www.uspto.gov
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/178,684
`
`02/18/2021
`
`Ikuo NIWA
`
`070469-1058
`
`6676
`
`Rimon PC - Pansonic Corporation
`8300 Greensboro Dr.
`Suite 500
`
`SUN, YU-HSI DAVID
`
`2895
`
`03/01/2024
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOmail@rimonlaw.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`171178,684
`Examiner
`YU-HSI D SUN
`
`Applicant(s)
`NIWAetal.
`Art Unit
`2895
`
`AIA (FITF) Status
`Yes
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`
`
`1)¥@] Responsive to communication(s) filed on
`CA declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiledon
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`2a)C) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3) An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4)() Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-22 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) 1-2,12 and 19-22 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`(J Claim(s) _is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 4-7,11 and 13-14 is/are rejected.
`)
`Claim(s) 3,8-10 and 15-18 is/are objected to.
`C) Claim(s
`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`Application Papers
`10)£) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11) The drawing(s)filed on 2/18/2021 is/are:
`a)[(Q accepted or b)(Q objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)(¥) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)LJ None ofthe:
`b)L) Some**
`a) All
`1.@) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.1) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`*“ See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240208
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/178,684
`Art Unit: 2895
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`NottceofPre-AIA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, 1s being examined underthe first
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`inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Election/Restrictions
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`Applicant’s election of Species Iin the reply filed on 1/5/2024 is acknowledged. Because
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`applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposederrors in the restriction
`
`requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
`
`Claims1, 2, 12 and 19-22 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR
`
`1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
`
`Election was made withouttraverse in the reply filed on 1/5/2024.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
`
`The following 1s a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the
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`basis for the rejections under this section madein this Office action:
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`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, onsale, or
`otherwise available to the public before theeffective filing date of the claimed invention.
`
`Claims 4-7, 11, 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by
`
`INOMATAet al. (US PG Pub 2016/0190418, hereinafter Inomata).
`
`Regarding claim 13, figure 1B of Inomata discloses a package for installing a
`
`semiconductor element, comprising:
`
`a lead frame (11);
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/178,684
`Art Unit: 2895
`
`Page 3
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`a resin frame (13b) disposed on the lead frame and including a housing portion formed by
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`an opening that widens with a distance in an upward direction from the lead frame; and
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`a metal reflector (13a) that engages with a surface of the housing portion and includes an
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`opening portion corresponding to the housing portion of the resin frame, wherein
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`the resin frame includesa first step on a side 1n which an opening area of the opening ts
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`large, the first step being dug in from a topmost surface of the resin frame, and
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`an opening area of the opening portion of the metalreflector increases with a distance in an
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`upward direction from the lead frame, and the metal reflector includes around a side of the metal
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`reflector in which the openingareais large, a flange that engages with the first step.
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`Regarding claim 4, figure 1B of Inomata discloses a bottom end of the metal reflector
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`(13a) 1s located higher than a bottom surface of the resin frame (13b).
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`Regarding claim 5, figure 1B of Inomata discloses a first thickness of a portion of the
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`metal reflector that fits in the housing portionis less than a second thickness of the flange.
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`Regarding claim 6, figure 1B of Inomata discloses a value obtained by dividing thefirst
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`thickness by the second thickness is at least 0.5 and at most 0.99.
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`Regarding claim 7, figure 1B of Inomata discloses the value obtained by dividing thefirst
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`thickness by the second thickness is at least 0.9 and at most 0.99.
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`Regarding claim 11, figure 1B of Inomata discloses the resin frame (13b) and the metal
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`reflector (13a) are in direct contact with each other.
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`Regarding claim 14,figure 1B of Inomata discloses a height from a top surface of the lead
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`frame to a topmost surface of the resin frame is same as a height from the top surface of the lead
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`frame to a topmost surface of the metalreflector.
`
`Allowable Subject Matter
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/178,684
`Art Unit: 2895
`
`Page 4
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`Claims 3, 8-10 and 15-18 are objected to as being dependent upona rejected base claim, but
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`would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim
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`and any intervening claims.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
`
`should be directed to YU-HSI DAVID SUN whose telephone numberis (571)270-5773. The
`
`examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8am-4pm ET.
`
`Examinerinterviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a
`
`USPTOsupplied 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 examinetr’s supervisor,
`
`Eliseo Ramos-Felictano can be reached on 571-272-7925. The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization where this application or proceeding 1s assigned 1s 571-273-8300.
`
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`
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`
`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/178,684
`Art Unit: 2895
`
`/YU-HSI D SUN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2895
`
`Page 5
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