E 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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 8 – 11,14 and 18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1 – 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 15 – 17, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Orsley (WO 2019/147888 A1) in view of Verhoeven (US 4,843,190) and Oh (US 20240304773 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Orsley (WO 2019/147888 A1) discloses an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) comprising: a substrate (210) comprising a first major surface (214), a second major surface (212), and an edge surface (218) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (222) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (220) attached to the second major surface; a first surface interconnect (230) electrically connected to the first electrode (222) and comprising a first extension portion (portion or region about 230b) extending beyond an edge plane (see Fig 1-4 as 230 goes beyond 218) along which the edge surface extends; a second surface interconnect portion (230a) electrically connected to the second electrode (220) and comprising a second extension portion (portion or region at 230a) extending beyond the edge plane (218); and an anisotropic conductor (226) defining a current path (230,226) between the first electrode and the second electrode, the anisotropic conductor (226) attached to the edge surface (218) such that the current path (current going through the material of 230,226) extends along the first major surface (material of 230,226 has thickness perpendicular to 218 and so would flow through that thickness in a direction), the edge surface, and the second major surface.
Orsley does not explicitly disclose a distinct second surface interconnect and the anisotropic conductor extending between the first extension portion and the second extension portion.
Verhoeven (US 4,843,190) teaches of an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-5; claim 8-9; Abstract) comprising: a substrate (1) comprising a first major surface (left side surface in Fig 1 or upper surface of 1 in Fig 2), a second major surface (right side surface in Fig 1 or lower surface of 1 in Fig 2), and an edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 2) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (at 10 on left side surface in Fig 1; claims 8-9; “strip conductors”) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (at 10 on right side surface in Fig 1) attached to the second major surface; a first surface interconnect (2 on left side of Fig 1) electrically connected (Column 3, lines 1-26) to the first electrode and comprising a first extension portion (portion or region about 13) extending beyond an edge plane (see Fig 5a) along which the edge surface extends; a second surface interconnect (2 on right side of Fig 1) electrically connected (Column 3, lines 1-26) to the second electrode and comprising a second extension portion (portion or region at 13) extending beyond the edge plane.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus as disclosed by Orsley, comprising a second surface interconnect as taught by Verhoeven, in order to provide better self-centering, better engage the substrate edge, allow for use of a pick-and-place device during manufacturing, (Verhoeven, Column 2, line 11-Column 3, line 48).
Oh (US 20240304773 A1) teaches of an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) comprising: a substrate (110) comprising a first major surface (upper surface of 110 in Fig 1), a second major surface (lower surface of 110 in Fig 1), and an edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 1) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (130) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (150) attached to the second major surface; and an anisotropic conductor (160; [0043]) defining a current path between the first electrode (130) and the second electrode (150), the anisotropic conductor (160) attached to the edge surface and extending between the first extension portion and the second extension portion such that the current path extends along the first major surface, the edge surface, and the second major surface.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus as taught by Orsley in view of Verhoeven, comprising an anisotropic conductor defining a current path between the first electrode and the second electrode, the anisotropic conductor attached to the edge surface such that the current path extends along the first major surface, the edge surface, and the second major surface as taught by Oh, in order to establish electrical and functional connections between upper-side and lower-side circuits, provide dense arrangements of components, connect drive circuits to components on opposite surfaces, form intricate wiring with high precision, and provide adhesion (Oh, [0002,0040-0045]), such that Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh would teach the anisotropic conductor attached to the edge surface and would thus extend between the first extension portion and the second extension portion such that the current path extends along the first major surface, the edge surface, and the second major surface.
Regarding Claim 2, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) of claim 1, wherein the current path (230,226) is spaced apart (230 is spaced from 218) from the substrate (210) and intersects the first extension portion (230b), the second extension portion (230a), and the anisotropic conductor (226).
Regarding Claim 3, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim.
Orsley does not explicitly disclose the electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate comprises a thickness between the first major surface and the second major surface within a range from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus as taught by Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Og, wherein the substrate comprises a thickness between the first major surface and the second major surface within a range from about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, such as to minimize overall size of the substrate or to allow the substrate to fit into a small device such as a mobile phone. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). Please note that in the instant application, pages 10-11, [0051], Applicant has not disclosed any criticality for the claimed limitations.
Regarding Claim 6, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) of claim 1, wherein the first surface interconnect (230) is spaced apart from the first electrode (222), and a first anisotropic portion (226) of the anisotropic conductor extends between the first electrode (222) and the first surface interconnect (230), the first anisotropic portion electrically connecting the first electrode (222) and the first surface interconnect (230) by defining a first path portion of the current path substantially perpendicular to the first major surface (214).
