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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species 6, claims 1, 3, 4, 9 and 10, in the reply filed on March 20, 2026 is acknowledged. However, upon further inspection, Examiner notes that claim 10 does not belong with the elected species/embodiment. Claim 10 belongs to non-elected Species 9, Embodiment IX, Fig. 7, which is an electronic device that includes a plurality of relay modules (item 147) of non-elected Species 1, upper and lower arm modules, a noise removal element and a peripheral component. Species 6 is directed to relay module (item 355) which is structurally different from non-elected species 1-5, 7, 8 and lacks upper and lower arm modules, a noise removal element and a peripheral component of non-elected Species 9. Therefore, claims 2, 5-8 and 10-13 have been withdrawn. Claims 1, 3, 4 and 9 will be prosecuted. Action on the merits is as follows:
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suwa et al. (Suwa) (WO 2017119226 A1) in view of Beffa (US 5,657,284).
In regards to claim 1, Suwa (Figs. 1, 5 and associated text) discloses a semiconductor module (Fig. 1, 5) comprising: a switching element (item 11) having a drain (lower electrode not shown, but mentioned), a source (item 14, upper surface electrode), and a gate (item 21, control electrode); a sealing portion (item 22) having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and molding the switching element (item11); a drain terminal (item 18) connected to the drain (lower electrode not shown, but mentioned); a source terminal (item 16) connected to the source (item 14); a gate terminal (item 19) connected to the gate (item 21, control electrode); and a non-potential terminal (item 15), wherein each of the drain terminal (item 18), the source terminal (item 16), and the gate terminal (item 19) is exposed from the sealing portion on a short side of the rectangular shape, but does not explicitly disclose a non-potential terminal.
Beffa (Fig. 1 and associated text) discloses a non-connection pin (item NC) that is exposed on two sides of the protection material (item 104).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the teachings of Beffa for the purpose of testing.
Suwa as modified by Beffa does not specifically disclose the non-potential terminal is disposed at least at one corner of the sealing portion.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the invention to include a non-potential terminal is disposed at least at one corner of the sealing portion, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art (In re Japiske, 86 USPQ 70).
In regards to claim 3, Suwa (Figs. 1, 5, 14, 15 and associated text) discloses wherein the gate terminal (items 19, 33 or 32) is disposed to be interposed between terminals (items 33, 50 or 32, 50) that are different from the gate terminal (items 19, 33 or 32).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of various embodiments of Suwa for the purpose of different device configurations.
In regards to claim 4, Suwa (Figs. 14, 15 and associated text) discloses wherein the drain terminal (items 32 or 33) and the gate terminal (items 32 or 33) are disposed along one side of the sealing portion, and the source terminal (item 34) is disposed along another side of the sealing portion opposite to the side along which the drain terminal (items 32 or 33) and the gate (items 32 or 33) are aligned.
In regards to claim 9, Suwa (Figs. 1, 5, 14, 15 and associated text) discloses wherein the switching element (item 11) includes a relay element that is configured to switch connection and disconnection between an inverter circuit and an output terminal. Applicant needs to claim structurally how the relay element is configured in order “to switch connection and disconnection between an inverter circuit and an output terminal”.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suwa et al. (Suwa) (WO 2017119226 A1) in view of Miyachi et al. (Miyachi) (WO 2021080016 A1).
In regards to claim 1, Suwa (Figs. 1, 5 and associated text) discloses a semiconductor module (Fig. 1, 5) comprising: a switching element (item 11) having a drain (lower electrode not shown, but mentioned), a source (item 14, upper surface electrode), and a gate (item 21, control electrode); a sealing portion (item 22) having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and molding the switching element (item11); a drain terminal (item 18) connected to the drain (lower electrode not shown, but mentioned); a source terminal (item 16) connected to the source (item 14); a gate terminal (item 19) connected to the gate (item 21, control electrode); and a non-potential terminal (item 15), wherein each of the drain terminal (item 18), the source terminal (item 16), and the gate terminal (item 19) is exposed from the sealing portion on a short side of the rectangular shape, but does not explicitly disclose a non-potential terminal.
Miyachi (Figs. 26, 27 and associated text) discloses a non-potential terminal (items 1206, 1207, 1208, 1209), and the non-potential terminal (items 1206, 1207, 1208, 1209) is disposed at least at one corner of the sealing portion (item 1220), and is expose on two sides of the sealing portion (item 1220).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the teachings of Miyachi for the purpose of protection and or heat dissipation.
In regards to claim 3, Suwa (Figs. 1, 5, 14, 15 and associated text) discloses wherein the gate terminal (items 19, 33 or 32) is disposed to be interposed between terminals (items 33, 50 or 32, 50) that are different from the gate terminal (items 19, 33 or 32).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of various embodiments of Suwa for the purpose of different device configurations.
In regards to claim 4, Suwa (Figs. 14, 15 and associated text) discloses wherein the drain terminal (items 32 or 33) and the gate terminal (items 32 or 33) are disposed along one side of the sealing portion, and the source terminal (item 34) is disposed along another side of the sealing portion opposite to the side along which the drain terminal (items 32 or 33) and the gate (items 32 or 33) are aligned.
In regards to claim 9, Suwa (Figs. 1, 5, 14, 15 and associated text) discloses wherein the switching element (item 11) includes a relay element that is configured to switch connection and disconnection between an inverter circuit and an output terminal. Applicant needs to claim structurally how the relay element is configured in order “to switch connection and disconnection between an inverter circuit and an output terminal”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TELLY D GREEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3204. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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TELLY D. GREEN
Examiner
Art Unit 2898
/TELLY D GREEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898 May 7, 2026
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