DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-10 of U.S. Application No. 18/735,581 filed on 06/06/2024 are presented for examination.
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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/06/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wagner et al. (US 2017/0092574; Hereinafter, “Wagner”).
Regarding claim 1: Wagner discloses a contact assembly (1; fig. 1-2) for power semiconductor chips (24), comprising: a substrate (2);
at least two power semiconductor chips (24; para [0040, and 0052]), each with a first terminal (246; fig. 5) on the substrate (track 22 of the substrate 2) such that they are configured to be electrically connected (para [0041]) thereto; at least one contact region (26) facing outward from the substrate (2) and configured for connecting to second terminals (244)) of each of the at least two power semiconductors (24); and
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a contact component (3) comprising a conductive metal film (30, 34; fig. 3) that is at least partially coated with an insulating layer (5) comprising holes exposing the metal film (fig. 4) to the second terminals (244) of the at least two power semiconductor chips (24), wherein at least part of the metal film (30) protrudes (at cutout 520; fig. 1) from the insulating layer (5) and is connected to a dedicated contact region (annotated fig. 1 above) on the substrate in order to connect (electrically) to the second terminals (244) of the power semiconductor chips (24).
Regarding claim 6/1: Wagner discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the metal film (30) comprises the insulating layer on both sides (32, and 5; fig. 3-4).
Regarding claim 7/1: Wagner discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses a power electronics module (fig. 6) comprising: at least one topological switch (24) comprising the at least two power semiconductor chips in parallel (24; para [0040, and 0052]), which are connected by the contact assembly according to claim 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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wagner in view of Betusi et al. (US 2018/0033731; Hereinafter, “Betusi”).
Regarding claim 5/1: Wagner discloses the limitations of claim 1 but does not specifically disclose that the metal film is made of copper.
Betusi teaches the metal film is made of copper.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the metal film of copper as taught by Betusi since copper is customarily used as electrical conductor for its good conductivity characteristics.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wagner in view of Kohler et al. (US 2012/0255799; Hereinafter, “Kohler”).
Regarding claim 8/7/1, 9/8, and 10/9: Wagner discloses the limitations of claim 7 but does not specifically disclose a power electronics assembly for operating a three-phase electric motor in a vehicle, wherein the power electronics assembly comprises: the power electronics module; and at least one ECU that is connected to the electric motor and to the power electronics module, and configured to control and regulate the electric motor; an electric drive for a motor vehicle, comprising: a three-phase electric motor; a battery; and the power electronics assembly, which is connected to the three-phase electric motor and the battery; a motor vehicle comprising: the electric drive, which forms an electric axle drive.
Kohler discloses a power electronics assembly (para [0092]) for operating a three-phase electric motor in a vehicle (vehicle motor 500), wherein the power electronics assembly comprises: the power electronics module (the power electronics of inverter 716); and at least one ECU (704) that is connected to the electric motor (500) and to the power electronics module (of inverter 716), and configured to control and regulate the electric motor (500); an electric drive for a motor vehicle (abstract, and para [0077]), comprising: a three-phase electric motor; a battery (304, 306); and the power electronics assembly (of power electronics of inverter 716), which is connected to the three-phase electric motor (500) and the battery (304, 306); a motor vehicle (100) comprising: the electric drive (abstract, and para [0077]), which forms an electric axle drive (para [0080]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have utilized the contact assembly of Wagner in the moto vehicle that includes a power electronics assembly for operating a three-phase electric motor in a vehicle, wherein the power electronics assembly comprises: the power electronics module; and at least one ECU that is connected to the electric motor and to the power electronics module, and configured to control and regulate the electric motor; an electric drive for a motor vehicle, comprising: a three-phase electric motor; a battery; and the power electronics assembly, which is connected to the three-phase electric motor and the battery; a motor vehicle comprising: the electric drive, which forms an electric axle drive disclosed by Kohler since doing so eases the overall manufacturing process (Wagner, para [0011-0012]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims are 2-4 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.
Regarding claim 2, the limitations of claim 2, “…the first terminals are connected to a drain for the MOSFETs, the metal film forms a source region and connects the second terminals as source terminals of the power semiconductor chips to a dedicated area on the metal film within a dedicated hole in the insulating layer on the metal film, and the contact region forms a source contact region that is connected to the part of the metal film that protrudes from the insulating layer” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior arts in record. Claims 3-4 are also objected-to for depending on claim 2.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED ELNAKIB whose telephone number is (571)270-0638. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AHMED ELNAKIB/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834
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