Regarding Claim 7, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) of claim 6, wherein the second surface interconnect (230a) is spaced apart from the second electrode (220), and a second anisotropic portion (226) of the anisotropic conductor (226) extends between the second electrode (220) and the second surface interconnect (230a), the second anisotropic portion (226) electrically connecting the second electrode (220) and the second surface interconnect (230a) by defining a second path portion of the current path substantially perpendicular to the second major surface (212).
Regarding Claim 12, Orsley discloses an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) comprising: a substrate (210) comprising a first major surface (214), a second major surface (212), and an edge surface (218) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (222) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (220) attached to the second major surface; a first surface interconnect (230) extending parallel to and spaced apart from the first electrode (222); a second surface interconnect portion (230a) extending parallel to and spaced apart from the second electrode (220); and an anisotropic conductor (226) defining a current path (230,226) between the first electrode (222) and the second electrode (220), the anisotropic conductor (226) comprising: a first anisotropic portion (226) extending between the first electrode (222) and the first surface interconnect (230b), the first anisotropic portion electrically connecting the first electrode (222) and the first surface (214) interconnect by defining a first path portion of the current path substantially perpendicular (direction orthogonal to 214) to the first major surface (214); a second anisotropic portion (226) extending between the second electrode (220) and the second surface interconnect (230a), the second anisotropic portion (226) electrically connecting the second electrode (220) and the second surface (212) interconnect by defining a second path portion of the current path substantially perpendicular (direction orthogonal to 212) to the second major surface (212).
Orsley does not explicitly disclose a distinct second surface interconnect and Orsley does not explicitly disclose a third anisotropic portion attached to the edge surface and extending between the first surface interconnect and the second surface interconnect, the third anisotropic portion electrically connecting the first surface interconnect and the second surface interconnect by defining a third path portion of the current path along the edge surface.
Verhoeven (US 4,843,190) teaches of an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-5; claim 8-9; Abstract) comprising: a substrate (1) comprising a first major surface (left side surface in Fig 1 or upper surface of 1 in Fig 2), a second major surface (right side surface in Fig 1 or lower surface of 1 in Fig 2), and an edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 2) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (at 10 on left side surface in Fig 1; claims 8-9; “strip conductors”) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (at 10 on right side surface in Fig 1) attached to the second major surface; a first surface interconnect (2 on left side of Fig 1) electrically connected (Column 3, lines 1-26) to the first electrode and comprising a first extension portion (portion or region about 13) extending beyond an edge plane (see Fig 5a) along which the edge surface extends; a second surface interconnect (2 on right side of Fig 1) electrically connected (Column 3, lines 1-26) to the second electrode and comprising a second extension portion (portion or region at 13) extending beyond the edge plane.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus as disclosed by Orsley, comprising a second surface interconnect as taught by Verhoeven, in order to provide better self-centering, better engage the substrate edge, allow for use of a pick-and-place device during manufacturing, (Verhoeven, Column 2, line 11-Column 3, line 48).
Oh (US 20240304773 A1) teaches of an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) comprising: a substrate (110) comprising a first major surface (upper surface of 110 in Fig 1), a second major surface (lower surface of 110 in Fig 1), and an edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 1) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (130) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (150) attached to the second major surface; and an anisotropic conductor (160; [0043]) defining a current path between the first electrode (130) and the second electrode (150), the anisotropic conductor (160) attached to the edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 1) and extending between the first extension portion and the second extension portion such that the current path extends along the first major surface, the edge surface, and the second major surface, comprising a third anisotropic portion (portion of 160 on the side surface on right side of Fig 4) attached to the edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 1) and extending.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus as taught by Verhoeven in view of Orsley, comprising a third anisotropic portion attached to the edge surface and extending as taught by Oh, in order to establish electrical and functional connections between upper-side and lower-side circuits, provide dense arrangements of components, connect drive circuits to components on opposite surfaces, form intricate wiring with high precision, and provide adhesion (Oh, [0002,0040-0045]), such that Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh would teach the third anisotropic portion attached to the edge surface and extending between the first surface interconnect and the second surface interconnect, the third anisotropic portion electrically connecting the first surface interconnect and the second surface interconnect by defining a third path portion of the current path along the edge surface.
Regarding Claim 13, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) of claim 12, wherein the first surface interconnect (230b) comprises a first surface (surface of 230 contacting 226) attached to the first anisotropic portion (226).
Regarding Claim 15, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) of claim 12, wherein the first surface interconnect (230b) comprises a first extension portion extending beyond an edge plane (see Fig 1-4 as 230 goes beyond 218) along which the edge surface (218) extends and the second surface interconnect (230a) comprises a second extension portion extending beyond (see Fig 1-4) the edge plane (218).
Regarding Claim 16, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) of claim 15, wherein the third anisotropic portion (as taught by Oh and would extend along 218) extends between the first extension portion (230b) and the second extension portion (230a) such that an axis intersects the first extension portion, the second extension portion, and the third anisotropic portion, the axis spaced apart from the substrate.
