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 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 1-3, 6-7, and 24-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miwa et al. (“Miwa” US 2021/0407875).
Regarding claim 1, Miwa discloses a semiconductor device (Figures 2-10) comprising a plurality of arms (20U, 20L, plurality shown in Figures 9, 10) each including:
a heat dissipation plate (heat sink 50, 50C for arm 20U, 50E for arm 20L, Figure 4);
one or more switching elements (40) electrically connected to one surface of the heat dissipation plate (50, see Figure 4);
a metal terminal (71E for 20U, 71C for 20L, see Figure 10) connected to a surface of each switching element (40) on a side opposite to the heat dissipation plate side (50C for 20U, 50E for 20L); and
a sealing material (30) sealing the heat dissipation plate (50C, 50E), each switching element (40), and the metal terminal (71), wherein the heat dissipation plates (50C for 20U, 50E for 20L) of the plurality of arms are provided on a same plane (diagonally extending plane in the Y and Z directions and parallel to the X-direction labeled in the figures, intersecting 50C in 20U and 50E for 20L in Figure 10, thus are provided on the same plane, labeled in annotated Figure 4 below) so as to be aligned in a first direction (X-direction labeled in the figures, Figure 10 shows the heat sinks aligned in the X-direction) which is a specific direction parallel to the same plane (the X-direction is in/out of the page in Figure 4, thus the X-direction as the first direction is parallel to the plane, see annotated Figure 4),
a direction which is parallel to the same plane (labeled below) and orthogonal to the first direction (X-direction labeled in the figures) is defined as a second direction (parallel to the same plane, represented by the same arrow as the plane in annotated Figure 4),
a direction orthogonal to the same plane (labeled below, spanned by first and second directions) is defined as a third direction (orthogonal to the first and second directions, thus orthogonal to the plane, labeled in Figure 4 below),
two specific arms (20U, 20L) of the plurality of arms being adjacent to each other in the first direction (X-direction, see Figure 10),
each of the metal terminals (71) of the two specific arms adjacent to each other in the first direction (see Figure 10) has a first protruding portion (71E far right for 20U, 71C far left for 20L) which encompasses the metal terminal where it protrudes from a portion of the sealing material (30) on a first side (side 302) in the second direction (protruding portions extend from the resin in the labeled Y-direction in the figures, of which the second direction has a component, thus the protruding portion also protrudes in the second direction, see Figure 10),
the first protruding portion of a first specific arm (71E, far right, arm 20U) of the two specific arms (20U/L) is arranged, at the portion of the sealing material (30) on the first side (302) in the second direction (similarly to above, protruding portion of 71E far right of arm 20U extends in the Y-direction from the resin 30, thus has a component of extending in the second direction labeled), on a side closer to a second specific arm (20L) of the two specific arms (20U/L) than a center portion of the first specific arm (20U) in the first direction (X-direction, see Figure 10 which shows the protruding part of the far right terminal 71E of 20U is closer to 20L than the center line of the first specific arm 20U), and
the first protruding portion of the second specific arm (71C, far left, arm 20L) is arranged, at the portion of the sealing material (30) on the first side (302) in the second direction (similar to the first protruding portion of the first specific arm, the first protruding portion of the second specific arm has a component of extension in the second direction), on a side closer to the first specific arm (20U) than a center portion of the second specific arm (20L) in the first direction (X-direction, see Figure 10 which similarly shows the protruding part of the far left terminal 71C of 20L is closer to 20U than the center line of the second specific arm 20L).
It is the Examiner’s position that if a 3D object extends in one direction, where the one direction is made up of components of two other directions, the 3D object would also extend in the two other directions. Based on the current claim language, the directions may be arbitrarily chosen to meet the claimed limitations. The Examiner would also like to note that 3D objects extend in every direction.
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Regarding claim 2, Miwa discloses wherein the first protruding portion of the first specific arm (71E, far right, 20U) and the first protruding portion of the second specific arm (71C, far left, 20L) are arranged so as to be line-symmetric about a center line between the two specific arms (20U/L, see Figure 10).
