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 of Group I and Species 4 (claims 1-8) in the reply filed on September 02, 2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent 4,871,110 to Fukasawa et al.
Regarding claim 1, Fukasawa et al disclose an assembly for positioning a plurality of thermal dissipating elements (9, solder ball) on an integrated circuit ("IC") die (11) comprising: a thermal dissipating element placement assembly (1-2) comprising:
a plate body comprising a first plate (2) and a second plate (1), the first plate (2) having a first plurality of apertures (5) extending through top and bottom surfaces of the first plate and the second plate (1) having a second plurality of apertures (4) extending through top and bottom surfaces of the second plate, each of the second plurality of apertures having a second diameter that is different than a first diameter of each of the first plurality of apertures, the second plurality of apertures being aligned with the first plurality of apertures (see Fig. 1), and a vacuum pickup assembly (8) removably coupled to the thermal dissipating element placement assembly, the vacuum pickup assembly providing a suction force that holds a plurality of thermal
dissipating elements (9) within the first or second plurality of apertures in the plate body and against a surface of the plate body (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2, Fukasawa et al disclose the vacuum pickup assembly overlies the IC die (11) and holds the thermal dissipating elements within the first or second plurality of apertures, each of the first or second plurality of apertures of the thermal dissipating element placement assembly being aligned with conductive connections disposed at the IC die (11, see Figs. 2 and 3).
Regarding claims 3-5, Fukasawa et al disclose the first plate (2) overlies the second plate (1), and the first diameter of the first plurality of apertures is smaller than the second diameter of the second plurality of apertures, such that a force created by the vacuum pickup assembly holds the plurality of thermal dissipating elements within the second plurality of apertures and against a bottom surface of the first plate (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 6, Fukasawa et al the vacuum pickup assembly further comprises a vacuum pickup pump and a vacuum chamber (see Fig. 2).
Claims 1, 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent 7,257,887 to Lee.
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses an assembly for positioning a plurality of thermal dissipating elements (118) comprising: a thermal dissipating element placement assembly (100) comprising: a plate body comprising a first plate (208) and a second plate (212), the first plate (208) having a first plurality of apertures (120) extending through top and bottom surfaces of the first plate and the second plate (212) having a second plurality of apertures (214) extending through top and bottom surfaces of the second plate, each of the second plurality of apertures having a second diameter that is different than a first diameter of each of the first plurality of apertures, the second plurality of apertures being aligned with the first plurality of apertures (see Figs. 2-3), and a vacuum pickup assembly (302/310) removably coupled to the thermal dissipating element placement assembly, the vacuum pickup assembly providing a suction force that holds a plurality of thermal dissipating elements (118) within the first or second plurality of apertures in the plate body and against a surface of the plate body (see Fig. 3). Note that the limitation in the preamble (thermal dissipating elements on an integrated circuit ("IC") die) has not been given patentable weight because it has been held that a preamble is denied the effect of a limitation where the claim is drawn to a structure and the portion of the claim following the preamble is a self-contained description of the structure not depending for the completeness upon the introduction clause.
Regarding claims 3-5, Lee discloses the first plate (208) overlies the second plate (212), and the first diameter of the first plurality of apertures is smaller than the second diameter of the second plurality of apertures, such that a force created by the vacuum pickup assembly holds the plurality of thermal dissipating elements within the second plurality of apertures and against a bottom surface of the first plate (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6-7, Lee discloses the vacuum pickup assembly further comprises a vacuum pickup pump and a vacuum chamber (310) is coupling to the second plate (212, see Fig. 3).
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukasawa et al or Lee.
Neither Fukasawa et al nor Lee discloses the thermal dissipating elements are elongated pin fins. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to choose any desired configuration for the thermal dissipating elements such as elongated pin fins, since Applicants have not disclosed the specific thermal dissipating elements as elongated pin fins, solves any stated problem or for any particular purposes and it appears the invention would perform equally well with the thermal dissipating elements as disclosed by Fukasawa et al or Lee.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art references cited for their teachings of an apparatus for positioning elements on an electronic using a vacuum device.
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/DN/ /DONGHAI D NGUYEN/ January 10, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729