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 on 3/22/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statement.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 13-17, 19-25, & 27-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Poehler et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2021/0176885) in view of Din (US Patent Application Publication # 2015/0173203).
Regarding Claim 13, Poehler discloses a method for producing an electrical and/or communication connection (i.e. conductor tracks 7) between at least two components (i.e. electrical components 3 and/or sensor units 9) arranged in a switchgear cabinet (i.e. switchgear cabinet 11) for transferring electrical energy or for transporting data, the method comprising:
applying to a back wall (i.e. backplane 1 that forms a rear wall of the switchgear cabinet 11) of the switchgear cabinet an electrically conductive material (i.e. electrically conductive curable pastes such as copper pastes, aluminum pastes, brass pastes and silver pastes) which comprises metal and is formed as a wire (Fig. 1-2; Abstract; Paragraphs 0024; 0028-0034).
Poehler does not explicitly disclose that, while being applied to the back wall of the switchgear cabinet, warming or heating the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application.
Din teaches that, while being applied to the back wall of the switchgear cabinet, warming or heating the electrically conductive material (i.e. meltable conductive material A2a) to become liquid during application (Fig. 1; Abstract; Paragraph 0003, 0009, 0019-0023).
Din teaches that it is well known in the art of 3D printing to warm or heat the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application. The invention of Poehler is also a 3D printing method/apparatus, but is silent on the heating of the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to warm or heat the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application in Poehler, as taught by Din, in order to facilitate application of said electrically conductive material.
Claims 22 & 30 contain the limitations of claim 13 (the product of the method on a back wall and a switchgear cabinet) and are analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 14, Poehler does not explicitly disclose that the electrically conductive material is applied by Fused Deposition Modeling or Fused Filament Fabrication.
Din teaches that the electrically conductive material is applied by Fused Deposition Modeling (i.e. fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing apparatus) or Fused Filament Fabrication (Paragraph 0009, 0019).
Din teaches that it is well known in the art of 3D printing of conductive structures to use a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing apparatus and process which is effectively forming a conductive layer or object layer-by-layer. Poehler discloses a method and apparatus in which a three-dimensional object is produced by computer-controlled layer-by-layer deposition of material (Paragraph 0024) which would qualify as a fused deposition modeling process and method according to the teachings of Din. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art that the method/apparatus of Poehler qualifies as fused deposition modeling, as taught by Din, since it comprises a three-dimensional object that is produced by computer-controlled layer-by-layer deposition of material.
Regarding Claim 15, Poehler discloses that the electrically conductive material (i.e. electrically conductive curable pastes such as copper pastes, aluminum pastes, brass pastes and silver pastes) is applied in such a way as to form tracks (i.e. conductor tracks 7) (Fig. 1; Abstract; Paragraphs 0030-0033).
Claims 23 & 31 contain the limitations of claim 15 (the product of the method on a back wall and a switchgear cabinet) and are analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 16, Poehler discloses that the electrically conductive material (i.e. electrically conductive curable pastes such as copper pastes, aluminum pastes, brass pastes and silver pastes) comprises at least one electrically conductive material portion (Fig. 1; Abstract; Paragraphs 0026, 0033).
Claim 24 contains the limitations of claim 16 (the product of the method on a back wall) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 17, Poehler discloses that the electrically conductive material (i.e. electrically conductive curable pastes such as copper pastes, aluminum pastes, brass pastes and silver pastes) comprises tin solder and/or aluminum and/or copper (Paragraphs 0026, 0033).
Claim 25 contains the limitations of claim 17 (the product of the method on a back wall) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 19, Poehler discloses that the electrically conductive material is applied in a layer (i.e. computer-controlled layer-by-layer deposition of material) (Paragraphs 0010, 0016, 0024).
Claim 27 contains the limitations of claim 19 (the product of the method on a back wall) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 20, Poehler discloses forming a contacting element (i.e. contactor) for establishing contact with a respective one of the at least two components at one end of the electrical and/or communication connection (Fig. 1; Paragraphs 0003, 0029)
Claims 28 & 32 contain the limitations of claim 20 (the product of the method on a back wall and a switchgear cabinet) and are analyzed as such with respect to that claim.
Regarding Claim 21, Poehler does not explicitly disclose that the electrically conductive material is fused and applied to the back wall as a liquid melt.
Din teaches that the electrically conductive material is fused (i.e. fused deposition) and applied to the back wall as a liquid melt (i.e. meltable conductive material A2a) (Fig. 1; Abstract; Paragraph 0003, 0009, 0019-0023).
Din teaches that it is well known in the art of 3D printing to warm or heat the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application. The invention of Poehler is also a 3D printing method/apparatus, but is silent on the heating of the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to warm or heat the electrically conductive material to become liquid during application in Poehler, as taught by Din, in order to facilitate application of said electrically conductive material.
Claim 29 contains the limitations of claim 21 (the product of the method on a back wall) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim
Claims 18 & 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Poehler et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2021/0176885) in view of Din (US Patent Application Publication # 2015/0173203) in further view of Yoshida et al. (US Patent Application Publication # 2014/0008587).
Regarding Claim 18, Poehler in view of Din does not explicitly disclose that the electrically conductive material comprises glass.
Yoshida teaches the electrically conductive material (i.e. conductive paste) comprises glass (i.e. glass frit) (Abstract; Paragraphs 0017, 0029).
Yoshida teaches that it is well known in the art of conductive pastes to include a glass frit as a binder. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art that the conductive pastes of Poehler comprise glass or glass frit, as taught by Yoshida, as a binder in order to fuse the metal particles in the paste to each when subjected to a high temperature during application. 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.
Claim 26 contains the limitations of claim 18 (the product of the method on a back wall) and is analyzed as such with respect to that claim
Relevant Cited Art
The cited art in PTO-892 was found during the examiner's search, but was not relied upon for this office action. However, it is still considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure.
Conclusion
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/RJA/ Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847