DETAILED ACTION
Priority Claim
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
IDS
All references provided in the IDS filed on 01/08/2024, 02/27/2024, and 06/11/2026 have been considered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II (Claims 11-15) in the reply filed on 06/22/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: missing reference numerals.
In the specification, “a substrate” is mentioned (for example in ¶ [0019 – 0020], ¶ [0050]), but not identified in the drawings, or provided a reference numeral in the specification.
In the specification, “encapsulation material” is mentioned to encapsulate the leadframe and substrate, (¶ [0067]) but it is not identified in the drawings, or provided a reference numeral in the specification.
In the specification, “a first busbar” and “a second busbar” are mentioned (¶ [0058]) but they are not identified in the drawings, or given reference numerals in the specification.
In the specification, “A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions adapted to cause a 3D printer or additive manufacturing apparatus to form some or all of an apparatus” is mentioned (¶ [0021]) but it is not identified in the drawings, or provided a reference numeral in the specification.
A person of ordinary skill in the art may not be easily able to identify what parts of the invention in the drawings correspond to these claimed elements.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 first and second busbar 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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Muto (US 20160148859 A1).
Re: Independent Claim 11, Muto discloses:
A leadframe (Muto; leads; Fig. 41, elements LD1A and LD1B, make up the leadframe, ¶ [0272]) comprising:
a first sub-lead frame (Muto, lead; Fig. 41, element LD1A) comprising one or more first connection terminals (Muto, main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU1, ¶ [0258]);
a second sub-lead frame (Muto, lead; Fig. 41 element LD1B) comprising one or more second connection terminals (Muto; main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU2, ¶ [0259]),
wherein the first and second sub-leadframes are joined such that at least some of the first connection terminal overlap at least some of the second connection terminals (Muto; Fig. 41, shows the terminals spatially overlapped when viewed from above (plan view), ¶ [0175]).
Re: Dependent Claim 12, Muto disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 11 on which this claim depends. Muto further discloses:
wherein the first sub-leadframe (Muto, lead; Fig. 41, element LD1A) further comprises a supporting frame (Muto, support part; Fig. 41. element SPU2), wherein the first and second sub-leadframe (Muto, lead; Fig. 47, element LD1B) are joined using the supporting frame (Muto, ¶ [0259]).
Re: Dependent Claim 13, Muto disclose(s) all the limitations of claim 11 on which this claim depends. Muto further discloses:
wherein:
at least some of the first connection terminals (Muto, main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU1, ¶ [0258]) of the leadframe (Muto; leads; Fig. 41, elements LD1A and LD1B, make up the leadframe, ¶ [0272]) are connected to form a first busbar (Muto, Fig. 41, BDU1 is in a bar form, which can be considered a first busbar); and/or
at least some of the second connection terminals (Muto; main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU2, ¶ [0259]) of the leadframe are connected to form a second busbar (Muto, Fig. 41, BDU2 is in a bar form, which can be considered a second busbar).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 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 of this title, 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 14 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muto (US 20160148859 A1) in view of Schuderer (US 12599012 B2).
Re: Dependent Claim 14, Muto discloses all the limitations of claim 11 on which this claim depends. Muto further discloses:
one of the first connection terminals (Muto, main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU1, ¶ [0258]), one of the second connection terminals (Muto; main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU2, ¶ [0259])
Muto does not explicitly disclose:
where: one of the first connection terminals comprises a plurality of first fingers; one of the second connection terminals comprises a plurality of second fingers; and the first and second fingers are provided in an alternating pattern.
Schuderer discloses:
where: one of the first connection terminals (Schuderer, terminal area inner region; Fig. 1, element 46a) comprises a plurality of first fingers (Schuderer, auxiliary terminals; Fig. 1, element 44);
one of the second connection terminals (Schuderer, power terminal; Fig 1, element 42) comprises a plurality of second fingers (Schuderer. plug connectors; Fig. 1, element 52);
and the first and second fingers are provided in an alternating pattern (Schuderer, Fig. 1 and Fig. 3).
Muto discloses first and second connection terminals, but does not disclose these terminals to have a plurality of fingers in an alternating pattern. Schuderer discloses first and second connection terminals, each with a plurality of fingers, to be used within a power module. Both Muto and Schuderer disclose connection terminals and lead frames and are therefore analogous art. It would have been obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to include the fingers of Schuderer to the connection terminals of Muto to allow for more efficient interconnections between regions (Schuderer, Col. 7, lines 56-65).
Claim 15 is rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muto (US 20160148859 A1) in view of Wong (US 20180358287 A1).
Re: Dependent Claim 15, Muto discloses all the limitations of claim 12 on which this claim depends. Muto further discloses:
wherein some or all of the supporting frame (Muto, support part; Fig. 41, element SPU2) is configured to be removed such that the first (Muto, main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU1, ¶ [0258]) and second connection terminals (Muto; main body part; Fig. 41, element BDU2, ¶ [0259]) of the leadframe do not make physical or electrical contact (Muto, Fig. 41, CLP1 and CLP2, which contain the first and second connection terminals do not make physical or electrical contact).
Muto does not explicitly disclose:
wherein some or all of the supporting frame is configured to be removed
Wong discloses:
wherein some or all of the supporting frame (Wong, chip carrier; Fig. 2a, element 21) is configured to be removed (Wong, ¶ [0034]).
Muto discloses a supporting frame and exposing a portion of the support frame, but does not explicitly disclose that the supporting frame is removed. Wong discloses a support frame that is removed within a leadframe assembly. Muto and Wong both disclose leadframes and support frames and are therefore analogous art. It would be obvious to a POSITA before the effective filing date to remove portions of the supporting frame of Muto, as demonstrated by Wong, to better hold parts of the leadframe (Wong, ¶ [0034]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NIMARTA KAUR CHOWDHARY whose telephone number is (571)272-7679. The examiner can normally be reached usually Monday - Thursday, 6:45 AM - 4:45 PM (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Leonard Chang can be reached at (571) 270-3691. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NIMARTA KAUR CHOWDHARY/Examiner, Art Unit 2898
/Leonard Chang/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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