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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-4, 6-9, 12-14, and 21 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 4, 6, 7, 14 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokoyama et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2018/0286558 A1) in view of Hamano et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2019/0013130 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Yokoyama et al., hereinafter referred to as “Yokoyama,” teaches a multilayer coil component 301 (re-oriented Fig. 6 below) comprising:
a multilayer body (body between layers 32-36, see Fig. 2 for illustration) including
a plurality of insulator layers 32-36 laminated in a laminating direction (vertical direction), and
a through-hole 61b-61f penetrating the plurality of insulator layers in the laminating direction;
a coil 52a extending inside the multilayer body to surround an outer circumference of the through-hole;
a magnetic resin 92 including resin and magnetic material (magnetic core 92 is “formed by…resin paste containing magnetic powder,” para. [0071]) and filled into the through-hole;
an adhesive resin layer 32 laminated on a surface (surface on layer 33) facing to the laminating direction of an outer surface (upper surface when viewing upside down) of the multilayer body; and
a magnetic substrate 302 adhered to the multilayer body with the adhesive resin layer interposed therebetween, wherein
the adhesive resin layer includes an accommodation space (through-hole 61a and gap member 93) connected to the through-hole,
an outer edge (periphery edge) of the accommodation space is further outside an outer edge (periphery edge) of the through-hole when viewed in the laminating direction (accommodation space 61a is a continuation of through-hole 61b-61f), wherein the accommodation space connects to the through-hole at a first end (upper end) of the through-hole, and
a portion (near upper end portion) of the magnetic resin is inside the accommodation space (paras. [0032], [0038], [0072] and [0073]).
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Yokoyama does not expressly teach
a cross-sectional area of the through-hole viewed in the laminating direction decreases from the first end of the through-hole to a second opposite end of the through-hole.
Hamano et al., hereinafter referred to as “Hamano,” teaches a multilayer coil component 1 (FIG. 2),
wherein a cross-sectional area (cross sectional area of upper end surface 14b) of the through-hole (through-hole in which magnetic body 14 is inserted) viewed in the laminating direction decreases from the first end (upper end) of the through-hole to a second opposite end (lower end) of the through-hole (para. [0050]). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the cross-sectional area of the through-hole as taught by Hamano to the multilayer coil component of Yokoyama to provide the desired magnetic body in the through-hole to gain high impedance (para. [0050]).
With respect to claim 4, Yokoyama in view of Hamano teaches the multilayer coil component according to Claim 1, wherein
the accommodation space opens on a through-hole side and does not open on a magnetic substrate side (Yokoyama, para. [0093]).
With respect to claims 6 and 14, Yokoyama in view of Hamano teaches the multilayer coil component according to Claims 1 and 4, respectively, wherein
the magnetic substrate is an upper magnetic substrate, and
the multilayer coil component further comprises a lower magnetic substrate 4 which is on an opposite side (lower side) from the laminating direction with respect to the multilayer body,
wherein the magnetic resin is in contact with the lower magnetic substrate (Yokoyama, para. [0073]).
With respect to claims 7 and 18, Yokoyama in view of Hamano teaches the multilayer coil component according to Claims 1 and 4, respectively. Yokoyama in view of Hamano does not expressly teach the surface facing to the laminating direction of the outer surface of the multilayer body is an upper surface, an opening area of the through-hole at the upper surface is from 8% to 11% with respect to an area obtained by adding an area of the upper surface and the opening area even though the drawings reasonably show such features. It would also be within the skill of a person with ordinary skill in the art to make the through-hole size as claimed to provide the required magnetic path without undue experimentations. Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the claimed percentage to provide the desire flux density in the magnetic resin to meet design requirements.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16 and 17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 2 recites, inter alia, a portion of the accommodation space overlaps the coil when viewed in the laminating direction.
Claims 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16 and 17 each depends directly or indirectly on claim 2.
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitations, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitations.
Claim 21 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 21 recites, inter alia, a magnetic substrate adhered to the multilayer body with the adhesive resin layer interposed therebetween, wherein the adhesive resin layer includes an accommodation space connected to the through-hole, wherein a portion of the accommodation space overlaps the coil when viewed in the laminating direction, and a portion of the magnetic resin is inside the accommodation space.
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitations, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitations.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGTIN LIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0800-1700.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shawki S. Ismail can be reached at 571-272-3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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