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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/11/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings received on 10/11/2023 are acceptable.
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, 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hashimoto et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2018/0019052 A1, hereinafter “Hashimoto”).
With respect to claim 1, Hashimoto teaches a laminated coil component 1 (FIGs. 1 and 2) comprising:
an element body 10 having a first surface 15 and a second surface 16 facing each other in a first direction (horizontal direction);
a coil unit 20 formed by laminating a plurality of coil conductors 23 in a second direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the first direction inside the element body;
a first lead-out conductor 21 connected to the coil unit inside the element body and exposed on the first surface; and
a second lead-out conductor 22 connected to the coil unit inside the element body and exposed on the second surface,
wherein a first coil conductor (conductor 23 right above lead conductor 21) adjacent to the first lead-out conductor in the second direction includes a first side portion 23a (annotated FIG. 2) extending along the first surface, on a first surface side (side proximity to first surface),
a second coil conductor (conductor 23 right below lead-out conductor 22) adjacent to the second lead-out conductor in the second direction includes a second side portion 23b extending along the second surface, on a second surface side (side proximity to second surface), and
the first side portion has a larger line width than other side portions of the first coil conductor and the second side portion (paras. [0045], [0048] and [0051]).
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With respect to claim 3, Hashimoto teaches the laminated coil component according to claim 1,
wherein the second coil conductor includes a fourth side portion 23d extending along the first surface on the first surface side, and
the first side portion has a larger line width than the fourth side portion (para. [0051]).
With respect to claim 4, Hashimoto teaches the laminated coil component according to claim 1,
wherein the first side portion is widened to both an outer peripheral side and an inner peripheral side of the coil unit, and is increased in the line width compared to the other side portions of the first coil conductor (para. [0051]).
Claim 1 is also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tozawa et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2006/0006972 A1, hereinafter “Tozawa”).
With respect to claim 1, Tozawa teaches a laminated coil component 1 (FIGs. 1-3) comprising:
an element body 20 having a first surface (right side surface) and a second surface (left side surface) facing each other in a first direction (left to right direction);
a coil unit 11 formed by laminating a plurality of coil conductors 11a-11d in a second direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the first direction inside the element body;
a first lead-out conductor 14 connected to the coil unit inside the element body and exposed on the first surface; and
a second lead-out conductor 13 connected to the coil unit inside the element body and exposed on the second surface,
wherein a first coil conductor 11c adjacent to the first lead-out conductor in the second direction includes a first side portion 11c-1 (annotated Fig. 3) extending along the first surface, on a first surface side (side proximity to first surface),
a second coil conductor 11b adjacent to the second lead-out conductor in the second direction includes a second side portion 11b-1 extending along the second surface, on a second surface side, and
the first side portion has a larger line width than other side portions of the first coil conductor and the second side portion (para. [0034], [0040] and [0041]).
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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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hashimoto, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Oshima et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2019/0122800 A1, hereinafter “Oshima”).
With respect to claim 2, Hashimoto teaches the laminated coil component according to claim 1,
wherein a third coil conductor (conductor 23 right above firs coil conductor) adjacent to the first coil conductor on a side opposite to the first lead-out conductor in the second direction includes a third side portion 23c extending along the first surface on the first surface side (para. [0051]). Hashimoto does not expressly teach the third side portion has a larger line width than other side portions of the third coil conductor and the second side portion.
Oshima teaches a laminated coil component (Figs. 1 and 2), wherein the third side portion 22b has a larger line width than other side portions of the third coil conductor 22 and the second side portion 22a (para. [0044]). 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 the third side line width as taught by Oshima to the laminated coil component of Hashimoto to improve connectivity (para. [0044]).
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 PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGTIN LIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0800-1700.
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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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