DETAILED ACTION
Notice to Applicant
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claims 1-15 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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, 4-6, 8-9, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ito et al. US Patent 7,091,816.
As per claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, and 13, Ito et al. discloses in Figs. 1-3 an inductor component (e.g. common-mode choke coil CC1) comprising:
as per claim 1, an element body (e.g. layer structure LS) including a first end surface and a second end surface opposed to each other (Fig. 1, back and front end surfaces respectively), a first side surface and a second side surface opposed to each other (Fig. 1, top and bottom surfaces respectively), a bottom surface (Fig. 1, right end surface) connected between the first end surface and the second end surface and between the first side surface and the second side surface (Fig. 1; The right end surface connects the front and back end surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces.), and a top surface (Fig. 1, left end surface) opposed to the bottom surface; a coil (e.g. coil conductors 9 and 13) in the element body and spirally wound along an axis (e.g. vertical axis) that is parallel to the bottom surface (The vertical axis is parallel to the right end surface.) and intersects the first side surface and the second side surface (The vertical axis intersects the top and bottom surfaces.); and a first outer electrode (Fig. 1, top right terminal 1) and a second outer electrode (Fig. 1, top left terminal 1) that are in the element body and electrically connected to the coil, wherein the coil including a plurality of coil wiring layers (e.g. coil conductors 9 and 13) laminated along the axis, and the plurality of coil wiring layers include a first coil wiring layer (e.g. coil conductor 9) connected to the first outer electrode (The coil conductor 9 is electrically connected to the top right terminal 1 via corresponding conductor 25 as shown in Figs. 1-2.), and when viewed in a direction of the axis, the first coil wiring layer includes a top surface portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, linear portion 9c annotated as A) opposed to the top surface (Fig. 3a; The linear portion 9c annotated as A is opposed to the left end surface.) and a connecting portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, portion disposed between the top right terminal 1 and the point annotated as P) connected between the first outer electrode and the top surface portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below; The “connecting portion” is connected between the top right terminal 1 and the linear portion 9c annotated as A.), and the connecting portion includes at least one curved portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, four bent portions 9d annotated as B);
as per claim 2, an element body (e.g. layer structure LS) including a first end surface and a second end surface opposed to each other (Fig. 1, front and back end surfaces respectively), a first side surface and a second side surface opposed to each other (Fig. 1, top and bottom surfaces respectively), a bottom surface (Fig. 1, right end surface) connected between the first end surface and the second end surface and between the first side surface and the second side surface (Fig. 1; The right end surface connects the front and back end surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces.), and a top surface (Fig. 1, left end surface) opposed to the bottom surface; a coil (e.g. coil conductors 9 and 13) in the element body and spirally wound along an axis (e.g. vertical axis) that is parallel to the bottom surface (The vertical axis is parallel to the right side surface.) and intersects the first side surface and the second side surface (The vertical axis intersects the top and bottom surfaces.); and a first outer electrode (Fig. 1, top right terminal 1) and a second outer electrode (Fig. 1, top left terminal 1) that are in the element body and electrically connected to the coil, wherein the coil including a plurality of coil wiring layers (e.g. coil conductors 9 and 13) laminated along the axis, and the plurality of coil wiring layers include a second coil wiring layer (e.g. coil conductor 9) connected to the second outer electrode (The coil conductor 9 is electrically connected to the top right terminal 1 via corresponding conductor 25 as shown in Figs. 1-2.), and when viewed in a direction of the axis, the second coil wiring layer includes a first outer electrode opposing portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, linear portion 9c annotated as C) opposed to the first outer electrode (Annotated Fig. 3a; The linear portion 9c annotated as C is opposed to the top right terminal 1.) and a connecting portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, linear portion annotated as D) connected between the second outer electrode and the first outer electrode opposing portion and opposed to the bottom surface (Annotated Fig. 3a below; The linear portion annotated as D is connected between the top right terminal 1 and the linear portion 9c annotated as C.), and the connecting portion includes at least one curved portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, two bent portions 9d annotated as B disposed between the portions annotated as C and D);
as per claim 4, wherein the at least one curved portion includes a first curved portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, bottom right bent portion 9d annotated as B) connected to the top surface portion when viewed in the direction of the axis, and the first curved portion protrudes outward in a radial direction of the coil (Annotated Fig. 3a below; The bottom right bent portion 9d annotated as B protrudes outward in a radial direction of the coil conductor 9.);
as per claim 5, wherein the connecting portion has a curved shape when viewed in the direction of the axis (Annotated Fig. 3a below; The portion disposed between the top right terminal 1 and the point annotated as P includes four bent portions 9d annotated as B which have a curved shape when viewed in the vertical direction.);
as per claim 6, wherein the connecting portion includes at least four curved portions (Annotated Fig. 3a, four bent portions 9d annotated as B), each of which being the at least one curved portion, when viewed in the axial direction;
as per claim 8, wherein when viewed in the direction of the axis, the connecting portion includes a linear portion (Annotated Fig. 3a below, linear portion annotated as C), and includes the at least one curved portion between the linear portion and the first outer electrode (Annotated Fig. 3a below; There exists two bent portions annotated as 9d disposed between the top right terminal 1 and the linear portion annotated as C.);
as per claim 9, wherein the linear portion is opposed to the first end surface (Annotated Fig. 3a below; The linear portion annotated as C is opposed to the back-end surface.); and
as per claim 13, wherein the connecting portion has a curved shape when viewed in the direction of the axis; (Annotated Fig. 3a below; The portion annotated as D includes two bent portions 9d annotated as B which have a curved shape when viewed in the vertical direction.).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 7, and 10-12, and 14-15 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAKESH PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-0961. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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/RAKESH B PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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