DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/2/25 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 4 and 10 is/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 4 recites the limitation “wherein the protruding portion of the second electrode protrudes in the second area along with a corner of the substrate”. Claim 10 recites the limitation “wherein the protruding portion of the second electrode protrudes and is arranged in the area outside the array along with a corner of the substrate”.
The metes and bounds of the claimed limitations can not be determined for the following reasons: it is unclear what the bounds of the claim are, because it is unclear how “along with a corner of the substrate” refers to the rest of the claims. It is unclear, for example, if it requires the corner of the substrate to protrude with the second electrode; if it requires the corner to be in the second area; or if it requires some other geometrical relationship between the corner and the protruding portion of the second electrode.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102, some of which 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) 1-4 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2007/0210317 A1 (“Chou”).
Chou teaches, for example:
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Chou teaches:
1. A light emitting diode (LED) module (see e.g. Figs. 6, 8, 9, or 12) comprising:
a substrate (e.g. “submounts” 3 or 4 and/or “bases” 34 or 44);
a plurality of first electrodes (e.g. “micro-bumps” 23) arranged on a top surface of the substrate;
a second electrode (e.g. “wires” 33 or 43 and/or “conductive joints” 32 or 42) provided on the top surface of the substrate among the plurality of first electrodes; and
an LED (e.g. 2, see e.g. para 46 and Figs. 6 and 12) electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes (through “p-side electrode 21”, see para 46),
wherein the second electrode comprises a protruding portion extending obliquely from the top surface of the substrate to a first height in a second area (e.g. the entirety of 33 extends obliquely to the top of 3 at various angles, because it is bent; it reaches a height at the top of 33, over the top of 31; this height and location can be the claimed “first height” and “second area”), and
wherein the first height of the protruding portion of the second electrode is higher than second heights of the plurality of first electrodes (e.g. 33 reaches a height at its top that is higher than the tops of 23, see e.g. Fig. 6).
2. The LED module of claim 1,
wherein the plurality of first electrodes are arranged in an array (see e.g. Fig. 12) in a first area (e.g. area under, and/or near, where 2 will be placed, see e.g. Fig. 12) on the top surface of the substrate, and
wherein the second electrode is provided in the first area and in the second area on the top surface of the substrate (the wire extends from the area under and/or near 2, thus the “first area”, to the area farther away from the chip, above the walls of e.g. 31, thus the “second area”, see e.g. Fig. 6), the second area being outside the first area.
3. The LED module of claim 2, wherein the first height of the protruding portion is lower than or equal to a height of the LED (the “first height” can be interpreted as the height of e.g. 32, which is higher than the height of 23 and lower than the top of 2, see e.g. Fig. 6).
4. The LED module of claim 3, wherein the protruding portion of the second electrode protrudes in the second area along with a corner of the substrate (the protruding portion extends over the top of 31 and 41, away from the location of the chip 2, see e.g. Fig. 6; the corner of the substrate is also present away from the chip’s location, see e.g. Fig. 8 and 12; the fact that the corner of the substrate is away from the chip’s location is “along with” the second area).
9. A light emitting diode (LED) module (see e.g. Figs. 6, 8, 9, or 12) comprising:
a substrate (e.g. “submounts” 3 or 4 and/or “bases” 34 or 44);
a plurality of first electrodes (e.g. “micro-bumps” 23) arranged in an array on a top surface of the substrate;
a second electrode (e.g. “wires” 33 or 43 and/or “conductive joints” 32 or 42) provided among the array of the plurality of first electrodes on the top surface of the substrate; and
an LED (e.g. 2, see e.g. para 46 and Figs. 6 and 12) electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes (through “p-side electrode 21”, see para 46),
wherein the second electrode comprises a protruding portion extending obliquely from the top surface of the substrate to a first height in an area outside the array (e.g. the entirety of 33 extends obliquely to the top of 3 at various angles, because it is bent; it reaches a height at the top of 33, over the top of 31; this height and location can be the claimed “first height” and “second area”), and
wherein the first height of the protruding portion is higher than a second height of the plurality of first electrodes and lower than or equal to a height of the LED (e.g. the height of 32 is higher than the top of 23, but lower than the top of 2, see e.g. Fig. 6).
10. The LED module of claim 9, wherein the protruding portion of the second electrode protrudes and is arranged in the area outside the array along with a corner of the substrate (the protruding portion extends over the top of 31 and 41, away from the location of the chip 2, see e.g. Fig. 6; the corner of the substrate is also present away from the chip’s location, see e.g. Fig. 8 and 12; the fact that the corner of the substrate is away from the chip’s location is “along with” the second area).
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 of this title, 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) *** is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ***.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 14-15 is/are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art does not explicitly teach, or reasonably suggest as obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, an invention having all of the limitations of claim 14, including:
a plurality of first electrodes two-dimensionally arranged on a top surface of the substrate;
a second electrode provided in a mesh form among the plurality of first electrodes on the top surface of the substrate; and
wherein the second electrode comprises a protruding portion extending obliquely from the top surface of the substrate to a first height in a second area, and
wherein the first height of the protruding portion of the second electrode is higher than second heights of the plurality of first electrodes.
The other allowed claims each depend from one of these claims, and each is allowable for the same reasons as the claim from which it depends.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim(s) 5-8 and 11-13 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art does not explicitly teach, or reasonably suggest as obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, an invention having all of the limitations of claims 5-8 or 11-13, including:
5. The LED module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array on the top surface of the substrate, and wherein the second electrode has a mesh form on the top surface of the substrate.
6. The LED module of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a signal wiring layer comprising a lower signal electrode and a lower power electrode, wherein the plurality of first electrodes are electrically connected to the lower signal electrode, and wherein the second electrode is electrically connected to the lower power electrode.
7. The LED module of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a rectangular form having four sides surrounding the top surface and a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate comprises side wires provided on at least one side among the four sides of the substrate to electrically connect electrodes arranged on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate, and wherein the second electrode is provided among the plurality of first electrodes and the side wires.
8. The LED module of claim 1, wherein a capacitance of the second electrode is greater than a capacitance of an entire set of the plurality of first electrodes.
11. The LED module of claim 9, wherein the substrate comprises a signal wiring layer comprising a lower signal electrode and a lower power electrode, wherein the plurality of first electrodes are electrically connected to the lower signal electrode, and wherein the second electrode is electrically connected to the lower power electrode.
12. The LED module of claim 9, wherein the substrate is provided in a rectangular form having four sides surrounding the top surface and a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate comprises side wires arranged at least one side among the four sides of the substrate to electrically connect electrodes arranged on the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate, and wherein the second electrode is provided among the plurality of first electrodes and the side wires.
13. The LED module of claim 9, wherein a capacitance of the second electrode is greater than a capacitance of an entire set of the plurality of first electrodes.
The other claims each depend from one of these claims, and each would be allowable for the same reasons as the claim from which it depends.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to the pending claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
Conclusion / Prior Art
The prior art made of record, because it is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, but which is not relied upon specifically in the rejections above, is listed on the Notice of References Cited.
Conclusion / Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kevin Parendo who can be contacted by phone at (571) 270-5030 or by direct fax at (571) 270-6030. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9 am to 4 pm ET.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Billy Kraig, can be reached at (571) 272-8660. The fax number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Kevin Parendo/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896