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 .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 06/25/26 has been entered.
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) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by
Hou et al. (U.S. Patent 10,082,665) hereafter Hou.
As to claim 21, Hou discloses a pressure-exerting device, as shown in figures 1-
15 comprising:
a first pressure-exerting unit (1-3) adapted to press an electronic element (chip-
10) on a circuit board (4), including:
a pressure-exerting member (3) defining a central opening (34) sized to at least
partially surround the electronic element (10); and
a pressing elastic sheet (32) arranged at an edge of the central opening (34) of
the pressure-exerting member (3) and adapted to press the electronic element (10), and
a second pressing unit (6) adapted to press the electronic element (10) and
including a pressing plate (figures 12-13) in contact with the pressing elastic sheet (32)
and adapted exert a pressure to the electronic element (10) through the pressing elastic
sheet (32); and
a spring (91) adapted to (capable of being) to bias the pressing plate in contact with the pressing elastic sheet.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10, and 22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 1, 3-7, and 11-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
In response to remarks and claimed amendments made in Applicant's Amendment filed on 06/25/26, applicant's arguments are persuasive. Amended claims
have been considered and upon conclusion of a comprehensive search of the prior arts.
The Office indicates that the claim, as amended, are allowable.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later
than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably
accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled "Comments on
Statement of Reasons for Allowance."
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-19, and 21-22 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's arguments filed 06/25/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues:
Hou does not disclose or teaches “a spring adapted to to bias the pressing plate in contact with the pressing elastic sheet.”
Examiner respectively disagrees. Hou clearly discloses a spring (91) adapted to (capable of being) to bias the pressing plate in contact with the pressing elastic sheet, column 7, line 12+.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUAN T DINH whose telephone number is (571)272-1929. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm, M-F.
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, Timothy Dole can be reached at 571-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847