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 Objections
Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities: “s” should be corrected to --is-- in line 2. Appropriate correction is required.
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 2-38 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.
Claims 20 and 34 recite the limitation "the lateral dimensions of the chip and the wires" in lines 6-7, and line 6, respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 21 and 22 recite “the lateral dimension of the chip”.
The term “a small amount of solder” in claim 30 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “a small amount of solder” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
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 20, 22-23, 27-28 and 30-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawamoto et al., US Pat. 7,075,407.
Regarding claims 20 and 22, Kawamoto teaches a NTC sensor (see at least col. 3, lines 15-27 and figs. 7-9) comprising:
a chip (NTC thermistor 52);
two parallel wires (55/ 155 and 56/156), each wire having contact points; and
contact-connections between the chip and the contact points of each of the wires (see at least figs. 7 and 9C),
wherein a maximum lateral dimension of the NTC sensor in any direction perpendicular
to a direction of extension of the wires is equal to or less than a sum of the lateral dimensions of
the chip and the wires; and
wherein the lateral dimension of the chip in any direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the wires is not greater than a total dimension of the two wires in the same direction (The chip 52 do not extend beyond the contact points of the parallel wires. See at least col. 6, lines 21-51.).
Regarding claim 23, Kawamoto teaches the chip having a maximum lateral extension of 0.6 mm (see col. 6, lines 4-5).
Regarding claims 27 and 28, the end faces of the wires act as contact points for the chip (see figs. 7 and 9C), and the contact points of the wires are L-shaped.
Regarding claims 30 and 31, Kawamoto teaches the solder and conductive adhesive (“solder” being conductive; see col. 5, lines 15-25).
Regarding claim 32, Kawamoto teaches the sensor head being encased in polymer material (“polyethylene”; see col. 6, lines 28-34).
Claims 20-21, 24-30 and 32-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shiko et al., US Pub. 2010/0066482.
Regarding claim 20, Shiko teaches a NTC sensor (NTC or PTC; see paragraphs 0060 and 0129, and figs. 8-9) comprising:
a chip (ceramic thermistor 1; see paragraph 0060);
two parallel wires (14a/14b), each wire having contact points; and
contact-connections between the chip and the contact points of each of the wires,
wherein a maximum lateral dimension of the NTC sensor in any direction perpendicular
to a direction of extension of the wires is equal to or less than a sum of the lateral dimensions of
the chip and the wires (the top of the chip 1 does not extend beyond the exposed L-shaped wire 15a; see fig. 9A).
Regarding claims 21 and 22, Shiko teaches the NTC sensor according to claim 20, wherein the maximum lateral dimension of the NTC sensor is not greater than a lateral dimension of the chip in the same direction (The top of the chip 1 does not extend beyond the exposed L-shaped wire 15a; see fig. 9A. That is, the top of the chip 1 and the top of the L-shaped wire 15a are level.).
Regarding claims 24 and 25, Shiko teaches the NTC sensor according to claim 20, wherein the chip is a ceramic multilayer component with internal electrodes; and the chip comprises a monolithic NTC thermistor ceramic (see at least paragraph 0060 and fig. 3).
Regarding claim 26, the wires are bonded to each other (parallel and bonded; see paragraph 0100).
Regarding claims 27-28 and 30, Shiko teaches the end faces of the wires as contact points for the chip (see fig. 9A and 9B), wherein the contact point of the wires are L-shaped and soldering are used to connect the chip and the wires (“soldering”; paragraph 0108).
Regarding claims 29 and 32-33, sheathing 11 (resin; see paragraph 0130) protects the chip (see fig. 8 and paragraph 0097). Shiko further teaches the sensor head (the encased portion) is not greater than twice the total dimension of the two wires in the same direction (see fig. 8).
Regarding claim 34, Shiko teaches a method for manufacturing an NTC sensor (NTC or PTC; see paragraphs 0060 and 0129, and figs. 8-9), the method comprising:
providing two wires having contact points (14a/14b);
providing a chip comprising an NTC thermistor ceramic (ceramic thermistor 1; see paragraph 0060);
arranging the chip at the contact points of the wires so that a maximum lateral
dimension of the NTC sensor in any direction perpendicular to a direction of extension of the
wires is less than a sum of the lateral dimensions of the chip and the wires (the top of the chip 1 does not extend beyond the exposed L-shaped wire 15a; see fig. 9A); and
forming a mechanical connection and an electrical contact between the chip and the
wires by soldering or by applying conductive adhesive (“soldering”; paragraph 0108).
Regarding claim 35, Shiko teaches the method according to claim 34, wherein a heat required for soldering is provided by self-heating of the NTC thermistor ceramic when an electrical voltage is applied (the exposed metal wires are heated; see paragraph 0107).
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 36 and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiko in view of Yamashita et al., JPH06168621 (translation attached).
Regarding claim 36, Shiko teaches the claimed invention, including the self-heating (see claim 35 above and paragraph 0107). Shiko, however, does not teach the method of using conductive adhesive.
Yamashita teaches the use of conductive adhesive and curing the adhesive using UV irradiation (see between paragraph numbers 0010 and 0012 in the translation) for the purpose of increasing the bonding strength between the electrode and the ceramic device (see the Abstract).
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 Yamashita with Shiko, since the use of conductive adhesive and curing taught by Yamashita increase the bonding strength of the ceramic device of Shiko and thus improves the physical structure of the ceramic device of Shiko.
(New) The method according to claim 34, wherein the conductive adhesive is cured by
irradiation with UV light.
Claim 38 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiko in view of Kawase et al., US Pub. 2009/0316752.
Regarding claim 38, Shiko teaches the claimed invention except for the forming a plurality of contact points along the wires by exposing the wires from an insulating sheathing;
placing a chip on each of the contact points; and
subsequently cutting the wires between the chips so that a plurality of NTC sensors are
obtained.
Kawase teaches the method for bonding multiple chips (1) on the parallel wires (15, 16) for the purpose of producing the multiple thermistor device (see at least paragraph starting from 0112). The thermistor device may be used as a multiple thermistor measuring device (see fig. 11) or as singular thermistor measuring device (see fig. 8).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention combine the teachings of Kawase with Shiko, since the method taught by Kawase allows for the thermistor device having multiple measuring points or individualized for the purpose of sensing/measuring one point.
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 2831
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