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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) submitted on July 29, 2026 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Applicant asserts on page 5 of the Reply filed July 29, 2026: “Support for the amendments to the claims is found at least in FIG. 19 of the application as filed.”Claim 1 has been amended to recite “a second substrate comprising a first portion on a first surface of the first substrate” (lines 7-8). Figure 19 shows a second substrate SUB2 having a first portion directly on a bottom surface of the first substrate SUB1. Claim 1 has been further amended to recite “a connection line at an edge on a second surface of the first substrate facing the first surface of the first substrate” (lines 11-12). Figure 19 shows a connection line CWL indirectly on a top surface of the first substrate SUB1. Examiner observes that the bottom surface of the first substrate SUB1 faces down (-Z direction in Fig. 19), and the top surface of the first substrate SUB1 faces up (+Z direction in Fig. 19). The top and bottom surfaces of the first substrate SUB1 do not face toward one another but rather face away from one another. Thus, the top surface of the first substrate SUB1 (i.e., the second surface as claimed) does not face the bottom surface of the first substrate SUB1 (i.e., the first surface as claimed). Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that the limitations “a second substrate comprising a first portion on a first surface of the first substrate” and “a connection line at an edge on a second surface of the first substrate facing the first surface of the first substrate,” as recited in amended claim 1, together constitute new matter.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER M ALBRECHT whose telephone number is (571)272-7813. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM (CT).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lynne Gurley can be reached at (571) 272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER M ALBRECHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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