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 .
Status of the Application
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s application 18/522,298 filed on November 29 2023 in which claims 1 to 20 are pending.
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 main feature of an alignment deviation exits for the first terminal and second terminal including L6 in the specification 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.
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of paper submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) which has been placed of record in the file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 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.
Claims 1 and 5 are rejected under 112 second paragraph since the following limitation “… an alignment deviation exists for the first terminal and second terminal” does not further define the claim because alignment deviation can exist in any direction. Is the alignment deviation with respect the to the X-axis (lateral) or Y-axis (vertical) or is the alignment mark is with respect to a plane that exist between the two layers. Applicant needs to amend word “exists” because it does not define the claim. If applicant defines L6 in the figures then the office will follow that interpretation. However, the following limitation is interpreted as follow.
The office understood from the specification (i.e. L6 paragraph 0025) the limitation “the alignment deviation exists from the first terminal and second terminal” is formed between the side surfaces of two adjacent first terminal (22, Figures 4) and side surface of two adjacent second terminal (23, Figures 4). The following limitation is interpreted in the claim as follow “the first terminal has upper surface, bottom surface and side surfaces and the alignment deviation is a lateral distance between the side surfaces of two adjacent first terminals.” If applicant does not agree with the following interpretation, then the amendment should include clear interpretation of the alignment deviation.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP §§ 706.02(l)(1) - 706.02(l)(3) for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U. S. Patent (US 12,527,138 B2) since the claims would improperly extend the "right to exclude" already granted in the patent. The subject matter claimed in the instant application is fully disclosed in the patent and is anticipated by the patent since the patent and the application are claiming common subject matter.
Application 18/522,298
US 12,527,138
Allowable subject matter of claims 1 and 5
Claim 1
wherein a maximum line width of the metal traces is a first line width,
a maximum line distance between two adjacent ones of the metal traces is a first line distance,
a minimum line width of the first terminal is a second line width, a minimum line distance of the first terminal is a second line distance,
an alignment deviation exists for the first terminal and the second terminal, the first line width is less than a difference between the second line distance and the alignment deviation, and the first line distance is less than a difference between the second line width and the alignment deviation.
a maximum line width of the lateral wirings is defined as a first line width,
a maximum linear distance between two adjacent ones of the lateral wirings is defined as a first linear distance,
a minimum line width of the first wirings is defined as a second line width, a minimum linear distance of the first wirings is defined as a second linear distance,
and there is an alignment deviation between the first wirings and the second wirings; and wherein the first line width is less than a difference between the second linear distance and the alignment deviation, and the first linear distance is less than a difference between the second line width and the alignment deviation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 1 is allowed because the prior art on record does teach the following limitation : “… wherein a maximum line width of the metal traces is a first line width, a maximum line distance between two adjacent ones of the metal traces is a first line distance, a minimum line width of the first terminal is a second line width, a minimum line distance of the first terminal is a second line distance, an alignment deviation exists for the first terminal and the second terminal, the first line width is less than a difference between the second line distance and the alignment deviation, and the first line distance is less than a difference between the second line width and the alignment deviation.”
Claim 5 is allowed because the prior art on record does not teach the following limitation: “…wherein a maximum line width of the metal traces is a first line width, a maximum line distance between two adjacent ones of the metal traces is a first line distance, a minimum line width of the first terminal is a second line width, a minimum line distance of the first terminal is a second line distance, an alignment deviation exists for the first terminal and the second terminal, the first line width is less than a difference between the second line distance and the alignment deviation, and the first line distance is less than a difference between the second line width and the alignment deviation.”
The closest prior art reference teaches Hanari (US 2018/0182291 A1) teaches a flexible tape (214, Fig.5) for connection a first terminal of a first surface (53, Fig.5; formed on the first surface) and second terminal of a second surface of display panel (53, Fig.6, formed on the bottom surface); a flexible base (55) and metal traces (56; a reinforcing film can be a metal film). However, the prior art record does not teach the limitation above.
Prior art reference Shin et al. (US 11,798,928 B2) teaches e a flexible tape (170, Fig.9) for connection a first terminal of a first surface (101a formed on the top surface, Fig. 9) and second terminal of a second surface of display panel (101b formed on the bottom surface, Fig.9); a flexible base (170) and metal traces (110c). However, the prior art record does not teach the limitation above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mounir S Amer whose telephone number is (571)270-3683. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:30.
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, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mounir S Amer/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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