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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d) to foreign application JP2021199503 filed on 12/08/2021 and foreign application JP2021199504 filed on 12/08/2021. The foreign applications are not in English. The certified copy of the foreign priority application JP2021199503 and the certified copy of the foreign application JP2021199504 have been received.
Filing Dates for the Claims — All Claims Not Entitled to Priority Date
To be entitled to the filing date of the foreign priority application JP2021199503 that is not in English, an English translation of the non-English language foreign application JP2021199503 and a statement that the translation is accurate in accordance with 37 CFR 1.55 is required to perfect the claim for priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
To be entitled to the filing date of the foreign priority application JP2021199504 that is not in English, an English translation of the non-English language foreign application JP2021199504 and a statement that the translation is accurate in accordance with 37 CFR 1.55 is required to perfect the claim for priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
The foreign application must adequately support the claimed subject matter, meaning satisfy the written description and enablement requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a). See MPEP §§ 215 and 216. 37 C.F.R. 1.55(g)(3)(ii)-(iii). To demonstrate compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112(a), applicant should point to support for their claimed subject matter in their translations.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of species 4, Fig. 25, claims 1-4, 9, 18-20 in the reply filed on 07/20/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Regarding claim 8, claim 8 reads on elected species 4, Fig. 25. Thus, claim 8 will be examined.
Regarding claim 9, claim 9 does not read on species 4, Fig. 25 because claim 9 requires “a second pitch which is larger than the first pitch” which shown in non-elected species 7 of Fig. 31. Therefore, claim 9 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species.
Accordingly, claims 5-7, 9-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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 1-4, 8, 18-20 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.
Regarding claim 1, claim 1 recites “the opposite side”, “the first principal surface of the diode region”, “the mutually adjacent first trenches”, “the first trench”, “the bottom walls of the mutually adjacent first trenches”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Regarding claim 2, claim 2 recites “the plurality of diode cell regions”, “the bottom walls of the plurality of first trenches”, “the second principal surface side”, “the first portions of the plurality of diode cell regions.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Regarding claim 3, claim 3 recites “the first principal surface side”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 8, claim 8 recites “the first principal surface of the IGBT region.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 20, claim 8 recites “the plurality of IGBT regions”, “the plurality of diode regions”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Claims depending from the rejected claims noted above are rejected at least on the same basis as the claim(s) from which the dependent claims depend.
Appropriate correction is required.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hosoya et al. (US Pub. 20210050344) discloses a device including a IGBT region, diode region, plurality of trenches in the diode region. Impurity regions formed at a surface layer portion in the diode region that extend deeper than a bottom wall of the trenches in the diode region.
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/SOPHIA T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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