DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/07/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 3 has been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (WO 2019225967 A1), and further in view of Wooden et al. (US 2015/0233973).
Regarding independent claim 3, Park teaches a test socket (e.g. figs. 1-3, page 2: paragraph [18], test device 1), comprising:
a plurality of signal probes configured to apply a test signal (e.g. figs. 1-3, page 3: paragraph [18], a plurality of signal probes 310 for transmitting corresponding test signal); and
a socket block made of a material (e.g. figs. 1-3, page 3: paragraph [18], block 100) configured to have a plurality of signal probe holes that receive the plurality of signal probes, respectively (e.g. figs. 1-3, block 120 has a plurality of signal probe holes that receive the plurality of signal probes 310, respectively),
wherein the socket block includes a recessed part that is formed within a surface of the socket block (e.g. figs 1-3, page 3: paragraph [18], probe supporting block 100 includes block 120 have a center rectangular recessed part for receiving probe 300 including signal probes 310) where the plurality of signal probes are partially protruded (e.g. figs 1-3, probe 300 including signal probes 310 are partially protruded as shown in fig. 3), the recessed part surrounds two or more adjacent signal probe holes (e.g. figs 1-3, the center rectangular recessed part of block 120 of the probe supporting block 100 surround two adjacent signal probe holes 310),
wherein the socket block includes a support part that connects two or more adjacent signal probes that correspond to the two or more adjacent signal probe holes surrounded by the recessed part (e.g. figs. 1-3, probe supporting block 100 includes conductive block 110 connects signal probes 310 of corresponding adjacent signal probes holes surrounded by the center rectangular recessed part of block 120).
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However, Park is silent with regard to the socket block made of a conductive material; and wherein the support part is positioned in the recessed part.
Wooden teaches a socket block made of a conductive material (e.g. figs. 1-2, [0030] and [0038], test socket body 22 is made of conductive metallic material because insulation layer 33 isolate solder bumps 36a, 36b,…36n from accidental contact with the metallic test socket body 22); and
wherein a support part is positioned in a recessed part (e.g. figs. 1-2, upper probe retainer 26 is positioned in recess 22a of the test socket body 22).
It would produce result of using a socket made a predictive result of using a conductive metallic test socket with additional insulator and probe retainer positioned in the recess of the socket, for the purpose of
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Park by applying the teaching of Wooden to have the socket block made of a conductive material; and wherein the support part is positioned in the recessed part, for the purpose of improving mechanical strength of the socket and/or making the socket suitable to test chip package with solder bumps (e.g. Wooden, [0038]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claim 1, the cited and/or searched prior arts either singularly or in combination fail to teaches all the limitations of independent claim 1, in particular the claim limitations of “a second recessed part at each end of the third hole and a second bottleneck portion between each second recessed part and each end of the third hole, wherein an inner diameter of the second recessed part is larger than an inner diameter of the third hole, and the inner diameter of the third hold is larger than an inner diameter of the second bottleneck portion”; therefore, independent claim 1 is allowed, as is its dependent claim 2.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAIDONG ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5815. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/HAIDONG ZHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/HUY Q PHAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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