DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 12-20 and withdrawal of claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 05/11/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Foyet et al., U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0328899.
Regarding claim 12, Foyet discloses:
a conductive metal base layer 5;
a nickel plating layer 4 formed on a surface of the conductive metal base layer 5;
a silver plating layer 3 formed on a surface of the nickel plating layer 4, and
a tin plating layer 2 formed on a surface of the silver plating layer 3 (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 13, Foyet discloses further comprising a silver-tin mixed layer (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 14, Foyet discloses a mixture of silver-tin layer. Because the claimed invention is directed to a product rather than a method of making the product, the claim limitation reciting the process by which the silver-tin mixture is made does not distinguish the claimed product and is therefore not given patentable weight.
Regarding claim 15, although Foyet fails to disclose the tin plating layer is oxidized to form a tin oxide film layer, it is inherent to anyone having ordinary still in the art that tin planting would be naturally oxidized to become tin oxide.
Toyizumi U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0099152 also discloses that tin layer is oxidized to become TiO.
Regarding claim 16, Foyet discloses further comprising a lubricant layer 1 coated on a surface of the tin oxide thin film layer.
Regarding claim 17, Foyet discloses further comprising a sub-base layer formed on the surface of the conductive metal base layer [0020]-[0024].
Regarding claim 18, Foyet discloses the nickel layer is formed on the sub-base layer(s) [0020]-[0024].
Regarding claim 19, Foyet discloses wherein the conductive metal base layer is a copper alloy layer (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 20, Foyet discloses the base layer is a copper plating layer.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAO P LE whose telephone number is (571)272-1785. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeff Natalini can be reached on 571-272-2266. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.
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/THAO P LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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