Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/340,556

PACKAGE COMPRISING SIDEWALL INTERCONNECTS CONFIGURED FOR POWER ROUTING

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jun 23, 2023
Examiner
CLINTON, EVAN GARRETT
Art Unit
2899
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
2 (Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 1m
To Grant
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allow Rate
483 granted / 549 resolved
+20.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+5.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
576
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
56.7%
+16.7% vs TC avg
§102
28.6%
-11.4% vs TC avg
§112
14.1%
-25.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 549 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . 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 1-20 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. Claims 1 and 11 both recites the limitation "the encapsulation layer" in lines 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. All other claims depend from either claim 1 or 11 and inherit the deficiencies of claims 1 and 11. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claims 1-20, the prior art, alone or in combination, fails to teach or suggest wherein the first plurality of bump interconnects are coupled to and touch the first integrated device and the package substrate, wherein the encapsulation layer is coupled to and touches the package substrate and the metallization portion, and wherein the second plurality of bump interconnects are coupled to and touch the second integrated device and the metallization portion. Conclusion 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 Evan G Clinton whose telephone number is (571)270-0525. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday at 8:30am to 5:30pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Zandra Smith can be reached at 571-272-2429. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /EVAN G CLINTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 23, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 24, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Mar 16, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 26, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Patent 12588557
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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
88%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+5.5%)
2y 1m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 549 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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