectfully submits that the Office may have overlooked an element of Figure 1A. In particular, Paragraph [0017] of the Specification references Conductive Element 110 in reference to Figures 1A and 1B. Applicant submits that Figures 1A and 1B include element 110. Therefore, Applicant requests that the objection be withdrawn.”
In response to the above, first “drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims.” Claims 1, 8 and 16 state specify “…conductive element in the resilient materials…” The examiner acknowledges applicant argument that conductive element 110 is in Figs. 1A & 1B. However, the figures, along with Figs. 2-6, do not show conductive element 110 in resilient material 108 as stated in the claims. In fact, Figs. 1-6 shows conductive element 110 is on or surround resilient material 108. Therefore, the examiner is maintaining the objection.
2a)Regarding claims 1, 8 and 16 under claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102, the applicants state: “Applicant respectfully submits that Gilleo fails to expressly or inherently describe Applicant's "resilient materials on a substrate" and "conductive element in the resilient material" limitations. Claim 1 describes a resilient material "on the substrate," specifies a set of materials for said resilient material, and establishes the placement of a conductive pad on the substrate. In the Office Action, the Office cites Gilleo Column 4, Lines 48-50 as expressly describing Applicant's resilient material on the substrate. Non-Final Office Action Feb. 20, 2026, Pg. 5. Applicant respectfully disagrees…”
In response to the above, the examiner used dielectric sheet 22 of Fig. 3 as the claimed resilient member and substrate 54 of Fig. 3 as the claimed substrate. As shown in Fig. 3 dielectric sheet 22 is on the substate 54 via contact pads 56 with coating 58. Therefore, the Gilleo discloses “a resilient material on the substrate” as claimed. The examiner used Gilleo col.4, lines 48-50 only to show different material including with the resilient material.
2b)Regarding claims 1, 8 and 16 under claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102, the applicants further state: “…Applicant further notes that Claim 1 requires "a conductive element in the resilient material." Gilleo also fails to expressly or inherently disclose this limitation. The Office maps Gilleo Item 26 to Applicant's conductive element. Non-Final Office Action Feb. 20, 2026, Pg. 5- 6. As described above, the Office also maps Applicant's resilient material to Gilleo's dielectric sheet (Gilleo Item 22). Accordingly, in order to anticipate, Gilleo must expressly or inherently disclose Item 26 in the dielectric sheet of Gilleo. This is not the case…”
In response to the above, the examiner used conductive element 26 in Figs. 3 and 8 as the claimed conductive element. In Gilleo col. 4, lines 37-39 it states: “component 22 has holes 24 disposed in a regular, predetermined pattern. Each hole 24 has an electrically conductive element 26 disposed therein.” Therefore, the examiner believes Gilleo discloses “a conductive element in the resilient material” as claimed.
2c) Regarding claims 1, 8 and 16 under claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102, the applicants also state: “…The Office maps Gilleo's dielectric sheet to Applicant's resilient material. Id. The Office then cites Gilleo Column 4, Lines 48-50 as disclosing the required materials of Claim 1's resilient material. Id. However, the materials described in Gilleo do not apply to the dielectric sheet the Office cites as equivalent to Applicant's resilient material. Instead, Gilleo specifies that "[f]lexible body 28 may be formed from essentially any flexible polymer which include thermoplastics such as polystyrene, polyethlyene, acetal, polybutadiene and polyetherimide and thermosets such as epoxies and polyimide." Gilleo, Col. 4, Ln. 48-50. Thus, if the Office maps Gilleo's dielectric sheet to Applicant's resilient material, it is Gilleo's dielectric sheet that must include the above listed polymers in order to meet the "as set forth in the claim" requirement of Verdegaal Bros. That is not the case here…”
In response to the above, first, MPEP 2111.01 states: “[T]he ordinary and customary meaning of a claim term is the meaning that the term would have to a person of ordinary skill in the art in question at the time of the invention, i.e., as of the effective filing date of the patent application." Phillips v. AWH Corp.,415 F.3d 1303, 1313, 75 USPQ2d 1321, 1326 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc); Sunrace Roots Enter. Co. v. SRAM Corp., 336 F.3d 1298, 1302, 67 USPQ2d 1438, 1441 (Fed. Cir. 2003); Brookhill-Wilk 1, LLC v. Intuitive Surgical, Inc., 334 F.3d 1294, 1298, 67 USPQ2d 1132, 1136 (Fed. Cir. 2003)”. Merriam-Webster dictionary disclose the meaning of “include” as 1) “to take in or comprise as a part of a whole or group” and 2) “to contain between or within”. With the above in mind, Gilleo discloses at least one of the listed items is contain within the resilient material via the conductive element. In Gilleo as shown in Fig. 8, at least one of the listed items is part of flexible body 28 that is located in conductive element 26. As stated above 2b, the conductive element 26 is in resilient material 22. Therefore, the examiner believes the resilient material does include at least one of the listed items via conductive element and meet the “…as set forth in the claim is found either expressly or inherently described…” requirement of Verdegaal Bros.
