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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 21 and 23 are objected to because of the following informalities: "inconsistent terminologies. "The current paths" should read "the plurality of current paths”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. There is no support in the specification for the claim limitations of "a current flow between each linear array of collector contacts of the plurality of linear arrays of collector contacts and the emitter region follow a direct path along respective current paths of the plurality of current paths between respective adjacent pairs of the trench regions of the array of trench regions", as recited in claim 22.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 20-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claimed limitation of "collector contacts", as recited in claims 20 (lines 14-15) 22 and 23, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “collector contacts”, as recited in claim 20, line 13.
The claimed limitation of "an adjacent linear array of collector contacts", as recited in claim 20, line 14-15, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “collector contacts” and/or "a plurality of linear arrays of collector contacts", as recited in claim 20, line 13-14.
Claim 21 recites the limitation "the respective adjacent pairs of trench regions of the array of trench regions" in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Also, it is unclear as whether said limitation is the same as or different from “a respective adjacent pair of trench region of the array of trench regions”, as recited in claim 20.
The claimed limitation of "trench regions of the array of trench regions ", as recited in claim 21, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “trench regions of the array of trench regions”, as recited in claim 20.
The claimed limitation of "respective adjacent pairs of the trench regions of the array of trench regions", as recited in claim 22, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from "a respective adjacent pair of trench regions of the array of trench regions ", as recited in claim 20.
The claimed limitation of "emitter contacts", as recited in claims 30 (lines 12-13) 31, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “emitter contacts”, as recited in claim 30, line 11.
The claimed limitation of "an adjacent linear array of emitter contacts", as recited in claim 30, line 12-13, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “emitter contacts” and/or "a plurality of linear arrays of emitter contacts", as recited in claim 30, line 11-12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20-31 and 42 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not teach or suggest, singularly or in combination, at least the limitations of “an array of trench regions withing the doped region, the array of trench regions conductively isolated from the buried layer and located between the collector region and the emitter region to provide a plurality of current paths between the collector region and the emitter region, the plurality of current paths including each current path between a respective adjacent pair of trench regions of the array of trench regions”, as recited in claim 20; “an array of trench regions withing the doped region, the array of trench regions conductively isolated from the buried layer and located between the collector region and the emitter region such that a current between the collector region and the emitter region flows between trench region of the array of trench regions”, as recited in claim 30 and 42.
Claims 20-31 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/MEIYA LI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811