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 .
Attorney Docket Number: 10921.1308USW1
Filling Date: 09/10/2024
Priority Date: 03/17/22
Inventor: ONO
Examiner: Bilkis Jahan
DETAILED ACTION
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.
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(s) 1-4 and 12-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nozaki et al (US 2007/0262409 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Nozaki discloses a semiconductor device (Fig. 4) comprising: a semiconductor element 17 (Para. 93) including a plurality of electrodes 18 (Para. 93); a first lead including a first pad portion (see annotated figure), and a first terminal portion (see annotated figure) continuous to the first pad portion on a first side in a first direction (Fig. 4, X-direction); a second lead including a second pad portion located adjacent to the first pad portion in a second direction (see annotated figure, Y-direction) perpendicular to the first direction, and a second terminal portion located adjacent to the first terminal portion in the second direction (see annotated figure) and continuous to the second pad portion (see annotated figure); and a sealing resin 22 (Para. 94) covering a portion of each of the first lead 5 (Para. 93) and the second lead 5 and the semiconductor element 17, wherein a portion of each of the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is exposed to an outside from the sealing resin 22, as viewed in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction (Fig. 4), a length of a straight line connecting a center of the first pad portion and a center of the second pad is defined as a first section length portion (see annotated figure, Length L2), as viewed in the third direction, a length of a straight line connecting a center of the first terminal portion and a center of the second terminal portion is defined as a second section length portion (see annotated figure, Length L1), and the second section length is different from the first section length (see L1 and L2).
Nozaki does not explicitly disclose in the embodiment of figure 4 that a plurality of wires each electrically bonded to one of the plurality of electrodes and to one of the first pad portion and the second pad portion.
However, Nozaki discloses in fig. 5 that a plurality of wires 21 (Para. 93) each electrically bonded to one of the plurality of electrodes 19, 18 (Para. 93) and to one of the first pad portion and the second pad portion 16. Nozaki teaches the above modification is used to connect the electrode with the pad by the wire (Fig. 5). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill of the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Nozaki figure 4 with Nozaki figure 5 wire as suggested above to connect the electrode with the pad by the wire (Fig. 5).
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Regarding claim 2, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the first terminal portion (see annotated portion) in the second direction (Y-direction) is smaller than a dimension of the first pad portion (see annotated portion) in the second direction, and a dimension of the second terminal portion (see annotated portion) in the second direction is smaller than a dimension of the second pad portion (see annotated portion) in the second direction.
Regarding claim 3, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the dimension of the second pad portion 20 (left top most one in Fig. 4) in the second direction is a same as the dimension of the first pad portion 20 (left bottom most one) in the second direction.
Regarding claim 4, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the second section length L1 is shorter than the first section length L2 (see annotated figure).
Regarding claim 12, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the second section length (length between two leads 5, top and bottom) is longer than the first section length (consider top two pads 20).
Regarding claim 13, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a die pad on which the semiconductor element is mounted, wherein the die pad 18, 19 is located opposite from the first terminal portion with respect to the first pad portion in the first direction (see annotated figure).
Regarding claim 14, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the die pad 18, 19 includes a reverse surface facing away from a side facing the semiconductor element 17 in the third direction, and the reverse surface is exposed from the sealing resin 22 (same as instant application).
Regarding claim 15, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein the die pad 2 (Fig. 6, Para. 65) includes a pad portion on which the semiconductor element 17 is mounted, and two suspending portions located opposite from each other with respect to the pad portion 2 in the second direction and continuous to the pad portion, and as viewed in the first direction, the two suspending portions are bent toward the semiconductor element with respect to the pad portion in the third direction (Figures 4, 6).
Regarding claim 16, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal portion (see annotated figure) is formed with a recess recessed in the third direction, and a portion of the sealing resin 22 is accommodated in the recess (Fig. 6B).
Regarding claim 17, Nozaki discloses the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein as viewed in the third direction, the portion of each of the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion that is exposed to the outside from the sealing resin 22 extends in the first direction (see annotated figure).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-10 and 11 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BILKIS JAHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5022. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5 Pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marlon T Fletcher can be reached at (571)272-2063. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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BILKIS . JAHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2817
/BILKIS JAHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817
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