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 .
Drawings
The subject matter of this application admits of illustration by a drawing to facilitate understanding of the invention. Applicant is required to furnish a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81(c). No new matter may be introduced in the required drawing. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d).
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamada JP-2010206182 (English translation attached).
Regarding claim 1, Yamada discloses an electromagnetic wave shielding material (see Fig 1 for example, and par 0012 of Description) having a structure (as shown in Figs 1-3 for example) in which at least one ferromagnetic layer (2, Fig 1) and at least one non-magnetic conductive metal layer (1, Fig 1) are laminated together (see Figs 1-3), wherein the electromagnetic wave shielding material further comprises a treated film (as in Fig 1) containing an alloy comprising copper (see par 0014 Description) and nickel (see par 0015 Description) on at least one surface of the non-magnetic conductive metal layer (see par 0012-0015 Description).
Regarding claim 2, Yamada discloses the electromagnetic wave shielding material according to claim 1, wherein the structure has ferromagnetic layers laminated via at least two non-magnetic conductive metal layers (see Fig 1 where ferromagnetic layer-2 is laminated by conductive layer-1 on top and bottom).
Regarding claim 3, Yamada discloses the electromagnetic wave shielding material according to claim 1, wherein at least one outermost layer is the non-magnetic conductive metal layer (as depicted in Fig 1).
Regarding claim 4, Yamada discloses the electromagnetic wave shielding material according to claim 1, wherein the alloy contained in the treated layer further comprises cobalt (see par 0015 Description).
Regarding claim 6, Yamada discloses a covering material or an exterior material for electrical and electronic apparatuses (par 0005 Description), the covering material or the exterior material comprising the electromagnetic wave shielding material according to claim 1 (par 0009 Description; Figs 1-3).
Regarding claim 7, Yamada discloses an electrical and electronic apparatus comprising the covering material or the exterior material according to claim 6 (par 0005, Figs 1-3).
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) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamada JP-2010206182 (English translation attached).
Regarding claim 5, Yamada discloses the electromagnetic wave shielding material according to claim 4, except wherein a mass ratio of cobalt in each treated film is 1.50 to 4.50 assuming that a mass ratio of nickel in each treated layer is 1.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the mass ratio of cobalt relative to nickel as claimed, in order to achieve a certain thickness/dimension as desired or to optimize weight distribution or noise sensitivity of the electromagnetic film for particular circuit layout, thereby improving functionality, and, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHEN E MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-8852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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/RASHEN E MORRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841