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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the part" in line 21. As multiple “parts” have been defined, there is indefinite antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ikeda, US Pat. 8,760,830.
Regarding claim 1, Ikeda teaches a transient voltage protection device (ESD protection device 21; see at least col. 12, line 15+ and figs. 8A, 8B) comprising:
an element body (green sheet 30) formed with a cavity (28) inside;
a pair of external electrodes (external electrodes 12, 13; refer to fig. 1A-C) disposed on the element body;
a pair of internal electrodes (discharge electrodes 25, 26) disposed in the element body and including edges (edges 25a, 26a face each other; col. 12, lines 37-40), the edges including parts opposing each other in a first direction (see fig 8B) in the cavity; and
a discharge assistance portion (discharge auxiliary electrode 24) disposed in the element body, the discharge assistance portion (24) being in contact with the parts included in the edges (internal electrodes 25, 26 contacts the discharge assistance portion (see fig. 8B),
wherein each of the edges includes:
a first end (opposite ends from the center discharge assistance portion) the exposed on an outer surface of the element body and connected to a corresponding external electrode of the pair of external electrodes (far ends connects to the external electrodes 12, 13); and
a second end located opposite the first end and including a corner (“corner” at the far end near reference number 25a; see fig. 8A),
the discharge assistance portion (24) includes a pair of edges opposing each other in a second direction (see fig. 8A) intersecting with the first direction and
exposed to the cavity (Ikeda teaches the cavity 28 being the region hatched with oblique lines; see col. 12, lines 65-67.), and the part included in each of the edges does not include the corner included in the second end (the corner at the second end is not in the cavity 28; see fig. 8A).
Regarding claim 2, Ikeda teaches the transient voltage protection device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge assistance portion (24) includes another pair of edges opposing
each other in the first direction (see fig. 8B) and each in contact with corresponding internal electrode of the pair of internal electrodes (electrodes 25, 26).
Regarding claim 6, Ikeda teaches the transient voltage protection device according to claim 1, wherein, between the parts of the edges of the pair of internal electrodes (25a, 26a; see fig. 8B), the discharge assistance portion (24) includes a length in the second direction
longer than an interval in the second direction between each of the pair of edges of the discharge assistance portion and a corresponding end of both ends of the cavity (Ikeda teaches the discharge assistance portion 24 being longer than that of the interval between an edge of the discharge assistance portion 24 to the ends of the cavity 28. That, the edges of the discharge assistance portion 24 are embedded under the internal electrodes 25, 26 to prevent the tips of the electrodes 25, 26 from peeling off. See col. 12, line 62 to col. 13, line 2 and fig. 8B).
Regarding claim 7, Ikeda teaches the transient voltage protection device (ESD protection device 21; see at least col. 12, line 15+ and figs. 8A, 8B) comprising:
an element body (30) formed with a cavity (28) inside;
a pair of external electrodes (12, 13) disposed on the element body;
a pair of internal electrodes (25, 26) disposed in the element body, the pair of internal electrodes opposing each other in a first direction (see fig. 8A) and being exposed to the cavity; and
a discharge assistance portion (24) disposed in the element body, the
discharge assistance portion being in contact with the pair of internal electrodes (25, 26),
wherein each of the pair of internal electrodes includes:
a first end (opposite ends from the center discharge assistance portion) connected to a corresponding external electrode of the pair of external electrodes (far ends connects to the external electrodes 12, 13) and
a second end located opposite the first end and including a corner (“corner” at the far end near reference number 25a; see fig. 8A),
the discharge assistance portion (24) includes a pair of edges opposing each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction, the pair of edges are located inside the cavity when viewed in a third direction intersecting with the first direction and the second
direction (Ikeda teaches the cavity 28 being the region hatched with oblique lines; see col. 12, lines 65-67 and fig. 8A.), and the corner is not exposed to the cavity and is not in contact with
the discharge assistance portion (the corner at the second end is not in the cavity 28 and is not in contact with the discharge assistance portion; see fig. 8A).
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 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda in view of Imada et al., US Pat. 10,057,970.
Regarding claims 3-5, Ikeda teaches the claimed invention except for the discharge assistance portion being curved in a cross section along a third direction, wherein the pair of internal electrodes are curved along the discharge assistance portion in the cross section.
Imada teaches an ESD protection device with both the discharge assistance portion (the auxiliary discharge electrode 6; see fig. 1) and the internal electrodes (4, 5) being curved.
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 Imada with Ikeda, since the curved shape of the discharge assistance portion increases the contact surface between the internal electrodes and the discharge assistance portion thereby decreasing the possibility of detachment/peel-off during ESD discharge.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYUNG S LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1994. The examiner can normally be reached 7AM-3PM M-F.
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/KYUNG S LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833