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 Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The limitation “APPA atmospheric pressure plasma” should be written as “atmospheric pressure plasma (APPA).”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Brandi et al. [US PGPUB 20150255313] (hereinafter Brandi).
Regarding claim 14, Brandi teaches a lead frame structure, characterized in comprising a frame substrate (1, Para 45), a first protruding platform (see annotated Fig. 2A), and a capping structure (see annotated Fig. 2A), wherein the first protruding platform is set on the frame substrate (Fig. 2A), the periphery of the first protruding platform is a recess (Fig. 2A), and the capping structure is set on the first protruding platform (Fig. 2A), and wherein at least a portion of the capping structure protrudes from the upper part of the first protruding platform and covers the recess (Fig. 2A).
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Regarding claim 15, Brandi teaches a lead frame structure characterized in that the number of the first protruding platform and the capping structure is both more than 2, with one first protruding platform corresponding to one capping structure (Fig. 2A).
Regarding claim 16, Brandi teaches a lead frame structure characterized in that the first protruding platform is distributed in an array on the frame substrate (Fig. 2A).
Regarding claim 17, Brandi teaches a lead frame structure characterized in that the capping structure, the first protruding platform, and the frame substrate form an I-shape structure (Fig. 1).
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 (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 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, 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 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brandi in view of Wang et al. [US PGPUB 20210193590] (hereinafter Wang).
Regarding claim 18, Brandi teaches the limitation of claim 17 upon which it depends.
Brandi does not specifically disclose a lead frame structure characterized in that the side walls of the first protruding platform and the capping structure are arranged in a serrated shape.
Referring to the invention of Wang, Wang teaches a lead frame structure (108, Para 24) wherein the entire surface of the lead frame is arranged in a serrated shape (Fig. 3F).
In view of such teaching by Wang, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the invention of Brandi comprise the teachings of Wang to improve adhesion between layers/components of package being formed.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang et al. [KR 20120115034 A] in view of Hurwitz et al. [US PPGUB 20070281471] (hereinafter Hwang and Hurwitz).
Regarding clam 1, Hwang teaches a method for manufacturing a lead frame, characterized in comprising:
Step A: providing a first plating resistant layer (125, Para 41) on the surface of a frame substrate (110, Para 39), exposing and developing the first plating resistant layer to obtain a first recess (Para 41; recess in which material 135 is formed, -Fig. 5-6);
Step B: adding layers (135; wherein the layer is deposited by electroplating (Para 25) which is a process of depositing material in layers, Fig. 41) by addition method, filling the first recess by electroplating (Para 25), chemical deposition or sputtering to obtain a first protruding platform (Fig. 6);
Step C: providing a second plating resistant layer (128, Para 42) on the first protruding platform and the first plating resistant layer (Fig. 7), exposing and developing the second plating resistant layer to obtain a second recess (129, Para 43) which is located at the upper part of the first protruding platform (Fig. 7), with a portion of the second recess located at the upper part of the first plating resistant layer (Fig. 7);
Step D: adding layers (140 and/or 145, Para 47) by addition method, filling the second recess to form a capping structure on the first protruding platform (Fig. 9);
Step E: removing the first plating resistant layer and the second plating resistant layer (Fig. 10).
Hwang does not specifically disclose that in step D, the adding of layers is by electroplating, chemical deposition or sputtering.
Referring to the invention of Hurwitz, Hurwitz teaches depositing layers selected from a list including gold and nickel (Para 161) on a copper pad (Para 161), and wherein the depositing is via an electroplating process (Para 161).
In view of such teaching by Hurwitz, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the invention of Hwang comprise the teaching of Hurwitz at least based on the rationale of using known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way using (MPEP 2143.I.C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/ISMAIL A MUSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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