Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/096,427

STACKED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT CONFIGURED TO DISTINGUISH CHIPS WITHIN STACKED CHIPS

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jan 12, 2023
Priority
Sep 05, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0112435
Examiner
GOODWIN, DAVID J
Art Unit
2817
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
SK hynix Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
67%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
84%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 67% — above average
67%
Career Allowance Rate
547 granted / 813 resolved
-0.7% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+16.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
56 currently pending
Career history
889
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
82.7%
+42.7% vs TC avg
§102
3.0%
-37.0% vs TC avg
§112
10.4%
-29.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 813 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 Objections Previous action: 1, 11,12, 18, and 19 objected, claims 1, 11, 12, 18 and 19 rejected. Present action: claims 1, 3-8, 11, 14-18 and 21-24 allowed, claims 9 and 10 rejected. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claims 9 and 10 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 9 and 10 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 9 depends from claim 2, however claim 2 has been cancelled. Therefore, it is unclear and ambiguous what the correct dependency of claim 9 is, and the proper scope claim 9 cannot be determined. Claim 10 depends from and incorporates claim 9. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1, 3 through 8, 11, 14 through 18, and 21 through 24 are allowed. Claims 9 and 10 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 1, the prior art does not teach a stacked integrated circuit comprising: an upper chip that is rotated around a rotation axis and stacked on a lower chip in a mirror symmetric structure form, and the lower chip configured to generate a second input/output control signal for the input/output of the power signal based on the second internal distinguishment signal and the chip selection signal, the upper chip comprises: a first rear pad configured to receive the distinguishment signal; and a second rear pad configured to receive the chip selection signal in combination with other elements of the claim. Regarding claim 11, the prior art does not teach a stacked integrated circuit comprising: an upper chip that is rotated around a rotation axis and stacked on a lower chip in a mirror symmetric structure form, and each of the lower chip and the upper chip is configured to control an input of a first power signal and a second power signal based on an internal distinguishment signal and an input and output (input/output) control signal, and the first input/output control signal and the second input/output control signal are selectively activated in response to a chip selection signal in combination with other elements of the claim. Regarding claim 18, the prior art does not teach, a stacked integrated circuit comprising: an upper chip that is rotated around a rotation axis and stacked on a lower chip in a mirror symmetric structure form, and the upper chip is configured to control an output of a first power signal and a second power signal based on an internal distinguishment signal and an input and output (input/output) control signal, the input/output control signal comprises a first input/output control signal that is generated from the upper chip and a second input/output control signal that is generated from the lower chip, and the first input/output control signal and the second input/output control signal are selectively activated in response to a chip selection signal. 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 DAVID J GOODWIN whose telephone number is (571)272-8451. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 11:00 - 19:00. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kretelia Graham can be reached at (571)272-5055. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /D.J.G/Examiner, Art Unit 2817 /Kretelia Graham/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2817
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 12, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Apr 10, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 23, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
67%
Grant Probability
84%
With Interview (+16.6%)
3y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 813 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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