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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in Application No. 18816079, filed on 8/27/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/27/2024 was filed after the filing date of the application on 8/27/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-2 are 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.
The term “plate-like” in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “plate-like” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Horsfield (US 20070119892 A1) in view of Kumazawa (US 20130298744 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Horsfield teaches a method for dividing a plate-like workpiece in which devices are respectively formed in regions sectioned by a plurality of intersecting planned dividing lines, the method comprising:
forming a first cutting groove (25) not reaching a rear surface of a workpiece by causing a unknown tool to cut into from a front surface of the workpiece along the planned dividing lines (paragraph 0042);
after forming the first cutting groove, forming a second cutting groove (25’) not reaching a bottom portion of the first cutting groove by causing the unknown tool to cut into from the rear surface of the workpiece along the first cutting groove (see Figure 8 and paragraph 0042); and
after forming the second cutting groove, dividing the workpiece along the planned dividing lines by applying external force to the workpiece (paragraph 0042).
Horsfield fails to teach a rotating cutting blade.
Kumazawa teaches a method for dividing a plate-like workpiece, the method comprising: forming a first cutting groove not reaching a rear surface of a workpiece by causing a rotating cutting blade to cut into from a front surface of the workpiece along the planned dividing lines (see Figure 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Horsfield to cut the workpiece via a rotating cutting blade, as taught by Kumazawa, in order to provide a cutting tool for cutting a groove for dividing the work piece (abstract of Kumazawa).
Regarding claim 2, modified Horsfield further teaches a distance between the bottom portion of the first cutting groove and a bottom portion of the second cutting groove is equal to or smaller than a thickness of the workpiece.
Modified Horsfield fails to teach 1/10 equal to or smaller than a thickness of the workpiece.
Furthermore, with respect to the specific ratio of a distance is 1/10 equal to or smaller than a thickness of the workpiece, the courts have held that where the general conditions of the invention are met, a change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art., In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955). MPEP 2144.04 IV. A. Therefore, it would have been obvious to further modify the method of Horsfield to have the specific distance set forth in the claim to get the desired break ratio of the work for the end user.
Regarding claim 3, modified Horsfield further teaches the workpiece includes a sapphire substrate, a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate, or a glass substrate (paragraph 0034 of Horsfield).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIANG DONG whose telephone number is (571)270-0479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8 AM-6 PM.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 3/19/2026