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 .
Election/Restrictions
It is noted that claims 3-4, 12-13, and 16, previously withdrawn from consideration as a result of restriction requirement, currently remain withdrawn. However, claims 3-4, 12-13, and 16, which depend from allowable claim 1, would be rejoined when the instant application is in condition for allowance since these claims require all the limitations of an allowable claim 1. See MPEP § 804.01.
Claim Objections
Claims 22 and 30 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 22, “single metal flange; wherein” in lines 10-11 should be changed to “single metal flange; and wherein”.
Regarding claim 30, “inter-stage match” should be changed to “the inter-stage match”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 22-24 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bechtel et al. (US 5,182,632; hereinafter “Bechtel”).
Regarding claim 22, Bechtel teaches a multi-cavity package, comprising:
a single metal flange (a heatsink 104 formed of metal) having first and second opposing main surfaces (top and bottom main surfaces of 104) (Fig. 3A and cols. 6-7); and
a dielectric material (114 including dielectric material) attached to the first main surface of the single metal flange (Figs. 3A-3B and cols. 6-7);
wherein the dielectric material comprises a main portion and a lateral extension (a center portion and a lateral side portion of 114 including 88) protruding out from the main portion primarily in a first direction (a horizontal side-to-side direction of 114 when viewed from top to bottom in Fig. 3A) (See an annotated Fig. 3A below for claimed “a main portion”, “a lateral portion”, and “a first direction” and col. 6, the lateral side portion of 114 protruding out from the center portion of 114 in the horizontal direction);
wherein the main portion comprises: a first surface (a bottom surface of 114 facing 104) facing the single metal flange (Fig. 3A); a second surface (a top surface of 114 facing away from 104) facing away from the first surface (Fig. 3A); a plurality of openings (116) exposing respective regions of the first main surface of the single metal flange (116 exposing regions of 104A for placing 110A-110D therein) (Fig. 3A and col. 6);
wherein the lateral extension is narrower than the main portion in a second direction (a vertical side-to-side direction of 114 when viewed from top to bottom in Fig. 3A) that is across the second surface and is perpendicular to the first direction (the lateral side portion of 114 including 88 is narrower than the center portion of 114 without 88 in the vertical side-to-side direction) (See the annotated Fig. 3A below for “a second direction”).
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Regarding claim 23, Bechtel teaches further comprising a metal trace (a portion of 202 on the top surface of 114) disposed on the second surface of the single dielectric material and configured to provide an input or output electrical pathway for the region of the first main surface exposed by one of the openings (Figs. 3A-3C and cols. 6-8, interconnects (traces) including 202 providing input/out to and from the chips 110A-110D by 118).
Regarding claim 24, Bechtel teaches further comprising a semiconductor die (one of 110A-110D) and a further semiconductor die (another one of 110A-110D) disposed in respective ones of the openings and attached to the first main surface of the single metal flange (Figs. 3A-3C and col. 6).
Regarding claim 26, Bechtel teaches wherein: the dielectric material supports a further metal trace (another portion of 202) configured to electrically interconnect the semiconductor dies to form a circuit (110A-110D with interconnects (traces) including 202); the metal trace and further metal trace are comprised in a single layer (204) disposed on the second surface of the dielectric material (Figs. 3A-3B and cols. 6-7).
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 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bechtel.
Regarding claim 25, While Bechtel does not explicitly teach that at least one of the semiconductor dies (one of 110A-110D) is an amplifier die, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form the at least one of the semiconductor dies (110A-110D) from Bechtel as the amplifier die in order to obtain the package having multiple semiconductor IC chips from Bechtel with desired functional characteristics such as amplifying the signal, etc.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 5-11, 14-15, 18-19, 27, 30-32, and 34-37 are allowable over the cited prior arts.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record, alone or in combination, and to the examiner’s knowledge does not teach, disclose, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan, the instant invention regarding multi-cavity packages in claims 1 and 27, particularly in combination with the limitation regarding a circuit on the single dielectric material, wherein the circuit comprises an electrical input pathway extending onto the lateral extension, and an electrical output pathway extending onto the further lateral extension recited in claim 1; and in combination with the limitation regarding a first one of the semiconductor dies is a driver stage die of a power amplifier circuit; a second one of the semiconductor dies is a power stage die of the power amplifier circuit; the multi-cavity package further comprises an inter-stage match between an output of the driver stage die and an input of the power stage die; and a second metal trace is electrically connected to an output of the power stage die recited in claim 27.
Bechtel et al. (US 5,182,632) and Matsuzaki et al. (US 5,754,402) and Kawai (US 5,477,083), considering as the closest prior arts of record, substantially teach the claimed multi-cavity packages in claims 1 and 27 except the additional limitations discussed above in combination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim 22 has been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection as set forth above 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL WHALEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3418. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Purvis can be reached on 571-272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL WHALEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893