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 § 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.
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.
Claims 1 – 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irifune et al. (JP 2019-199562) in view of Kudou et al. (WO 2021192680).
Regarding claim 1, Irifune discloses a prepreg, comprising: a fiber base material (E glass filler, component (C) includes an E glass filler; claim 1, paragraph [0023]); and a resin composition containing a thermosetting resin (A) (epoxy resin; claim 1, paragraph [0015]) and spherical zinc molybdate (B) (claim 4, paragraph [0028]), wherein the fiber base material has a basis weight of 50 g/m2 or more (paragraph [0025]), and a circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate (B) is 93 to 100. Irifune does not specifically disclose the circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate (B) being 93 to 100. However, Kudou teaches a circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate in its resin composite being 0.92 (paragraphs [0148], [0150]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate (B) of Irifune to be around 0.92 as taught by Kudou so as to form the spherical zinc molybdate particles to be as close as possible to a perfect sphere.
Further, Kudou discloses a circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate as 0.92, whereas the circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate of the claimed invention is 93 to 100. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was to provide for the circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate (B) of Irifune to be between 93 to 100, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). In addition, in the claimed invention, it is disclosed that the spherical zinc molybdate is preferably 90 to 100 (see paragraph [0153] of the PG Publication document).
Regarding claim 2, Irifune discloses wherein the fiber base material has a thickness of 50 µm or more (paragraph [0014]).
Regarding claim 3, Irifune discloses wherein the fiber base material is a glass cloth (paragraph [0014]).
Regarding claim 4, Irifune discloses wherein a glass fiber constituting the glass cloth is one or more types selected from a group consisting of D-glass, T-glass, and S-glass (paragraph [0014]).
Regarding claim 5, Irifune modified by Kudou discloses wherein the spherical zinc molybdate (B) has an average particle diameter (D50) of 0.01 to 20 µm (Kudou, paragraphs [0148], [0150]).
Regarding claim 6, Irifune discloses wherein a content of the spherical zinc molybdate (B) in the resin composition is 0.1 to 10% by mass with respect to a total solid content amount (100% by mass) of the resin composition (paragraph [0029]).
Regarding claim 7, Irifune discloses wherein the thermosetting resin (A) contains one or more types selected from a group consisting of a maleimide resin having one or more N-substituted maleimide groups and a derivative of the maleimide resin (paragraph [0014]).
Regarding claim 8, Irifune discloses wherein the thermosetting resin (A) further contains an epoxy resin (paragraph [0015], claim 1).
Regarding claim 9, Irifune discloses a laminated plate, comprising: a cured product of the prepreg according to claim 1; and a metal foil (Figure 1).
Regarding claim 10, Irifune discloses a printed wiring board, comprising a cured product of the prepreg according to claim 1 (Figure 1).
Regarding claim 11, Irifune discloses a semiconductor package, comprising: the printed wiring board according to claim 10; and a semiconductor element (Figure 1).
Regarding claim 12, Irifune modified by Kudou discloses wherein the circularity of the spherical zinc molybdate (B) is 95 to 100 (Kudou, paragraphs [0148], [0150]).
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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