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 without traverse of Group I, claims 1-15, in the reply filed on 7/13/26 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.
Claims 1-11 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawakata (WO2019181875, English translation).
Kawakata, paragraph 8 of the English translation, teaches conductive paste disclosed herein comprises a conductive powder, a binder, a thickening inhibitor, and a dispersion medium.
Kawakata, paragraph 13 of the English translation, teaches the conductive powder is nickel powder.
Kawakata, paragraph 14 of the English translation, teaches the conductive powder has an average particle size of 0.2 μm or less.
Kawakata, paragraph 15 of the PGPUB, teaches the conductive paste further comprises dielectric powder.
Kawakata, paragraph 25 of the English translation, teaches the lower limit of the average particle size of the conductive powder is also not limited; for example, it may be 0.005 μm or larger.
Kawakata, paragraph 32 of the English translation, teaches the dielectric powder can be titania.
Kawakata, paragraph 46 of the English translation, teaches examples of such binders include organic polymer compounds such as rosin resins, cellulose resins, polyvinyl alcohol resins, polyvinyl acetal resins, acrylic resins, urethane resins, epoxy resins, phenolic resins, polyester resins, and ethylene resins.
Kawakata, paragraph 55 of the English translation, teaches the conductive paste disclosed herein can be suitably used, for example, to form the internal electrode layer of a small MLCC with sides of 5 mm or less, for example, 1 mm or less. In particular, it can be suitably used to fabricate internal electrodes for small, high-capacity MLCCs with dielectric layer thicknesses of 1 μm or less.
Kawakata, paragraph 60 of the English translation, teaches the prepared paste is then supplied onto the prepared ceramic green sheet 20' in a predetermined pattern and to a desired thickness (for example, 1 μm or less) to form a conductive paste coating layer 30'.
Regarding claim 2, Kawakata, paragraph 55 of the English translation, teaches the conductive paste disclosed herein can be suitably used, for example, to form the internal electrode layer of a small MLCC with sides of 5 mm or less, for example, 1 mm or less. In particular, it can be suitably used to fabricate internal electrodes for small, high-capacity MLCCs with dielectric layer thicknesses of 1 μm or less.
Kawakata, paragraph 58 of the English translation, teaches a pair of external electrodes 40 are provided on the side surface of the laminated chip 10, which consists of a dielectric layer 20 and an internal electrode layer 30.
Kawakata, paragraph 60 of the English translation, teaches the prepared paste is then supplied onto the prepared ceramic green sheet 20' in a predetermined pattern and to a desired thickness (for example, 1 μm or less) to form a conductive paste coating layer 30'.
Kawakata, paragraph 61 of the English translation, teaches multiple ceramic green sheets 20' with the prepared coating layer 30' are laminated and pressed together (for example, several hundred to several thousand sheets).
Regarding claim 3, Kawakata, paragraph 14 of the English translation, teaches the conductive powder has an average particle size of 0.2 μm or less.
Kawakata, paragraph 25 of the English translation, teaches the lower limit of the average particle size of the conductive powder is also not limited; for example, it may be 0.005 μm or larger.
Regarding claim 4, Kawakata, paragraph 26 of the English translation, teaches the average particle diameter (D50 ) can be about 1 μm or less, typically 0.5 μm or less, preferably 0.3 μm or less, more preferably 0.25 μm or less, for example 0.2 μm.
Regarding claim 5, Kawakata teaches nickel.
Regarding claim 6, Kawakata, paragraph 33 of the English translation, teaches the average particle diameter of the dielectric powder D2, the average particle diameter of the conductive powder and D1, D1 and D2 is preferably usually D1> D2, D2 ≦ 0.5 × D1.
Regarding claim 7, Kawakata, paragraph 32 of the English translation, teaches titania, alumina, barium titanate and calcium zirconate.
Regarding claim 8, Kawakata, paragraph 30 of the English translation, teaches the content ratio of conductive powder is not particularly limited, but is generally 30% by mass or more, when the total conductive paste is considered as 100% by mass.
