DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the application No. 18/115,711 filed on February 28, 2023.
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 without traverse of the Group I invention and with traverse of Species 2 reading on Fig. 4, and including claims 1-16 in the reply filed on 05/26/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Accordingly, pending in this Office action are claims 1-20.
The traversal is on the grounds that the identified species are not mutually exclusive and Fig. 4 includes the same general low-profile memory apparatus architecture shown in Fig. 2A, with an added PMIC.
The examiner agrees with the Applicant. The restriction requirement between species is hereby withdrawn.
5 25 Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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)(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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 13, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cheah (US 2021/0335698).
Regarding Claim 1, Cheah (see, e.g., Fig. 3 and Annotated Fig. 3), teaches an apparatus, comprising:
a substrate layer 302 with an upper surface 302us and a lower surface 302ls, a portion P1 of the substrate layer 302 having a first arrangement of conductive contacts 314 located on the lower surface 302ls (see, e.g., pars. 0059, 0063);
a memory package 312 attached to the first arrangement of conductive contacts 314 (see, e.g., par. 0062);
a heat spreader component 342 comprising a cavity 380 (see, e.g., par. 0085);
the memory package 312 and the portion P1 of the substrate layer 302 having the first arrangement of conductive contacts 314 located in the cavity 380; and
a second arrangement of conductive contacts 314ex located on the lower surface 302ls of the substrate layer 302, the second arrangement of conductive contacts 314ex located external P2 to the heat spreader component 342.
Regarding Claim 2, Cheah teaches all aspects of claim 1. Cheah (see, e.g., Fig. 3 and Annotated Fig. 3), teaches that the memory package 312 is attached to the substrate layer 302 with solder bumps (see, e.g., par. 0063).
Regarding Claim 3, Cheah teaches all aspects of claim 1. Cheah (see, e.g., Fig. 3 and Annotated Fig. 3), teaches that the heat spreader component 342 comprises a metal (see, e.g., par. 0085).
Regarding Claim 5, Cheah teaches all aspects of claim 1. Cheah (see, e.g., Fig. 3 and Annotated Fig. 3), teaches:
a package substrate 328 with a first surface 328us and a second surface 328ls (see, e.g., par. 0059);
a processor package 334 attached to the first surface 328us of the package substrate 328 (see, e.g., par. 0067); and
the substrate layer 302 attached, via the second arrangement of conductive contacts 314ex, to the first surface 328us of the package substrate 328.
Regarding Claim 13, Cheah (see, e.g., Fig. 3 and Annotated Fig. 3), teaches a system comprising:
a substrate layer 302 with an upper surface 302us and a lower surface 302ls, a portion P1 of the substrate layer 302 having a first arrangement of conductive contacts 314 located on the lower surface 302us (see, e.g., pars. 0059, 0063);
a memory package 312 attached to the first arrangement of conductive contacts 314 (see, e.g., par. 0062);
a means for thermal management 342 comprising a cavity 380 (see, e.g., par. 0085);
the memory package 312 and the portion P1 of the substrate layer 302 having the first arrangement of conductive contacts 314 located in the cavity 380; and
a second arrangement of conductive contacts 314ex located on the lower surface 302ls of the substrate layer 302;
the second arrangement of conductive contacts 314ex located external P2 to the means for thermal management 342.
Regarding Claim 14, Cheah teaches all aspects of claim 13. Cheah (see, e.g., Fig. 3 and Annotated Fig. 3), teaches:
a package substrate 328 with a first surface 328us and a second surface 328ls (see, e.g., par. 0059);
a processor package 334 attached to the first surface 328us of the package substrate 328 (see, e.g., par. 0067); and
the substrate layer 302 attached, via the second arrangement of conductive contacts 314ex, to the first surface 328us of the package substrate 328.
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 4 is are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheah (US 2021/0335698) in view of Yokoyama (US 2004/0026777).
Regarding Claim 4, Cheah teaches all aspects of claim 1. Cheah is silent with respect to the claim limitation that the heat spreader component comprises aluminum.
Yokoyama (see, e.g., Fig. 2), in a very similar structure to Cheah, on the other hand, teaches a heat shield 10 comprising aluminum equivalent to the metal shield 342 of Cheah’s device, to prevent leakage of electric power and influence on peripheral parts to improve heat radiation performance (see, e.g., par. 0032).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to include in Cheah’s device, a heat spreader comprising aluminum, as taught by Yokoyama, to prevent leakage of electric power and influence on peripheral parts to improve heat radiation performance.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-12, 15, and 16 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nelson Garcés whose telephone number is (571)272-8249. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wael Fahmy can be reached on (571)272-1705. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Nelson Garces/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814
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