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 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 (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 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) 1-5 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Nakahara et al. (US Pat. #9,412,679).
Regarding claim 1, Nakahara teaches a power module, comprising:
insulating substrates, to each of which a corresponding chip is bonded [fig. 3 and 4, insulating substrates 10ch, 10ci, 10cj, 10eh, 10ei, 10ej, with chips 3 thereon]; and
a casing provided with mounting portions into which the insulating substrates are respectively inserted, and provided with a bus bar electrically connected to the insulating substrates inserted into the mounting portions [fig. 4, casing 1p with insulating substrates 10 mounted therein, bus bar 5c, 5e, 5o electrically connected to the substrates];
wherein the mounting portions are provided to support the insulating substrates [fig. 4, column 6, lines 33-39, partitioning portions are provided for the substrates, these are interpreted as mounting portions].
Regarding claim 2, Nakahara discloses the power module of claim 1, wherein the mounting portions are disposed in a straight line in the casing, and the bus bar is provided to extend in a direction in which the mounting portions are disposed [fig. 4, the insulating substrates 10 are arranged horizontally across the casing, the bus bars 5c and 5o extend in the same direction].
Regarding claim 3, Nakahara teaches the power module of claim 1, wherein the insulating substrates and the bus bar are electrically connected to each other via connection portions to form an electric circuit therebetween [fig. 3, connection portions 4f connect the substrates and the bus bars to form a circuit].
Regarding claim 4, Nakahara discloses the power module of claim 3, wherein the bus bar is provided each on a first side and a second side of the casing and is electrically connected to the insulating substrates respectively inserted into the mounting portions [figs. 3 and 4, bus bars 5c/5e and 5o are on opposite sides of the casing and electrically connected to the substrates 10 by 4f].
Regarding claim 5, Nakahara teaches the power module of claim 4, wherein any one insulating substrate is electrically connected to the bus bar on the first side via a connection portion among the connection portions, the insulating substrate electrically connected to the bus bar is connected to another insulating substrate via a connection portion among the connection portions, and the another insulating substrate is electrically connected to the bus bar on the second side [fig. 3, 10ch is electrically connected to bus bar 5c on a first side, 10cj is electrically connected to 10ch by elements 4f, 10cj is also electrically connected to 5o on a second side opposite the first].
Regarding claim 11, Nakahara discloses the power module of claim 1, wherein the casing is molded with the insulating substrates inserted into the mounting portions to be internally insulated [fig. 4, each insulating substrate is separated from each other and only connected by elements 4f, these substrates are insulated from each other by casing 1p].
Regarding claim 12, Nakahara teaches a power module, comprising:
a lower casing provided with a plurality of first mounting portions into which a plurality of first insulating substrates to which chips are bonded are inserted, and provided with a first bus bar electrically connected to the first insulating substrates inserted into the first mounting portions [figs. 3 and 4, lower casing 1p with chips 10ch, 10ci and 10cj inserted, first bus bar 5c electrically connected to chips by elements 4f]; and
an upper casing provided with a plurality of second mounting portions into which a plurality of second insulating substrates to which chips are bonded are inserted, and provided with a second bus bar electrically connected to the second insulating substrates inserted into the second mounting portions, wherein the lower casing and the upper casing are vertically coupled [figs. 3 and 4, upper casing 7 which has chips 10eh, 10ei, 10ej bonded therein, second bus bar 5o is considered as provided with upper casing 7, second bus bar 5o electrically connected to chips by 4f, the lower casing 1p and upper casing 7 are vertically coupled].
Regarding claim 13, Nakahara discloses the power module of claim 12, wherein in the lower casing, the first insulating substrates and the first bus bar are electrically connected to each other via first connection portions, while in the upper casing, the second insulating substrates and the second bus bar are electrically connected to each other via second connection portions [figs. 3 and 4, the first insulating substrates and first bus bar are connected by upper elements 4f and the second insulating substrates, second bus bar are electrically connected by lower elements 4f].
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, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 9-10, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakahara as applied to claims 1-5 and 11-13 above, and further in view of McPherson et al. (US Pat. Pub. 2021/0313256).
Regarding claim 9, Nakahara fails to teach signal pins provided in the casing and spaced apart from the bus bar. However, McPherson teaches a power module structure with a casing, chips within said casing, bus bar connected to the chips as well as signal pins spaced apart from the bus bar [fig. 29 and 31, casing 12, bus bar 118/122, signal pins 118, 130, 128, 124, 126, 120’, chips 116]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of McPherson into the method of Nakahara by forming signal pins in the casing and the signal pins being spaced apart from the bus bar. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Nakahara in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of providing additional communication access to the individual substrates as well as using a lead frame design that reduces inductance [McPherson, paragraph [0185]].
Regarding claim 10, Nakahara in view of McPherson discloses the power module of claim 9, wherein the bus bar is disposed each on a first side and a second side of the casing, and the signal pins are spaced in a direction perpendicular to a direction where the bus bar is disposed [McPherson, fig. 31, the signal pins 124, 126, 120’, 118’, 130 and 128 are on sides which are perpendicular to the sides with bus bars 122 and 118].
Regarding claim 12, Nakahara fails to teach signal pins provided in the casing and spaced apart from the bus bar. However, McPherson teaches a power module structure with a casing, chips within said casing, bus bar connected to the chips as well as signal pins perpendicular to the first bus bar and second bust bar [fig. 29 and 31, casing 12, bus bar 118/122, signal pins 118, 130, 128, 124, 126, 120’, chips 116]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of McPherson into the method of Nakahara by forming signal pins in the upper and lower casing and the signal pins being disposed in a direction perpendicular of the first bus bar and the second bus bar. The ordinary artisan would have been motivated to modify Nakahara in the manner set forth above for at least the purpose of providing additional communication access to the individual substrates as well as using a lead frame design that reduces inductance [McPherson, paragraph [0185]].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 14 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
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/JOHN M PARKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2899