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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 3/2/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed March 02, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-11 remain pending in the application. Claims 1-9 are examined and claims 10-11 are withdrawn.
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 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 1-3, 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by Kawato et al. (CN104425292A, English translation provided).
Regarding claim 1, Kawato discloses that, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3(B), 3(C), a resin-sealing method (as shown in Fig. 1) that compression molds a resin on a workpiece (item 18 (19), Fig. 1 (page 4, lines 183-185)) having a plurality of components mounted on a carrier and manufactures a plurality of packages in each of which at least one of the plurality of components is sealed with resin (as shown in Fig. 1), the resin-sealing method comprising:
setting a sheet resin (item 1, Fig. 1 (page 2, line 98)) in a resin molding die (i.e., items 12, 13, Fig. 1 (page 3, lines 133-141)); and
compression molding the sheet resin set in the resin molding die (as shown in Fig. 1 in a compression molded portion (page 2, line 93)),
wherein
at least one penetrating hole or recess (item 2, Fig. 1 (page 2, line 98)) is formed in a central portion of the sheet resin (item 2, Fig. 3(C) (page 4, lines 233-237)) so that amount of resin is less in the central portion of the sheet resin than in a peripheral portion of the sheet resin in plan view (i.e., due to the number of the concave portions 2 at the center portion may be larger than the number of the concave portions 2 at the peripheral portion (page 4, lines 230-237)).
As illustrated in Figs. 5 (A) and (B), a plurality of concave portions (or recesses) 2 in a lattice shape extending in the longitudinal direction or in a grid shape extending in the oblique direction (page 5, lines 251-254). Thus, Kawato discloses that, at least these penetrating recesses or concaves (as shown in Figs. 5 (A) and (B)) are provided over a plurality of package areas (e.g., for chips).
It is noticed that, as illustrated in Figs. 3 (B) and (C), Kawato discloses that, the bigger recesses or holes (as shown in Fig. 3(B)) and dense recesses or holes (as shown in Fig. 3(C)) are provided in the central area of the resin sheet. Thus, Kawato discloses that, at least the sheet resin at the peripheral portion is made to flow towards the central portion of the sheet resin (i.e., filling the empty space created by the bigger or dense recesses in the central area).
It is noticed that, as illustrated in Fig. 3 (C), Kawato discloses that, the number of the concave portions 2 at the center portion may be larger than the number of the concave portions 2 at the peripheral portion. Thereby, the air bubbles which are likely to be generated in the center portion are easily escaped to the concave portion 2 (page 4, lines 233-235).
It is also noticed that, as illustrated in Figs. 2 (B-1)-(B-5), the concave portion 2 is not particularly limited, but preferably has at least one of a through hole and a non-through hole (page 3, lines 123-124).
Thus, Kawato discloses that, all of the ta least one penetrating hole is disposed at the central portion of the sheet resin.
Regarding claim 2, Kawato discloses that, as illustrated in Fig. 1, feeding a resin film of an elongated shape (as shown in Fig. 1 in a resin processed portion 31 (page 2, line 93); item 10, Fig. 1 (page 2, line 97));
cutting out the sheet resin from the resin film (as shown in Fig. 1 in the resin processed portion 31, a cutter is applied to cut the sheet 10 (page 2, lines 101-106)); and
forming the at least one penetrating hole or recess in the resin film or the sheet resin (item 2, Fig. 1 (page 2, line 98)).
Regarding claim 3, Kawato discloses that, as illustrated in Fig. 2 (B-1), the concave portion 2 may be a through hole (page 4, lines 207-208). It is noticed that, the concave portion 2 is formed by pressing the sheet-like resin 1 (page 2, line 110).
Regarding claim 6, Kawato discloses that, as illustrated in Fig. 3(C), the sheet resin has a rectangular shape; and amount of decrease of resin in a portion along a diagonal line of the sheet resin due to the at least one penetrating hole or recess (e.g., the total of holes or recesses is 9 pieces) is greater than amount of decrease of resin in a portion along a bisector of each side of the sheet resin due to the at least one penetrating hole or recess (e.g., the total of holes or recesses is 7 pieces).
