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 .
Status of the Application
1. Acknowledgement is made of the amendment received on 10/13/2025. Claim 1 is pending in this application. Claims 2-31 are canceled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
2. Claim 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Lien (US 2005/0179119) in view of Read (US 2015/0325548) and Yamakawa et al. (US 6,621,173).
Re claim 1, Lien teaches, Fig. 7, [0024, 0026, 0028], a carrier assembly for processing packaged modules, comprising:
-a plate (metallic leads 11) having a thickness between first and second sides (top & bottom sides) and defining a plurality of openings (between 11) such that each opening extends through the plate (11) between the first and second sides, and
-a double-sided tape (e.g., double side tape) implemented on the first side of the plate (11), the double-sided tape defining a plurality of openings arranged to substantially match the openings of the plate (11), each opening of the double-sided tape dimensioned such that the double-sided tape is capable of providing an adhesive engagement between an underside a perimeter portion of an underside of a package (2, 7) and a perimeter portion about the opening of the double-sided tape, the thickness of the plate (11) selected such that the underside of the package (2, 7) does not protrude on the second side (bottom) of the plate (11) when the package (2, 7) is positioned on the double-side tape.
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Lien does not teach the plate further including a tape removal feature; and the double-sided tape dimensioned such that the tape removal feature of the plate facilitates removal of the double-sided tape from the first side of the plate.
Read teaches, Figs. 6 & 10, [0077], the plate (304) further including a tape removal feature (notch 440); and the double-sided tape (consider tape 306) dimensioned such that the tape removal feature (440) of the plate (304) facilitates removal of the double-sided tape (306) from the first side of the plate (304).
As taught by Read, one of ordinary skill in the art would utilize & modify the above teaching to obtain the plate further including a tape removal feature; and the double-sided tape dimensioned such that the tape removal feature of the plate facilitates removal of the double-sided tape from the first side of the plate as claimed, because it aids in facilitating removal of the tape from the plate and facilitating processing of the singulated RF packages positioned in their respective apertures.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ the teaching as taught by Read in combination with Lien due to above reason.
Lien/Read does not explicitly teach solder balls on the underside of the package.
Yamakawa teaches, in flip view of Fig 2, solder balls (solder bumps 10) on the underside of the package (1).
As taught by Yamakawa, one of ordinary skill in the art would utilize & modify the above teaching to obtain solder balls on the underside of the package as claimed, because it aids in improving bonding & electrical connection in the formed package.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ the teaching as taught by Yamakawa in combination with Lin/Read due to above reason.
3. Claim 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Lien (US 2005/0179119) in view of Read (US 2015/0325548) and Onodera et al. (US 2005/0269682).
Re claim 1, Lien teaches, Fig. 7, [0024, 0026, 0028], a carrier assembly for processing packaged modules, comprising:
-a plate (metallic leads 11) having a thickness between first and second sides (top & bottom sides) and defining a plurality of openings (between 11) such that each opening extends through the plate (11) between the first and second sides, and
-a double-sided tape (e.g., double side tape) implemented on the first side of the plate (11), the double-sided tape defining a plurality of openings arranged to substantially match the openings of the plate (11), each opening of the double-sided tape dimensioned such that the double-sided tape is capable of providing an adhesive engagement between an underside a perimeter portion of an underside of a package (2, 7) and a perimeter portion about the opening of the double-sided tape, the thickness of the plate (11) selected such that the underside of the package (2, 7) does not protrude on the second side (bottom) of the plate (11) when the package (2, 7) is positioned on the double-side tape.
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Lien does not teach the plate further including a tape removal feature; and the double-sided tape dimensioned such that the tape removal feature of the plate facilitates removal of the double-sided tape from the first side of the plate.
Read teaches, Figs. 6 & 10, [0077], the plate (304) further including a tape removal feature (notch 440); and the double-sided tape (consider tape 306) dimensioned such that the tape removal feature (440) of the plate (304) facilitates removal of the double-sided tape (306) from the first side of the plate (304).
As taught by Read, one of ordinary skill in the art would utilize & modify the above teaching to obtain the plate further including a tape removal feature; and the double-sided tape dimensioned such that the tape removal feature of the plate facilitates removal of the double-sided tape from the first side of the plate as claimed, because it aids in facilitating removal of the tape from the plate and facilitating processing of the singulated RF packages positioned in their respective apertures.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ the teaching as taught by Read in combination with Lien due to above reason.
Lien/Read does not explicitly teach solder balls on the underside of the package.
Onodera teaches, Fig. 110, [0073, 0078], solder balls (113) on the underside of the package (110).
As taught by Onodera, one of ordinary skill in the art would utilize & modify the above teaching to obtain solder balls on the underside of the package as claimed, because it aids in improving electrical connection in the formed package.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ the teaching as taught by Onodera in combination with Lin/Read due to above reason.
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant's arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection. Response to arguments on newly added limitations are responded to in the above rejection.
Conclusion
5. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUY T.V. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7431. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7AM-4PM, alternative Friday off.
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/DUY T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818 10/20/25