Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 18/915,457

CIRCUITRY FOR ALLOWING MULTIPLE SENSORS ON A SEMICONDUCTOR DIE TO SHARE A COMMON SENSOR PAD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 15, 2024
Examiner
GIBSON, RANDY W
Art Unit
2855
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Wolfspeed Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
1039 granted / 1371 resolved
+7.8% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+22.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
1390
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.5%
-34.5% vs TC avg
§103
45.7%
+5.7% vs TC avg
§102
27.4%
-12.6% vs TC avg
§112
14.9%
-25.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1371 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 . 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 § 102 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 1-6, 11, 13, and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Karasawa et al (US PG Pub # 2015/0288354). The Karasawa reference discloses a semiconductor die (para. # 0032), comprising: a sensor pad (43); first sensor circuitry (32) electrically connected to the sensor pad (Fig. 2); and isolation circuitry (312) coupled between the first sensor circuitry and the sensor pad (para. # 0034 & 0038; pad 43 is selectively used as output of sensor 32). With respect to claims 2-4, the isolation circuitry (312) connects and disconnects the temperature sensor circuit (Para. # 0038). With respect to claims 5 & 6, see Figure 2. With respect to claims 11, 13, & 29, see paragraphs # 0037-0040. Claim 29 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Van Brunt et al (US PG Pub # 2022/0140138). Van Brunt discloses a semiconductor die (Fig. 1; para. # 004), comprising: a first MOSFET (Msense) having a first source pad (20); a second MOSFET (MD) having a second source pad (16); and a temperature sensor (Rsense) electrically coupled to the second source pad (Fig. 2A). Conclusion Claims 7 and 9-12 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. There is no mention of a “power transistor device” on the semiconductor die of Karasawa. Claims 14-23 are allowable over the art of record for the same reasons. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RANDY W GIBSON whose telephone number is (571)272-2103. The examiner can normally be reached Tue-Friday 10AM-6PM. 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, Peter Macchiarolo can be reached at 571-272-2375. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. RANDY W. GIBSON Primary Examiner Art Unit 2856 /RANDY W GIBSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 15, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+22.2%)
2y 5m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1371 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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