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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 7/31/2023 and 3/7/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 1/27/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/27/2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 11 recites the limitations “the front-end module” in lines 5 and 6 of the claim, which the Examiner suggests amending to “the front-end module circuit”, because it appears the claimed element was originally introduced using that specific language in line 3 of the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “radio frequency communications” in line 7 of the claim, however a “radio frequency communications” element was already introduced earlier in line 4 of the claim, and thereby it is unclear whether the “radio frequency communications” in line 7 of the claim is directed to that same element and therefore should be properly amended to “the radio frequency communications” or directed to an entirely different element and therefore should be amended with specific language to distinguish it from the already introduced element.
Claim 3 recites the limitation “the radio frequency communications” in line 1 of the claim, however claim 3 depends from claim 1, which recites “radio frequency communications” in both lines 4 and 7 of claim 1. Thereby, it is unclear which specific “radio frequency communications” element is being referenced in the limitation “the radio frequency communications” in line 1 of claim 3.
Note the dependent claims 2-10 necessarily inherit the indefiniteness of the claims on which they depend.
A. Prior-art rejections based at least in part by Khoury
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 (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 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, 4-8 and 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Khoury (US 2017/0324160 A1).
Regarding independent claim 1, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose a device, comprising:
a substrate 44 (“system board”- ¶¶0061, 0073, as depicted in Figs. 3B-3C, which is connected to bumps 29 as shown in Fig. 7D);
a front-end module circuit 51 (“component layer”- ¶0066, specifically the configuration detailed in Fig. 7D) situated over the substrate 44 and configured to provide radio frequency communications (¶0075); and
a wafer-level chip-scale package circuit (i.e., collectively the elements/layer above 51) situated over the front-end module circuit 51 and connected to the front-end module circuit 51 and configured to provide passive components for radio frequency communications (¶¶0066, 0068).
Regarding claim 4, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the front-end module circuit 51 includes a radio frequency power amplifier 74 (“power amplifier”- ¶0075).
Regarding claim 5, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the front-end module circuit 51 includes a radio frequency low-noise amplifier 72 (“LNA”- ¶0075).
Regarding claim 6, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes a radio frequency matching network (i.e., the elements in the routing layers associated with the matching networks- ¶¶0068, 0075).
Regarding claim 7, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes a radio frequency power combiner circuit (i.e., “mixer”- ¶0076).
Regarding claim 8, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes an antenna 14 (“antenna layer”- ¶0066).
Regarding claim 10, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes a redistribution layer (i.e., collectively the dielectric and the routing layers above layer 51- ¶0066) that is part of at least one of a radio frequency matching network (i.e., the elements in the routing layers associated with the matching networks- ¶¶0068, 0075), a radio frequency power combiner (i.e., “mixer”- ¶0076), and an antenna 14 (“antenna layer”- ¶0066) (¶¶0068, 0075).
Regarding independent claim 11, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury discloses a circuit, comprising:
a substrate 44 (“system board”- ¶¶0061, 0073, as depicted in Figs. 3B-3C, which is connected to bumps 29 as shown in Fig. 7D);
a front-end module circuit 51 (“component layer”- ¶0066, specifically the configuration detailed in Fig. 7D) situated over the substrate 44 and including a radio frequency power amplifier 74 (“power amplifier”- ¶0075) and a radio frequency low noise amplifier 72 (“LNA”- ¶0075); and
a wafer-level chip-scale package circuit (i.e., collectively the elements/layer above 51) situated over the front-end module 51 and connected to the front-end module 51 and including a radio frequency matching network (i.e., the elements in the routing layers associated with the matching networks- ¶¶0068, 0075) and an antenna 14 (“antenna layer”- ¶0066).
Regarding claim 12, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes a radio frequency power combiner (i.e., “mixer”- ¶0076).
Regarding claim 13, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes a redistribution layer (i.e., collectively the dielectric and the routing layers above layer 51- ¶0066) that is part of at least one of the radio frequency matching network, the antenna 14, and the radio frequency power combiner (¶¶0068, 0075).
Regarding claim 14, Figures 5A and 7D of Khoury disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit includes a redistribution layer (i.e., collectively the dielectric and the routing layers above layer 51- ¶0066) that is part of a capacitor (i.e., “capacitor”- ¶0075) in the radio frequency matching network or in the radio frequency power combiner (¶¶0068, 0075).
B. Prior-art rejections based at least in part by Nagaishi
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nagaishi et al. (US 2008/0129408 A1, hereinafter “Nagaishi”).
Regarding independent claim 1, Figures 1-4 of Nagaishi disclose a device, comprising:
a substrate 33 (“substrate”- ¶0060);
a front-end module circuit 2 (“RF circuit”- ¶0054) situated over the substrate 1 and configured to provide radio frequency communications (¶¶0054-0056); and
a wafer-level chip-scale package circuit 3/6/7 (collectively elements 3, 6 and 7) situated over an underside of the front-end module circuit 2 and connected to the front-end module circuit 2 and configured to provide passive components for radio frequency communications (¶0054).
Regarding claim 2, Figures 1-4 of Nagaishi disclose wherein the front-end module circuit 2 is configured to provide millimeter wavelength communications (¶¶0054-0056).
Regarding claim 3, Figures 1-4 of Nagaishi disclose wherein the radio frequency communications are millimeter wavelength communications (¶¶0054-0056).
Regarding claim 9, Figures 1-4 of Nagaishi disclose wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit 3/6/7 includes an antenna 3 (“antenna”- ¶0055) for phased-array communications (¶0055).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 15 (which claim 16 depends from), the prior art of record including Khoury and/or Nagaishi, either singularly or in combination, does not disclose or suggest the combination of limitations including, but not limited to, “[the] circuit…comprising a frontside and a backside, wherein the wafer-level chip-scale package circuit is over the frontside and a through-silicon-via extends through the substrate to the backside”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Dutta et al. (US 2023/0088569 A1), which discloses a circuit configured to provide radio frequency communications utilizing amplifiers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAY C CHANG whose telephone number is (571)272-6132. The examiner can normally be reached Mon- Fri 12pm-10pm.
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/JAY C CHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817