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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on December 14, 2023 and July 3, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SU et al. (US 2014/0290989) in view Yu et al. (US 2017/0208683).
In regards to claim 1, SU et al. teaches a lamination flexible circuit device (figure 13; a flexible circuit board, paragraph [0033]) formed of a plurality of laminated layers (laminating is applied to the etched carried board, paragraph [0006]), the lamination flexible circuit device (figure 13; a flexible circuit board, paragraph [0033]) is a flexible circuit board, paragraph [0033]) comprising: a first conductive portion (21); a second conductive portion (22) arranged to face the first conductive portion (21; see figure 13, below); a first conductive wiring (21; see the figure below) in a layer identical to the first conductive portion (in the same layer in which the first conductive portion is positioned in, see the figure below); a second conductive wiring (22, see the figure below) in a layer identical to the second conductive portion (in the same layer in which the second conductive portion is positioned in, see the figure below); and a flexible base material (12); wherein a third conductive wiring (6) connecting the first conductive portion (21) or the first conductive wiring (21) to the second conductive portion (22) or the second conductive wiring (22) between layers is arranged on the flexible base material (see figure 13).
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SU et al. does not explicitly teach the flexible circuit board having a dielectric property and elasticity and arranged between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion.
YU et al. teaches circuit board having a dielectric property (dielectric layer, paragraph [0037]) and elasticity (flexible circuit board (4), paragraph [0037]), and arranged between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion (109, 301).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have made the flexible circuit board include a dielectric property and elasticity and arranged between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. It is well known in the art that putting a dielectric layer between two conductive layers is essential to prevent short circuits, enable charge storage (capacitance), and manage signal integrity. The dielectric acts as an insulator that maintains physical separation while allowing an electric field to form, which is foundational for capacitors and multi-layer PCBs.
In regards to claim 2, Su et al. in combination with Yu et al. teaches the lamination flexible circuit device according to claim 1, comprising: a first layer including the first conductive portion (109, Yu et al.) and the first conductive wiring (109, Yu et al.); and a second layer including the second conductive portion (301, Yu et al.) and the second conductive wiring (301, Yu et al.),wherein at least one of the first layer and the second layer is formed of a material identical to the flexible base material (507, Yu et al.).
In regards to claim 3, Su et al. in combination with Yu et al. teaches the lamination flexible circuit device according to the lamination flexible circuit device (figure 3, Yu et al.) according to wherein the flexible base (3) material is formed of a plurality of pillars (207, Yu et al.) extending in a lamination direction between the first layer and the second layer (203, 205) and arranged to be spaced from each other in a direction intersecting the lamination direction (see figure 3, Yu et al.).
In regards to claim 4, Su et al. in combination with Yu et al. teaches the lamination flexible circuit device according to the lamination flexible circuit device (3, Yu et al.) according to wherein the third conductive wiring (conductive pillar layer, paragraph [0009]) penetrates through an inside of a pillar (207) among the plurality of pillars (207) in the lamination direction (vertical), and the third conductive wiring (conductive pillar layer, paragraph [0009]) is not exposed to the surface of the pillar (207).
In regards to claim 5, Su et al. in combination with Yu et al. teaches the lamination flexible circuit device (3, Yu et al.) according to the lamination flexible circuit device (3, Yu et al.) according to wherein the third conductive wiring (conductive pillar layer, paragraph [0009]) extends in the lamination direction within a pillar (207, see figure 4) among the plurality of pillars (207) between the first layer and the second layer (203,205), and the third conductive wiring (conductive pillar layer, paragraph [0009]) is not exposed to the surface of the pillar (207).
In regards to claim 7, Su et al. in combination with Yu et al. teaches the lamination flexible circuit device according to claim 2, a fourth conductive wiring that penetrates through at least one of the first layer and the second layer in a lamination direction (at least one via (5), could be plural, i.e. fourth conductor wiring).
In regards to claim 9, Su et al. teaches a capacitance sensor (preamble not germane to the body of the claim) comprising: the lamination flexible circuit device (figure 13; a flexible circuit board, paragraph [0033]) according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive portion (21) has a section overlapping the second conductive portion (22)(see figure 13) when seen in a lamination direction (vertical), and a capacitance between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion is capable of being detected.
In regards to claim 10, Su et al. teaches a flexible actuator (preamble not germane to the body of the claim) comprising: the lamination flexible circuit device according to claim 1, comprising: the lamination flexible circuit device (figure 13; a flexible circuit board, paragraph [0033]) according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive portion (21) has a section overlapping the second conductive portion (22)(see figure 13) when seen in a lamination direction (vertical).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 8 and 11 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See the USPTO-892 form.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRYSTAL ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9258. The examiner can normally be reached on 9-5 M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Dole can be reached on (571)-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KRYSTAL ROBINSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2848