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
Claims 2-3, 7, 11-13, and 15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/23/2025.
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, 4-6, 8-10, 14 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. Claims 1, 4-6, 8-10 and 14 recite “high-frequency”. The term "high" is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite; it is not defined by the claim, 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. “High” is defined as " situated or passing above the normal level, surface, or base of measurement, or elevation” (see Merriam Webster online dictionary). This language is indefinite as the specification does not describe what the minimum frequency is in order to be considered “high frequency”. The term “high” requires a normal level or base of measurement above which the measurement is considered “high” neither the claims nor the specification defines this base measurement. If one were to poll 100 people having ordinary skill in the art, there would be many different responses for the base measurement. Thus, determining whether one is infringing the limitation is subjective, rather than objective, and thus the claim is unclear. Furthermore, there is no objective consensus in the art of the boundaries for “high-frequency”.
US 2021/0384866 A1 (Wilson) [0109] (between 0.4 GHz to 6 GHz)
[0109] Where high-frequency is defined as a frequency of 0.4 GHz-6 GHz, a frequency of 1.4 GHz-1.6 GHz, a frequency of 1.8 GHz-2.7 GHz, a frequency of 1 GHz-2 GHz, a frequency of 2 GHz-3 GHz, a frequency of 3 GHz-4 GHz, a frequency of 4 GHz-5 GHz, or a frequency of 5 GHz-6 GHz; and/or where high-frequency is defined as a frequency greater than 1.4 GHz, a frequency greater than 1.8 GHz, a frequency greater than 2 GHz, a frequency greater than 3 GHz, a frequency greater than 4 GHz, a frequency greater than 5 GHz, or a frequency less than 6 GHz.
US 2021/0091743 A1 (Tsai) [0140] (between 1 GHz to 10 GHz)
[0140] The high frequency component is an AC signal including one or more high frequency components above a predetermined frequency. In some embodiments, the predetermined frequency defining the high frequency component has a value ranging from 100 MHz to 100 GHz. In some embodiments, the predetermined frequency defining the high frequency component has a value ranging from 1 GHz to 10 GHz.
US 2012/0051000 A1 (Laidig) [0149] (8 GHz or higher)
[0149] In an example embodiment, a high power, overmolded MMIC device is disclosed, with one or more integrated partial waveguide interfaces, wherein high power is defined as thermal dissipation from the MMIC of greater than one of: 5 watts, 8 watts, or 10 watts, wherein the MMIC is a high frequency MMIC, wherein high frequency is defined as a frequency of 8 GHz or higher. In one example embodiment, the MMIC device is one of a power amplifier and a block up converter. In one example embodiment, the one or more integrated partial waveguide interfaces are each one of: an input interface and an output interface; two input interfaces; and two output interfaces.
US 2015/0364816 A1 (Murugan) [0015] (30 GHz to 300 GHz)
[0015] The extremely high frequency (EHF) electromagnetic band of radio frequencies defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) extends from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths that range from about 10 millimeters down to 1 millimeter, where the electromagnetic waves are assumed to be propagating in free space. This frequency range may be referred to as the millimeter wave frequency range in some contexts. The microwave electromagnetic band of radio frequencies is considered by some to extend from 300 MHz to 300 GHz (wavelengths from 1 meter down to 1 millimeter, where the electromagnetic waves are assumed to be propagating in free space), thus, the microwave electromagnetic radio spectrum comprises within it the millimeter electromagnetic radio spectrum.
US 2015/0171523 A1 (Kamgaing) [0015] (3 MHz and greater)
[0015] As used herein, "low frequency" means the range of frequencies from DC (0 Hz) to, but not including, 3 MHz. "High frequency" is defined as the range of frequencies from 3 MHz and greater.
US 2004/0075170 A1 (Degani) [0050] (frequency in excess of 3 GHz)
[0050] For the purpose of defining the invention, the term high frequency RF integrated circuit chip as used herein is intended to mean an integrated circuit for processing an RF signal with a frequency in excess of 3 GHz.
US 6400019 (Hirashima) Col. 4 lines 13-14 (no less than 1 GHz)
(7) The semiconductor chip 1C constituting the semiconductor device 1 is made of a small chip of a semiconductor substrate of a square shape composed mainly of a single crystal of silicon, for example. The semiconductor chip 1C has a thickness of about 0.4 mm, although not especially limitative thereto. On the main surface of the semiconductor chip 1C, there is formed a high-frequency analog signal circuit, for example. Here, the high frequency is defined to be no less than 1 GHz, for example.
Therefore, the claim is rejected as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 6, 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0313283 A1 (Wilson).
Re claim 1, Wilson teaches a high-frequency circuit device comprising:
a chip (active die 102) which includes a high-frequency element (power transistors [0071]), a high-frequency circuit, a signal conductor (input e.g. gate [0071]), and a chip ground (ground e.g. source [0071]); and
a package substrate (package substrate 1210f and 105) which includes a base having an upper surface and a back surface on an opposite side of the upper surface, and on which the chip is disposed,
the high-frequency circuit device further comprising:
a shunt path (conductive path through integrated circuit structure 115) which is constituted by a package signal conductor (conductive lead 111) which is disposed on the upper surface of the package substrate (upper surface of 105) and is electrically connected to the signal conductor, a package first ground (pad on top surface of interconnection 106) which is electrically connected to the chip ground (1220 is a ground for components in 102 and 105/101 [0069, 0103-0105]), and a shunt element (passive component 101) which is electrically connected to the package signal conductor and the package first ground ([0073]); and
a package second ground (bond pad 112 on bottom surface of 105) which is disposed at least inside the base of the package substrate or on the back surface of the package substrate,
wherein a part of the base (dielectric material of 105 [0074]), a part of the shunt path (conductive lead 111), and the package second ground (bond pad 112 on bottom surface of 105) constitute a capacitive structure (inherently forms a MIM capacitor Figs. 1A-1B, 12).
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Re claim 4, Wilson teaches further comprising: a package ground (conductive glue 1208) which is disposed on the back surface of the package substrate (Fig. 12).
Re claim 6, Wilson teaches further comprising:
a package ground through conductor which connects the package first ground and the package second ground (interconnection 106), wherein,
in a case where an effective wavelength of a high-frequency signal of the high-frequency circuit is a wavelength λsig and an effective wavelength of parasitic oscillation which occurs in the shunt path is a wavelength λpara, a distance L between the high-frequency element and the package ground through conductor satisfies λsig ≤ L ≤ λpara.(conditional functional language for operation, there is no evidence that the structure of the prior art is incapable of this limitation)
Re claim 8, Wilson teaches wherein a part of the shunt path, a part of the package first ground, and a part of the package second ground are disposed so as to overlap each other in a case where viewed from the shunt path (Figs. 1B, 12).
Re claim 9, Wilson teaches wherein
the package substrate further has a cavity which accommodates the chip, and
the back surface chip ground disposed on the back surface of the chip and the package second ground are electrically connected to each other on a bottom surface of the cavity (Figs. 1B, 12).
Re claim 10, Wilson teaches wherein the signal conductor and the package signal conductor are electrically connected to each other via a wire (wire bond 125 Figs. 1A-1B and 12).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIGITTE A PATERSON whose telephone number is (571)272-1752. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM.
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BRIGITTE A. PATERSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896
/BRIGITTE A PATERSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896