Regarding claim 9, Kawakata, paragraph 34 of the English translation, teaches the ratio of dielectric powder to 100 parts by mass of conductive powder is, for example, approximately 3 to 35 parts by mass, preferably 5 to 30 parts by mass, for example 10 to 25 parts by mass.
Regarding claim 10, Kawakata, paragraph 50 of the English translation, teaches the binder content may be, for example, 0.5 parts by mass or more, preferably 1 part by mass or more, more preferably 1.5 parts by mass or more, for example 2 parts by mass or more, per 100 parts by mass of conductive powder.
Regarding claim 11, Kawakata, paragraph 45 of the English translation, teaches the composition of the binder is not particularly limited, and various known organic compounds used in this type of application can be used as appropriate.
Kawakata, paragraph 47 of the English translation, teaches examples of cellulose-based resins include, for example, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose.
Kawakata, paragraph 48 of the English translation, teaches among these, polyvinyl butyral resin (PVB), which has a structure in which PVA is acetalized with butanol, is more preferable because it improves the shape characteristics of the printed material.
It 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 that the binder can comprises ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl butyral in any amount as this combination is a known combination for a binder in a conductive paste.
Regarding claim 14, Kawakata, paragraph 33 of the English translation, teaches a conductive paste for forming the internal electrode layer of an MLCC, the average particle size of the dielectric powder may be approximately a few nanometers to several hundred nanometers, for example, 10 to 100 nanometers.
Regarding claim 15, Kawakata, paragraph 29 of the English translation, teaches this allows the viscosity of the paste to be kept low, improving the handling properties of the paste and the workability during film formation for the conductive layer.
The composition as taught by the reference is the same composition as claimed in claim 1 and therefore it would be expected that the viscosity of the composition as taught by the reference would have a similar viscosity as claimed in claim 15.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawakata (WO2019181875, English translation) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Hayakawa et al (20040191690).
Although the reference teaches binder resins, the reference does not teach a photosensitive binder resin, monomer and photoinitiator.
Kawakata, paragraph 50 of the English translation, teaches the binder content may be, for example, 0.5 parts by mass or more, preferably 1 part by mass or more, more preferably 1.5 parts by mass or more, for example 2 parts by mass or more, per 100 parts by mass of conductive powder.
Hayakawa, abstract, teaches a photosensitive copper conductive composition comprising: a mixture of (a) copper powder at least 70 wt % out of 100 wt % copper powders having a particle size in the range of 0.2-3 .mu.m and (b) an inorganic binder with a softening point in the range of 380-580oC in an amount of 140 wt % based on 100 wt % copper powders, said mixture being dispersed in an organic vehicle comprising (c) an organic polymer binder, (d) a phototoinitiator, (e) a photohardenable monomer, and an organic solvent; and the photosensitive copper conductive composition being fireable at a temperature in the range of 450-600oC in a reductive atmosphere.
Hayakawa, paragraph 14 of the PGPUB, teaches a step in which the coated layer is exposed to actinic radiation through a prescribed electrode pattern mask to photopolymerize the exposed part, a step in which the development is performed to remove the unexposed part
It 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 to incorporate (d) a phototoinitiator, (e) a photohardenable monomer as taught by Hayakawa into the composition as taught by Kawakata so the composition when the composition is exposed to actinic radiation through a prescribed electrode pattern mask, the exposed part is photopolymerized.
Regarding claim 13, Hayakawa teaches the monomer present in the amount of 7 wt% with respect to 100% paste.
It 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 to incorporate the a photohardenable monomer as taught by Hayakawa into the composition as taught by Kawakata in an amount so the composition when the composition is exposed to actinic radiation through a prescribed electrode pattern mask, the exposed part is photopolymerized.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US20160172115 teaches a conductive paste.
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/STEFANIE J COHEN/Examiner, Art Unit 1732 9/10/26
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