0DETAILED 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 without traverse of Group I, claims 1-6 and 8 in the reply filed on 2/13/2026 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) 1-2, 4-6, 9 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii et al. [JP 2018-190828 A] in view of Shinohara et al. [US 2018/0308609 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Fujii et al. discloses a coil component [10] comprising:
- a magnetic element body [11, 12] made of composite material including resin containing conductive magnetic powder [ferrite or metal magnetic powder made of a permalloy-based material];
- a coil part [20] obtained by alternately stacking a plurality of conductor layers and a plurality of interlayer insulating layers, the plurality of conductor layers including a coil conductor pattern embedded in the magnetic element body, a first electrode pattern [51, 52, 53, 54] and a second electrode pattern [61, 62, 63, 64] electrically connected to ends of the coil conductor pattern and exposed from the magnetic element body [figures 9A-9H]; and
- first and second external terminals [E1, E2] provided on the electrode pattern and electrically connected to the first and second electrode patterns [figures 1 and 5].
Fujii et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for a protective insulating layer covering an outer surface of the magnetic element body in such a manner as to expose the external terminal therethrough.
Shinohara et al. discloses a coil component [figures 1-11] comprising:
- a magnetic body [2];
- a coil [3] embedded in the magnetic body, wherein the coil including a coil portion [figure 3] and two connecting portions [12, 13, 26, 27];
- first and second external electrodes/terminals [4, 5] electrically connected to the two connecting portions; and
- at protective insulating layer [6] covering an outer surface of the magnetic body in such a manner as to expose the external electrodes/terminals therethrough [figures 2 and 11].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include insulation layer on the magnetic body of Fujii et al., as suggested by Shinohara et al., for the purpose of providing insulation for the magnetic body of the device.
Regarding claim 1, Shinohara et al. discloses the protective insulating layer covers an entire surface of the magnetic element body [figures 2 and 11].
Regarding claim 4, Shinohara et al. discloses a surface of the external terminal and a part of a surface of the protective insulating layer in a vicinity around the external terminal are flush with each other [figure 11].
Regarding claim 5, conductive paste is a known material use for external electrode terminals [Shinohara et al. uses conductive paste].
Regarding claim 6, Fujii et al. further discloses the external terminal is exposed to one surface of the coil component that is perpendicular to a stacking direction of the conductor layers and interlayer insulating layers [40, 43, 44] and formed over an entire width of the one surface in the stacking direction [figure 6].
Regarding claims 9 and 11, Shinohara et al. discloses the protective insulating layer [6] having a mounting surface [figure 2], wherein the mounting surface of the protective insulating layer has a recess [21] between the external terminals [figure 2].
Claim(s) 3 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii et al. in view of Shinohara et al., as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ohkubo et al. [US 11,961,652 B2].
Regarding claims 3 and 8, Fujii et al., as modified, disclose the instant claimed invention except for the magnetic body having unevenness surface.
Ohkubo et al. discloses a coil component [1, figure 2] comprising:
- an element body [10] having unevenness surface due to magnetic powder and resin [summary of invention];
- a coil structure [20] arranged inside the element body;
- an insulating layer [45] covers the element body; and
- external electrodes [40A, 40B] arranged on the element body.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the element body and insulating layer arrangement of Ohkubo et al. in Fujii et al. for the purpose of smoothened the magnetic body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10 and 12-16 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 prior art of record do not teach or disclose, in the claimed combination thereof, the magnetic element body has a first surface and a second surface perpendicular to the first surface, wherein the electrode pattern is exposed from the first and second surfaces of the magnetic element body, wherein the external terminal contacts with the electrode pattern exposed from the first surface of the magnetic element body without contacting the electrode pattern exposed from the second surface of the magnetic element body, and wherein the electrode pattern exposed from the second surface of the magnetic element body is completely covered with the protective insulating layer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6 and 8-16 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 s
