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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaura et al. (US 2023/0092703 A1) in view of Utsuno et al. (JP 2020/122115 A) and Hori et al. (WO 2019/131670).
Regarding Claims 1 and 14, Yamaura discloses a resin composition for molding used for sealing electronic components (paras 0148-0150), wherein the resin composition comprises an epoxy resin (i.e. a curable resin) and an inorganic filler comprising specific filler which is calcium titanate particles (paras 0032, 0082) and one or both of silica particles and alumina particles (para 0096). The resin composition may further comprise a stress relaxation agent, such as thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene (para 0129). Yamaura discloses the epoxy resin comprises 0.5-30 mass% of the total resin composition (para 0044).
Yamaura does not disclose indene-styrene-coumarone copolymer as claimed.
Utsuno discloses a high-frequency sealing material resin composition comprising an epoxy resin and an inorganic filler (para 0015) including silica and alumina (para 0041). The resin composition may further comprise a coumarone resin which is a copolymer of coumarone, indene, and styrene; this is a stress relaxation agent which decreases thermal elastic modulus of the cured product, reducing elasticity, and improves reflow resistance (paras 0060-0062, general formula (6)) The content of the coumarone resin is preferably 0.1-2% by mass relative to the total resin composition, to obtain sufficient low-elasticity effect, alleviate interface stress, prevent peeling, improve curability, and suppress generation of voids (para 0065).
Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify Yamaura to incorporate the teachings of Utsuno and produce the resin composition of Yamaura using 0.1-2 mass% of the coumarone resin of Utsuno, which is a copolymer of coumarone, indene, and styrene, as the stress relaxation agent. Doing so would decrease thermal elastic modulus of the cured product, reduce elasticity, and improve reflow resistance, and would obtain sufficient low-elasticity effect, alleviate interface stress, prevent peeling, improve curability, and suppress generation of voids.
Yamaura in view of Utsuno does not disclose the composition comprising triarylphosphine oxide as claimed.
Hori discloses a sealing composition for semiconductor device, wherein the composition comprises epoxy resin, alumina filler, and tertiary phosphine oxide where the tertiary phosphine oxide is preferably triarylphosphine oxide (para 0006, 0026). The tertiary phosphine oxide is preferably 1-25 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts epoxy resin (para 0026) and improves fluidity of the sealing composition even when the composition comprises alumina filler (para 0009).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the present invention to modify Yamaura in view of Utsuno to incorporate the teachings of Hori and produce the resin composition further comprising 1-25 parts by mass triarylphosphine oxide with respect to 100 parts epoxy resin, in order to improve fluidity of the composition. According to the present claims, triarylphosphine oxide is a stress relaxer as claimed.
According to the above, the total resin composition comprises 0.1-2% coumarone resin and 0.5-30% epoxy resin, and 1-25 parts triarylphosphine oxide with respect to 100 parts epoxy resin. Therefore, the total resin composition comprises 0.005-7.5% triarylphosphine oxide ((1/100)*0.5 to (25/100)*30), and the mass ratio of the coumarone copolymer to the triarylphosphine oxide is 0.013:1 to 400:1 (0.1/7.5 to 2/0.005).
Regarding Claim 2, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 1 above. Yamaura further discloses the specific filler (i.e. calcium titanate) is 30-60% by volume with respect to the total inorganic filler (para 0084).
Regarding Claim 3, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 1 above, including the resin composition comprising epoxy resin (Yamaura, para 0032). Yamaura further discloses the resin composition comprises a curing agent (para 0032).
Regarding Claim 4, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 3 above. Yamaura further discloses the curing agent includes an active ester compound (para 0046).
Regarding Claim 5, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 3 above. Yamaura further discloses the curing agent may comprise a phenol curing agent (para 0066).
Regarding Claim 6, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 5 above. Yamaura further discloses the phenol curing agent may comprise a melamine-modified phenol resin (para 0067).
Regarding Claim 7, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 1 above. Yamaura further discloses the total content of inorganic fillers is 40-90% by volume of the entire resin composition (para 0106).
Regarding Claims 8, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 1 above. Yamaura further discloses the resin composition is used for production of a high frequency device (para 0141)
Regarding Claim 9, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 8 above. Yamaura further discloses the resin composition is used for sealing an electronic component of a high-frequency device (para 0143-0144).
Regarding Claim 10, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 1 above. Yamaura further discloses the resin composition is used for production of an antenna-in-package (para 0142).
Regarding Claim 11, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 1 above. Yamaura further discloses an electronic component apparatus including a support member, an electronic component placed on the support member, and a cured product of the resin composition for molding which seals the electronic component (para 0143).
Regarding Claim 12, Yamaura in view of Utsuno and Hori discloses all the limitations of the present invention according to Claim 11 above. Yamaura further discloses the electronic component may be an antenna (para 0144).
Response to Arguments
In light of Applicant’s amendments filed 07/28/2026, the Claim Objection and 35 USC 112(b) rejections of record are withdrawn.
In light of the Terminal disclaimer filed 07/28/2026, the Double Patenting rejections or record are withdrawn.
In light of Applicant’s amendments and arguments filed 07/28/2026, the 35 USC 103 rejections of record are withdrawn. Specifically regarding the limitations previously recited in Claim 13 and now recited in Claim 1, the rejection is withdrawn because the motivation disclosed in paragraph (0048) of Soto is actually derived from a phosphorous-containing epoxy resin that is a reaction product of Soto’s specific novolac epoxy resin and phosphorous compound(s), and not from the triarylphosphine oxide.
New grounds of rejection are set forth above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BETHANY M MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-2109. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:00.
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/BETHANY M MILLER/Examiner, Art Unit 1787
/CALLIE E SHOSHO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1787
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