SAN JOSE – Tessera Technologies Inc., provider of miniaturization technologies, said Bruce McWilliams, its chairman, president and chief executive officer, has stepped down.

McWilliams now will be chief strategy officer, while Henry R. “Hank” Nothhaft, current vice chairman of the board, will become president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

McWilliams will remain full-time chairman of the company’s board of directors and will focus on the firm’s presence in the debate over public policy issues involving intellectual property.

Nothhaft joined Tessera’s board in 2004 and became a full-time employee in April as vice chairman. He previously has been CEO of several technology companies.

The news follows yesterday’s announcement that the US Patent and Trademark Office again rejected Tessera’s claims regarding semiconductor packaging technologies used in a variety of applications.