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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
1. Applicant's election, without traverse, of claims 1-8 in the “Response to Restriction Requirement” filed on 08/11/2025 is acknowledged and entered by the Examiner.
This office action consider claims 1-20 pending for prosecution, wherein claims 9-20 are withdrawn from further consideration, and claims 1-8 are presented for examination.
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.
2. Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1, the instant claim recites limitations, wherein the metes and bounds of the claimed method are vague and ill-defined as a result of uncertainty in the different boundaries and new limitations “a leadframe having pins, the pins having a proximate end and a distal end; a die attached to the proximate end of the pins of the leadframe; a mold compound encapsulating the die; and an electronic component attached to the leadframe, wherein the distal end of at least two of the pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a first direction and the distal end of remaining pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a second direction that is opposite that of the first direction” (Claim 1; emphasis added). The claim is indefinite because of the following:
i) The claim is indefinite because “a leadframe having pins, the pins having a proximate end and a distal end; a die attached to the proximate end of the pins of the leadframe; a mold compound encapsulating the die; and an electronic component attached to the leadframe, wherein the distal end of at least two of the pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a first direction and the distal end of remaining pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a second direction that is opposite that of the first direction” (Claim 1) lacks clarity and the language of the limitations add great confusion.
(Claim 1, Line 2) “the pins having a proximate end and a distal end”
It is not clear whether all the pins have a proximate end and a distal end (i.e. that all the pins together share or have one proximate end and one distal end), or that each pin from the set of pins have a proximate end and a distal end (i.e. each pin has its own proximate end and its own distal end)
(Claim 1, Line 3) “a die attached to the proximate end of the pins of the leadframe”
This limitation seems to clarify that all of the pins have only one proximate end (i.e. that all of the pins together have or share one proximate end).
(Claim 1, Lines 2-3) “the pins having a proximate end and a distal end; a die attached to the proximate end of the pins of the leadframe”
A reading of lines 2-3 suggests that the limitation “the pins having a proximate end and a distal end” means the pins have a proximate end and a distal end (i.e. that all the pins together share or have one proximate end and one distal end) as the die is attached to the proximate end of the pins. Thus, language of the lines 2-3 in combination point to the meaning that the pins have a proximate end and a distal end
(Claim 1, Lines 6-9) “wherein the distal end of at least two of the pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a first direction and the distal end of remaining pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a second direction that is opposite that of the first direction”
Limitations in lines 6-9 add confusion once again as they suggest the pins have different or multiple distal ends. There is a distal end of at least two of the pins in a first direction, and there is another distal end of remaining pins in a second direction that is opposite that of the first direction.
The limitation in lines 6-9 clearly delineate multiple distal ends. However, the limitation in line 2 states “the pins having a proximate end and a distal end”. Thus, it is not clear whether the pins all together share or have one proximate end and one distal end, or whether each pin from the set of pins has its own proximate end and its own distal end, or whether the pins have or share one proximate end and multiple distal ends. The language in line 2 states “a distal end” but the language in lines 6-9 speak of multiple distal ends in different directions.
Therefore, the limitations of “a leadframe having pins, the pins having a proximate end and a distal end; a die attached to the proximate end of the pins of the leadframe; a mold compound encapsulating the die; and an electronic component attached to the leadframe, wherein the distal end of at least two of the pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a first direction and the distal end of remaining pins are substantially perpendicular to the proximate end of the pins in a second direction that is opposite that of the first direction” (Claim 1) are indefinite, unclear, and add great confusion.
The specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention, whereby the claims are rendered indefinite. Therefore, the resulting claim is indefinite and is failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter. Appropriate clarification and/or correction are/is required within metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
As there is a great deal of confusion and uncertainty as to the proper interpretation of the limitations of the claim, it would not be proper for the examiner to reject such a claim on the basis of prior art. See MPEP § 706 and MPEP § 2173.II (second) wherein In re Steele, 305 F.2d 859, 134 USPQ 292 (CCPA 1962), a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 should not be based on considerable speculation about the meaning of terms employed in a claim or assumptions that must be made as to the scope of the claims.
Regarding Claim 2-8, it is rejected under 112(b) because of its dependency status from claim 1.
Relevant Prior Art
The following is relevant Prior Art that is not cited in the rejection.
Hatakeyama et al. (US 5508565 A)
Yaguchi et al. (US 5299092 A)
Masuda et al. (US 6252299 B1)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Omar Mojaddedi whose telephone number is 313-446-6582. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..
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/OMAR F MOJADDEDI/Examiner, Art Unit 2898