DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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 non-obviousness.
3. Claim(s) 10-11, 14-20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe, US 6,498,051 B1.
Claim 10. Watanabe discloses a method for producing a chip arrangement with an adhesive (such as the one in fig. 5, item, 16), comprising a solder material (item 12) and an anisotropic conductive adhesive (item 13), the method comprising:
-arranging the anisotropic conductive on a carrier (item 17, fig. 5);
-arranging the solder material on a chip pad (item 14) or on the anisotropic conductive adhesive;
-applying the chip pad with the solder material on the anisotropic conductive adhesive (as seen in the structure of fig. 5) or applying the chip pad to the anisotropic conductive adhesive with the solder material.
Although, Watanabe teaches the invention, but Watanabe appears to not use the language of melting the solder material in order to connect the chip pad to the carrier. However, col. 7, ln 11+ of the reference disclosed in this case, if epoxy resin is used for the adhesive resin 11, the temperature T.sub.2 at which heating is applied is set in the range of about 150 to 250.degree. C., and the heating is applied for the duration of 5 to 30 seconds. Further, the pressure P.sub.2 is applied to an area of the connecting region on the bumps 14 of the semiconductor device 16 is in the order of 200 to 1000 kg/cm.sup.2. In addition. It is noted that metals melt at different temperatures depending on the specific metal, ranging from low-melting points for metals like tin (232°C/449°F) and lead (328°C/622°F) to extremely high temperatures for tungsten (3422°C/6192°F), with common metals like aluminum at 660°C (1220°F), copper at 1084°C (1983°F), and steel alloys melting from roughly 1370°C to 1590°C (2500-2800°F).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to melt the solder material in order to connect the chip pad to the carrier in order to balance the need for high-strength, durable joints with the necessity of protecting delicate, modern components from excessive thermal stress.
Claims 11, 14-17. Watanabe discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the application is carried out during the melting of the solder material with additional exertion of pressure (this limitation would read through col. 2, ln 29+, wherein is disclosed when a pressure P is applied to the semiconductor device 16 while applying heat thereto a temperature at which curing reaction occurs to the adhesive resin 11 by use of the heating and pressurizing tool 18 in order to cause the adhesive resin 11 to be cured).
Claim 18. Watanabe discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the anisotropic conductive adhesive comprises metal particles made of a metal different than the metal of the solder material (this limitation would read through col. 6, ln 2+, wherein is disclosed the bumps 14 are formed by the plating method, the vacuum deposition method, or so forth, using material such as solder, gold, or copper).
Claim 19. Watanabe discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the carrier comprises a metal on a carrier surface on which the chip pad is fastened using the adhesive (this limitation would read through col. 6, ln 5+, wherein is disclosed the anisotropic conductive adhesive 13 is disposed by the transfer method and so forth on a region of the surface of the circuit board 17 where the wiring patterns on which the semiconductor device 16 is to be mounted are formed).
Claim 20. Watanabe discloses a method for producing a chip card, comprising: forming a chip arrangement using the method of claim 10; and arranging the chip arrangement on or in a chip card body (this limitation would read through col. 6, ln 5+, wherein is disclosed the anisotropic conductive adhesive 13 is disposed by the transfer method and so forth on a region of the surface of the circuit board 17 where the wiring patterns on which the semiconductor device 16 is to be mounted are formed).
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant contends that:
Watanabe does not describe each and every element as set forth in the claims. For example, Watanabe fails to anticipate or suggest "melting the solder material in order to connect the chip pad to the carrier", as recited in independent claim 10 (emphasis added).
This argument is not persuasive. Examiner notes that applicant’s figs. 3c and 4c, [0060] indicates that in order to connect the chip pad 108 to the carrier 104, 106, the solder material 110 may be liquefied by means of heating (represented as T) up to or beyond the melting point. Similarly, in fig. 10 of Watanabe, col. 8, ln 47+, disclose the step described above may be carried out by placing the circuit board 17 with the semiconductor device 16 provisionally press-bonded thereto on top of a hot plate 30 set at a temperature causing the adhesive resin 11 to be cured, in the range of 150 to 250.degree. C., and by heating for a duration of about 5 to 30 seconds.
As noted, Heat enables soldering by melting filler metals to create bonds, allowing them to wet, flow, and solidify between components. Thus, Watanabe meets this limitation.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/W.J/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899