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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 14 October 2025 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Newly submitted claims 1-10 and 21 and 23 are directed to an invention that is independent or distinct from the invention originally claimed for the following reasons: Claims 1-10 are directed to the species found in Figure 2 and Claims 21 and 23 are directed to the species in Figure 3. The species originally examined on the merits was that which is found in Figure 6 and Claims 11-18.
Since applicant has received an action on the merits for the originally presented invention, this invention has been constructively elected by original presentation for prosecution on the merits. Accordingly, claims 1-10, 21, and 23 are withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention. See 37 CFR 1.142(b) and MPEP § 821.03.
To preserve a right to petition, the reply to this action must distinctly and specifically point out supposed errors in the restriction requirement. Otherwise, the election shall be treated as a final election without traverse. Traversal must be timely. Failure to timely traverse the requirement will result in the loss of right to petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are subsequently added, applicant must indicate which of the subsequently added claims are readable upon the elected invention.
Should applicant traverse on the ground that the inventions are not patentably distinct, applicant should submit evidence or identify such evidence now of record showing the inventions to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either instance, if the examiner finds one of the inventions unpatentable over the prior art, the evidence or admission may be used in a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) of the other invention.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 11-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yao et al. (U.S. 2011/0198737).
Regarding Claim 11, Yao et al., Fig 3e discloses a device, comprising:
an integrated circuit chip (chip 32);
a plurality of leads including a first lead and a second lead (first lead 3130, second lead 312);
a first encapsulation layer on the integrated circuit chip, the first lead, and the second lead, the first encapsulation layer includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first lead and the second lead are at the second surface, only a first landing surface of the first lead being exposed from the second surface of the first encapsulation layer, the first landing surface of the first lead facing a first direction, a first side surface of the second lead being exposed from the first encapsulation layer, the first side surface of the second lead facing a second direction that is different from the first direction (first encapsulation layer 34); and
a second encapsulation layer having a third surface facing away from the integrated circuit chip and a plurality of sidewall surfaces that are transverse to the third surface of the second encapsulation layer, the second encapsulation layer in direct contact with the first encapsulation layer, the first lead being separated from the second encapsulation layer by the first encapsulation layer, the first side surface of the second lead in direct contact with the second encapsulation layer, the plurality of sidewall surfaces of the second encapsulation layer extend from the third surface and terminate before reaching the second surface of the first encapsulation layer (second encapsulation layer 35), wherein the first encapsulation layer is a single, contiguous layer that extends to contact at least one surface of the first lead and the second lead from a cross-sectional view (first encapsulation layer 34).
Regarding Claim 12, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 11, wherein the first encapsulation layer is non- conductive and the second encapsulation layer is conductive ([0015]).
Regarding Claim 13, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 11, wherein:
the first landing surface of the first lead is exposed from the second encapsulation layer
PNG
media_image1.png
14
12
media_image1.png
Greyscale
and the second lead includes a second landing surface transverse to the first side surface, the second landing surface is exposed from the second encapsulation layer and faces the first direction, and the second landing surface of the second lead being coplanar with the first landing surface of the first lead (first lead 3130, second lead 312).
Regarding Claim 14, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 11, wherein:
the first encapsulation layer includes a first sidewall surface that extends from the first surface to the second surface of the first encapsulation layer and a second sidewall surface opposite to the first sidewall surface, the second sidewall surface extends from the first surface to the second surface; and
the second encapsulation layer partially covers the first sidewall surface and the second sidewall surface of the first encapsulation layer (first encapsulation layer 34, second encapsulation layer 35).
Regarding Claim 15, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 14, wherein the second encapsulation layer includes a first portion that partially covers the first sidewall surface of the first encapsulation layer, a second portion that partially covers the second sidewall surface of the first encapsulation layer, and a third portion that fully covers the first surface of the first encapsulation layer, and the third portion extends from the first portion to the second portion (first encapsulation layer 34, second encapsulation layer 35).
Regarding Claim 16, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 15, whereinthe first portion of the second encapsulation layer includes a first end surface that is spaced apart from the second surface and extends outward from the first side surface of the second lead (first encapsulation layer 34, second encapsulation layer 35).
Regarding Claim 17, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 16,whereinthe second portion of the second encapsulation layer includes a second end surface that is spaced apart from the second surface and extends outward from the second sidewall surface of the first encapsulation layer (first encapsulation layer 34, second encapsulation layer 35).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al. (U.S. 2011/0198737) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Ghosh et al. (U.S. 2018/0376628).
Regarding Claim 18, Yao et al., Fig 3e, further discloses the device of claim 11, but noes not explicitly disclose wherein the second encapsulation layer includes a plurality of conductive fillers in one of a resin or a polymer. In the same field of endeavor, Ghosh et al. discloses a second encapsulation layer including a resin and conductive fillers in the resin (Ghosh et al., [0002] and [0053]). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a resin and conductive fillers in the resin in the second encapsulation layer in Yao et al. in view of Ghosh et al. in order to improve shielding performance (Ghosh et al. [0057-0058]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 11 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Abbigale Boyle whose telephone number is 571-270-7919. The Examiner can normally be reached from 11 A.M to 7 P.M., Monday through Friday.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Zandra Smith, can be reached at 571-272-2429. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance form a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
Abbigale Boyle
Examiner, Art Unit 2899
/ABBIGALE A BOYLE/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Prosecution Insights