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Withdrawn Rejections
Any rejections and or objections, made in the previous Office Action, and not repeated below, are hereby withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments and/or arguments in the response dated August 26, 2026. 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 § 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.
Claims 1, 4 – 9 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Makishima et al. (JP 2014-47345 A1), Spolidoro et al. (USPGPub 2002/0162874 A1), Lin et al. (USPGPub 2013/0171400 A1), Shin et al. (USPGPub 2022/0118731 A1) and Lin et al. (USPN 12,234,396).
A machine-generated translation of JP 2014-47345 A1 accompanied the Office Action dated November 5, 2025. In reciting this rejection, the examiner will cite this translation.
Makishima et al. discloses an adhesive film (Figure 1, #1), comprising: an adhesive layer (Figure 2, #2); a first liner disposed on a first surface of the adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 2, #3); and a second liner disposed on a second surface of the adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 2, #4), wherein the release liners are in direct contact with the adhesive (Figures 1 and 2, #2 – 4), wherein the first liner comprises: a body overlapping the adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 2, #3) and a wing extending from the body without overlapping the adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 2, #3b) as in claim 1. With respect to claim 5, the second liner has a rectangular planar shape (Figures 1 and 2, #4). Regarding claim 21, a width of the second liner is greater than a width of the adhesive layer in a first direction (Page 5, lines 5 – 12). However, Makishima et al. fail to disclose each of the first liner and the second liner is optically transparent, and a plurality of wings extending from the body without overlapping the adhesive layer, wherein the body includes first and second sides parallel to a first direction, and third and fourth sides parallel to a second direction crossing the first direction, the plurality of wings include a first wing and a second wing extending in a direction parallel to the second direction from the first side and the second side, the plurality of wings further include a third wing and a fourth wing extending in a direction parallel to the first direction from the third side and the fourth side, the first wing, the second wing, the third wing, and the fourth wing extending from the body form a cross-shaped planar shape, the first liner further includes an alignment mark positioned near a corner of the first liner where the first side meets the third side or the fourth side, or the second side meets the third side or the fourth side, the alignment mark includes a plurality of alignment marks positioned near four corners of the first liner, a plurality of alignment marks are disposed in the plurality of wings, and the plurality of alignment marks are printed on the first liner, engraved on the first liner, or formed to pass through the first liner.
Spolidoro et al. teach a release liner is that optically transparent (Claim 1; Paragraph 0036) containing alignment marks (Figure 4, #150) for the purpose of moving the release liner through processing steps (Paragraph 0031).
Lin et al. (‘400) teach an adhesive sheet with a release liner (Paragraph 0035), wherein the liner further includes an alignment mark positioned near a corner of the liner where the first side meets the third side or the fourth side, or the second side meets the third side or the fourth side (Figure 6, #371; Paragraph 0031), and the alignment mark includes a plurality of alignment marks positioned near four corners of the first liner (Figure 6, #371; Paragraph 0031) for the purpose of placing the adhesive on the appropriate location of a surface (Paragraph 0031).
Shin et al. teach a film (Figure 8D comprising: a film having a plurality of wings extending from the body without overlapping the adhesive layer (Figures 1 and 2, wherein the GF contains areas SA1, SA2, SA3, and SA4), wherein the body includes first and second sides parallel to a first direction (Figures 1 and 2, wherein the GF contains areas SA1 and SA3), and third and fourth sides parallel to a second direction crossing the first direction (Figures 1 and 2, wherein the GF contains areas SA2 and SA4), the plurality of wings include a first wing and a second wing extending in a direction parallel to the second direction from the first side and the second side (Figures 1 and 2, wherein the GF contains areas SA1 and SA3), the plurality of wings further include a third wing and a fourth wing extending in a direction parallel to the first direction from the third side and the fourth side (Figures 1 and 2, wherein the GF contains areas SA2 and SA4), the first wing, the second wing, the third wing, and the fourth wing extending from the body form a cross-shaped planar shape (Figures 1 and 2, wherein the GF contains areas SA1, SA2, SA3, and SA4) for the purpose of aligning an article to a surface (Paragraph 0168).
Lin et al. (‘396) teach an adhesive sheet with a release liner (Figures 1A and 1B; Abstract), wherein a plurality of alignment marks formed in the first liner (Figure 1A and 1B, #101M), the plurality of alignment marks are disposed in the body (Figure 1A and 1B, #101M; Abstract), a plurality of alignment marks are disposed in the plurality of wings (Figure 1A and 1B, #101M; Abstract), and the plurality of alignment marks are printed on the first liner, engraved on the first liner, or formed to pass through the first liner (Figure 1A and 1B, #101M; Abstract; Column 3, lines 13 – 24) for the purpose of aligning the adhesive sheet with other layers (Column 3, lines 36 – 45).
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 plurality of alignment marks formed a liner in the shape of a cross in Makishima et al. in order to move the release liner through processing steps as taught by Spolidoro et al., to align an article to a surface as taught by Lin et al. (‘400) Shin et al., and Lin et al. (‘396).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 4 – 9, and 21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
In response to Applicant’s argument that the prior art fails to teach or suggest “the first liner further includes an alignment mark positioned near a corner of the first liner where the first side meets the third side or the fourth side, or the second side meets the third side or the fourth side”, please see the rejection above in view of Lin et al. (‘400).
In response to Applicant’s argument that Makishima et al. fails to disclose a width of the second liner is greater than a width of the adhesive layer in a first direction, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. Makishima et al. clearly states that a width of the second liner is greater than a width of the adhesive layer in a first direction (Page 5, lines 5 – 12).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Patricia L Nordmeyer whose telephone number is (571)272-1496. The examiner can normally be reached 10am - 6:30pm EST, Monday - Friday.
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/Patricia L. Nordmeyer/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1788
/pln/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1788 September 9, 2026
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