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 .
Title
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 15 and 17-18 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 15, the limitation “the second direction” in ln. 2 is unclear and lacks antecedent basis. It is unclear whether reference is being made to a second direction that lacks antecedent basis or to the thickness direction of the substrate previously claimed in claim 14.
For the purpose of examination, the Examiner will interpret this as “the thickness direction of the substrate”.
Regarding claim 17, the limitation “the second direction” in ln. 2-4 is unclear and lacks antecedent basis. It is unclear whether claim 17 is to be dependent of claim 16 which defines said second direction or if reference is being made to a second direction that lacks antecedent basis.
For the purpose of examination, the Examiner will interpret claim 17 as dependent of claim 16.
Claim 18 depending from claim 17 is also rejected.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 are allowed.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Matsuda US 20220087072 Fig. 2 and 5-7 discloses a semiconductor storage device, comprising:
a substrate (40);
a semiconductor memory (32) provided on the substrate (40);
a controller (31) that is provided on the substrate (40) and is configured to control the semiconductor memory (32); and
an electronic part electrically (43) connected to the substrate (40),
wherein the substrate (40) has a first face (40a in Fig. 5) extending in a first direction (x) that intersects a thickness direction of the substrate (40),
a second face (40b in Fig. 6) positioned on a side opposite to that of the first face,
a third face (face of 40 at 43 in Fig. 5-6) extending in a second direction (z), which is the thickness direction of the substrate (40), between the first face (40a) and the second face (40b),
a first recess (49 in Fig. 5) provided in the third face (face of 40 at 43) and extending in the second direction (z), and
the electronic part (43) has a part main body (body of 43), which overlaps the third face (face of 40 at 43) when viewed in the first direction (x as depicted in Fig. 2 and 7), and
a first lead (lead of 43 shown not numbered in Fig. 7) protruding from the part main body (body of 43), the first lead (lead of 43) has a first portion (horizontal portion of lead of 43 shown not numbered in Fig. 7), which protrudes linearly from the part main body (body of 43) toward the first recess (49) in the first direction (x), and
a second portion (vertical portion of lead of 43 shown not numbered in Fig. 7) bent from the first portion (horizontal portion of lead of 43) and extending linearly along the inner face of the first recess (49) in the second direction (z).
Kamath US 20230361093 Fig. 1 and 3-4b; Nagasawa US 20230284390 Fig. 2-16; Ryu US 20210345489 Fig. 3b, 6b and 7a-7c; Muto US 20210015006 Fig. 3-4 and 15-16 disclose a semiconductor device with substrate mounted capacitors.
Regarding claim 1, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in the claim, a combination of limitations that “a first conductive portion provided on an inner face of the first recess,
the electronic part has a part main body, which overlaps the third face when viewed in the first direction, and
a first lead protruding from the part main body, the first lead has a first portion, which protrudes linearly from the part main body toward the first recess in the first direction, and
a second portion bent from the first portion and extending linearly along the inner face of the first recess in the second direction, and
the second portion is fixed to the first conductive portion in a state in which at least one portion of the first portion overlaps the first recess when viewed in the first direction”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 2-13 depending from claim 1 are therefore allowable.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in the claim, a combination of limitations that “an opening that extends through the substrate in a thickness direction of the substrate to expose a face having a plurality of notches,
wherein each of the notches has a U-shape when viewed in the thickness direction and has a conductive portion provided on an inner face thereof, and
each of the capacitors has a part main body and first and second leads protruding from the part main body,
the first lead fixed to one of the plurality of notches through a first conductive solder and
the second lead fixed to another on one of the plurality of notches through a second conductive solder,
wherein each of the first and second leads has a first portion,
which protrudes linearly from the part main body toward the corresponding notch in a first direction parallel to the planar surfaces of the substrate and
a second portion bent from the first portion and extending linearly along the inner face of the corresponding notch in the thickness direction”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 15-20 depending from claim 14 are therefore allowable.
Claims 15 and 17-18 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841