Appeal No. 2002-1048
Application No. 09/172,734
OPINION
For the reasons which follow, neither of these rejections
can be sustained.
According to the examiner, “since Etchells . . . teaches the
special composition which allows the mounted circuits to be
bonded without destroying the elements, it would have been
obvious to include this new and improved method of bonding as
taught by Etchells . . . for circuits such as a color image
sensor without ruining its intended purpose” and “[t]herefore, it
would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art
to modify Etchells . . . with Denda . . . by using the mass
reflow process with circuits otherwise not used such as a color
image sensor for bonding at higher temperatures” (answer, pages
4-5). The examiner’s position is not well taken.
Etchells teaches that “the solder in the present invention
also has a reflow temperature, approximately 250o C., that is low
enough to allow the manufacturing of printed circuits without
exposing the electronic components to the extremely high
temperatures associated with reflow processes containing solders
that have high melting point temperatures” (col. 4, lines 42-48).
Apparently, the examiner believes this teaching would have
suggested using patentee’s solder in a mass reflow process for
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