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 .
Detailed Action
This is the first action on the merits (FAOM) to this instant application in which claims 102-121 are pending. Claims 102, 111 and 116 are independent and claims 103-110, 112-115 and 117-121 are dependent.
Applicant has canceled claims 1-101 and added new claims 102-121 by filing a preliminary amendment.
Claim Objection
Claim 104 is objected to because of the following informalities: “probes” on line 1 of the claim should be replaced with - -probe- -, i.e., plural form of the probe should be changed to singular form to satisfy grammar and antecedent basis issue. Appropriate correction is required.
Rejection under 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 102-104 and 108-110 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Leedy (US-5,103,557).
Claim No.
Claim feature
Prior art
Leedy (5,103,557)
102
A deformable electrical testing probe, the testing probe comprising:
a base test structure having an electrically conductive layer comprising one or more metallic conductors; and
a conductive probe comprising an electrically conductive polymer on the one or more metallic conductors of the electrically conductive layer.
Leedy discloses a deformable1 electrical testing probe (508) as claimed.
a base test structure (510), see col. 20, lines 50-65, the relevant portion is copies and pasted as footnote2 having an electrically conductive layer comprising one or more metallic conductors;
a conductive probe (508) comprising an electrically conductive polymer (509) on the one or more metallic conductors of the electrically conductive layer.
103
The testing probe of Claim 102, wherein the conductive probe is formed through at least one of additive manufacturing, a molding process, and vacuum forming.
Claim 103 is met by Leedy.
In Leedy, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to manufacture the probes, and CVD can be understood to be an additive manufacturing process.
104
The testing probe of Claim 102, wherein the conductive probes comprises a tip opposite from the electrically conductive layer, wherein the tip comprises a conductive tip layer having a hardness greater than that of the conductive probes, and wherein the tip comprises a spherical tip or a triangular tip.
Claim 104 is met by Leedy.
See Fig. 33 which shows tip portion of the probe is shown to be opposite of the electrically conductive layer (510).
Hardness of probe tip in Leedy is higher than the body of the tip, see various places in Leedy including, col. 15, line 57.
Leedy shows various embodiments of the probe having various shapes of tips and it further shows that the portion that contacts the test object is spherical in shape, i.e., rounded, see for example Fig. 21. Some tips are shown to be triangular (conical), see for example Fig. 19a and 19b.
108
The testing probe of Claim 102, wherein the conductive probe is elastically deformable and minimizes or eliminates probe marks on a tested device.
Leedy meets claim 108.
The probe in Leedy is compressible and the tip of it can be rounded and it should not leave mark on the tested item.
109
The testing probe of Claim 102, wherein the conductive probe comprises a plurality of conductive probes.
Leedy meets claim 109.
See Fig. 33 where there are shown to be a plurality of conductive probes.
110
The testing probe of Claim 102, wherein the conductive probe is integrated with the one or more metallic conductors of the electrically conductive layer.
Leedy meets claim 110.
See Fig. 33 which shows conductive layer (510) in integrated with the probe (508).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 111-121 are allowed.
Claims 105-107 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
As to independent claim 111, the claim is being allowed because the prior art of the record neither discloses nor suggests a deformable electrical testing probe, the testing probe comprising:
a base test structure having an electrically conductive layer comprising one or more metallic conductors;
one or more dielectric layers formed over the electrically conductive layer; and
a conductive probe comprising an electrically conductive polymer on the one or more metallic conductors of the electrically conductive layer and protruding through the one or more dielectric layers.
As to claims 112-115, these claims are being allowed because each of these claims depends from the allowed independent claims 111.
As to independent claim 116, the claim is being allowed because the prior art of the record neither discloses nor suggests a deformable electrical testing probe having conductive filaments, the testing probe comprising:
a base test structure comprising an electrically conductive layer having one or more metallic conductors;
an adhesion layer formed on the electrically conductive layer and a seed layer formed on the adhesion layer; and
a conductive probe comprising an electrically conductive polymer on the seed layer over the one or more metallic conductors of the electrically conductive layer.
As to claims 117-121, these claims are being allowed because each of these claims depends from the allowed independent claims 116.
As to claims 105, the claim would be allowable if it is written in independent form because the prior art of the record including applied reference neither discloses nor reasonably suggests the testing probe of Claim 102, further comprising one or more conductive filaments embedded within the conductive probes, wherein a first set of the one or more conductive filaments comprises a length less than 30% of the conductive probes and a second set of the one or more conductive filaments comprises a length less than 20% of the conductive probes.
As to claims 106, the claim would be allowable if it is written in independent form because the prior art of the record including applied reference neither discloses nor reasonably suggests the testing probe of Claim 102, further comprising a reinforcing material embedded within the conductive probes, wherein the reinforcing material within the conductive probe comprises at least one of a composite material and a metallic element.
As to claims 107, the claim would be allowable if it is written in independent form because the prior art of the record including applied reference neither discloses nor reasonably suggests the testing probe of Claim 102, wherein an elastic modulus of the electrically conductive polymer is between 1 GPa to 20 GPa.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to G.M. HYDER whose telephone number is (571)270-3896. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9 AM- 5 PM.
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, Stephanie Bloss can be reached on (571) 272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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G.M. HYDER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2852
/G.M. A HYDER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
1 Examiner comment: the probe 508 in Leedy is deformable (i.e., compressible, see col. 20, line 58).
2 The conductive elastomeric polymer layer 509 is deposited onto the tester surface by electroplate processing. Elastomeric polymer 509 is applied to the tester surface once it is completed and all top layer electrodes have been passivated by a dielectric layer such as low stress silicon dioxide 507 or low stress polysilicon 506. A thin film of conductive metal such as 100.ANG. of tungsten (not shown) is deposited over the tester surface and onto the interior vertical walls of the compressible probe point structures 508. This metal film acts as a plating electrode for attracting the polymer and its conductive dopant. A conformal and uniform thin film 509 of 0.5 .mu.m to 4 .mu.m of the conductive elastomeric polymer is deposited filling the compressible probe points 508. A subsequent 0.5 .mu.m to 2 .mu.m thin film layer of metal 510 such as gold, copper or titanium is optionally deposited by electroplating over polymer layer 509 to passivate the polymer layer 509, counter balance possible compression/tension forces in the free standing portion of the tester surface, and to add additional strength or durability to the surface as required.
Prosecution Insights