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 § 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, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CHOI (US PG Pub 2020/0381399, hereinafter Choi).
Regarding claim 1, figure 1 of Lin discloses a storage device, comprising:
a substrate (100) of a memory package that includes a first pin pad (200);
a controller (¶80-85 and Fig 1, 350) mounted on the substrate and electrically connected to the first pin pad, the controller being configured to manage data communications on a data channel (¶ 80-85 and Fig. 12-13); and
a first memory die (360, ¶80-85), comprising: a front pin pad (600, furtherst away left side) electrically connected to the first pin pad of the substrate by way of a first bond wire (900,¶ 31);
a rear pin pad (600, second closest to the right side);
a first conductor segment (Fig 1-2, 760, ¶ 51) electrically connecting the front pin pad (600, furtherst away left side) and the rear pin pad (600, second closest to the right side) of the first memory die; and
a plurality of memory cells 300S, ¶ 80-85 teaching the memory and controllers of Fig 12-13 applying to any prior embodiment) configured to provide non-volatile storage accessible by way of the data channel (¶ 80-85).
Regarding claim 4, figure 1 of Choi discloses the rear pin pad (250a) is electrically connected to a pin pad of a second memory die (300S) by way of a second bond wire (900, ¶31), thereby extending the data channel to at least the second memory die (¶ 80-85).
Regarding claim 5, Choi discloses the first conductor segment introduces an additional impedance on a segment of the channel between the front pin pad and the rear pin pad of the first memory die of at least 100 picohenry (pH)(¶ 65 and see Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 8, figure 1 of Choi discloses the plurality of memory cells are electrically connected to the data channel by way of the rear pin pad of the first memory die (300S and furthest pin pads are all connected, ¶ 80-85).
Regarding claim 10, figure 1 of Choi discloses the front (600 furthest away left side) and rear (600 second closest to the right side) pin pads and the first conductor segment (760, ¶ 51) are formed on a top surface of the first memory die (360), wherein the first conductor segment is a conductor land.
Regarding claim 11, figure 1 of Choi discloses the entire claimed invention as noted in the above rejections (see claims1 and 10).
Regarding claims 14-15, and 18, figure 1 of Choi discloses the entire claimed invention as noted in the above rejections.
Regarding claim 20, figure 1 of Choi discloses the entire claimed invention as noted in the above rejections (see claims1 and 10).
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.
Claims 6-7, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi.
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Choi does not explicitly disclose the additional impedance on the segment is between 300 and 500 picohenry (pH).
However, it would have been obvious to form the device so the additional impedance is within the claimed range, since it has been held by the Federal circuit that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims was a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device was not patentably distinct from the prior art device. (In Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984)).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Choi does not explicitly disclose the first conductor segment defines a conductor having a length of between 200 microns and 350 microns and a conductor width between 3 microns and 15 microns.
However, it would have been obvious to form the first conductor segment with dimensions within the claimed ranges, since it has been held by the Federal circuit that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims was a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device was not patentably distinct from the prior art device. (In Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 9, 12, 13 and 19 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.
Conclusion
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/YU-HSI D SUN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817