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 statement (IDS) submitted is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description:
FIG. 5-6: 624, 626, 636
A review of the priority document provides paragraph 37: 624 First region, 626 Second region, 636 Straight portion, but these numbers do not appear in the instant application.
Figure 5A should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- (or “Comparative Example”) because only that which is old is illustrated (see Specification page 12 paragraph 23, “ FIG. 5A shows a structure to be compared with that according to the present disclosure”). 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Specification page 3-4 paragraph 8, the first 2 lines on page 4: “FIGS. 5A-5B are enlarged views showing a structure of a curved portion according to FIG. 4D” should clarify that FIG. 5A is a comparative example and not an embodiment of the invention.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 5-6 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 5 and 6 each recite, “the first substrate…. the second substrate”.
These limitations lack antecedent bases and should each be “a” rather than “the”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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)(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, 3, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Publication 2005/0018409 to Hirakata.
Claim 1
Hirakata (FIG. 1-2) discloses a flexible substrate comprising:
a base material (5; paragraph 102) that extends from a first end (8; paragraph 96) to a second end (9; paragraph 96);
a first conductive pattern (3; paragraph 101) that is formed from the first end side (8) to the second end side (9) on a surface of the base material (5); and
a second conductive pattern (2; paragraph 101) that is formed from the first end side (8) to the second end side (9) on the surface of the base material (5) and that has a shape that is wider (paragraph 104) than that of the first conductive pattern (3),
wherein the base material (5) can be bent along a bending line (in area 14; paragraph 107) that crosses the base material (5) at a position (in area 14) between the first end (8) and the second end, and
wherein a slit (4; paragraph 107) that intersects the bending line (in area 14) and that is shorter than the distance between the first end (8) and the second end (9) is arranged inside the second conductive pattern (2).
Claim 3
Hirakata discloses the flexible substrate according to claim 1,
wherein the base material (5) is curved at a part between the first end (8) and the second end (9),
wherein the base material (5) has the bending line (in area 14) at the curved part,
wherein the first conductive pattern (3) is curved along the curved shape of the base material (5), and
wherein the second conductive pattern (2) has a straight line shape in a partial section across the bending line (in area 14).
Claim 5
Hirakata discloses an electronic device comprising:
the flexible substrate according to claim 1;
the first substrate (201) that is connected to the first end (8) of the flexible substrate; and
the second substrate (301) that is connected to the second end (9) of the flexible substrate.
Claims 2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Publication 2006/0076158 to Umeyama et al. (hereinafter Umeyama).
Claim 2
Umeyama (FIG. 1-5) discloses a flexible substrate comprising:
a base material (2; paragraph 25) that extends from a first end to a second end (FIG. 2-3);
a first conductive pattern (narrower 5; paragraph 25) that is formed from the first end side to the second end side on a surface of the base material (2); and
a second conductive pattern (wider 5; paragraph 25) that is formed from the first end side to the second end side on the surface of the base material (2) and that has a shape that is wider (FIG. 2-3; see also paragraph 33, 43) than that of the first conductive pattern (5),
wherein the base material (2) can be bent along a bending line (10; paragraph 27, 29, 36) that crosses the base material (2) at a position between the first end and the second end (FIG. 2-3), and
wherein the width of the second conductive pattern (wider 5) is narrow at a part (X; paragraph 29, 36) intersecting the bending line (10).
Claim 6
Umeyama (FIG. 4) discloses an electronic device comprising:
the flexible substrate (1B) according to claim 2;
the first substrate (22; paragraph 46) that is connected to the first end of the flexible substrate (1B); and
the second substrate (28; paragraph 47) that is connected to the second end of the flexible substrate (1B).
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.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Umeyama in view of Hirakata.
Umeyama discloses the flexible substrate according to claim 2, as shown above.
Umeyama does not expressly disclose wherein the base material is curved at a part between the first end and the second end, wherein the base material has the bending line at the curved part, wherein the first conductive pattern is curved along the curved shape of the base material, and wherein the second conductive pattern has a straight line shape in a partial section across the bending line, as recited in claim 4.
Hirakata (FIG. 1) teaches a flexible substrate wherein a base material (5) is curved at a part between a first end (8) and a second end (9), wherein the base material (5) has a bending line (in area 14; paragraph 107) at the curved part, wherein a first conductive pattern (3) is curved along the curved shape of the base material (5), and wherein a second conductive pattern (2) has a straight line shape in a partial section across the bending line (in area 14).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Hirakata with Umeyama to incorporate a flexible substrate with two curved portions with a straight portion having a bending line as taught by Hirakata in the structure taught by Umeyama, as one having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this with a reasonable expectation of success because such a combination and/or modification allows for offsetting the ends of the flexible substrate, allowing for more options in routing signals through an assembly while maintaining a straight portion for a bent area, thereby avoiding damage to the flexible substrate from stress concentration and also allowing the bend to occur at a controlled angle (such as right angle) to the edge of the substrate and the traces thereon.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN MILAKOVICH whose telephone number is (571) 270-3087. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST.
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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.
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/NATHAN MILAKOVICH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848