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
The 1/29/2026 "Reply" elects with traverse Group I, Species B, and identifies as reading on claims 1-6.
In the restriction requirement Examiner has set forth why the restriction requirement is proper. Applicant has contends that restriction is improper as a search can be made without serious burden. This argument is not persuasive. As noted in the previous Office action, the product as claimed can be made by another and materially different process such as a process that forms a base layer with no perforation and the inventions require a different field of search (e.g., searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries). Accordingly, the restriction requirement is maintained and Examiner has withdrawn claims 7-20 from further consideration as being drawn to a non-elected invention. See, for example, 37 CFR § 1.142(b).
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuergut (US Pub. No. 2010/0044885, provided by Applicant in the 8/31/2023 IDS) and Horizon-URL (“What is Sintered Metal?.” https://www.horizontechnology.biz/blog/what-is-sintered-metal#:~:text=Metal%20is%20stubborn%2C%20and%20sintering,to%20a%20harder%2C%20stronger%20part.).
Regarding claim 1, in FIGs. 2 and 4, Fuergut discloses a semiconductor assembly device comprising a metal layer (20, paragraph [0034]), a first metal plate (leftmost 21, paragraph [0034]), a second metal plate (rightmost 21, paragraph [0034]), a metal pillar (22, paragraph [0034]), an encapsulant (crosshatched material surrounding elements 10 and 22; and 37, paragraph [0063]), and a die structure (10, paragraph [0034]) having a first terminal (15, paragraph [0034]) and a second terminal (17, paragraph [0034]), wherein the first terminal of the die structure is in electrical contact with the metal layer, wherein the metal pillar is in electrical contact with the metal layer, wherein the second terminal of the die structure is in contact with the first metal plate, wherein the metal pillar has a height similar to a height of the die structure and between the die structure and the metal pillar and between the first metal plate and the second metal plate the encapsulant is provided (at least the element 37 portion, see FIG. 4).
Fuergut appears not to explicitly disclose that the metal pillar is in contact with the second metal plate; and wherein the metal layer, the first metal plate, and the second metal plate are made of a sintered metal powder.
However, it was well known to electrically contact two terminals of a die structure via a common circuit (e.g. via ground/common) to power the die structure.
To power the die structure it 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 to place the metal pillar in contact with the second metal plate via a common circuit.
Fuergut as modified appears not to explicitly disclose that the metal layer, the first metal plate, and the second metal plate are made of a sintered metal powder.
However the Horizon-URL discloses that small metal parts can be made by stronger and harder by sintering metal powders such as copper.
To form a strong and/or hard metal layer, first metal plate, and second metal plate it 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 to form the metal layer, the first metal plate, and the second metal plate from a sintered metal powder such as copper.
Regarding claim 2, in FIGs. 2 and 4, Fuergut discloses that the pillar (22, paragraphs [0034] and [0050]) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, and gold.
Regarding claims 3 and 5, in FIGs. 2 and 4, Fuergut discloses that the pillar is made of a sintered metal powder (22, paragraphs [0034] and [0050]).
Regarding claims 4 and 6, the combination of Fuergut and Horizon-URL discloses that at least one of the metal layer, the first metal plate or the second metal plate are made of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, copper with additives, and silver.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUCKER J WRIGHT whose telephone number is (571)270-3234. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at 571-272-1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TUCKER J WRIGHT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891