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.
Claim(s) 1-2, and 5-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being
anticipated by Yamamoto (U.S. 2006/0116000), Yamamoto.
As to claim 1, Yamamoto discloses a flexible transparent wiring board
comprising: a base substrate (103); and wiring (603a, 603b, para-106), wherein
the base substrate (103) is transparent and has flexibility and insulating
properties, para-0064+,
a groove (104) is formed on an upper surface of the base substrate (103),
the wiring (603) is formed of a wiring constituent material (605) filled in the groove
(104), and the groove is formed in a narrow V-shape in a depth direction, figure 6C,
a height position of an upper surface of the wiring constituent material (605) is lower than that of an opening of the groove (figure 6C) in the upper surface of the base substrate (103).
As to claim 2, Yamamoto discloses in figure 7B that an upper surface of the
wiring constituent material (106) is a recessed surface (the recess formed in between
the portions 701a, 701b) recessed toward a widthwise central portion of the wiring
constituent material (106).
As to claim 5, Yamamoto discloses the wiring (106) is opaque, and in a plan
view, an area of a transparent region where the wiring is not formed is larger than that
of an opaque region where the wiring is formed.
As to claim 6, Yamamoto discloses a depth of the groove (104) is less than a
thickness of the base substrate (103 or 105).
As to claim 7, Yamamoto discloses a width of the groove (104) is 50 µm or less,
para-0096+.
As to claim 8, Yamamoto discloses a depth of the groove (104) is 80% or more of
a width of the groove.
As to claim 9, Yamamoto discloses the depth of the groove (104) is greater than
the width of the groove.
As to claim 10, Yamamoto discloses the wiring constituent material (106) has flexibility following and bending deformation of the base substrate (103 or 105).
As to claim 11, Yamamoto discloses further comprising an insulating cover *843,
figure 12), wherein the insulating cover (843) is formed to cover the upper surface of the
base substrate (842) and the wiring (851).
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Yamamoto in view of Yamazaki et al. (U.S. 2015/0187855).
Regarding claim 3, Yamamoto discloses all of the limitations of claimed invention
except for a side surface of an upper portion of the wiring constituent material has a
scratch, and a side surface of a lower portion of the wiring constituent material does not
have the scratch.
Yamazaki teaches a semiconductor device as shown in figures 35A-35B
comprising a side surface of an upper portion of the wiring constituent material (940) has a scratch (942a,b), and a side surface of a lower portion of the wiring constituent
material does not have the scratch (942c).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filling date to have a teaching of Yamazaki employed in the wiring board of
Yamamoto in order to provide excellent bonding structure.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 07/29/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues:
Yamamoto does not disclose "a height position of an upper surface of the wiring constituent material is lower than that of an opening of the groove in the upper surface of the base substrate".
After carefully review, examiner respectively disagrees. As best in figures 6A-6C of Yamamoto, the reference clearly discloses a height position of an upper surface of the wiring constituent material (605) is lower than that of an opening of the groove (figure 6C) in the upper surface of the base substrate (103).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Isa et al. (U.S. 2006/0113671) discloses a semiconductor device as shown in figures 2A-2C comprising a base substrate (103), made from a porous insulating film (103) having a groove (106), a wiring (107) formed with the groove (106) and silver (Ag) paste (108) filled into the groove (106), and a conductive film made from W, Mo, Ti, Ta, Cr disposed on top surface of the paste (108).
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/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
