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 .
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 – 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miwa (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0156737).
Regarding claim 1, in Figure 2, Miwa discloses a flexible substrate (30), comprising: one end portion (right side end portion); the other end portion (left side end portion); and a pattern portion (comprising 31, 32, 34, 35) formed at least between the one end portion and the other end portion, wherein the pattern portion includes a first tongue piece (very left end of FPC 30, Figure 4) formed by a notch (34B, Figure 4), the first tongue piece includes a first region (very left end of FPC 30 that includes window 34B) which is a distal end region of the first tongue piece and a second region (very right end of FPC 30) which is a base region of the first tongue piece and communicates with the first region (Figure 4), the first tongue piece is electrically connected to another member (50, 40) via the first region (Figure 2), and a width of the first region is larger than a width of the second region (Figure 4).
Regarding claim 2, Miwa discloses wherein the first region is circular and the second region is rectangular (Figures 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 3, Miwa discloses wherein the pattern portion includes a second tongue piece, and a width of a distal end region of the second tongue piece is equal to or less than a width of a base region of the second tongue piece (Figures 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 4, Miwa discloses wherein the pattern portion includes a signal line, a ground wire, and a power line, the signal line is formed with the first tongue piece, and the ground wire and the power line are formed with the second tongue piece (Figures 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 5, Miwa discloses inspection jig, comprising: the flexible substrate according to claim 1; and an extendable member, wherein the extendable member presses a back side of a region including a portion electrically connected to said another member, whereby the tongue piece is electrically connected to said another member (Figures 2 and 4).
Conclusion
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TREMESHA W. BURNS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
/TREMESHA W BURNS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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