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 12/13/2023 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 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “the extension portion of the external electrode extending to an interior of the groove is not in contact with a portion of the bottom surface of the groove” as recited in claim 4 and the “the external electrode comprises: a first electrode layer in contact with an end of the coil; and a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer, wherein the first and second electrode layers extend to an interior of the groove” as claimed in claim 5 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 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 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yatabe et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2018/0096778 A1, hereinafter “Yatabe”).
With respect to claim 1, Yatabe teaches a coil component 410 (FIGs. 14A-14C) comprising:
a body 20 having one surface 14 and the other surface 12 opposing each other, and a plurality of side surfaces 16 and 18 connecting to the one surface and the other surface;
a coil 30 embedded inside the body and having an end 38 exposed to at least one of the side surfaces 16 of the body;
an external electrode 50 including a connection portion (portion on side surfaces 16) disposed on one of the side surfaces of the body and connected to the end of the coil, and an extension portion (portion of the one surface 14) extending from the connection portion to the one surface of the body; and
a groove (“layer 20 is recessed” para. [0134]) formed in the one surface of the body and having a bottom surface 20a (annotated FIG. 14A), substantially parallel to the one surface of the body, and an internal wall 20b connecting the bottom surface to the one surface of the body,
wherein the extension portion of the external electrode extends along the internal wall and the bottom surface of the groove (paras. [0073], [0074] and [0135]).
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With respect to claim 2, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion of the external electrode is disposed on a portion of the groove (para. [0135]).
With respect to claim 4, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion of the external electrode extending to an interior of the groove is not in contact with a portion of the bottom surface of the groove (para. [0135]).
With respect to claim 5, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 1, wherein the external electrode comprises:
a first electrode layer (first electrode layer of “multilayer film” para. [0088]) in contact with an end of the coil; and
a second electrode layer (second electrode layer of “multilayer film” para. [0088])disposed on the first electrode layer,
wherein the first and second electrode layers extend to an interior of the groove (para. [0088]).
With respect to claim 6, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 5, wherein a portion of the first and second electrode layers is disposed inside the groove (para. [0088]).
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yatabe, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Araki (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2017/0076851 A1).
With respect to claim 3, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 1. Yatabe does not expressly teach the internal wall of the groove is parallel to at least one of the side surfaces of the body.
Araki teaches a coil component 1 (FIG. 1), wherein the internal wall (side wall of groove 9) of the groove 9 is parallel to at least one of the side surfaces (upper and or lower surface as seen of the body 2) of the body 2 (para. [0016]). 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 internal wall as taught by Araki to the coil component of Yatabe to improve the mechanical bonding between the electrode and the body.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yatabe, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Shinohara et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2018/0308609 A1, hereinafter “Shinohara”).
With respect to claim 7, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 1. Yatabe does not expressly teach the groove includes first and second grooves,
wherein the coil component further includes an insulating layer disposed on the one surface of the body and disposed between the first and second grooves.
Shinohara teaches a coil component 1 (FIGs. 1 and 2), wherein the groove (grooves 14 and 15) includes first and second grooves 14 and 15,
wherein the coil component further includes an insulating layer 6 disposed on the one surface of the body and disposed between the first and second grooves (para. [0026]). 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 grooves and insulating layer as taught by Shinohara to the coil component of Yatabe to reduce size and protect the body against foreign objects.
Claims 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yatabe in view of Shinohara, as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2019/0252113 A1, hereinafter “Kim”).
With respect to claim 8, Yatabe in view of Shinohara teaches the coil component according to claim 7. Yatabe in view of Shinohara does not expressly teach the insulating layer extends to an interior of the first and second grooves.
Kim teaches a coil component (FIG. 2), wherein the insulating layer 210 extends to an interior of the first and second grooves 112 (para. [0059]). 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 insulating layer as taught by Kim to the coil component of Yatabe in view of Shinohara to protect the body against foreign objects.
With respect to claim 9, Yatabe in view of Shinohara and Kim teaches the coil component according to claim 8, wherein the insulating layer fills a portion of the first and second grooves (Kim, para. [0059]).
With respect to claim 10, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 8, wherein the insulating layer extending to the interior of the first and second grooves extend along surfaces of internal walls of the first and second grooves (Kim, para. [0059]).
With respect to claim 11, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 10, wherein the insulating layer extending to the interior of the first and second grooves is in contact with a portion of bottom surfaces of the first and second grooves (Kim, para. [0059]).
With respect to claim 12, Yatabe teaches the coil component according to claim 8, wherein the insulating layer is in contact with the extension portion of the external electrode 310 and or 320 (Kim, para. [0059] and [0065]).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yatabe.
With respect to claim 13, Yatabe teaches a coil component 410 (FIGs. 14A-14C) comprising:
a body 10 having one surface 14 and other surface 12 opposing each other, and a plurality of side surfaces 16 and 18 connecting to the one surface and the other surface;
a coil 30 buried in the body and having an end 38 exposed to the side surface of the body;
an external electrode 50 including a connection portion (portion on surface 6) disposed on at least one of the side surfaces of the body and connected to the end of the coil, and an extension portion (portion on the one surface 14) extending from the connection portion; and
a groove (“layer 20 is recessed” para. [0134]) formed in the one surface of the body,
wherein the extension portion extends to an interior of the groove (paras. [0073], [0074] and [0135]). Yatabe does not expressly teach, in the embodiment of FIGs. 14A-14C, an extension portion extending from the connection portion to the one surface and the other surface of the body
Yatabe teaches, in the embodiment of FIG. 22G, teaches a coil component comprising an extension portion (portion of electrode 50 on bottom and top surfaces of the body) extending from the connection portion (electrode portion on end surfaces) to the one surface (bottom surface) and the other surface (top surface) of the body (para. [0156]). 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 electrode extension portion as taught by the embodiment of FIG. 22G Yatabe to the coil component of the embodiment of FIGs. 14A-14C to improve the bonding of the electrode to the body.
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shawki S. Ismail can be reached at 571-272-3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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