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 .
The allowability subject matter indicated in the office action mailed 2/26/26 is withdrawn in view of a new reference found in an updated search.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Izuoka et al. (8,093,707).
Re claim 1, Izuoka et al. disclose a die pad (150a) having a die (210) disposing area (Fig. 1B); a plurality of lead pads (130) located around the die pad; an outer frame (110), located at a periphery of the die pad and the lead pads (Fig. 1A); at least two tie bars (120/140), respectively connected between the outer frame (110) and two opposite sides of the die pad (Fig. 1A); wherein the tie bars (120) includes a thermal deformation mitigation structure ([0043]); wherein the thermal deformation mitigation structure includes a multi-thickness structure (121/122) in the die pad and the tie bars (Fig. 2).
Re claim 3, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein the multi-thickness structure (121/122) (Fig. 3) is disposed at fringes of the die pad and the tie bars (120 ~ Fig. 1A), and the multi-thickness structure has a first thickness (121) and a second thickness (122) (Fig. 3), wherein the second thickness (122) is thicker than the first thickness (121), wherein a part of the first thickness is at outer portions of the fringes of the die pad and the tie bars, and a part of the second thickness (122) is at inner portions of the fringes of the die pad and the tie bars (Fig. 1A).
Re claim 4, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein a part of the first thickness (121) in the tie bars is connected to the die pad by a larger contact area than another part of the first thickness in the tie bars which is connected to the outer frame (Fig. 1A).
Re claim 5, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein the first thickness is formed by semi-etching an original thickness to reduce the original thickness to the first thickness ([0038]).
Re claim 6, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein a part of the second thickness in the tie bars includes a first width and a second width, wherein the first width is smaller than the second width, and wherein the first width is closer to the die pad, and the second width is closer to the outer frame (Fig. 1A).
Re claim 7, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein a part of the second thickness (122) in the tie bars includes a continuously-varying-width structure or a discrete-step structure, wherein a narrower side of the continuously-varying-width structure or the discrete-step structure is closer to the die pad, and a wider side of the continuously-varying-width structure or the discrete-step structure is closer to the outer frame (Fig. 1A).
Re claim 8, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein the lead frame is applied to a quad flat no lead (QFN) package (Col.8, lines 20-22), quad flat package (QFN) ([0061]).
Re claim 9, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein when a chip die (210) is disposed on the die pad, or when the chip die and the lead pads are connected by lead wires, a press tool is put on the outer frame to reduce the influence of thermal deformation ([0008] & [0038]).
Re claim 10, Izuoka et al. disclose wherein the tie bars (120) are respectively connected to two eccentric positions of the die pad (Fig. 11A).
Re claim 11, Izuoka et al. disclose providing a lead frame (110), which includes a die pad (150a), a plurality of lead pads, an outer frame, and at least two tie bars separately connected between the die pad and the outer frame, wherein at least one of the die pad and the tie bars (120/140) includes a thermal deformation mitigation structure ([0043]); putting a pressing tool on the outer frame ([0038]); and disposing a chip die (210) on the die pad, and/or disposing a plurality of lead wires on the corresponding lead pads; wherein the thermal deformation mitigation structure includes a multi-thickness structure in at least one of the die pad and the tie bars ([0043]~ Figs. 2-4C).
Re claim 12, Izuoka et al. disclose further including: removing the pressing tool; and packaging the lead frame, the chip die, and the lead wires by a package material (220~ Fig. 11B).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE MANDALA whose telephone number is (571)272-1858. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00 PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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/MICHELLE MANDALA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893 May 19, 2026
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