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
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I in the reply filed on July 22, 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that “there is not a serious search and/or examination burden” for searching both Species I and II. This is not found persuasive because Species II (specifically to claim 19) include limitations to “the thin film resistors comprise a stack comprising a first layer having positive coefficient of resistance (PTC) and a second layer having a negative TCR such that a net TCR has a smaller magnitude than a magnitude of the TCR of each of the first and second layers.”
Claim 19 is withdrawn and claim 20 is rejoined.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1-18 and 20 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.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the first and second metal bumps" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 2 also recited “the second metal bumps”.
It is unclear which first and second metal bumps are being referred to from the plurality of first metal bumps and the plurality of second metal bumps.
Insufficient antecedent bases are found in the following claims.
Claim 3 recites “the first metal bumps” and “the second metal bumps”.
Claim 4 recites “the first and the second metal bumps”.
Claim 5 recites “the first and the second metal bumps”, “the first metal bumps” and “the second metal bumps”.
Claim 7 recites “the thin film resistor”. It is unclear which thin film resistors are being referred to from the plurality of thin film resistors”.
Claim 8 recites “the first metal bumps” and “the second metal bumps”.
Claim 9 recites “the first metal pads or bumps” and “the second metal pads or bumps”. It is unclear which first metal pads or bumps and/or which second metal pads or bumps are being refereed to from the plurality of first metal pads or bumps and the plurality of second metal pads or bumps.
Claim 10 recites “the first metal pads or bumps” and “the second metal pads or bumps”.
Claim 11 recites “the thin film resistors”.
Claim 12 recites “the first metal pads or bumps” and “the second metal pads or bumps”.
Claim 13 recites “the first metal pads or bumps” and “the second metal pads or bumps”.
Claims 15-17 recite “the first metal pads” and “the second metal pads”.
Claim 18 recites “the thin film resistors”.
Claim 20 recited “the first metal pads” and “the second metal pads”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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(s) 1, 3, 8, 15 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yue et al., US Pub. 2017/0317013 in view of Zhang et al., US Pub. 2013/0320497.
Regarding claim 1, Yue teaches an integrate sensor resistor (see at least paragraph 0001 and figs. 1 and 2) comprising:
a plurality of first metal bumps alternating with a plurality of second metal bumps in at least a first lateral direction (“tabs” see at least figs. 1 and 2 and paragraph 0032); and
a plurality of resistors each disposed between and electrically connected to a pair of adjacent ones of first and second metal bumps (paragraph 0032),
wherein the integrated sense resistor is configured for sensing a voltage developed by current flowing across the integrated resistor for determining a value of the current (see paragraph 0001).
Yue teaches the claimed invention except for using a thin film resistor.
Zhang teaches an integrate current sensing resistor (paragraph 0012), wherein the current sensing resistor comprises of a thin film resistor (paragraph 0014), which allows for controlling the geometric shape of the resistor as needed (paragraph 0016).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the current invention to combine the teachings of Zhang with Yue, since the thin film resistor used by Zhang allows for controlling the shape of the resistor as needed.
Regarding claim 3, Yue teaches the integrated sense resistor, wherein the first metal bumps and the second metal bumps further alternated in a second direction crossing the first lateral direction.
Regarding claim 8, Yue teaches the integrated sense resistor, wherein the first metal bumps are electrically connected to each tother at a first vertical metal level (at least bumps 62 and 64 or bumps 52 and 64) and the second metal bumps are electrically connected to each other at a second vertical level (bumps 58 and 66 or 56 and 68) different from the first vertical metal level.
Regarding claim 15, Yue teaches the integrated sense resistor, comprising:
a plurality of first metal pads alternating with a plurality of second metal pads in at least a first lateral direction (“tabs” see at least figs. 1 and 2 and paragraph 0032); and
a plurality of resistors each disposed between and electrically connected to a pair of adjacent ones of first and second metal bumps (paragraph 0032),
wherein the first metal pads are electrically disconnected from each other (without power), and wherein the second metal pads are electrically disconnected from each other.
Yue teaches the claimed invention except for using a thin film resistor.
Zhang teaches an integrate current sensing resistor (paragraph 0012), wherein the current sensing resistor comprises of a thin film resistor (paragraph 0014), which allows for controlling the geometric shape of the resistor as needed (paragraph 0016).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the current invention to combine the teachings of Zhang with Yue, since the thin film resistor used by Zhang allows for controlling the shape of the resistor as needed.
Regarding claim 17, Yue teaches the integrated sense resistor, wherein the first metal pads and the second metal pads further alternate in a second direction crossing the first lateral direction (see figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 18, Yue teaches the integrated sense resistor, wherein the thin film resistors comprise the same number of thin film resistors in which current flows from the left and right in the first lateral direction relative to the thin film resistors in which current flows from right to left in first lateral direction (see figs. 1 and 2).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yue in view of Zhang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Berge et al., US Pat. 11,519,857.
Regarding claim 7, Yue and Zhang teach the claimed invention except for using lithographic patterning.
Berge teaches using photolithographic technique to simultaneously print/form multiple completed functional circuit devices.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing dated of the current invention to combine the teachings of Berge with Yue and Zhang, since the photolithographic printing taught by Berge allows for faster production of completed functional circuit device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4-6, 16 and 20 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 2, the prior art fails to teach or suggest the integrated sense resistor, “wherein the integrated sense resistor is formed over a board substrate, wherein the first and second metal bumps are electrically connected to each other through the board substrate, and wherein the second metal bumps are electrically connected to each other through the board substrate.”
Regarding claim 4, the prior art fails to teach or suggest the integrated sense resistor, “wherein the second lateral direction is orthogonal to the first lateral direction such that the first and second metal bumps are arranged in a checkerboard pattern.”
Claims 5 and 6 depend on claim 4.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art fails to teach or suggest the integrated sense resistor, “wherein the first metal pads are configured to be electrically connected to each other through a board substrate, and wherein the second metal contact pads are configured electrically connected to each other through the board substrate.”
Claim 20 depends on claim 16.
Claims 9-14 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.
Regarding claim 9, prior art fails to teach or suggest a system-in-package, comprising: a board substrate; and an integrated sense resistor comprising: a plurality of first metal pads or bumps alternating with a plurality of second metal pads or bumps in at least a first lateral direction, and a plurality of thin film resistors each disposed between and electrically connected to a pair of adjacent ones of first and second metal pads or bumps, wherein the first metal pads or bumps are electrically connected to each other through the board substrate, and wherein the second metal contact pads or bumps are electrically connected to each other through the board substrate.
Claims 10-14 depend on claim 9.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYUNG S LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1994. The examiner can normally be reached 7AM-3PM M-F.
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KYUNG S. LEE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2833
/KYUNG S LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833