DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
Claim 3 is cancelled. Claims 1 and 5 are amended. Claims 1-2 and 4-5 are pending and being examined on the merits in this office action.
Specification
The amended title of the invention, filed July 28, 2026, is acknowledged and accepted.
Drawings
The amended drawing, filed July 28, 2026, is acknowledged but not accepted, because at least the following reasons:
1) The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description and claims:
i) “region a1” (corresponding to through-holes 3a) and “region a2” (corresponding to through 3b); and
ii) “region b1” and “region b2”.
2) 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 claimed i) “the first gap is an empty space connecting a through-hole provided at the region a1 and a through-hole provided at the region a2” and ii) “the second gap is an empty space connecting a through-hole provided at the region b1 and a through-hole provided at the region b2” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Note that, as to 2)-i) above, there are two “first gap”, located in region a1 and region a2, respectively. It is unclear how the two “first gap” connect to through-holes located in regions a1 and a2, because there is adhesive layer 6 separating the two “first gap” (See Fig. 2 for example). The issue applies similarly to 2)-ii).
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As discussed in the drawing objection above, it is unclear as to the limitations “i) the first gap is an empty space connecting a through-hole provided at the region a1 and a through-hole provided at the region a2” and ii) “the second gap is an empty space connecting a through-hole provided at the region b1 and a through-hole provided at the region b2”, which render the claims indefinite.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed July 28, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive, because of the 112 issues described above.
Conclusion
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 ZHONGQING WEI whose telephone number is (571)272-4809. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:30 - 6:00.
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, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at (571)272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZHONGQING WEI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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