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 without traverse of invention Group I, drawn to claims 1-15 and new claims 21-25 in the reply filed on September 3 2025 is acknowledged. Applicant has cancelled claims 16-20 corresponding to unelected Group II. Claims 1-15 and 21-25 are examined.
The restriction requirement is made final.
Drawings
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. Applicant discloses in para. [0011] of the instant specification that Figure 1 is a schematic view of an existing dual sided package module. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 and 23 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 reads “a thermally conductive layer attached a bottom surface of the die” in line 10 but should read --a thermally conductive layer attached to a bottom surface of the die--.
Claim 23 does not have a period.
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)(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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-10, and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (“Liu” US Patent No. 12,009,312).
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses:
A dual-sided molded package module (Figure 7) comprising:
a substrate (700) having a top side and an opposite bottom side (see Figure 7);
a die (712) attached to the bottom side of the substrate (700, see Figure 7);
a plurality of posts (714-2, upper portion) attached to the bottom side of the substrate (700) and being laterally spaced from the die (712, see Figure 7);
a bottom mold (710) surrounding and extending between the plurality of posts (714-2) and the die (712, see Figure 7);
a plurality of electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) attached to the plurality of posts (714-2, upper portion) and extending through the bottom mold (710, see Figure 7); and
a thermally conductive layer (shielding member 732, analogous to shielding members 134/132 of Figure 1, has heat dissipation properties, see col. 5, line 62 – col. 6, line 5 and col. 12 lines 22-25) attached a bottom facing surface of the die (712), the thermally conductive layer (732) extending through the mold (portions of the layer 732 extend through the mold to contact interconnects) and configured to couple to a motherboard (750, see Figure 7), the thermally conductive layer (732) configured to dissipate heat from the die (712) to the motherboard (750, pads 752-1 have heat exchanging properties, see col. 12, lines 35-37).
Regarding claim 2, Liu discloses:
The dual-sided molded package module of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive layer (732) extends across an entire bottom facing surface of the die (712, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 4, Liu discloses:
The dual-sided molded package module of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive layer (732) is separated from the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) by the bottom mold (710, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 5, Liu discloses:
The dual-sided molded package module of claim 1 wherein the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) have a greater lateral dimension than the posts (714-2, upper portion, see Figure 7, the interconnects 714-2 that comprise the interconnect members and posts have a tapered shape, where the top portion is narrower than the bottom portion).
Regarding claim 6, Liu discloses:
The dual-sided molded package module of claim 1 further including one or more electronic components (see plurality of components on the upper surface of the substrate in Figure 7) connected to the top side of the substrate (700) and a top mold disposed over the electronic components (720, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 7, Liu discloses:
The dual-sided molded package module of claim 6 further including a shield (734) disposed over the top mold (720) and a side of the substrate (700, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 8, Liu discloses:
A wireless device (Figure 7) comprising:
a motherboard (750); and
a dual-sided molded package module mounted on the motherboard (&50, see Figure 7), the dual-sided molded package module including a substrate (700) having a top side and an opposite bottom side (see Figure 7), a die (712) attached to the bottom side of the substrate (700, see Figure 7), a plurality of posts (714-2, upper portion) attached to the bottom side of the substrate (700) and being laterally spaced from the die (712, see Figure 7), a bottom mold (710) surrounding and extending between the plurality of posts (714-2) and the die (712, see Figure 7), a plurality of electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) attached to the plurality of posts (714-2, upper portion) and extending through the bottom mold (710, see Figure 7), and a thermally conductive layer (shielding member 732, analogous to shielding members 134/132 of Figure 1, has heat dissipation properties, see col. 5, line 62 – col. 6, line 5 and col. 12 lines 22-25) attached a bottom facing surface of the die (712), the thermally conductive layer (732) extending through the mold (portions of the layer 732 extend through the mold to contact interconnects) and coupled to the motherboard (750), the thermally conductive layer (732) is configured to dissipate heat from the die (712) to the motherboard (750, pads 752-1 have heat exchanging properties, see col. 12, lines 35-37).
Regarding claim 9, Liu discloses:
The wireless device of claim 8 wherein the thermally conductive layer (732) is coupled to the motherboard (750) via a solderable material (interconnects between motherboard 750 and the thermally conductive layer 732) attached to the thermally conductive layer (732, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 10, Liu discloses:
The wireless device of claim 8 wherein the thermally conductive layer (732) extends across an entire bottom facing surface of the die (712, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 12, Liu discloses:
The wireless device of claim 8 wherein the thermally conductive layer (732) is separated from the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) by the bottom mold (710, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 13, Liu discloses:
The wireless device of claim 8 wherein the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) have a greater lateral dimension than the posts (714-2, upper portion, see Figure 7, the interconnects 714-2 that comprise the interconnect members and posts have a tapered shape, where the top portion is narrower than the bottom portion).
Regarding claim 14, Liu discloses:
The wireless device of claim 8 further including one or more electronic components (see plurality of components on the upper surface of the substrate in Figure 7) connected to the top side of the substrate (700) and a top mold disposed over the electronic components (720, see Figure 7).
Regarding claim 15, Liu discloses:
The wireless device of claim 14 further including a shield (734) disposed over the top mold (720) and a side of the substrate (700, see Figure 7).
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.
Claims 3 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (first embodiment of Figure 7) as applied to claims 1 and 8 above, and further in view of a second embodiment of Liu (Figure 12G).
Regarding claim 3, Liu discloses that the thermally conductive layer may be formed of copper (see col. 7, lines 1-20).
Liu discloses in another embodiment (Figure 12G) that the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2 in Figure 7) can be made of copper as well.
