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 Objections
Claims 7, 10 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 7, line 2, substitute “the second wires are formed” with --the second wire is formed--.
In claim 10, line 9, add --second-- before “ferrite.”
In claim 10, line 10, substitute “first” with --third-- before “circuit board.”
Claim 11 depends from claim 10, so it is objected for the same reason.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gerhard (DE 10123232 A1, published 11/21/2002, the rejections below are based on a translated document of DE 101232321 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Gerhard discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a base 2 (metal carrier frame; see fig. 1 and related description on page 5); a first circuit board (4, 6) (left ceramic substrate 4 with a semiconductor component 6 mounted thereon form a first circuit board; see fig. 1 and related description on page 5); a second circuit board (4, 6) (middle ceramic substrate 4 with a semiconductor component 6 mounted thereon form a second circuit board; see fig. 1 and related description on page 5) provided on the base 2 at a certain interval from the first circuit board (4, 6) (see fig. 1); a first connector provided with a first wire 12 (wire bonding connection; see fig. 1 and related description on page 5) that is bridged between an upper surface of the first circuit board (4, 6) (left one) and an upper surface of the second circuit board (4, 6) (middle one) to connect the two boards (4, 6) (see fig. 1); and a first ferrite 25 (a potting compound 21 containing ferrite powder 25 is arranged on the base 2 and directly below the first wire 12, such that the ferrite powder 25 in the compound 21 beneath the first wire 12 forms a first ferrite; see fig. 1 and related description on page 6) arranged on the base 2 and directly below the first wire 12 between the first circuit board (4, 6) (left one) and the second circuit board (4, 6) (middle one) (see fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 4, Gerhard discloses wherein the first wire 12 is formed in an upwardly arched shape with respect to the base 2 (see fig. 1).
Regarding Claim 5, Gerhard discloses further comprising: a third circuit board (4, 6) (right ceramic substrate 4 with a semiconductor component 6 mounted thereon form a third circuit board; see fig. 1 and related description on page 5) provided on the base 2 at a certain interval from the second circuit board (4, 6) (middle one) (see fig. 1); a second connector provided with a second wire 12 (wire bonding connection; see fig. 1 and related description on page 5) that is bridged between an upper surface of the third circuit board (4, 6) (right one) and an upper surface of the second circuit board (4, 6) (middle one) to connect the two boards (4, 6) (see fig. 1); and a second ferrite 25 (the potting compound 21 containing ferrite powder 25 is arranged on the base 2 and directly below the second wire 12, such that the ferrite powder 25 in the compound 21 beneath the second wire 12 forms a second ferrite; see fig. 1 and related description on page 6) arranged on the base 2 and directly below the second wire 12 between the third circuit board (4, 6) (right one) and the second circuit board (4, 6) (middle one).
Regarding Claim 7, Gerhard discloses wherein the second wire 12 is formed in an upwardly arched shape with respect to the base 2 (see fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3 and 6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 2 recites the first connector is provided with a plurality of the first wires that are bridged in parallel at a plurality of locations between the upper surface of the first circuit board and the upper surface of the second circuit board to connect the two boards, and the first ferrite is a rectangular body with both side surfaces in a longitudinal direction facing side surfaces of the first circuit board and the second circuit board, respectively, and with both ends in the longitudinal direction having a length exceeding a width of an alignment direction of the plurality of first wires, and is arranged directly below all of the plurality of first wires.
Claim 3 recites the first circuit board is a matching circuit that adjusts a phase of a voltage, and the second circuit board is a field effect transistor power amplifier circuit.
Claim 6 recites the second connector is provided with a plurality of the second wires that are bridged in parallel at a plurality of locations between the third circuit board and the second circuit board to connect the two boards, and the second ferrite is a rectangular body with both sides in a longitudinal direction facing side surfaces of the third circuit board and the second circuit board, respectively, and with both ends in the longitudinal direction having a length exceeding a width of an alignment direction of the plurality of second wires, and is arranged directly below all of the plurality of second wires.
These features in combination with the other elements of the base claim are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claims 8 and 9 are allowed, and claims 10 and 11 will be allowed after overcoming the objections, as disclosed above.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 8 recites arranging a first ferrite on the base and directly below the first wire between the first circuit board and the second circuit board to adjust phase characteristics of the first wire. The ferrite powder 25 in Gerhard does not adjust phase characteristics of the first wire.
These features in combination with the other elements of the claim are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Claims 9-11 depend from claim 8, so they are allowed or will be allowed for the same reason.
Conclusion
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/CHEUNG LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812 December 11, 2025