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 .
Drawings
The subject matter of this application admits of illustration by a drawing to facilitate understanding of the invention. Applicant is required to furnish a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81. No new matter may be introduced in the required drawing.
Applicant is given a shortened statutory period of TWO (2) MONTHS to submit a drawing in compliance with 37 CFR 1.81. Extensions of time may be obtained under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a) but in no case can any extension carry the date for reply to this letter beyond the maximum period of SIX MONTHS set by statute (35 U.S.C. 133). Failure to timely submit a drawing will result in ABANDONMENT of the application.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Re. claim 1: The phrase “plastic or the like,” as recited in line 4 appears to be --plastic or the like;--.
The phrase “a portion of the surface of the workpiece, and” as recited in lines 5-6 appears to be --a portion of the surface of the workpiece; and--.
The phrase “in that at least one electronic component” as recited in lines 9-10 appears to be --in that the at least one electronic component--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 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.
Re. claim 1: The phrase “or the like” as recited in line 4 renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear as to what the “or the like” is meant.
Re. claims 4-6 and 11: The phrase "such as" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
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 1-7 and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Heikkinen et al.
Heikkinen et al. teach a process of making a structure comprising steps of: providing a workpiece (102, Fig.1, paragraph [0071]), which preferably consists at least in part of plastic; applying a coating material (11, 116, Fig. 1, paragraph [0071]) to at least a portion of the surface of the workpiece; and providing at least one electronic component (104, Fig. 1, paragraph [0072]) on the coating material characterized in that at least one electronic component is printed at least in part onto the coating material.
Re. claim 2: The at least one electronic component has a single-layer or multi-layer structure (paragraphs [0071]-[0072]).
Re. claim 3: The at least one electronic component comprises a display, in particular a light-emitting diode (LED), preferably an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) (paragraph [0076]).
Re. claim 4: The at least one electronic component comprises a sensor (paragraph [0075]).
Re. claim 5: The at least one electronic component comprises a transmitting and/or receiving unit (paragraph [0075]).
Re. claim 6: The at least one electronic component comprises a transmitting and/or receiving unit (paragraph [0075]).
Re. claim 7: The at least one electronic component comprises electrically conductive material (paragraphs [0072]-[0073]).
Re. claim 9: The at least one electronic component is printed onto the coating material after the coating material has been applied at least in part to the workpiece (paragraph [0071]).
Re. claim 10: The workpiece comprises a power supply and/or a data transmission interface that is/are connected to the at least one electronic component (paragraphs [0073]-[0074]).
Re. claim 11: Since the scope of the claimed invention is a structure, not howe to use it. Therefore, the limitation as recited in claim 11 describes how to use the at least one electronic component of the structure. Accordingly, claim 11 appear to require the combination of the at least one electronic component of the structure and a machine, such as in particular a household appliance, and/or to a wireless network, such as in particular a WLAN router. It is noted that the claim can be drafted to recite the intended working environment.
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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Heikkinen et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lynch (US PAT. 5,863,597).
Heikkinen et al. teach all limitations as set forth above, but silent a protective layer for the at least one electronic component. Lynch teaches a process of making an electrical device including a process of forming a protective film on a printed circuit board in order to protect components against environmental stresses or foreign object damage (col. 1, lines 45-52). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify a process of fabricating a structure of Heikkinen et al. by forming a protective film on a printed circuit board as taught by Lynch in order to protect components against environmental stresses or foreign object damage.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Hong can be reached at 571-272-0993. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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