Regarding Claim 17, Orsley discloses a method (page 3, lines 1-11) of manufacturing an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) comprising: forming a first electrode (222) on a first major surface (214) of a substrate (210); forming a second electrode (220) on a second major surface (212) of the substrate; forming an anisotropic conductor (226); forming a first surface interconnect (230) electrically connected to the first electrode (222) such that a first extension portion (230b) of the first surface interconnect extends beyond (see Fig 1-4 showing 230 extend beyond 218) an edge plane (218) along which the edge surface (218) extends; and forming a second surface interconnect portion (230a) electrically connected to the second electrode (220) such that a second extension portion (230a) of the second surface interconnect extends beyond the edge plane (218), the anisotropic conductor (226) electrically connecting the first extension portion (230b) and the second extension portion (230a) such that a current path (current going through the material of 230,226) extends through the anisotropic conductor (226) is substantially perpendicular (material of 230,226 has thickness perpendicular to 218 and so would flow through that thickness in a perpendicular direction) to the first major surface.
Orsley does not explicitly disclose a distinct second surface interconnect and the anisotropic conductor on an edge surface of the substrate.
Verhoeven (US 4,843,190) teaches of an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-5; claim 8-9; Abstract) comprising: a substrate (1) comprising a first major surface (left side surface in Fig 1 or upper surface of 1 in Fig 2), a second major surface (right side surface in Fig 1 or lower surface of 1 in Fig 2), and an edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 2) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (at 10 on left side surface in Fig 1; claims 8-9; “strip conductors”) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (at 10 on right side surface in Fig 1) attached to the second major surface; a first surface interconnect (2 on left side of Fig 1) electrically connected (Column 3, lines 1-26) to the first electrode and comprising a first extension portion (portion or region about 13) extending beyond an edge plane (see Fig 5a) along which the edge surface extends; a second surface interconnect (2 on right side of Fig 1) electrically connected (Column 3, lines 1-26) to the second electrode and comprising a second extension portion (portion or region at 13) extending beyond the edge plane.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the method as disclosed by Orsley, comprising a second surface interconnect as taught by Verhoeven, in order to provide better self-centering, better engage the substrate edge, allow for use of a pick-and-place device during manufacturing, (Verhoeven, Column 2, line 11-Column 3, line 48).
Oh (US 20240304773 A1) teaches of an electronic apparatus (Fig 1-4) comprising: a substrate (110) comprising a first major surface (upper surface of 110 in Fig 1), a second major surface (lower surface of 110 in Fig 1), and an edge surface (side surface at edge as seen in Fig 1) extending between the first major surface and the second major surface; a first electrode (130) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (150) attached to the second major surface; and an anisotropic conductor (160; [0043]) defining a current path between the first electrode (130) and the second electrode (150), the anisotropic conductor (160) attached to the edge surface and extending between the first extension portion and the second extension portion such that the current path extends along the first major surface, the edge surface, and the second major surface.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus as taught by Orsley in view of Verhoeven, comprising the anisotropic conductor on an edge surface of the substrate as taught by Oh, in order to establish electrical and functional connections between upper-side and lower-side circuits, provide dense arrangements of components, connect drive circuits to components on opposite surfaces, form intricate wiring with high precision, and provide adhesion (Oh, [0002,0040-0045]).
Further as no specific steps are provided, the Office reads this in the broadest sense to include any manufacturing steps.
Regarding Claim 19, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Orsley further discloses the method (Fig 1-4) of claim 17, wherein forming the first surface interconnect (230) comprises maintaining a space between the first surface interconnect (230) and the first electrode (222) such that the first surface interconnect (230b) is not in contact with the first electrode (222) and a first anisotropic portion (226) of the anisotropic conductor extends between (see Fig 4) the first electrode (222) and the first surface interconnect (230b).
Further as no specific steps are provided, the Office reads this in the broadest sense to include any manufacturing steps.
Regarding Claim 20, Orsley in view of Verhoeven and Oh teaches the limitations of the preceding claim and Verhoeven further teaches the method (Fig 1-5) of claim 17, wherein forming the first surface interconnect (2) comprises contacting the first surface interconnect (10) to the first electrode.
Further as no specific steps are provided, the Office reads this in the broadest sense to include any manufacturing steps.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Ohtsu (US 2017/0064828 A1) teaches of an apparatus (Fig 2) comprising a substrate (20) with a first electrode (23) attached to the first major surface; a second electrode (24) electrically connected to the first electrode (23) by an anisotropic conductor (30) that interfaces with upper, lower and a side surface of the substrate. This could be used in a 103 Rejection.
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/ROSHN K VARGHESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896