DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claims 3-5 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3 recites the limitation “The power semiconductor device according to claim 2” in line 1.
Claim 4 recites the limitation “The power semiconductor device according to claim 2” in line 1.
Claim 5 recites the limitation “The power semiconductor device according to claim 2” in line 1.
However, there is a lack of proper antecedent basis for “The power semiconductor device according to claim 2.” Changing “The power semiconductor device according to claim 2” to -- The transfer mold-type power semiconductor device according to claim 2—provides proper antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by MIN et al. (US 2017/0358540).
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Re Claim 2, MIN et al. disclose a transfer mold-type power semiconductor device, comprising a transfer mold-type sealing resin including a sealing resin (300 400’) containing a heavy element material (i.e., Gold 410, Paragraph [0036]) and a sealing resin (300 400) containing a conductive material (420, i.e., conductive carbon), wherein the conductive material of the sealing resin containing a conductive material is not a light metal (see Fig. 1B and related text in Paragraphs [0036-0039]).
Re Claim 3, as applied to claim 2 above, MIN et al. disclose all the claimed limitation including wherein a surface of an outer layer of the sealing resin containing a conductive material includes a barrier wall (see Fig. 1B and related text in Paragraphs [0036-0039]).
Re Claim 4, as applied to claim 2 above, MIN et al. disclose all the claimed limitation including wherein a surface of an outer layer of the sealing resin containing a conductive material (420) has a wavy structure (see Fig. 1B and related text in Paragraphs [0036-0039]).
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(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MIN et al. (US 2017/0358540).
Re Claim 1, MIN et al. disclose case-type power semiconductor device, wherein a case is formed by mixing a heavy element material (i.e., Gold 410, Paragraph [0036]) and a conductive material (420, i.e., conductive carbon) with a material having high processability, the conductive material is not a light metal, and has predetermined electric resistance (see Fig. 1B and related text in Paragraphs [0036-0039]).
Since the cover, as depicted Fig. 1B, contains resin, conductive carbon combination of electrical resistance is can be between 106 to 1018 Ω (i.e., within the clamed overlapped range of 105 to 1011 Ω) and outside the claimed range can be routinely optimized.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention is made to optimized the cover electrical resistance, since it has been held where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation.” See In re Hoeschele, 406 F.2d 1403, 160 USPQ 809 (CCPA 1969); Merck & Co. Inc. v. Biocraft Laboratories Inc., 874 F.2d 804, 10 USPQ2d 1843 (Fed. Cir.), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 975 (1989); In re Kulling, 897 F.2d 1147, 14 USPQ2d 1056 (Fed. Cir. 1990); and In re Geisler, 116 F.3d 1465, 43 USPQ2d 1362 (Fed. Cir. 1997). Furthermore, the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed electrical resistance of the cover or any unexpected results arising therefrom. Where patentability is said to be based upon particular chosen dimensions or upon another variable recited in a claim, the Applicant must show that the chosen dimensions are critical. See In re Woodruff, 919, f.2d 1575, 1578, 16 USPQ2d, 1936 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure Specht et al. (US 2009/0102040) and PEI (US 2020/0211978) also disclose similar inventive subject matter.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BROOK KEBEDE whose telephone number is 571-272-1862. The examiner can normally be reached Monday Friday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM.
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/BROOK KEBEDE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2894
/BK/
January 7, 2026