Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/954,437

FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 20, 2024
Priority
May 20, 2022 — CN 202210553415.6 +1 more
Examiner
BURNS, TREMESHA WILLIS
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
95%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
695 granted / 890 resolved
+18.1% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
49 currently pending
Career history
936
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
33.7%
-6.3% vs TC avg
§102
46.2%
+6.2% vs TC avg
§112
18.4%
-21.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 890 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 Figures 1a and 1b should be designated by a legend such as --Related Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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 – 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aoyagi et al. (EP 1014772A2). Regarding claim 1, in Figure 37, Aoyagi discloses a flexible printed circuit board, comprising: a body part (501a); a coaxial cable (500); and a terminal (not shown; terminal within relay connector 501a connects one end of the coaxial cable 500 to the pcb 301) disposed in the body part (the left end portion of coaxial cable 500 is disposed inside of relay connector 501a), wherein the coaxial cable is disposed in the body part (Figure 37), and at least one end of the coaxial cable (the end of coaxial cable500 connection to relay connector 501b) is electrically connected to outside of the body part via the terminal. Regarding claim 2, Aoyagi discloses wherein the body part is provided with an accommodating part, the accommodating part comprises a cavity, and the coaxial cable is at least partially disposed in the accommodating part (Figure 37). Regarding claim 3, Aoyagi discloses wherein the flexible printed circuit board further comprises a board to board (BTB) connector, the BTB connector is electrically connected to the terminal, and at least one end of the coaxial cable is electrically connected to the outside by using the terminal and the BTB connector (Figure 37). Regarding claim 4, Aoyagi discloses comprising two terminals, wherein two ends of the coaxial cable are electrically connected to the outside via the two terminals, respectively (Figure 37). Regarding claim 5, Aoyagi discloses wherein the coaxial cable is fastened on an outer side of the body part, an accommodating part is disposed on a surface of the body part, the accommodating part is located between the two terminals, the accommodating part comprises a limiting groove, and the coaxial cable is at least partially confined within the accommodating part (Figure 37). Regarding claim 6, Aoyagi discloses wherein the accommodating part is located in the body part such that the coaxial cable is at least partially buried in the body part, an end part of the coaxial cable protrudes out of the accommodating part and is exposed outside the body part, and the end part of the coaxial cable is electrically connected to the terminal (Figure 37). Regarding claim 7, Aoyagi discloses wherein the coaxial cable comprises a conducting wire and a ground wire layer disposed on an outer side of the conducting wire, the conducting wire is insulated from the ground wire layer, and the terminal comprises a signal terminal and a grounding terminal; the conducting wire is electrically connected to the signal terminal; and the ground wire layer is electrically connected to the grounding terminal (Figure 37). Regarding claim 8, Aoyagi discloses a grounding wire buried in the body part, wherein the grounding terminal comprises a grounding connection terminal and a coaxial cable grounding terminal; and the grounding connection terminal and the coaxial cable grounding terminal are exposed on the body part, and the grounding connection terminal and the coaxial cable grounding terminal are electrically connected to the grounding wire respectively, wherein the grounding connection terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the outside, and the coaxial cable grounding terminal is electrically connected to the ground wire layer (Figure 37). Regarding claim 9, Aoyagi discloses a grounding wire buried in the body part, wherein the grounding terminal comprises a coaxial cable grounding terminal, the coaxial cable grounding terminal comprises a connection part and a grounding part, the grounding part is connected to the connection part, the grounding part is electrically connected to the grounding wire by using at least one through hole provided in the body part, and the connection part is electrically connected to the ground wire layer (Figure 37). Regarding claim 10, Aoyagi discloses a grounding wire buried in the body part, wherein the signal terminal comprises a first signal terminal and a second signal terminal, the first signal terminal is connected to a conducting wire of a coaxial cable, the second signal terminal is connected to a conducting wire of another coaxial cable, the grounding terminal comprises a coaxial cable grounding terminal, the coaxial cable grounding terminal is electrically connected to the grounding wire, the coaxial cable grounding terminal has a hollow conductive pattern, both the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal are located on an inner side of the hollow conductive pattern, and an isolated conductive pattern electrically connected to the grounding wire is disposed between the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal (Figure 37). Regarding claim 11, Aoyagi discloses a first grounding wire and a second grounding wire that are buried in the body part, wherein the first grounding wire and the second grounding wire are separated from each other, and the coaxial cable is at least partially located between the first grounding wire and the second grounding wire; the grounding terminal comprises a first coaxial cable grounding terminal and a second coaxial cable grounding terminal, and the first coaxial cable grounding terminal and the second coaxial cable grounding terminal are electrically connected to ground wire layers at two ends of the coaxial cable respectively; and the first coaxial cable grounding terminal is electrically connected to the first grounding wire, the second coaxial cable grounding terminal is electrically connected to the second grounding wire, and the first grounding wire is electrically connected to the second grounding wire by using the ground wire layer of the coaxial cable (Figure 37). Regarding claim 12, Aoyagi discloses an electronic device, comprising the flexible printed circuit board according to claim 1 (Figure 37). Regarding claim 13, Aoyagi discloses wherein the electronic device comprises a first portion and a second portion, a rotating shaft is disposed between the first portion and the second portion, the first portion or the second portion rotates around the rotating shaft such that the electronic device switches between an unfolded state and a folded state, and the first portion and the second portion are electrically connected by using the flexible circuit board (Figure 37). Regarding claim 14, Aoyagi discloses wherein the coaxial cable is configured to transmit an antenna signal between the first portion and the second portion (Figure 37). Regarding claim 15, Aoyagi discloses wherein the body part comprises a first region and a second region, both a conducting circuit and the terminal in the body part are located in the first region, the coaxial cable is disposed in the second region, and an end part of the coaxial cable extends to the first region to electrically connect to the terminal (Figure 37). Regarding claim 16, Aoyagi discloses wherein the body part is provided with an accommodating part, the coaxial cable is at least partially disposed in the accommodating part, and the accommodating part is located in the second region (Figure 37). Regarding claim 17, Aoyagi discloses wherein the coaxial cable of the flexible printed circuit board comprises a conducting wire, a ground wire layer, and an insulation layer sandwiched between the conducting wire and the ground wire layer; the insulation layer is a fluorine-based material layer with a dielectric constant lower than a preset dielectric constant or a dielectric loss lower than a preset dielectric loss; and when at least one of the conducting wire or the ground wire layer is formed by N metal wires that are wound through rotation, a surface of the metal wire is plated with a material layer with high conductivity and low magnetic permeability (Figure 37). Regarding claim 18, Aoyagi discloses wherein the terminal comprises a signal terminal and a grounding terminal, and the grounding terminal surrounds a periphery of the signal terminal (Figure 37). 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. 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, Timothy Thompson can be reached at (571) 272-2342. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. TREMESHA W. BURNS Primary Examiner Art Unit 2847 /TREMESHA W BURNS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 20, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
95%
With Interview (+17.3%)
2y 6m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 890 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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