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 .
This Office Action is in response to the application filed September 20, 2023.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the plurality of turns must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to because there are no reference characters for the plurality of turns. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE INCLUDING INNER LEAD PORTIONS.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In regard to claim 1, it is not understood what is meant by and what actually constitutes the plurality of turns.
In regard to claim 3, what direction is the wiring direction in?
Claims 2-6 are rejected as being dependent upon rejected claim 1.
Claims 3-4 recite the limitation "the inner leads" in line 2 of both claims and line 6 of claim 4; and
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the four outer edge sides" in line 8.
There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jones (WO 9303871 A1).
In regard to claim 1, Jones teaches a semiconductor package 10 comprising: a package main body portion 12; a bed portion 14 which is provided on a center side of the package main body portion 12 and on which a semiconductor chip 15 is mounted; and an inner lead portion 20 formed in a plurality of turns to surround a periphery of an outer edge side of the bed portion 14, the inner lead portion 20 including a plurality of inner leads (See Figure 1) for establishing connection with the semiconductor chip 15 (Figures 1-2, pages 7-9, lines 3-31, 1-31 and 1-16, respectively).
In regard to claim 2, Jones teaches a plurality of the inner leads 20/22 disposed in a spiral shape to surround a periphery of the semiconductor chip 15 (Figures 1-3, pages 7-9, lines 3-31, 1-31 and 1-16, respectively).
In regard to claim 3, each of the inner leads 20/22 having an island portion 18 bulging laterally with respect to a wiring direction at a plurality of locations (Figures 1-3, pages 7-9, lines 3-31, 1-31 and 1-16, respectively).
In regard to claim 4, Jones teaches each of the inner leads 20/22 arranged side by side in a rectangular shape or a square shape in a plurality of turns around four sides of outer edge sides of the bed portion 14 having a substantially rectangular shape or a square shape, and each of the inner leads 20/22 has a configuration in which an entire length in each winding is: - formed over an entire of the four outer edge sides of the bed portion 14; - formed over three sides of the outer edge sides of the bed portion 14; - formed over two sides of the outer edge sides of the bed portion 14; or - formed in units of each side of the outer edge sides of the bed portion 14 (Figures 1-3, pages 7-9, lines 3-31, 1-31 and 1-16, respectively).
In regard to claim 5, Jones teaches an island portion 18 having any one of a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a rhombus shape, and a rectangular shape (Figures 1-3, pages 7-9, lines 3-31, 1-31 and 1-16, respectively).
In regard to claim 6, Jones teach the package main body portion 12 constituted by ceramic (Figures 1-3, pages 7-9, lines 3-31, 1-31 and 1-16, respectively).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The following patents are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to semiconductor packages:
Byrne et al. (4,769,272) Karnezos (US 6,323,065 B1)
Kohara et al. (5,091,772) Lee (5,986,334)
Machii (6,060,779).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IDA M SOWARD whose telephone number is (571)272-1845. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ajay Ojha can be reached at 571-272-8936. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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IMSNovember 18, 2025
/IDA M SOWARD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898