DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Elections/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I and Species 1 (Claims 1, and 10-11) in the reply filed on 07/22/2026 is acknowledged. However, since applicant did not distinctly indicate whether election is with or without traverse and did not point out any supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.03(a) and 818.03(c)).
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, a length in the thickness direction of the columnar electrode is longer than a maximum width in a cross section orthogonal to the thickness direction of the columnar as claimed in claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121 (d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as "amended." If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either "Replacement Sheet" or "New Sheet" pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
(a) Claim 1. line 5, typing error: “an outer surface” should be “the outer surface”.
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 of this title, 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 and 10 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Tachibana (US 20180182535 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Tachibana teaches that an electronic component comprising:
an element body (10, Fig. 3; para 0040-0060) having an outer surface (not labeled; i.e. upper, lower and side surface of the element 10 in Fig. 1);
a via conductor 21-22; Fig. 3) penetrating at least a part of the element body in a thickness direction (A, Fig. 3) of the element body, the via conductor provided so that one end surface is flush with an outer surface (i.e. 10a) of the element body; and
at least one columnar electrode (31-32) having a base end portion (i.e. upper part of 31 in Fig. 3) electrically connected to the one end surface of the via conductor, so as to protrude in the thickness direction from the outer surface of the element body wherein
a length (not labeled; i.e. height of 31 in A direction in Fig. 3) in the thickness direction of the columnar electrode and a maximum width (i.e. width of 31 in horizontal direction in Fig. 1) in a cross section orthogonal to the thickness direction of the columnar electrode.
Tachibana teaches a length in the thickness direction of the columnar electrode to a maximum width in a cross section orthogonal to the thickness direction of the columnar electrode except a length in the thickness direction of the columnar electrode is longer than a maximum width in a cross section orthogonal to the thickness direction of the columnar electrode.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a length in the thickness direction of the columnar electrode is longer than a maximum width in a cross section orthogonal to the thickness direction of the columnar electrode, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. Therefore, a generally ordinary skill of the art can easily modify the length and width of the columnar conductor as claimed to meet design requirements. See MPEP 2144.05 (II-A)
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 a length in the thickness direction of the columnar electrode is longer than a maximum width in a cross section orthogonal to the thickness direction of the columnar electrode as claimed to meet design requirements to certain application for successful device operation.
Regarding Claim 10:
As applied to claim 1, Tachibana teaches that the columnar electrode and the via conductor are connected so that an axis of the columnar electrode (not labeled, i.e., axis of 31 in Fig. 3) and an axis (not labeled; i.e., axis of 21 in Fig. 3) of the via conductor are coaxial.
3. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tachibana in view of Jeong (US 20120274435 A1).
Regarding Claim 11:
As applied to claim 1, Tachibana teaches that the columnar electrode except a board on which the electronic component is mounted through the columnar electrode
However, Jeong teaches that a board (40, Fig. 2; para 0053) on which the electronic component is mounted through the columnar electrode (20).
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 a board on which the electronic component is mounted through the columnar electrode to provides a chip-type coil component having excellent reliability (para 0009).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form 892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kazi Hossain whose telephone number is 571-272-8182. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from Monday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (EST).
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/KAZI HOSSAIN/
Examiner, Art Unit 2837
/MALCOLM BARNES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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