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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the seed pattern" on line 8 (line 5 of claim 1 recites “seed patterns”). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the seed pattern" on line 10 (line 5 of claim 1 recites “seed patterns”). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
PLEASE CORRECT THROUGHOUT THE CLAIMS
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 – 9 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (CN 113260135 A).
Regarding claim 1, in Figure 4D, Li discloses a manufacturing method for a circuit board (1B), wherein the circuit board has a plurality of patterned areas (comprising 100, 106), and a non-patterned area (comprising 202, 104, 200) outside the patterned areas, wherein the manufacturing method comprises: providing a precursor substrate (ST); forming seed patterns (1070A, 1080A) and an auxiliary seed pattern (103) on a side of the precursor substrate, wherein the seed patterns are located in the patterned areas, the auxiliary seed pattern is located in the non-patterned area (Figure 4D), and the seed pattern and the auxiliary seed pattern are separated from each other (Figure 4D); and forming a pad (1070B, 1080B) at a position of the seed pattern and an auxiliary pattern (105, 102) at a position of the auxiliary seed pattern by an electroplating process.
Regarding claim 2, Li discloses wherein the forming the seed patterns and the auxiliary seed pattern on the side of the precursor substrate, comprises: forming a plurality of the seed patterns in the patterned areas of the precursor substrate; forming an auxiliary film having the auxiliary seed pattern and a hollowed area, wherein the auxiliary seed pattern comprises: a first flexible substrate, and a first auxiliary seed film layer on a side of the first flexible substrate; and attaching a side of the auxiliary film having the first flexible substrate to a side of the precursor substrate having the seed pattern, wherein the patterned area of the precursor substrate is attached to the hollowed area of the auxiliary film (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 3, Li discloses wherein the forming the auxiliary film having the auxiliary seed pattern and the hollowed area, comprises: providing a rigid substrate; forming the first flexible substrate and the first auxiliary seed film layer sequentially on a side of the rigid substrate; cutting the first flexible substrate and the first auxiliary seed film layer to remove an area without the auxiliary seed pattern to form the hollowed area; and removing the rigid substrate (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 4, Li discloses wherein the attaching the side of the auxiliary film having the first flexible substrate to the side of the precursor substrate having the seed pattern, comprises: attaching the side of the auxiliary film having the first flexible substrate to the side of the precursor substrate having the seed pattern by a roller rolling (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 5, Li discloses wherein, after forming the pad at the position of the seed pattern and the auxiliary pattern at the position of the auxiliary seed pattern by the electroplating process, the manufacturing method further comprises: removing the auxiliary film (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 6, Li discloses wherein, after removing the auxiliary film, the manufacturing method further comprises: forming a protective layer on a surface of the pad; and forming a solder resist layer in the non-patterned area (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 7, Li discloses wherein the forming the seed patterns and the auxiliary seed pattern on the side of the precursor substrate, comprises: forming a second seed film layer on the precursor substrate by a sputtering process; and forming a plurality of the seed patterns in the patterned areas, and forming the auxiliary seed pattern in the non-patterned area, by performing a patterning process on the second seed film layer, wherein a gap is provided between the auxiliary seed pattern and the seed pattern (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 8, Li discloses wherein, after forming the pad at the position of the seed pattern and the auxiliary pattern at the position of the auxiliary seed pattern by the electroplating process, the manufacturing method further comprises: forming a protective layer on surfaces of the pad and the auxiliary pattern; and forming a solder resist layer in an area where the auxiliary pattern is located (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 9, Li discloses wherein the providing the precursor substrate, comprises: providing a base substrate; forming a plurality of leads on a side of the base substrate; and forming a planarization layer on a side of the leads facing away from the base substrate, wherein the planarization layer has via holes exposing portions of the leads (Figure 4D).
Regarding claim 15, Li discloses a display apparatus, comprising: a display panel; a flexible circuit board; a control chip; and a circuit board obtained by the manufacturing method according to claim 1;wherein the plurality of patterned areas of the circuit board comprise: a first patterned area, a second patterned area, and a third patterned area; the display panel comprises a plurality of first pins, and the plurality of first pins of the display panel are bonded one-to-one with pads in the first patterned area; the flexible circuit board comprises a plurality of second pins, and the plurality of second pins of the flexible circuit board are bonded one-to-one with pads in the second patterned area; and the control chip comprises a plurality of third pins, and the plurality of third pins of the control chip are bonded one-to-one with pads in the third patterned area (Figure 4D).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TREMESHA W BURNS whose telephone number is (571)270-3391. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am - 4:30 pm EST.
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TREMESHA W. BURNS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
/TREMESHA W BURNS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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