Appeal No. 94-3121
Application 07/853,868
same “at the time” the electrical “connection” is formed. In re Morris, 127 F.3d 1048, 1054-
55, 44 USPQ2d 1023, 1027 (Fed. Cir. 1997); In re Zletz, 893 F.2d 319, 321-22, 13 USPQ2d
1320, 1322 (Fed. Cir. 1989). Indeed, according to appellants’ specification (e.g., page 16), the
adhesive is substantially cured in the specified timeframe because of the activation of the
microencapsulated curing agent.
We have compared the claimed invention with Hatada4 and Schmidt et al. and find that
both of these references disclose a process of electrically connecting circuits which essentially
differ from the claimed invention in that the adhesive resin compositions disclosed therein do not
contain a second resin or an encapsulated curing agent and in the temperature and pressure
conditions applied to cure the adhesive composition. In Hatada, a sheet of a resin adhesive which
can be cured by light and/or heat is used in much the same process as specified in the appealed
claims (e.g., col. 2, lines 16-27, and col. 3, line 62, to col. 4, line 5), except that representative
cure times by heat is 5-30 minutes at 100-150° C where light is initially used to “stiffen” a
modified acrylate resin (col. 4, lines 11-19). Hatada teaches that other adhesive “resins such as
[sic] epoxy group” may be employed (col. 5, lines 14-16). Similarly, in the process of Schmidt et
al., an epoxy resin reinforced with glass fibers5 is superimposed between opposing circuits to form
a stack which is heated above the curing temperature of the resin that then becomes liquid and
begins to jell, at which point pressure is applied to the stack to force the jelling resin from
between the contact points to form an electrical connection from the contact points (e.g., col. 2,
lines 24-45). Schmidt et al. further disclose that the epoxy resin “when heated to a final hardening
or curing temperature begins to soften to a liquid condition and then begins to transform by
jelling” (col. 3, lines 26-28) but contains no teaching as to the “hardening or curing temperature”
or its duration.
4 Hatada and other references relied on by the examiner with respect to the grounds of rejection
are listed at pages 2-3 of the answer. We refer to these references in our opinion by the name
associated therewith by the examiner.
5 The adhesive compositions as defined in the appealed claims can contain other ingredients in
addition to the three specified “essential components” through the use of the openended term
“comprising.” See, e.g., In re Baxter, 656 F.2d 679, 686-87, 210 USPQ 795, 802-03 (CCPA
1981). Indeed, the specification recites “filler’ is such an additional ingredient which would be
inclusive of the “reinforcing glass fibers” used in Schmidt et al.
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