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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informality:
Page 15, line 3, correct “FIGs .2A and 5A” to --FIGS. 2A and 5A--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 3-5 and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 3-5 recite “there are a seam”.
Claim 8, line 4 recites “the other insulation part”. A better alternative is “another of the insulating parts”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 6-7 and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al., TW 202036630 (machine translation attached).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches an overcurrent protection element (PTC circuit protection element; see at least under the heading of “Mode-For-Invention” and figs. 4-6), comprising:
a core material (PTC material 204) comprising a top surface (216), a bottom surface (222) opposite the top surface, a first side surface (front) and a second side surface (rear) both located between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a first end surface (230) and a second end surface (234) both located between the top surface and the bottom surface;
a first conductive layer (214) formed on the top surface of the core material (216);
a second conductive layer (220) formed on the bottom surface of the core
material (222);
an encapsulation layer (encapsulation 250 printed or sprayed on to the protective component 204...; see fig. 5 and page 7 of the translation) covering the first conductive layer (214), the second conductive layer (220), and at least one of the first side surface (front surface) and the second side surface (back surface);
a first terminal electrode (228) electrically connected to the first conductive layer (214); and
a second terminal electrode (232) electrically connected to the second conductive layer (220).
Regarding claim 2, Chen teaches the overcurrent protection element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer is a continuous encapsulation structure (Chen teaches the encapsulation 250 being sprayed on the PTC, the electrode layers and the at least one of the front and back surfaces of the PTC device. See page 7 of the translation and fig. 5.), and the
first conductive layer (214), the second conductive layer (220), the first side surface (front surface), and the second side surface (rear surface) are encapsulated by the encapsulation layer in an annular manner (see fig. 5).
Regarding claims 6 and 7, Chen teaches the overcurrent protection element as claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer (214) and the second conductive layer (220) each comprises a metal foil, a metal coating, or a metal plating, wherein the conductive layer each comprises a nickel-plated copper foil (Chen teaches the electrode layers being composed of copper-nickel alloy being applied via electroplating, sputtering, printing, or lamination. See middle of page 5 of the translation.).
Regarding claim 11, Chen teaches the overcurrent protection element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode are L-shaped (a portion of the terminal extends along the end surface and another portion extends to part of the bottom surface of the core material; see fig. 4), the first terminal electrode extends from the first end surface to part of the bottom surface of the core material, and the second terminal electrode extends from the second end surface to part of the bottom surface of the core material.
Regarding claim 12, Chen teaches the overcurrent protection element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first terminal electrode and the second terminal electrode are U-shaped and extend from the first end surface and the second end surface to part of the top surface and part of the bottom surface of the core material (see fig. 4).
Regarding claim 13, Chen teaches the terminals being composed of copper, tin, silver, nickel or alloys thereof (see middle of page 5).
Regarding claim 14, Chen teaches the encapsulation layer being composed of epoxy resin (see page 7).
Claims 1, 3-5 and 8-9 and are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al., CN 105976954 (machine translation attached).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches an overcurrent protection element (PTC circuit protection element; see at least under the heading of “Embodiment 1” and figs. 1-4), comprising:
a core material (PTC material 13) comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a first side surface and a second side surface both located between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a first end surface and a second end surface both located between the top surface and the bottom surface;
a first conductive layer (14) formed on the top surface of the core material;
a second conductive layer (15) formed on the bottom surface of the core
material;
an encapsulation layer (encapsulation comprising top and bottom layers 110 and front and back layers 21, 22) covering the first conductive layer (covered by top layer 110), the second conductive layer (covered by bottom layer 110), and at least one of the first side surface (front surface covered by layer 21) and the second side surface (back surface covered by layer 22);
a first terminal electrode (comprising of terminal 18) electrically connected to the first conductive layer (14); and
a second terminal electrode (comprising of terminal 19) electrically connected to the second conductive layer (15).
Regarding claims 3-5, Zhang teaches the overcurrent protection element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer comprises a first encapsulation layer (top layer 110), a second encapsulation layer (bottom layer 110), a third encapsulation layer (front layer 21), and a fourth encapsulation layer (back layer 22), respectively covering the first conductive layer (14), the second conductive layer (15), the first side surface, and the second side surface, there is a seam between the first encapsulation layer (top layer) and the third encapsulation layer (front layer), a seam between the first encapsulation layer (top layer) and the fourth encapsulation layer (back layer), a seam between the second encapsulation layer (bottom layer) and the third encapsulation layer (front layer), and a seam between the second encapsulation layer (bottom layer) and the fourth encapsulation layer (back layer); and
the seam(s) connecting the layers to form a continuous encapsulation structure.
Regarding claim 8, Zhang teaches the overcurrent protection element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overcurrent protection element comprises multiple insulation parts (insulations 16, 17), wherein one of the insulation parts (insulation 16) being embedded in the first conductive layer (14) and located 0 mm to 10 mm from the second end surface (0 mm being flush with the right side surface of the PTC), and the other insulation part (insulation 17) being embedded in the second conductive layer (15) and located 0 mm to 10 mm from the first end surface (flush with the left side surface of the PTC).
Regarding claim 9, Zhang teaches the overcurrent protection element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overcurrent protection element comprises a first insulation film (16) and
a second insulation film (17), the first insulation film is formed on the first
conductive layer (14), and the second insulation film is formed on the second
conductive layer (15).
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 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Chen.
Regarding claim 15, Zhang teaches the claimed invention except for the insulation films being composed of polyimide.
Chen teaches (see figs. 1-2) the PTC device having an insulating layer 106 being composed of polyimide (page 4) for its thermal stability and mechanical strength.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Chen with Zhang, since using a polyimide insulation layer within the PTC body of Zhang will increase the mechanical structure of the PTC device as well as providing stability at high operating temperatures.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Wang et al., US Pub. 2017/0018339.
Regarding claim 16, Chen teaches the claimed invention except for the core material being composed of a combination of an upper core material layer and a lower core material layer.
Wang teaches a PTC device 10 (see fig. 1) having an upper layer (13) and a lower layer (17), wherein these two PTC layers are connected in parallel for the purpose of controlling the resistance (decreasing; see paragraph 0040).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Wang with Chen, since connecting multiple PTC layers taught by Wang allows for controlling the total resistance of the PTC device of Chen.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
Regarding claim 10, the prior art does not teach or suggest the overcurrent protection element, wherein the third conductive layer is formed on a surface of the first insulation film, extends between the first terminal electrode and the first end surface, and continuously extends to a surface of the second insulation film, and the fourth conductive layer is formed on the surface of the second insulation film, extends between the second terminal electrode and the second end surface, and continuously extends to the surface of the first insulation film.
Conclusion
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/KYUNG S LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833