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 .
Preliminary Amendment
The preliminary amendment filed on June 27, 2024 has been entered. Claims 1-13 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities. In lines 1-2, the term “polybutadiene-modified epoxy resin” lacks literal antecedent basis.
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 1-10 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 102504532 in view of CN 113121999. English language translations of CN ‘532 and CN ‘1999 were provided in the IDS of 06/27/2024 and relied upon in the below rejections.
Regarding claims 1, 4, and 7, CN ‘532discloses a halogen-free low-dielectric resin composition ([0009]-[0017], Example 3; Table 1) comprising 10-90 parts of an epoxidized polybutadiene, i.e., modified epoxy resin, 10-90 parts of an allylbenzoxazine, i.e., modified benzoxazine resin, 10 parts of a dicyclopentadiene epoxy resin, 1-50 parts of a curing agent styrene-maleic anhydride oligomer, 10-50 parts of a flame retardant, such as phenoxyphosphazene SPB-100, 0.01-1 parts curing accelerator, such as 2-methyl-4 ethylimidazole, 0.1 to 10 parts of an initiator [0016], such as 1, 1, 3, 3-tetramethylbutyl hydroperoxide (original document: [0030]), and 10-100 parts of a filler, such as spherical silicon micro-powder. The epoxidized polybutadiene resin comprises a compound represented by formula 2 [0053], which is a 1, 2 epoxidized polybutadiene, a 1, 2 terminal hydroxyl epoxidized polybutadiene, or a 1, 2 terminal carboxyl epoxidized polybutadiene, having a molecular mass of 100 to 10000 (Example 3). The amounts of each of these components overlaps with the claimed amounts. As set forth in MPEP 2144.05, “In the case where the claimed ranges ‘overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art’ a prima facie case of obviousness exists.” In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976).
CN ‘532 does not teach a composition that includes a bismaleimide resin. CN ‘999 discloses a resin composition including 15 to 40% of a bismaleimide resin, 10-20% of a benzoxazine resin having a double bond in an end group, 5 to 40% of a polyphenylene ether resin, and 10-40% of a hydrocarbon compound. The hydrocarbon compound may be selected from epoxy modified polybutadienes. CN ‘999 discloses that maleimide is better compatible with benzoxazine and polyphenylene ether resins as well as hydrocarbon compounds, resulting in products with higher Tg, lower CTE, higher modulus, and low dielectric constant and dielectric loss [0013]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have included a bismaleimide resin within the presently claimed range in the composition of CN ‘532, as taught by CN ‘999, motivated by the desire to obtain a resin composition that resulted in products having desired high Tg, low CTE, high modulus and low dielectric constant/loss.
Additionally, CN ‘532 does not specifically define the structure, i.e., M+N from 15 to 50 (claim 1) and M is 3 to 8 and N is 5 to 15 (claim 4), of the modified epoxy resin. However, CN ‘532 discloses 1, 2 epoxidized polybutadienes, which when partially epoxidized, i.e., fulfils the structural formula of claim 1. The modified epoxy resin can be selected and adjusted by one skilled in the art with regards to the ratio of epoxidation and the amounts of the respective components through routine experimentation.
Regarding claim 2, CN ‘999 discloses CN ‘999 discloses the maleimide resin can include a bis (3-ethyl-5-methyl-4-maleimidebenzene) methane compounds, a 2, 2 '-bis [4-(4-maleimide phenoxy) phenyl] propane compounds, and N, N'-(methylene diphenyl) bismaleimide [0021].
Regarding claim 3, CN ‘532 discloses that the benzoxazine resin can comprises one or more of allyl benzoxazine, benzoxazine bisphenol A type, benzoxazine bisphenol F type, benzoxazine 4, 4 '-diaminodiphenyl-methane type benzoxazine, and dicyclopentadiene type benzoxazine [0023].
Regarding claim 5, CN ‘532 discloses that the initiator is a peroxy compound having the structural formula set forth in paragraph [0030].
Regarding claim 6, CN ‘532 discloses that the filler is an inorganic filler which can be one or more of aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, zeolite, wollastonite, silica, magnesium oxide, calcium silicate, calcium carbonate, clay, talc, and mica [0031].
Regarding claim 8, CN ‘532 discloses that the organic flame retardant is a mixture of one or more of melamine, melamine cyanurate (MCA), phosphoric acid esters and their compounds, 9, 10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) and their compounds, phenoxyphosphazene [0059].
Regarding claims 9 and 10, CN ‘532 discloses a prepreg comprising a substrate and the above detailed resin and a copper clad laminate prepared from the prepreg [0008].
Regarding claim 12, CN ‘532 discloses that the benzoxazine resin can comprises one or more of allyl benzoxazine, benzoxazine bisphenol A type, benzoxazine bisphenol F type, benzoxazine 4, 4 '-diaminodiphenyl-methane type benzoxazine, and dicyclopentadiene type benzoxazine [0023]. One skilled in the art would have been able to arrive at the benzoxazine compounds of claim 12 based on the disclosure of CN ‘532 through routine experimentation.
Regarding claim 13, modified CN’ 532 with CN ‘999 would result in a composition wherein the modified epoxy resin and the bismaleimide resin form an interpenetrating polymer network.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 102504532 in view of CN 113121999 and CN 107033517. An English language machine translation of CN ‘517 is attached to this Office action and relied upon in the below rejection.
Regarding claim 11, CN ‘532 as modified by CN ‘999 does not disclose using a bismaleimide resin represented by structural formula (3-1) to (3-3). CN ‘517, which is directed to a similar composition useful for the manufacture of prepregs and copper-clad laminates, discloses a composition comprising an epoxidized polybutadiene resin and a bismaleimide resin [0006]. The bismaleimide resin is represented by formula (10) [0027], which reads on presently claimed structural formula (3-2). CN ‘517 discloses that the blended composition of the epoxidized polybutadiene and a bismaleimide resin exhibits excellent dielectric properties, heat resistance, low water absorption and low coefficient of thermal expansion [006]. It would have been obvious to the skilled artisan to have used the bismaleimide resin of CN ‘517 in the composition of CN ‘532 as modified by CN ‘999, motivated by the desire to obtain a composition that exhibits excellent dielectric properties, heat resistance, low water absorption and low coefficient of thermal expansion, as taught by CN ‘517.
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/BLAINE COPENHEAVER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781
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