In response to all the above, the examiner is maintaining the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 using Gilleo et al (US 6,204,455).
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the conductive element in the resilient materials [claims 1, 8 and 16] must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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 lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-6, 8-9, 11, 13-16 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gilleo et al (US 6,204,455 B1).
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Regarding claim 1, Gilleo et al disclose [see Figs 3 and 8 above] a microelectronic component comprising: a substrate (substrate 54) having at least one conductive pad (contact pad 56); a resilient material (dielectric sheet 22) on the substrate (54), wherein the resilient material (22) includes room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone, low density polyethylene (col. 4, line 49), high density polyethylene (col. 4, line 49), polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene (col. 4, line 48), polyacrylonitrile, polytetrafluoroethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl acetate, cis-polyisoprene, polychloroprene, or polychlorotrifluoroethylene; and a conductive element (conductive element 26) in the resilient material (22), the conductive element (22) being coupled to the at least one conductive pad (56).
Regarding claim 2, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the resilient material (22) includes a compressible polymer (see col. 4, lines 34-36).
Regarding claim 3, Gilleo et al disclose at least one conductive trace (coating 58) on the substrate (54), the at least one conductive trace (58) being coupled to the at least one conductive pad (56).
Regarding claim 4, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the conductive element (26) is accessible to at least one test probe (device contact 44) [via coating 48].
Regarding claim 5, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the resilient material (22) compresses into a deformed shape in response to a contact between the at least one test probe contact (44) and the conductive element (26) [see col. 3, line 35; col. 7, lines 5-12 and 50-56 as well as col. 8, lines 13-15].
Regarding claim 6, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the resilient material (22) is configured to return from the deformed shape to an undeformed shape in response to a withdrawal of the at least one test probe (44) from the conductive element (26) [see col. 4, lines 54-58; col. 7, lines 5-12 and 50-56].
Regarding claim 8, Gilleo et al disclose [see Figs 3 and 8 above] a method of fabricating a microelectronic component, the method comprising: providing a substrate (substrate 54) having at least one conductive pad (contact pad 56); providing a resilient material (dielectric sheet 22) on the substrate (54), wherein the resilient material (22) includes room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone, low density polyethylene (col. 4, line 49), high density polyethylene (col. 4, line 49), polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene (col. 4, line 48), polyacrylonitrile, polytetrafluoroethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl acetate, cis-polyisoprene, polychloroprene, or polychlorotrifluoroethylene; and providing a conductive element (conductive element 26) in the resilient material (22), the conductive element (22) being coupled to the at least one conductive pad (56).
Regarding claim 9, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the providing the conductive element (26) includes depositing a metalized layer (flexible conductive shell 30) on the resilient material (22).
