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 § 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 – 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kariya (US 2009/0290316).
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(Claim 1) Kariya teaches a wiring board comprising a layered body, the layered body comprising:
at least one ceramic layer (43) consisting of ceramics (paragraph 46); and
at least one base material wiring layer (30/410 analogous to 510) comprising:
a base consisting of an organic resin (paragraph 42, 78);
a wiring layer (410); and
a conductive wiring line (41) on a surface thereof on a side of the ceramic layer (43), the conductive wiring (41) consisting of cupper foil (paragraph 58).
(Claim 2) Kariya teaches wherein the ceramic layer (43) is a monolithic ceramic (paragraph 46, TaO.sub.3, Ta.sub.2O.sub.5).
(Claim 3) Kariya teaches wherein the ceramic layer (43) has a first through hole (hole of 63B) in a center as viewed from a layering direction;
the base material wiring layer has a second through hole (hole of 64B) in a center as viewed from the layering direction; and
the first through hole (hole of 63B) and the second through hole (hole of 64B) overlap each other as viewed from the layering direction.
(Claim 4) Kariya teaches wherein an opening area of the second through hole (hole of 64B) is smaller than an opening area of the first through hole (hole of 63B as bounded by #43).
(Claim 14) Kariya teaches a semiconductor device comprising:
a layered body comprising:
at least one ceramic layer (43) consisting of ceramics paragraph 46); and
at least one base material wiring layer (30, 410) comprising:
a base (30) consisting of an organic resin (paragraphs 42, 78);
a wiring layer (410); and
a conductive wiring line (41) on a surface thereof on a side of the ceramic layer (43), the conductive wiring consisting of copper foil (paragraph 58),
a semiconductor element (81A, 81B) mounted on the layered body.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kariya (US 2009/0290316) in view of Tsukamoto (US 6,171,946).
(Claim 5) Kariya lacks wherein a part of the conductor wiring line is located inside the first through hole on the surface of the base material wiring layer as viewed from the layering direction.
However, Tsukamoto teaches wherein a part of the conductor wiring line (fig. 1G #113) is located inside the first through hole (fig. 1E #110) on the surface of the base material (106) wiring layer as viewed from the layering direction for the benefit of anchoring the conductor wiring line, thereby preventing delamination.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the references for the benefit of preventing delamination of the conductive wiring line.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 – 13 and 15 are 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.
(Claim 6) an opening area of the fourth through hole is larger than an opening area of the third through hole and larger than the first through hole.
(Claim 8) a metal plate layered on the base material wiring layer on an opposite side to the ceramic layer side,
wherein the metal plate covers at least a part of the second through hole of the base material wiring layers; and
a Young's modulus of the metal plate is smaller than a Young's modulus of the ceramic layer and larger than a Young's modulus of the base material wiring layer.
(Claim 12) wherein on a surface on an opposite side to the base material wiring layer side, the ceramic layer has a corner on the first through hole side, the corner being formed in an inclined surface shape or a curved surface shape
(Claim 13) wherein on the surface on the ceramic layer side, the base material wiring layer has a corner on the second through hole side, the corner being formed in an inclined surface shape or a curved surface shape.
(Claim 15) an opening area of the fourth through hole is smaller than an opening area of the third through hole and larger than the first through hole.
Conclusion
Prior art made of record and not relied upon, considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are listed in PTO – 892 Form.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IGWE U ANYA whose telephone number is (571)272-1887. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at (571) 272- 1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/IGWE U ANYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
September 17, 2026
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