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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, encompassing claims 1-11 and 19-29, in the reply filed on February 9, 2026 is acknowledged.
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)(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, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 19, 21, 23 and 25-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Noda (US Patent Application Publication no. 2013/0081939).
Regarding claim 1, Noda discloses an electroplating system (abstract), comprising:
a vessel (10; figures 1-2; paragraph 55);
an electrolytic plating solution (11) in the vessel (paragraph 56);
a cathode terminal configured to electrically connect with a workpiece (W) that is-disposed in the vessel (10) submerged in the electrolytic plating solution (11; paragraph 57);
a first anode terminal (40A-1) in the electrolytic plating solution (11) on a first side of the workpiece (W; figure 2; paragraph 19);
a second anode terminal (40B-1) in the electrolytic plating solution (11) on a second side of the workpiece (W) opposite the first side (paragraph 58);
a first variable power supply (50A-1) coupled between the cathode terminal and the first anode terminal (40A; figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59); and
a second variable power supply (50B-1) coupled between the cathode terminal and the second anode terminal (40B; figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided; paragraph 59).
Regarding claim 3, Noda further teaches wherein the first variable power supply includes a first variable current power supply; and the second variable power supply includes a second variable current power supply (figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 4, the electroplating system of Noda includes an electrolytic plating solution (11) in the vessel (10; figure 2; paragraphs 55, 58), and wherein the first anode terminal (40A) and the second anode terminal (40B) each includes a solid plating material that is soluble in the electrolytic plating solution (11; paragraphs 40, 66-67).
Regarding claim 6, Noda teaches a third anode terminal (40A-2) in the electrolytic plating solution (11) on the first side of the workpiece (W; figure 1); a fourth anode terminal (40B-2) in the electrolytic plating solution (11) on the second side of the workpiece (W); a third variable power supply (50A-2) coupled between the cathode terminal and the third anode terminal (40A-2); and a fourth variable power supply (50B-2) coupled between the cathode terminal and the fourth anode terminal (40B-2).
Regarding claim 8, Noda discloses wherein: the third variable power supply includes a first variable current power supply; and the fourth variable power supply includes a second variable current power supply (figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 10, Noda teaches wherein the first variable power supply (50A-1) is configured to provide a first plating current that is based on an area of at least one plateable surface on the first side of the workpiece (W); and the second variable power supply (50B-1) is configured to provide a second plating current that is based on an area of at least one plateable surface on the second side of the workpiece (W; figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 11, Noda discloses wherein: the first variable power supply (50A-1) is configured to provide a first plating current for plating at least one plateable surface on the first side of the workpiece (W) at a current density; and the second variable power supply (50B-1) is configured to provide a second plating current for plating at least one plateable surface on the second side of the workpiece at the current density (figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 19, Noda discloses an electroplating system (abstract), comprising:
a vessel (10; figures 1-2);
a common cathode terminal (30) configured to electrically connect with a workpiece (W) that is disposed in the vessel (10; paragraph 57);
a first variable power supply (50A-1) coupled between the common cathode terminal (30) and a first anode terminal (40A-1) on a first side of the workpiece (W; figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59);
a second variable power supply (50B-1) coupled between the common cathode terminal (30) and a second anode terminal (40B-1) on the first side of the workpiece (W);
a third variable power supply (50A-2) coupled between the common cathode terminal (30) and a third anode terminal (50A-2) on a second side of the workpiece opposite the first side; and
a fourth variable power supply (50B-2) coupled between the common cathode terminal and a fourth anode terminal (50B-2) on the second side of the workpiece (W; figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 21, Noda teaches wherein: the first variable power supply(50A-1) includes a first variable current power supply; the second variable power supply (50B-1) includes a second variable current power supply; the third variable power supply (50A-2) includes a third variable current power supply; and the fourth variable power supply (50B-2) includes a fourth variable current power supply (figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 23, Noda teaches an electroplating system (abstract) comprising:
a cathode terminal (30) configured to electrically connect with a workpiece (W) that is submerged in an electrolytic plating solution (11; figures 1-2; paragraphs 55-59);
a first anode terminal (40A-1) submerged in the electrolytic plating solution (11) and configured to supply a first plating current for electroplating at least one plateable surface on a first side of the workpiece (W; paragraph 59); and