Regarding claim 11, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the providing of the resilient material (22) comprises screen printing the resilient material (22) on the substrate (54) using a stencil [see col. 6, lines 10-14 and col. 11, lines 6-12].
Regarding claim 13, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the resilient material (22) includes a compressible polymer (see col. 4, lines 34-36).
Regarding claim 14, Gilleo et al disclose at least one conductive trace (coating 58) on the substrate (54), the at least one conductive trace (58) being electrically coupled to the at least one conductive pad (56).
Regarding claim 15, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the resilient material (22) compresses into a deformed shape in response to a test probe (device contact 44) contacting the conductive element (26), and wherein the resilient material (22) is configured to return from the deformed shape to an undeformed shape subsequent to a removal of the conductive element (26) from contacting the test probe (44) [see col. 3, line 35; col. 4, lines 54-58; col. 7, lines 5-12 and 50-56 as well as col. 8, lines 13-15].
Regarding claim 16, Gilleo et al disclose a method of testing a microelectronic component, the method comprising: placing at least one test probe (device contact 44) in contact with a conductive element (conductive element 26), the conductive element (26) being in electrical contact with at least one conductive pad (contact pad 56) on a substrate (substrate 54), the conductive element (26) being in a resilient material (flexible dielectric sheet 22) on the substrate (54), wherein the resilient material (22) includes room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone, low density polyethylene (col. 4, line 49), high density polyethylene (col. 4, line 49), polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene (col. 4, line 48), polyacrylonitrile, polytetrafluoroethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl acetate, cis-polyisoprene, polychloroprene, or polychlorotrifluoroethylene.
Regarding claim 19, Gilleo et al disclose wherein the providing of the resilient material (22) comprises screen printing the resilient material (22) on the substrate (54) [see col. 6, lines 10-14 and col. 11, lines 6-12].
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) 10 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilleo et al (US 6,204,455 B1) in view of Bouvier et al (US Pub. No. 2018/0301594).
Regarding claims 10 and 18, Gilleo et al teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the providing of the resilient material (22) comprises depositing the resilient material (22) on the substrate (56). Gilleo et al does not explicitly teach using a time/pressure dispensing process. Bouvier teaches using a time/pressure dispensing process (see para [0115] where silicone is dispensed using a time/pressure dispenser). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught by Gilleo et al to utilize a time/pressure dispensing process as taught by Bouvier in order to achieve precise deposition as is known in the art.
Claim(s) 12 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilleo et al (US 6,204,455 B1) in view of Park et al (6,492,200).
Regarding claims 12 and 20, Gilleo et al teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the providing of the resilient material (22) comprises printing the resilient material (22) on the substrate (56). Gilleo et al does not explicitly teach using a microlithography process. Park et al teaches using a microlithography process (see col. 7, Lines 29-47. where silicone layer 22 is patterned to expose the pads 21 via a microlithography process). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught by Gilleo et al to utilize a microlithography process as taught by Park et al in order to utilize standard microfabrication techniques for precision control of the dimensions of the resilient material element.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilleo et al (US 6,204,455 B1) in view of Huang et al (US Pub. No. 2007/0170935).
Regarding claim 17, Gilleo et al teaches the method of claim 16, electrically connecting the at least one conductive pad (56) to a test interface (microelectric device 42). Gilleo et al does not explicitly teach connecting the at least one conductive pad to a test interface via an electrical cable. Huang et al teaches (Fig. 1) connecting the at least one conductive pad to a test interface via an electrical cable (see Fig. 1 and para [0007] where wafer test system 1100 transmits various test signals to wafer via cable 1300 and probe assembly). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the test interface taught by Gilleo et al to further include an electrical cable as taught by Huang et al for interfacing signals from a controller unit as is known in the art for sending and receiving signals.
Conclusion
Base on the above, the following is being applied.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 JERMELE M HOLLINGTON whose telephone number is (571)272-1960. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:00am-3:30pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lee E Rodak can be reached at 571-270-5628. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JERMELE M HOLLINGTON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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