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
Applicant's election with traverse of Species 3 in the reply filed on 9/11/25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that it would not be a serious burden to examine the unelected species and elected species 3 is generic. This is not found persuasive because an exhaustive search has been conducted on the elected species and the best prior art has been identified and applied as indicated below. To address the additional species would require multiple further searched to determine the best art and would constitute a burden upon the office. However Applicant is reminded that should future prosecution identify allowable subject matter and such subject matter become properly incorporated into the claims, rejoinder may be possible.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Newly submitted claims 32-40 are directed to an invention that is independent or distinct from the invention originally claimed for the following reasons: claims 32-40 pertain to separate and distinct species from that of the originally elected claims.
Since applicant has received an action on the merits for the originally presented invention, this invention has been constructively elected by original presentation for prosecution on the merits. Accordingly, claims 32-40 are withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention. See 37 CFR 1.142(b) and MPEP § 821.03.
To preserve a right to petition, the reply to this action must distinctly and specifically point out supposed errors in the restriction requirement. Otherwise, the election shall be treated as a final election without traverse. Traversal must be timely. Failure to timely traverse the requirement will result in the loss of right to petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are subsequently added, applicant must indicate which of the subsequently added claims are readable upon the elected invention.
Should applicant traverse on the ground that the inventions are not patentably distinct, applicant should submit evidence or identify such evidence now of record showing the inventions to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either instance, if the examiner finds one of the inventions unpatentable over the prior art, the evidence or admission may be used in a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) of the other 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) 18-20, 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Qian et al (US 2021/0398906).
18. (Original) A method, comprising:
determining a first bump map indicative of a first set of positions of bumps (Fig.2A (250) and [0028]);
determining, based upon the first bump map (Fig.2A (250) and [0028]), a first plurality of bump densities (Fig.2A (P1/P2) and [0029-0031- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density] associated with a plurality of regions (Fig.2A (Tx/Rx) and [0028]) of the first bump map (Fig.2A (250) and [0028]);
smoothing the first plurality of bump densities (Fig.2B (P3/P4) and [0032- pitches P3 and P4 are reduced relative to P1 and P2- hence “smoothed” ] to determine a second plurality of bump densities (Fig.2B (P3/P4) [0032- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density]) associated with the plurality of regions (Fig.2A-2B (Tx/Rx) and [0028]) of the first bump map (Fig.2A (250) and [0028]); and
determining, based upon the second plurality of bump densities (Fig.2B (P3/P4) [0032- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density]), a second bump map (Fig.2B (250) and [0032]) indicative of the first set of positions of the bumps and a set of sizes of the bumps (Fig.2B (250) and [0032- bump size and position depicted in the map]).
19. (Original) The method of claim 18, wherein:
determining the first plurality of bump densities comprises:
determining an area of a portion (Fig.2A (columns/rows) and [0030-0031]), of a first region of the plurality of regions (Fig.2A (Tx/Rx) and [0028]), that is occupied by one or more bumps (Fig.2A (253, 254, 255) and [0029]) according to the first bump map (Fig.2A (250) and [0028]); and
determining a first bump density (Fig.2A (P1/P2) and [0029-0031- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density] associated with the first region (Fig.2A (Tx/Rx) and [0028]) based upon the area and a total area of the first region (Fig.2A (columns/rows) and [0030-0031]), wherein the first plurality of bump densities comprises the first bump density (Fig.2A (P1/P2) and [0029-0031- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density]; the second plurality of bump densities comprises a second bump density (Fig.2B (P3/P4) [0032- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density]), associated with the first region (Fig.2C (Tx/Rx) and [0028]), different than the first bump density (Fig.2C (P5/P6) and [0035- pitches P5 and P6 are greater relative to P1 and P2 ]; determining the second bump map (Fig.2C (250) and [0035]) comprises determining, based upon the second bump density (Fig.2C (P5/P6) [0035- pitch is inversely proportional to density- the smaller the pitch- the higher the density; thus the measuring the pitch is interpreted as determining the density]), one or more second sizes of the one or more bumps (Fig.2C (253, 254, 255) and [0029]) in the first region (Fig.2C (Tx/Rx) and [0028]) ; and the second bump map (Fig.2C (250) and [0035])is indicative of the one or more second sizes of the one or more bumps (Fig.2C (253, 254, 255) and [0029]- bumps are shown as larger compared to Fig.2A).
20. (Original) The method of claim 18, wherein: the second bump map is used to form a bump array on a wafer (Abstract/ Fig.3D).
31. (New) The method of claim 18, wherein: the first bump map is indicative of a first size of a first bump of the bumps; and the second bump map is indicative of a second size, of the first bump, different than the first size (Fig.2C (253, 254, 255) and [0029]- bumps are shown as larger compared to Fig.2A).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chen et al (US 20250103786); Ngoi et al (US 6525331); Yang et al (US 20240020260; US 12066968) and Li et al (US 20240332236) teach similar methods.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LAURA M MENZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00-3:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Gauthier can be reached at 571-270-0373. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LAURA M MENZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813
11/29/25