Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/828,874

METALLIC STRUCTURE FOR OPTICAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME, AND OPTICAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 09, 2024
Priority
Sep 27, 2018 — JP 2018-182720 +2 more
Examiner
MANDALA, VICTOR A
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
NICHIA Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
94%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 94% — above average
94%
Career Allowance Rate
939 granted / 999 resolved
+34.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +5% lift
Without
With
+5.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 11m
Avg Prosecution
19 currently pending
Career history
1007
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
30.2%
-9.8% vs TC avg
§102
44.5%
+4.5% vs TC avg
§112
14.9%
-25.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 999 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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 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 1-3, 8, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0097162 Kato 1. Referring to claim 1, Kato teaches an optical semiconductor device comprising: a resin molded body, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #3), including a recessed part, (Figures 1 & 2A-B area of #5), having a bottom surface and sidewall surfaces, a pair of lead frames, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1), consisting of a portion of the bottom surface of the recessed part, (Figures 1 & 2A-B area of #5), and an embedded part that is embedded by the resin molded body, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #3), and a light emitting element, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #2), mounted on the bottom surface of the recessed part, (Figures 1 & 2A-B area of #5), wherein the pair of lead frames, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1), each have an upper surface, a lower surface and side surfaces, the pair of lead frames, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1), each have a base body, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1a & Paragraph 0027), a first plated layer including gold or gold alloy, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1c2 & Paragraph 0027), which is disposed on or above the base body, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1a & Paragraph 0027), and a second plated layer including silver or silver alloy, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1d & Paragraph 0027), which is disposed on or above the first plated layer, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1c2 & Paragraph 0027), and the second plated layer, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1d & Paragraph 0027), is disposed on the lead frame side and in the embedded part. 2. Referring to claim 2, Kato teaches the optical semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second plated layer, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1d & Paragraph 0027), is further disposed on the lower surface of the lead frames at the bottom of the recessed part. 3. Referring to claim 3, Kato teaches the optical semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the second plated layer, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1d & Paragraph 0027), is also disposed in the embedded part of the pair of the lead frames embedded by the molded body, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #3). 4. Referring to claim 8, Kato teaches the optical semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of lead frames have a plated layer including nickel or nickel alloy, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1b & Paragraph 0043), disposed between the base body, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1a & Paragraph 0027), and the first plated layer, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1c2 & Paragraph 0027). 5. Referring to claim 9, Kato teaches the optical semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the pair of lead frames have a plated layer including rhodium, palladium, rhodium alloy, or palladium alloy, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1c1 & Paragraph 0027), disposed between the plated layer including nickel or nickel alloy, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1b & Paragraph 0043), and the first plated layer, (Figures 1 & 2A-B #1c2 & Paragraph 0027). Allowable Subject Matter The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: 6. Claims 4-7 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. 7. The prior art teaches the claimed matter in the rejections above, but is silent with respect to the above teachings in combination with the optical semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the second plated layer is in a range of 0.001 μm or more and 0.01 μm or less; the optical semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first plated layer is in a range of 0.01 μm or more and 1 μm or less; the optical semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a reflectance of the lead frames with respect to light having a light emission peak wavelength at 455 nm is in a range of 25% or more and 55% or less; and/or the optical semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a chromaticity represented by the b* value in the L*a*b* color system of the lead frames is in a range of 35 or more and 55 or less. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR A MANDALA whose telephone number is (571)272-1918. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 8-6:30 EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale Page can be reached on 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /VICTOR A MANDALA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899 9/3/26
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 09, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 08, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12751122
WIRING SUBSTRATE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME, BACKBOARD AND DISPLAY APPARATUS
3y 4m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12751329
EDGE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND RELATED METHODS
3y 3m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12740049
SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICE
2y 10m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12740310
ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIALS AND DEVICES
2y 7m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12740192
Light-Emitting Device, Display Apparatus Including the Same and Method for Manufacturing the Device and Apparatus
2y 9m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
94%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+5.2%)
1y 11m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 999 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month