Thus, the two embodiments of Liu disclose that the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, 1214 in Figure 12G) are made of a same material as the thermally conductive layer (732).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to use the same material, copper as taught by Liu, for the thermally and electrically conductive interconnect members and the thermally conductive layer because copper has excellent thermal dissipation and electrical conductivity properties (see col. 7, lines 1-20). Further, using the same material for different parts of a device can simplify the fabrication process.
Regarding claim 11, Liu discloses that the thermally conductive layer may be formed of copper (see col. 7, lines 1-20).
Liu discloses in another embodiment (Figure 12G) that the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2 in Figure 7) can be made of copper as well.
Thus, the two embodiments of Liu disclose that the electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, 1214 in Figure 12G) are made of a same material as the thermally conductive layer (732).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to use the same material, copper as taught by Liu, for the thermally and electrically conductive interconnect members and the thermally conductive layer because copper has excellent thermal dissipation and electrical conductivity properties (see col. 7, lines 1-20). Further, using the same material for different parts of a device can simplify the fabrication process.
Claims 21-22 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu as applied to claims 1 and 8 above, respectively, and further in view of Juskey et al. (“Juskey” US 2013/0234344).
Regarding claim 21, Liu does not disclose specifically that the dual-sided molded package module is a power amplifier module. However, Liu discloses that the package can comprise active or passive components, which would include a power amplifier (see col. 7, lines 28-40).
Juskey discloses a power amplifier module package (see para. [0061]-[0062]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the power amplifier package module components of Juskey into the active/passive components of Liu to form a dual-sided amplifier module because deciding the functionality of a device and the components therein is within the skillset of one having ordinary skill in the art, and active/passive components are both included in a power amplification package.
Regarding claim 22, Liu does not disclose specifically package module is a power amplifier. However, Liu discloses that the package can comprise active or passive components, which would include a power amplifier (see col. 7, lines 28-40).
Juskey discloses a package module comprising a power amplifier (see para. [0061]-[0062]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the power amplifier package module components of Juskey into the active/passive components of Liu because deciding the functionality of a device and the components therein is within the skillset of one having ordinary skill in the art, and active/passive components are both included in a power amplification package.
Regarding claim 23, Liu does not disclose specifically that the device includes a transceiver. However, Liu discloses that the package can comprise active or passive components, which would include a transceiver (see col. 7, lines 28-40).
Juskey discloses a device comprising a transceiver (see para. [0061]-[0062]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate a transceiver into the device of Liu for the purpose of receiving and sending signals (Juskey, para. [0062]).
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (“Liu” US Patent No. 12,009,312) and Elsherbini et al. (“Elsherbini US 2022/0406751).
Regarding claim 24, Liu discloses:
a circuit board (750); and
a dual-sided molded package module mounted on the circuit board (750, see Figure 7), the dual-sided molded package module including a substrate (700) having a top side and an opposite bottom side (see Figure 7), a die (712) attached to the bottom side of the substrate (700, see Figure 7), a plurality of posts (714-2, upper portion) attached to the bottom side of the substrate (700) and being laterally spaced from the die (712, see Figure 7), a bottom mold (710) surrounding and extending between the plurality of posts (714-2) and the die (712, see Figure 7), a plurality of electrically and thermally conductive interconnect members (714-2, lower portion) attached to the plurality of posts (714-2, upper portion) and extending through the bottom mold (710, see Figure 7), and a thermally conductive layer (shielding member 732, analogous to shielding members 134/132 of Figure 1, has heat dissipation properties, see col. 5, line 62 – col. 6, line 5 and col. 12 lines 22-25) attached a bottom facing surface of the die (712), the thermally conductive layer (732) extending through the mold (portions of the layer 732 extend through the mold to contact interconnects) and coupled to the circuit board (750), the thermally conductive layer (732) is configured to dissipate heat from the die (712) to the circuit board (750, pads 752-1 have heat exchanging properties, see col. 12, lines 35-37).
Liu does not disclose specifically that a wireless phone board comprises the following elements of the claim, or a transceiver module mounted on the circuit board.
Elsherbini discloses a wireless phone board (2400, para. [0115] discloses that 2400 may be a cell phone or smart phone, and para. [0101] discloses that phone board 2400 may comprise the IC packages and devices of the preceding disclosed embodiments) comprising a transceiver module (para. [0026], components associated with IC structures of the embodiments disclosed may be transceivers) mounted on a circuit board (2400 may be mounted/attached to one or more motherboards, see para. [0102]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the teachings of the phone board and transceiver of Elsherbini into the teachings of Liu because it is within the skillset of one having ordinary skill in the art to assemble a device with interconnected IC components is accordance with an intended functionality or application of the device (see Elsherbini, para. [0020]). Further, Liu discloses that the devices disclosed may be active or passive devices, which implies that the functionality of the device as a whole can be determined according to the parameters set forth by the device for which one having ordinary skill in the art is using the package structures of Liu.
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu and Elsherbini as applied to claim 24 above, and further in view of Juskey et al. (“Juskey” US 2013/0234344).
Regarding claim 25, Liu does not disclose specifically that the dual-sided molded package module includes a power amplifier. However, Liu discloses that the package can comprise active or passive components, which would include a power amplifier (see col. 7, lines 28-40).
Juskey discloses a power amplifier module package (see para. [0061]-[0062]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the power amplifier package module components of Juskey into the active/passive components of Liu to form a dual-sided amplifier module because deciding the functionality of a device and the components therein is within the skillset of one having ordinary skill in the art, and active/passive components are both included in a power amplification package.
Conclusion
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/Genevieve G Bullard-Connor/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899