Regarding claim 3, Miwa discloses wherein each of the first protruding portions of the two specific arms (71E, far right, 20U, and 71C, far left, 20L) protrudes from the portion of the sealing material (30) on the first side (302) in the second direction, toward the first side in the second direction or in the third direction (see annotated Figure 4).
Regarding claim 6, Miwa discloses wherein each of the two specific arms (20U/L) includes a heat dissipation plate metal terminal (73, center in Figure 2 for each specific arm in Figure 10) connected to the one surface of the heat dissipation plate (50), and a control terminal (73, far left for 20U, far right for 20L in Figure 10, labeled in Figure 2) connected to the switching element (40),
the heat dissipation plate metal terminal (73, center for each specific arm in Figure 10) has a heat dissipation plate protruding portion (see Figure 10) which protrudes from a portion of the sealing material (30) on another side (303) in the second direction (similar to terminals 71, 73 extends in the Y-direction thus also extends in the second direction, see annotated Figure 4),
the heat dissipation plate protruding portion protrudes from the portion of the sealing material (30) on the another side (303) in the second direction, toward the another side in the second direction or in the third direction (see annotated Figure 4),
the control terminal (73, far left for 20U, far right for 20L in Figure 10, labeled in Figure 2) has a control terminal protruding portion which protrudes from the portion of the sealing material (30) on the another side (303) in the second direction (see annotated Figure 4), and
the control terminal protruding portion protrudes from the portion of the sealing material (30) on the another side (303) in the second direction, toward the another side in the second direction or in the third direction (see annotated Figure 4).
Regarding claim 7, Miwa discloses wherein the heat dissipation plate metal terminal of the one specific arm and the heat dissipation plate metal terminal of the other specific arm (73, center, for both 20U/L, shown in Figure 2) are arranged so as to be line-symmetric about the center line between the two specific arms (20U/L), and
the control terminal of the one specific arm and the control terminal of the other specific arm (73, far left for 20U, far right for 20L in Figure 10, labeled in Figure 2) are arranged so as to be line-symmetric about the center line between the two specific arms (20U/L).
Regarding claim 24, Miwa discloses wherein the sealing material (30) is composed of mold resin or silicone gel (para. [0080]).
Regarding claim 25, Miwa discloses wherein a joining material (80) electrically connecting each switching element (40) and the heat dissipation plate (50) is Ag or solder (para. [0052]).
Regarding claim 26, Miwa discloses a power conversion device comprising:
the semiconductor device according to claim 1 (20, Figures 2-10);
a control circuit unit which controls the semiconductor device (the controller controls the switching, and switching of the semiconductor elements is described, thus would include a controller circuit); and a cooler (211) which is thermally connected to the semiconductor device (20, see Figure 9).
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 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miwa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Tang et al. (“Tang” US 2024/0038611).
Regarding claim 23, Miwa does not disclose a heat dissipation sheet thermally connected to another surface of the heat dissipation plate via an insulating layer, wherein a surface of the heat dissipation sheet on a side opposite to the heat dissipation plate side is exposed from the sealing material.
Tang further discloses a heat dissipation sheet (metal foil 444) thermally connected to another surface of the heat dissipation plate (upper surface of 430/432 in Figure 2) via an insulating layer (resin insulating layer 442), wherein
a surface of the heat dissipation sheet (444) on a side opposite to the heat dissipation plate side (430/432, upper side of heat dissipation sheet 444) is exposed from the sealing material (360, see Figure 2, showing that the upper side of heat dissipation sheet 444 is not directly contacting the sealing material 360).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to include the heat dissipation sheet and insulation layer as taught by Tang into the teachings of Miwa in order to improve surface contact and adhesion between the heat sink and the cooler (Tang, para. [0038]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments to claim 1 have been considered and overcome the 112(b) rejection of claim 1. The 112(b) rejection of claim 1 is withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 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
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 Genevieve G Bullard-Connor whose telephone number is (571)270-0609. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale Page can be reached at 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Genevieve G Bullard-Connor/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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