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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I, Figures 1-3, Claims 1-9, 14-15, and 17-22 in the reply filed on 9/17/2025 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1-9, 15, 17-22 and 24, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. [KR 102093147 B1] in view of Lee et al. [US 2018/0033540 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Yang et al. discloses a coil component [figures 1-6] comprising:
- a body [100] including magnetic powder particles [20, 30] and an insulating resin [10];
- a coil portion [300] disposed in the body, the coil portion is a winding coil including: a winding portion that includes at least one turn; and a lead-out portion having a surface exposed through a first surface of the body [figures 1-2 and 6-7]; and
an external electrode [400, 500] disposed on the first surface of the body, wherein, in a cross-section of coil component, a portion of the body is disposed between the lead-out portion and the winding portion [figures 1-2 and 6-7].
Yang et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the external electrode.
Lee et al. discloses a coil component [figures 1-4] comprising:
- a body [110] including magnetic powder particles/material [figure 3];
- a coil portion [120] disposed in the body and including a lead-out portion [121a, 122a] having a surface exposed through a first surface of the body [figure 3]; and
- an external electrode [130, 140] disposed on the first surface of the body, wherein the external electrode includes, an intermetallic compound (IMC) [150] disposed on the lead-out portion [figure 4] exposed to the first surface of the body and having an average thickness of 1 μm or more [TABLE 3], and a first electrode layer [131] including a base resin [131c], and a conductive connection portion [131a, 131b] disposed in the base resin and in contact with the intermetallic compound [figure 4].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the external electrode of Lee et al. in Yang et al. for the purpose of improving internal and/or external connections.
Regarding claim 2, Lee et al. discloses an average thickness of the intermetallic compound is 10 μm or less [TABLE 3].
Regarding claim 3, the specific average thickness of the intermetallic compound of 3 μm or less would have been an obvious design consideration, no critical show, for the purpose of improving the internal/external connections.
Regarding claims 4-5, Lee et al. discloses the intermetallic compound comprises a metal having a melting point lower than a curing temperature of the base resin which comprises copper (Cu) and tin (Sn) [para 0079].
Regarding claims 6-7, Lee et al. discloses the conductive connection portion comprises a metal having a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the base resin, wherein the conductive connection portion comprises at least one of copper (Cu) and silver (Ag), and tin (Sn) [para 0060].
Regarding claim 8, Lee et al. discloses the intermetallic compound is provided as a plurality of intermetallic compounds spaced apart from each other on the exposed surface of the lead-out portion [figure 4].
Regarding claim 9, Lee et al. discloses the external electrode further comprises a second electrode layer [132] disposed on the first electrode layer and in contact with the conductive connection portion.
Regarding claim 15, Lee et al. discloses the first electrode layer extends to at least a portion of each of a plurality of surfaces of the body connected to the first surface of the body [figures 1-3].
Regarding claim 17, Lee et al. discloses the lead-out portion of the coil portion comprises first and second lead-out portions [121a, 122a] exposed to be spaced apart from each other on the first surface of the body, and the external electrode comprises first and second external electrodes [130, 140] in contact with the first and second lead-out portions, respectively, and spaced apart from each other on the first surface of the body [figures 1-3].
Regarding claims 18-19, Yang et al. discloses a coil component comprising:
a body comprising an insulating resin and magnetic powder particles dispersed in the insulating resin;
a coil portion embedded in the body, the coil portion is a winding coil comprising: a winding portion that includes at least one turn; and a lead-out portion extending to a first surface of body, wherein, in a cross-section of coil component, a portion of the body is disposed between the lead-out portion and the winding portion; and
- external electrodes [400, 500] disposed on surface of the body.
Yang et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the external electrode.
Lee et al. discloses coil component [figures 1-4] comprising:
- a body [110] comprising magnetic powder particles/material;
- a coil portion [120] embedded in the body, the coil portion comprising a lead-out portion [121a, 122a] extending to a first surface of body;
- an intermetallic compound [150] disposed on the lead-out portion, the intermetallic compound being at least 1 μm thick [TABLE 3];
- an external electrode [130, 140] disposed on the first surface, the external electrode comprising a first electrode layer [131] including a base resin [131c] and a conductive connection portion [131a, 131b] disposed therein, the conductive connection portion being in direct contact with the intermetallic compound [figure 4], wherein at least one of the intermetallic compound and a metal comprised in the conductive connection portion have a melting point less than a curing temperature of the base resin [para 0060, 0079].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the external electrode of Lee et al. in Yang et al. for the purpose of improving internal and/or external connections.
Regarding claim 20, Lee et al. discloses the intermetallic compound comprises a plurality of regions spaced apart from each other, and wherein the conductive connection portion is in direct contact with at least a portion of the plurality of regions [figure 4].
Regarding claim 21, Lee et al. discloses the intermetallic compound has a thickness in a range from 0.5 μm to 12 μm [TABLE 3]. The specific thickness range would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of improving internal/external connections.
Regarding claim 22, Lee et al. discloses the external electrode further comprises a second electrode layer [132] disposed on the first electrode layer, and wherein the second electrode layer directly contacts the conductive connection portion [figure 4].
Regarding claim 24, Lee et al. discloses an average thickness of the intermetallic compound is 10 μm or less [TABLE 3].
The specific average thickness of the intermetallic compound of 3 μm or less would have been an obvious design consideration, no critical show, for the purpose of improving the internal/external connections.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-9, 15, 17-22 and 24 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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