CTNF 18/549,264 CTNF 101325 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 02-26 AIA Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/06/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: The “plurality of conductor” in line 3 of claim 1 is inconsistent “plurality of conductor layers in line 6 of claim 1. Appropriate correction is required for clarity. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii et al. (US-20180323003-A1) in view of Wada et al. (US-20130027166-A1), hereinafter Fujii and Wada respectively . Regarding Claim 1 , Fujii teaches a coil component ( 10 , Fig. 1) comprising: a magnetic member ( 11 and 12 ); a coil part ( 20 ) embedded in the magnetic member and including a plurality of conductor ( C1 to C4 ) and interlayer insulating layers ( 40 to 44 ) which are alternately stacked in a first direction (z-direction, Fig. 2); and a terminal electrode made of a conductive paste (terminals E1 and E2 made with solder), wherein each of the plurality of conductor layers has a coil conductor pattern embedded in the magnetic member (Fig. 1-2, 6; Par [0032-0033]) and an electrode pattern ( 51 to 54 , and 61 to 64 ) exposed to a mounting surface ( S1 ) parallel to the first direction (x axis direction) (Fig. 1-2, 6; Par [0032-0033]). Fujii does not explicitly teach wherein the terminal electrode has a first area provided at a position covering the electrode patterns on the mounting surface and second and third areas provided at positions not covering the electrode patterns on the mounting surface, wherein the first area is sandwiched by the second and third areas in the first direction, and wherein the first area is larger in width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction than the second and third areas, whereby a part of the first area constitutes a first protruding part protruding in the second direction. Wada teaches a coil component 100 (FIG. 1A), wherein the terminal electrode ( 5) has a first area ( 5a ) provided at a position covering the electrode patterns ( 4a ) on the mounting surface ( 3a ) and second and third areas ( 5b , two protrusions from the first area 5a ) provided at positions not covering the electrode patterns on the mounting surface, wherein the first area is sandwiched by the second and third areas in the first direction (into the page direction) (see Fig. 1A), and wherein the first area is larger in width (width dimension in length direction) in a second direction (length direction) perpendicular to the first direction than the second and third areas (Par [0052]; Fig. 1A) whereby a part of the first area constitutes a first protruding ( 5a , first area closer to surface 3c ) part protruding in the second direction (Par [0050-0052]; Fig. 1A). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the coil component of Fujii with the teachings of Wada by including second and third electrode areas in order to enable mounting on a wide land electrode (Par [0052], Wada). Regarding Claim 2 , Fujii in view of Wada teaches the coil component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first protruding part ( 5a, first area closer to surface 3c) protrudes toward a side surface ( 3c ) of the magnetic member perpendicular to the second direction ( a length direction perpendicular to a width direction ; Par [0050-0052]; Fig. 1A; Wada). Regarding Claim 4 , Fujii in view of the embodiment of Figure. 1A of Wada teaches the coil component as claimed in claim 1, but does not explicitly teach wherein another part of the first area constitutes a second protruding part protruding in an opposite direction in which the first protruding part protrudes. Fig. 6 of Wada, an alternate embodiment of Fig.1A, teaches wherein another part of the first area constitutes a second protruding part protruding in an opposite direction in which the first protruding part protrudes ( See annotated Fig. 6 below ; Par [0077-0079]; Fig. 6). PNG media_image1.png 504 658 media_image1.png Greyscale It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the coil component of Fujii with the teachings of Wada by including first and second protruding parts in order to enable secure and stronger mounting to other components (Par [0052]; Wada) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii in view of Wada as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Suzuki et al. (US-20090058588-A1), hereinafter Suzuki . Regarding Claim 3 , Fujii in view of Wada teaches the coil component as claimed in claim 2, but does not explicitly teach wherein the first protruding part decreases in thickness toward the side surface. Suzuki teaches a coil component wherein the first protruding part decreases in thickness toward the side surface (Par [0007-0008]; Fig. 5 and 6). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the coil component of Fujii with the teachings of Suzuki by including an electrode that decreases in thickness towards a side surface in order to better distribute heat and provide an easier means of alignment of components particularly during automated assembly processes . 07-22-aia AIA Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii in view of Wada as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yoshioka et al. (US-20200381158-A1), hereinafter Yoshioka . Regarding Claim 5 , Fujii in view of Wada teaches the coil component as claimed in claim 1, but does not explicitly teach wherein a center portion of the first area is locally smaller in thickness than the second and third areas, whereby the terminal electrode has a partial recess. Yoshioka teaches a coil component wherein a center portion of the first area ( 41a ) is locally smaller in thickness than the second and third areas ( area 41a is thinner and is recessed compared to portions 41b of the electrode as seen in Fig. 3 ), whereby the terminal electrode has a partial recess (Par [0079-0081]; Fig. 3). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the coil component of Fujii with the teachings of Yoshioka by including a thinner, recessed area in the center of an electrode in order to increase the reliability and strength of bonding between components such as connection portions. While 41a and 41b are parts of the same terminal electrode 41 , the embodiment is similar to the claimed invention wherein section 41a is disposed on a wiring pattern, while two additional areas (both labeled 41b ) are not disposed on the wiring area. This is similar to the first area disposed on electrode patterns and second and third areas not disposed on the electrode patterns as in the claimed invention. Examiner’s Note : Suzuki also teaches an electrode that has a recess portion, though maintains a consistent thickness at the center, to suppress lateral motion of molten solder and thus ensure a stable height (Par [0047-0049]; Suzuki). This is consistent with the teaching in the specification of the claimed invention . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure can be viewed in form PTO-892 Notice of References Cited. The prior art listed is directed to the proper attachment and alignment of electrodes to coil components . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AISLIN WEST whose telephone number is (571)272-0552. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /AISLIN M WEST/Examiner, Art Unit 2837 /SHAWKI S ISMAIL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 2 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 3 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 4 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 5 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 6 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 7 Art Unit: 2837 Application/Control Number: 18/549,264 Page 8 Art Unit: 2837
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