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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected 13-20, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 8/10/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of in the reply filed on 8/10/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In par [0036] last sentence of the specifications, 1 x 105 should be 1 x10^5 and 5 x 106 should be 1 x 10^6.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 2 is 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.
In claim 2 ll. 3, it is indefinite as to whether the limitation “electrical resistivity equal to or lower than 1 x 10-6 s/m” refers to electrical resistivity which is measured in ohm-meter or electrical conductivity which is measured in siemens per meter. For purposes of examination the later will to presumed. It is also indefinite as to whether 1 x10-6 is actually 1x10-6 or 1e-6. For purposes of examination the later will be presumed.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-8, and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liao (US 2023/0130923).
With regards to claim 1, fig. 4F of Liao discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor package 100 including a first surface (bottom of 12) with a first region (region above middle 19) and a second region (region above leftmost and rightmost 19) around the first region (region above middle 19), wherein the first region (region above middle 19) includes a first solder ball (middle 19); and a heat conductive body 10 in contact with the second region (region above leftmost and rightmost 19), wherein the heat conductive body 10 includes graphite (“graphite”, par [0011]) and has a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than 400 W/m·K (“heat conducting carrier 10 is formed of a material with high thermal conductivity, and the thermal conductivity can be in the range of 50 to 5300 W/mK”, par [0011]) in a use temperature range.
With regards to claim 2, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the heat conductive body 10 has an electrical resistivity equal to or lower than 1 × 10-6 S/m (“graphite”, par [0011]) in the use temperature range.
With regards to claim 4, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the heat conductive body 10 has a first opening (opening in 10 for middle 19) overlapped with the first region (region above middle 19), and the first solder ball (middle 19) is disposed inside the first opening (opening in 10 for middle 19).
With regards to claim 5, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the heat conductive body 10 has a second opening (opening in 10 around leftmost and rightmost 19) overlapped with the second region (region above leftmost and rightmost 19), and the second region (region above leftmost and rightmost 19) includes a second solder ball (leftmost and rightmost 19) disposed inside the second opening (opening in 10 around leftmost and rightmost 19).
With regards to claim 6, fig. 4F of Liao discloses a diameter of the second opening (opening in 10 at leftmost and rightmost ends of 10) is larger than a diameter of the second solder ball (leftmost and rightmost 19)
With regards to claim 7, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the second solder ball (leftmost and rightmost 19) is separated from an inner wall surface (inner surface of leftmost and rightmost opening in 10) of the second opening (leftmost and rightmost opening in 10).
With regards to claim 8, fig. 4F of Liao discloses a substrate (printed circuit board, par [0016]) having a second surface (top of printed circuit board, par [0016]), wherein the heat conductive body 10 is provided between the second region (region at top of leftmost and rightmost 19) and the second surface (top of printed circuit board, par [0016]), and is in contact with each of the second region (region at top of leftmost and rightmost 19) and the second surface (top of printed circuit board, par [0016]).
With regards to claim 10, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the first region (top regions of the three middle 19) has higher heat generation property than the second region (top regions of the leftmost and rightmost 19).
With regards to claim 11, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the thickness of the heat conductive body 10 is less than a diameter of the first solder ball (middle 19).
With regards to claim 12, fig. 4F of Liao discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a substrate (printed circuit board, par [0016]); a semiconductor package 100 having a first region (region above middle 19) including a first solder ball (middle 19) and a communication line, and a second region (region above leftmost and rightmost 19) provided around the first region (middle 19) and including a second solder ball (leftmost and rightmost 19); and a heat conductive body 10 in contact with the second region (region above leftmost and rightmost 19), with the second solder ball (leftmost and rightmost 19) between the substrate (printed circuit board, par [0016]) and the semiconductor package 100 and not overlapped with the first region (middle 19).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao (US 2023/0130923) in view of Sim (US 2022/0283671).
With regards to claim 3, fig. 4F of Liao discloses that the heat conductive body has a thickness equal to or greater 70 μm and equal to or less than 100 μm.
However, fig. 10 of Sim discloses that the heat conductive body 77 has a thickness equal to or greater 70 μm and equal to or less than 100 μm (“heat dissipation layer 77 may have a thickness of about 50 um to about 80 um”, par [0204]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form the heat conducting carrier of Liao with the thickness as taught in Sim in order to effectively discharge heat. See par [0204] of Sim.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao (US 2023/0130923) in view of Marin (US 2024/0222248).
With regards to claim 9, Liao does not disclose a vehicle electrical control unit.
However, Marin discloses a vehicle electrical control unit (“vehicle control unit”, par [0099]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the semiconductor package of Lia in a vehicle control unit as taught in Marin in order to control the devices on the vehicle. See par [0099] of Marin.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN T LIU whose telephone number is (571)272-6009. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11:00am-7:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara J Green can be reached at 571 270-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BENJAMIN TZU-HUNG LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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