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
Claims 5-6 (figure 7), 7 (figure 8), 8-9 (figure 9), and 12-14 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species and method, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/9/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Trenz (DE 102020211192).
a. As to claim 1 Trenz teaches a semiconductor module including a semiconductor device (figures 3-4 and [0004] Trenz states “Such inverters include semiconductor switching elements typically formed of transistors. It is known to provide the semiconductor switching elements in different degrees of integration, namely either as discrete individual switches with a low degree of integration but high scalability, as bridge modules with a high degree of integration but low scalability, and as half-bridge modules, which in terms of degree of integration and scalability between individual switches and bridge modules rank”) ;a sealing material adapted to seal the semiconductor module (item 13); and a second terminal to be arranged outside the sealing material (item 12), wherein the semiconductor module includes a first terminal that is electrically connected to the semiconductor device and extends to outside of the sealing material (item 11) ,the first terminal is joined to the second terminal outside the sealing material ( Trenz states: . In contrast to the fillet weld of the 1 should according to 2 a penetration welding process can be used to weld the busbar 12 to the power contact 11 (Page 7 of the translation)), a thickness of the second terminal in a direction perpendicular to a joined face of the first terminal and the second terminal is defined as a thickness of the second terminal (see e.g. figure 3), a thickness of the first terminal at a portion extending from the sealing material in the direction perpendicular to the joined face is defined as a thickness of the first terminal per figure 3), and the thickness of the second terminal is greater than the thickness of the first terminal (per Trenz 3 shows by way of example and schematically a half-bridge module 10 of an in 3 Inverter according to the invention, not shown, with a power contact 11 designed as a phase contact 11''' and a busbar 12 made of comparatively thick material for contacting the phase contact 11''').
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.
Claim(s) 2-4 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trenz.
b. As to claim 2, Trenz teaches a semiconductor module including a semiconductor device (figures 3-4 and [0004] of Trenz states “Such inverters include semiconductor switching elements typically formed of transistors. It is known to provide the semiconductor switching elements in different degrees of integration, namely either as discrete individual switches with a low degree of integration but high scalability, as bridge modules with a high degree of integration but low scalability, and as half-bridge modules, which in terms of degree of integration and scalability between individual switches and bridge modules rank”); a sealing material adapted to seal the semiconductor module (item 13); and a second terminal to be arranged outside the sealing material (item 12), wherein the semiconductor module includes a first terminal that is electrically connected to the semiconductor device and extends to outside of the sealing material (item 11), the first terminal is joined to the second terminal outside the sealing material (figure 3 Trenz states: . In contrast to the fillet weld of the 1 should according to 2 a penetration welding process can be used to weld the busbar 12 to the power contact 11), and regarding the first terminal at a portion extending from the sealing material, a length from a boundary portion between the first terminal and the sealing material to a distal end of the first terminal is defined as a length of the first terminal (figure 3 it could be considered at the bend 14 or at the end 16 since both are “distal” the office will treat 14 to be the length), a width of the first terminal in a direction that is horizontal to the boundary portion and is perpendicular to a direction of the length is defined as a width of the first terminal (figure 3 and 4 the into the page of figure 3 or along the interface of 11” and 12”)
Trenz does not explicitly teach the length of the first terminal is shorter than the width of the first terminal.
Applicant shows no unexpected results for the relative sizes.
Increasing the width of 11” would increase the surface area for bonding 12” to 11” thus increasing the bond strength.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide width larger than the length to increase bond strength between 12” and 11”.
b. As to claim 3-4, Trenz teaches the thickness of 12 is greater than 11 (Trenz states: In contrast, the busbar 12''', which is designed as a phase busbar 12''' and makes contact with the phase contacts 11''', has a comparatively large material thickness).
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Thus, the area of 11” is the thickness 11 X width 11 and the area of the interface is the thickness of 12 X the width of 12. The thickness 12> thickness of 11 per Trenz. Trenz is silent as to whether the widths of 11 and 12 are the same but figure 4 appears to suggest this.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide the area of 12” to have the same width as 11” to ensure a good bond at the interface.
Thus, width of 11 and 12 would both be equal to a constant say w. The cross-sectional area of 11 is: thickness 11Xw and the bond area is :the thickness of 12 X w
Thus, the bond/joined area is larger than the cross-sectional area.
c. As to claim 10-11, Trenz teaches the device is an inverter for Electric vehicles:
The invention relates to a method for producing an inverter for an electric drive of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 and an inverter according to the preamble of claim 6.
Purely electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are known in the prior art, which are driven exclusively or in support of one or more electric machines as drive units. In order to supply the electric machines of such electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles with electric energy, the electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles include electric energy stores, in particular rechargeable electric batteries. These batteries are designed as DC voltage sources, but the electrical machines usually require an AC voltage. Therefore, power electronics with a so-called inverter are usually connected between a battery and an electric machine of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.
Such inverters include semiconductor switching elements typically formed of transistors. It is known to provide the semiconductor switching elements in different degrees of integration, namely either as discrete individual switches with a low degree of integration but high scalability, as bridge modules with a high degree of integration but low scalability, and as half-bridge modules, which in terms of degree of integration and scalability between individual switches and bridge modules rank
In the DE 10 2006 050 291 A1 describes an electronic assembly that includes a semiconductor power switch and a semiconductor diode. In this case, a lower side of the semiconductor power switch comprises an output contact mounted on a die pad of a leadframe and an upper side of the semiconductor power switch comprises a control contact and an input contact. An anode contact of the semiconductor diode is arranged on and electrically connected to the input contact of the semiconductor power switch. A cathode contact of the diode is electrically connected to the output contact of the power semiconductor switch.
the DE 10 2006 008 632 A1 discloses a power semiconductor component comprising a lead frame, at least one vertical power semiconductor component and at least one further electronic component. The vertical power semiconductor component has a first side and a second side. At least a first contact area and at least one control contact area are arranged on the first side and a second contact area is arranged on the second side. The at least one further electronic component is arranged on the second contact surface of the vertical power semiconductor component.
While Trenz is silent with respect to the bandgap of the material of the semiconductor device. SiC and GaN (both having bandgap larger than Silicon) HEMTs and devices were used for fast switching higher voltage thresholds better thermal dissipation.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing have formed the inverter using either SiC or GaN semiconductor devices for fast switching higher voltage thresholds better thermal dissipation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW L REAMES whose telephone number is (571)272-2408. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 6:00 am-4:00 pm EST.
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/MATTHEW L. REAMES/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2896
/MATTHEW L REAMES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896