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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 and 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al. [JP 2019046936 A] in view of Kanbara et al. [CN 112038040 A].
Claim 1 is rejected for reciting methods/steps derived from the structure of claim 3 which is rejected below.
Sato further discloses turning the plurality of laminates into individual pieces from the laminate substrate, wherein the terminal electrode is formed on the individualized laminate in the step of forming the terminal electrode (see page 6 of translation).
Regarding claim 3, Sato discloses a multilayer coil component 1 (page 2 of translation, Fig. 1) comprising:
an element body (e.g., 10) formed by laminating a plurality of insulator layers (e.g., 11, page 2, Fig. 1 and 5); a coil (e.g., 20) disposed in the element body 10 and configured by a plurality of coil conductors (e.g., conductor layers 21, page 3, Fig. 5); and
a terminal electrode (e.g., portions 31b, 32b of external electrode 31, 32, page 3, Fig. 1, 2) disposed on a flat outer surface of the element body 10, that extends continuously along a plane and is not recessed (e.g., portion 31b is along the bottom plane outer surface 17 of the body 10 and 32b is along the outer surface end plane 15 of the body 10 and therefore not recessed in the body 10),
wherein a relationship of (b/a) ≥0.7 is satisfied in a case where a maximum thickness is a and a minimum thickness is b in the terminal electrode (e.g., terminal electrode has the thickness of portion 31b equals to tb and the thickness of portion 32b is tb as well, therefore the (b/a) must be ≥0.7).
Sato discloses the instant claimed invention discussed above except for explicit disclosure that the terminal electrode on outer surface of element body is formed by a photolithography method.
Kanbara discloses terminal electrode (e.g., 30, 40, Fig. 1) on outer surface of element body 10 is formed by a photolithography method (see page 10 of translation).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have terminal electrode on outer surface of element body be formed by a photolithography method as taught by Kanbara to the external electrode of Sato to provide the coil component with a precise thickness of external electrode for miniaturization and good reliable electrical connection as well.
Regarding claim 4, Sato discloses comprising a bonded conductor (e.g., portions of terminal electrode portions 31, 32) disposed in the element body 10 (e.g., 31a, 32a in the element body 10), exposed on the outer surface of the element body facing the terminal electrode, and bonded to the terminal electrode (e.g., 31a facing 31b, 32a facing 32b and formed the terminal electrode).
Regarding claim 5, Sato discloses wherein a plurality of the bonded conductors are continuously provided (e.g., portions 31a to 32a and portions 31b to 32b are continuously provided to become external electrode 31/32).
Regarding claim 6, Sato discloses wherein
the element body 10 has a pair of end surfaces facing each other (e.g., end surfaces 15, 16, page 2, Fig. 2), a pair of main surfaces facing each other (e.g., top and bottom surfaces 17, 18), and a pair of side surfaces facing each other (e.g., side surfaces 13, 14) as the outer surface and one of the main surfaces (e.g., bottom surface 17) is a mounting surface,
the terminal electrode has a first electrode part (e.g., 32b) disposed on the end surface (e.g., end surface 15) and a second electrode part (e.g., 31b) disposed on the mounting surface (e.g., mounting surface 17) and has an L shape when viewed from a facing direction of the pair of side surfaces, and
a relationship of R1 = R2 ≥ R3 (e.g., curvature formed by R1, R2 are sharp as compared to curvature at portion 35, therefore radii are longer) is satisfied in a case where a curvature of a corner portion separated from the end surface at the first electrode part is R1 (e.g., curvature of corner portion of electrode portion 32b from end surface 15),
a curvature of a corner portion separated from the mounting surface at the second electrode part is R2 (e.g., curvature of corner portion of electrode portion 31b from mounting surface 17), and
a curvature of a corner portion (e.g., chamfered portion 35, page 5, Fig. 2) formed by the first electrode part 32b and the second electrode part 31b is R3 when viewed from the facing direction.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendment and arguments with respect to claim(s) 3 has been considered but is moot in view of new ground of rejection.
With regards to the applicant’s amendment of claim 3, Sato discloses a terminal electrode (e.g., portions 31b, 32b of external electrode 31, 32, page 3, Fig. 1, 2) disposed on a flat outer surface of the element body 10 and extends continuously along a plane and is not recessed. The portion 31b is disposed along the bottom plane outer surface 17 of the body 10 and 32b is disposed along the outer surface end plane 15 of the body 10 and therefore not recessed in the body 10.
With regards to claim 1 which recites "…a step of forming a laminate substrate including a plurality of the laminates; and a step of turning the plurality of laminates into individual pieces from the laminate substrate, wherein the terminal electrode is formed on the individualized laminate in the step of forming the terminal electrode…", the applicant argues that the applied references do not teach or suggest at least these claim features. The Examiner disagrees. Sato discloses on page 6 of the translation that the block of laminate produced is cut with a dicer and singulated. Only at this point, the terminal electrodes are plated and therefore a final step in which the terminal electrode is formed. Therefore, Sato satisfies the required limitation argued above.
The applicant has explained the relevance of R1, R2 and R3 to corner portions C1, C2 and C3 as shown in Fig. 2. The Examiner’s objections to the drawings has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/J.S.B/ Examiner, Art Unit 2837
/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837