a second anode terminal (40B-1) submerged in the electrolytic plating solution (11) and configured to supply a second plating current for electroplating at least one plateable surface on a second side of the workpiece (W), the second plating current being different than the first plating current, the second side of the workpiece (W) being opposite the first side of the workpiece (figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 25, Noda further discloses wherein the first plating current is based on an area of the at least one plateable surface on the first side of the workpiece (/w); and the second plating current is based on an area of the at least one plateable surface on the second side of the workpiece (W; figure 1 – a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 26, Noda teaches wherein the first plating current is used for plating a first portion of the at least one plateable surface on the first side of the workpiece, and the second plating current is used for plating a first portion of the at least one plateable surface on the second side of the workpiece (a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59),
the electroplating system further comprising:
a third anode terminal (40A-2) submerged in the electrolytic plating solution (11) and configured to supply a third plating current for electroplating a second portion of the at least one plateable surface on the first side of the workpiece (W); and a fourth anode terminal (40B-2) submerged in the electrolytic plating solution (11) and configured to supply a fourth plating current for electroplating a second portion of the at least one plateable surface on the second side of the workpiece (W; a plurality of power supplies 50A-1 to 50A-4 and 50B-1 to 50B-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 27, Noda teaches wherein the third plating current is different than the first plating current; and the fourth plating current is different than the second plating current (a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 28, Noda discloses wherein the third plating current is equal to the first plating current; and the fourth plating current is equal to the second plating current (a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Regarding claim 29, Noda teaches wherein the third plating current is equal to the first plating current; and the fourth plating current is different than the second plating current (a plurality of power supplies 50-1 to 50-4 are provided to independently control current supplied to the corresponding split anodes; paragraphs 16, 22, 48-49, 59).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 nonobviousness.
Claims 2, 7, 9, 20, 22 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noda as applied to claims 1, 6, 19 and 23 above, and further in view of Hwang (KR-10-2015-0073641).
Regarding claim 2, Noda teaches all the features discussed above, but fails to disclose wherein the first and second variable power supply units include a variable voltage power supply.
Hwang discloses an electrical plating device comprising variable voltage power supply units in order to control the voltage across the electrodes to enhance the plating performance and quality of the process (pages 3-4 under Tech Solution; pages 4-6 under Description of Embodiments).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use variable voltage power supply units in the electroplating system of Noda, as taught by Hwang, in order to enhance the plating performance and quality of the process.
Regarding claim 7, Hwang discloses an electrical plating device comprising variable voltage power supply units in order to control the voltage across the electrodes to enhance the plating performance and quality of the process (pages 3-4 under Tech Solution; pages 4-6 under Description of Embodiments). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use variable voltage power supply units in the electroplating system of Noda, as taught by Hwang, in order to enhance the plating performance and quality of the process.
Regarding claim 9, the workpiece of Hwang is a strip of block molded semiconductor device assemblies (page 2, paragraph 3).
Regarding claim 20, Hwang discloses an electrical plating device comprising variable voltage power supply units in order to control the voltage across the electrodes to enhance the plating performance and quality of the process (pages 3-4 under Tech Solution; pages 4-6 under Description of Embodiments). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use variable voltage power supply units in the electroplating system of Noda, as taught by Hwang, in order to enhance the plating performance and quality of the process.
Regarding claim 22, the workpiece of Hwang is a strip of block molded semiconductor device assemblies (page 2, paragraph 3).
Regarding claim 24, the workpiece of Hwang is a strip of block molded semiconductor device assemblies (page 2, paragraph 3).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Noda as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Stahl et al. (US Patent Application Publication no. 2021/0017666)
Regarding claim 5, Noda teaches all the features discussed above, but fails to disclose wherein the electrolytic plating solution includes: methane sulfonic acid (MSA); and a liquid plating material.
Stahl discloses an electrochemical deposition system wherein the electrolyte may comprise an acid solution, i.e. methane sulfonic acid (MSA) is commonly utilized (paragraph 62). It is important to note that the electrolyte is the material worked upon by this apparatus, and as such, its composition does not serve to structurally define the apparatus, beyond imparting the limitation that the device should be capable of containing an electrolyte in contact with the electrodes.
One having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing would have found it obvious to use an electrolyte comprising methane sulfonic acid in the electroplating system of Noda because as taught by Stahl, MSA is commonly utilized in electrochemical deposition systems, and one would have a reasonable expectation of success in doing so.
Conclusion
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/ZULMARIAM MENDEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794