Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/591,546

SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP AND SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE INCLUDING THE SAME

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Feb 29, 2024
Priority
Sep 21, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0126564 +1 more
Examiner
SHOOK, DANIEL P
Art Unit
2896
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
569 granted / 653 resolved
+19.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 0m
Avg Prosecution
13 currently pending
Career history
659
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
47.3%
+7.3% vs TC avg
§102
30.3%
-9.7% vs TC avg
§112
15.7%
-24.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 653 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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) 13 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsai et al. (US 2020/0058519 A1). Regarding claim 13, Tsai discloses a semiconductor chip (Fig 2B & 4) comprising a body (223); and first bump pads (23) disposed on a front surface of the body, the first bump pads comprising signal bump pads (232) and power bump pads (231), wherein the signal bump pads are disposed in a central region of the front surface of the body, in a first direction, along a second direction crossing the first direction (see annotated Fig 2B below), and wherein the power bump pads comprises first power bump pads disposed along the first direction in a central region of the front surface of the body in the second direction (per annotated Fig). PNG media_image1.png 656 580 media_image1.png Greyscale Regarding claim 14, Tsai discloses that the semiconductor chip further comprises: second bump pads (23 below 223 in Fig 4) disposed on a rear surface of the body, opposite to the front surface of the body; and through vias (24) electrically connecting the first bump pads and the second bump pads by penetrating at least a portion of the body. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 13 and 14 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL P SHOOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7890. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Mon-Fri. 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. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, WILLIAM KRAIG can be reached at (571)272-8660. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DANIEL P SHOOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 29, 2024
Application Filed
May 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Jun 17, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jun 17, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Aug 07, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 20, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102
Sep 16, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Sep 16, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12745624
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Patent 12740219
INFRARED PHOTODIODE AND SENSOR AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
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3y 3m to grant Granted Aug 25, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+8.4%)
2y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 653 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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