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 .
Withdrawn Rejections
Any rejections and or objections, made in the previous Office Action, and not repeated below, are hereby withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments and/or arguments in the response dated August 21, 2025. However, new rejections may have been made using the same prior art if still applicable to the newly presented amendments and/or arguments.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (CN 208657159 U).
Li et al. disclose a flexible printed circuit (Page 1 – Abstract and Technical Field) comprising a composite board material (Figures) wherein the composite board material includes: a first material layer; and two second material layers attached to top surface and bottom surface of the first material layer opposite to each other, respectively; wherein the first material layer is bonded to the two second material layers by adhesive layers (Page 3, lines 4 – 7 and 23 - 31, wherein the core layer may have multiple layers); wherein the first material layer includes at least one sublayer, and a material of the at least one sublayer includes polyethylene terephthalate (Page 3, lines 23 – 31 and 41 – 43); and wherein a material of the two second material layers includes polyimide (Page 3, lines 23 – 31 and 41 – 43); the first material layer has a composite layer structure; and wherein the composite layer structure includes a plurality of sublayers that one stacks on another, and each two adjacent sublayers of the plurality of sublayers are bonded to each other by one or more respective adhesive layers of the adhesive layers (Figures, #101 – film, 102 – adhesive, 103 - adhesive; Page 3, lines 4 – 7 and 23 - 31, wherein the core layer may have multiple layers) as in claims 1 and 9. With respect to claim 2, the adhesive layers are resin adhesive layers (Page 6, lines 13 – 19 and 32 – 34). For claim 4, each of a thickness of one respective sublayer of the at least one sublayer, a thickness of one respective second material layer of the two second material layers, and a thickness of one respective adhesive layer of the adhesive layers ranges from 5µm to 200 µm (Page 5, lines 31 – 35, wherein the dielectric layer is adhesive). In claim 5, a release layer bonded on a side of one respective second material layer of the two second material layers away from the first material layer by an adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 3, #30, Page 6, lines 35 – 37).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (CN 208657159 U).
Li et al. disclose a flexible printed circuit (Page 1 – Abstract and Technical Field) comprising a composite board material (Figures) wherein the composite board material includes: a first material layer; and two second material layers attached to top surface and bottom surface of the first material layer opposite to each other, respectively; wherein the first material layer is bonded to the two second material layers by adhesive layers (Page 3, lines 4 – 7 and 23 - 31, wherein the core layer may have multiple layers); wherein the first material layer includes at least one sublayer, and a material of the at least one sublayer includes polyethylene terephthalate (Page 3, lines 23 – 31 and 41 – 43); and wherein a material of the two second material layers includes polyimide (Page 3, lines 23 – 31 and 41 – 43); the first material layer has a composite layer structure; and wherein the composite layer structure includes a plurality of sublayers that one stacks on another, and each two adjacent sublayers of the plurality of sublayers are bonded to each other by one or more respective adhesive layers of the adhesive layers (Figures, #101 – film, 102 – adhesive, 103 - adhesive; Page 3, lines 4 – 7 and 23 - 31, wherein the core layer may have multiple layers). A release layer bonded on a side of one respective second material layer of the two second material layers away from the first material layer by an adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 3, #30, Page 6, lines 35 – 37). However, Li et al. fail to disclose a thickness of the release layer ranges from 3 µm to 200 µm.
With regard to the limitation of “a thickness of the release layer ranges from 3 µm to 200 µm”, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a thickness from 3 µm to 200 µm for the release layer, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP 2144.05 (II)(A).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 21, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant’s argument that “All embodiments recited in Li et al. (CN 208657159 U) are composed of several polymer film layers and dielectric adhesive layers stacked at intervals (see Figures 1-5), there is no embodiment shows that the first dielectric adhesive layer and/or the second dielectric adhesive layer including a plurality of sublayers that one stacks on another. Therefore, the structure in Li et al. (CN 208657159 U) is different from the structure disclosed by the amended claim 1.”, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. Li et al. clearly discloses the desired construction in Figures 3 and 4. Adhesive layers are #102 and 103 in the core #10. The thin film layers are #101. The alternate layer construction is clearly disclosed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/Patricia L. Nordmeyer/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1788
/pln/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1788 October 14, 2025