DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
2. Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hunrath (US 2009/0151989 A1) in view of Murata et al. (US 2020/0325329 A1).
Hunrath discloses rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) and methods for manufacturing the same comprising strain resistant layers. Printed circuit boards (PCB) comprise one or more layers of electrically conductive material such as copper and one or more electrically insulating layers such as dielectrics. In some embodiments, a rigid circuit board comprises a surface conductive layer engaging a strain resistant cap layer. In another embodiment, a component for manufacturing printed circuit boards such as rigid printed circuit boards comprises a surface copper layer (equivalent to the copper layer of the claimed invention) and a strain resistant layer (equivalent to the polymer layer of the claimed invention). Strain resistant layers comprise a broadly defined array of "strain resistant materials," including, without limitation, thermosetting and/or thermoplastic plastics, such as, for example, polyimide, polyester, fluorinated hydrocarbon, polymers, polyacrylate, liquid crystal polymer (meeting the limitations of claim 2), synthetic fibers, aramids, fluorocarbons, etc. Strain resistant layers can also comprise a mixture of one or more of the thermosetting and/or thermoplastic plastic materials or a mixture of one or more of the plastic materials with other materials (e.g., fillers, hardeners, etc.). (See Abstract and paragraphs 0005, 0011, 0032).
Hunrath does not teach the claimed polyacrylates.
Murata et al. disclose a polyarylate resin which is excellent in heat-resisting properties, abrasion-resisting properties, solubility properties in non-halogenated organic solvents, a water vapor-barrier property, mechanical properties, liquid sag-resisting properties and deformation-resisting properties (such as adhesive properties). The polyarylate resin is used to form a film and a laminate. The polyarylate resin comprising a dihydric phenol residue shown in general formula (1) (equivalent to the structure 1-A of claim 1 and structure 1-Aa of claims 4, 6, and 7 and meeting the limitations of claim 3) wherein X represents a linear or branched bivalent hydrocarbon group having 4 to 8 carbon atoms, wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which may be substituted with one or more halogen atoms, or a halogen atom, and p and q independently represent an integer of 0 to 4. It is preferable that a film is obtained by dissolving the polyarylate resin in an organic solvent, applying the solution on the substrate, drying the coated substrate, and peeling a resin layer. Examples of the substrate include a PET film, a polyimide film, a glass plate, and a stainless plate. The polyarylate resin as well as a film and a laminate obtained can be suitably used in the electric and electronic material fields, as a substrate film of a liquid crystal display, a film condenser, illumination, a solar battery, a printed circuit etc. (See Abstract and paragraphs 0001, 0017, 0030, 0062, 0064, and 0068).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to use the polyacrylate taught by Murata et al. in the strain resistant layer taught by Hunrath given that Murata et al. disclose a polyarylate resin that can be suitably used in the printed circuits and is excellent in heat-resisting properties, abrasion-resisting properties, a water vapor-barrier property, mechanical properties, liquid sag-resisting properties and deformation-resisting properties.
Conclusion
3. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEEBA AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-1504. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7am-6pm.
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/SHEEBA AHMED/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1787
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