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 .
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-11) in the reply filed on 04/03/26 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 10, line 2, the term “can” is not understood because the term “can” recites a broad range or limitation by linking terms and a narrow range or limitation within the broad range or limitation is considered indefinite since the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the Patent protection desired.
Please, change “that can follow bending” to - - and bending - - for proper reading.
Appropriate correction is required.
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; and wiring, wherein
the base substrate (103 or 105) is transparent and has flexibility and insulating properties, para-0064+,
a groove (104 or 719) is formed on an upper surface of the base substrate (103),
the wiring is formed of a wiring constituent material (106) filled in the groove (104), and the groove is formed in a narrow V-shape in a depth direction, figure 1E.
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 best understood to claim 10, Yamamoto discloses the wiring constituent material (106) has flexibility [[that can follow bending]] 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.
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/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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