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 .
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s communication filed on June 14, 2023. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-20 are currently presented in the instant application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 6/14/2023 and 7/3/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 7-9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 7, in line 1, “an” should be changed to --the--
Claim 8, in line 1, “an” should be changed to --the--
Claim 9, in line 1, “an” should be changed to --the--
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)(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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yeon et al. (US 2023/0014567).
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With respect to claim 1, Yeon discloses in figure 1A an antenna module (having patch antenna 138) comprising: an antenna body (AB, e.g., an antenna body) comprising a first surface (S1, e.g., a first surface) for attaching the antenna module to an external substrate (110, e.g., a substrate), and a second surface (S2, e.g., a second surface) through which the antenna module transmits and receives electromagnetic signals (see figure 1A shows the patch antenna 138 for transmits and receives the signals thereof), wherein the first surface is opposite to the second surface (see figure 1A); an antenna conductive pattern (124-126, 130-132, e.g., metal interconnects formed as antenna conductive patterns thereof) formed within the antenna body (see figure 1A); and a shielding fence (109, e.g., EMI shield) laterally surrounding the antenna conductive pattern for shielding electromagnetic interferences (see figure 1A and paragraph 0023, e.g., “an electromagnetic interference shield 109” formed surrounding thereof).
With respect to claim 2, Yeon discloses that wherein the shielding fence is formed within the antenna body (see figure 1A, e.g., where the shield 109 formed in the antenna body AB).
With respect to claim 2, Yeon discloses that wherein the shielding fence is formed on lateral surfaces of the antenna body (see figure 1A).
With respect to claim 3, Yeon discloses that wherein further comprises a plurality of solder connects (118, e.g., solder interconnects) on the first surface of the antenna body for attaching the antenna module to the external substrate (see figure 1A).
With respect to claim 5, Yeon discloses that wherein the shielding fence extends between the first surface and the second surface of the antenna body (see figure 1A).
With respect to claim 6, Yeon discloses that wherein the shielding fence is made of the same material as the antenna conductive pattern (figure 1A shows the EMI shield 109 having the same material thereof).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-20 are allowed.
Claims 7-9 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Prior art of record fails to disclose or fairly suggest the following limitations:
A semiconductor device, comprising: … “a second electronic component attached on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the second electronic component is coupled to the first electronic component and the antenna module through at least two of the substrate conductive patterns; and a shielding layer formed on the second electronic component for shielding electronic interferences”, in combination with the remaining claimed limitations as claimed in independent claim 10 (claims 11-16 would be allowable as being dependent on claim 10).
A method for making a semiconductor device, comprising: … “attaching a second electronic component on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the second electronic component is coupled to the first electronic component and the antenna module through at least two of the substrate conductive patterns; and forming a shielding layer on the second electronic component for shielding electronic interferences”, in combination with the remaining claimed limitations as claimed in independent claim 17 (claims 18-20 would be allowable as being dependent on claim 17).
An antenna module comprising … “a method … providing an antenna strip, wherein the antenna strip comprises a plurality of antenna conductive patterns and a plurality of shielding fences each laterally surrounding an antenna conductive pattern, wherein each two adjacent shielding fences is connected together at a shared side wall; and singulating the antenna strip at the shared side walls of each two adjacent shielding fences to separate the plurality of antenna conductive patterns from each other, wherein the shared side walls are thicker than a corresponding portion of the antenna strip that is removed due to the singulation such that each of the separated antenna conductive patterns is laterally surrounded by a shielding fence after the singulation”, as claimed in dependent claim 7.
An antenna module comprising … “a method … providing an antenna strip, wherein the antenna strip comprises a plurality of antenna conductive patterns and a plurality of shielding fences each laterally surrounding an antenna conductive pattern, wherein each two adjacent shielding fences is spaced apart from each other via an isolation area; and singulating the antenna strip at the isolation areas to separate the plurality of antenna conductive patterns from each other, wherein the isolation areas are thicker than a corresponding portion of the antenna strip that is removed due to the singulation such that each of the separated antenna conductive patterns is laterally surrounded by a shielding fence after the singulation”, as claimed in dependent claim 8.
An antenna module comprising … “a method … providing an antenna strip comprising a plurality of antenna conductive patterns, wherein the antenna strip comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; mounting solder connects on the second surface of the antenna strip, wherein the solder connects are electrically connected to the plurality of antenna conductive patterns; attaching a deposition mask on either of the first surface and the second surface of the antenna strip; singulating the antenna strip to separate the plurality of antenna conductive patterns from each other; depositing a shielding material on the deposition mask and lateral surfaces of each of the separated antenna conductive patterns; and removing the deposition mask and the shielding material deposited thereon”, as claimed in dependent claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Prior art Yeon et al. – US 2021/0091017
Prior art Kim et al. – US 2021/0066814
Prior art Lim et al. – US 2019/0051989
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/TUNG X LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844 February 27, 2026