Regarding claim 7, Kawato discloses that, as illustrated in Fig. 4(A), both the sheet resin 1 and the holes or recesses 2 are in rectangular or square shapes.
Regarding claim 8, Kawato discloses that, as illustrated in Fig. 1 (i.e., in the compression molded portion 32 (page 2, line 93)), the amount of resin necessary for sealing the semiconductor chip 18 is measured (page 2, lines 96-97). Here, the semiconductor chip 18 is considered as the workpiece (item 18 (19), Fig. 1 (page 4, lines 183-185)).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawato et al. (CN104425292A, English translation provided) as applied to claim 1 above, further in view of Spotti et al. (US 2016/0293784).
Regarding claim 4, Kawato does not explicitly disclose that, when forming the holes or recesses, a suction is applied to remove the residues. In the same field of endeavor, composite station, Spotti discloses that, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the roller ([0046], lines 1-2) being provided with openings to enable drilling from outside with a laser device and also to enable the forced suction from inside of the fumes and of the residues by means of an exhaust fan (ABSTRACT, lines 1-4 from bottom).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kawato to incorporate the teachings of Spotti to provide when forming the holes or recesses, a suction is applied to remove the residues. Doing so would be possible to remove fumes and residues during the forming of holes or recesses, as recognized by Spotti (ABSTRACT).
Claims 5, 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawato et al. (CN104425292A, English translation provided) as applied to claim 1 above, further in view of Miyajima et al. (US 6,344,162).
Regarding claims 5, 9, Kawato discloses a rectangular sheet resin as shown in Fig. 2 (A) and may need to be fitted into the cavity as shown in Fig. 1 in the compression molded portion (32). However, Kawato does not explicitly disclose a circular shape of the die and a release film. In the same field of endeavor, compression molding (for semiconductors), Miyajima discloses that, as illustrated in Figs. 14, 16, a circular pressing face 20c is formed in the parting face of the upper die 20 and capable of pressing the semiconductor wafer 90 (col. 12, lines 45-49). Resin 94 (as shown in Fig. 14) is set at a center of the semiconductor 90 (col. 12, line 14). As illustrated in Fig. 7 (a different embodiment), Miyajima discloses that, after the release film (40) (related to claim 9) is fixed on the parting face of the lower dies 21. … The resin supplied into the pot 24 may be not only the resin tablet but also resin pellets, resin powders, liquid resin, sheet-formed resin, jelly-formed resin, etc. (col. 5, lines 35-42). Thus, Miyajima discloses that, in one embodiment, a cavity of the resin molding die (e.g., corresponding with the circular pressing face 20c as shown in Fig. 16) has a circular shape. As illustrated in Fig. 14, because the resin 94 has to be fitted into the cavity, the sheet resin may have a rectangular shape whose diagonal length is equal or less than a diameter of the cavity.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kawato to incorporate the teachings of Miyajima to provide the circular shape of the die and the release film. Doing so would be possible to provide a method being capable of efficiently manufacturing semiconductors devices with a good quality, as recognized by Miyajima (col. 1, lines 45-51).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/2/2026 have been fully considered. They are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s arguments (as amended) in claim 1 that the cited references fail to disclose ‘all of the at least one penetrating hole is disposed at the central portion of the sheet resin’, it is not persuasive.
It is noticed that, as illustrated in Fig. 3 (C), Kawato discloses that, the number of the concave portions 2 at the center portion may be larger than the number of the concave portions 2 at the peripheral portion. Thereby, the air bubbles which are likely to be generated in the center portion are easily escaped to the concave portion 2 (page 4, lines 233-235). It is also noticed that, as illustrated in Figs. 2 (B-1)-(B-5), the concave portion 2 is not particularly limited, but preferably has at least one of a through hole and a non-through hole (page 3, lines 123-124).
Thus, Kawato discloses that, all of the at least one penetrating hole is disposed at the central portion of the sheet resin.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHIBIN LIANG whose telephone number is (571)272-8811. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:30 - 4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alison L Hindenlang can be reached on 571 270 7001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHIBIN LIANG/Examiner, Art Unit 1741
/EMMANUEL S LUK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
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