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 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 1-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dunn et al., US Pub. 2004/0239474 in view of Yun et al., Pub. 2018/0130578.
Regarding claim 1, Dunn teaches a chip resistor (starting paragraph 0020 and figs. 4-5) comprising:
an insulating substrate (circuit substrate 400) provided with a first main surface (top), a first side surface (side by reference number 400 in fig. 4), and a second side surface (side by reference number 414 in fig. 4) opposite to the first side surface;
a first electrode (electrode 435 closer to reference number 400);
a second electrode (another electrode 435 closer to reference number 414) separated from the first electrode, the second electrode being provided closer to the second side surface than the first electrode in a plan view of the first main surface;
a first resistive element (first resistor 420) provided on the first main surface;
a second resistive element (second resistor 410) provided on the first main surface, the second resistive element being separated from the first resistive element; and
an intermediate electrode (center electrode 430) provided on the first main surface and arranged between the first resistive element (420) and the second resistive element (410), wherein
the first side surface and the second side surface are each connected to the first
main surface (see fig. 5),
in the plan view of the first main surface, the first electrode (430 by “400”; see fig. 4)) is provided closer to the first side surface than the second electrode,
the first electrode includes a first front electrode (435) provided on the first main surface,
the second electrode includes a second front electrode (435) provided on the first
main surface, the second front electrode being separated from the first front electrode,
the first resistive element (420) is in contact with the first front electrode (435) and the
intermediate electrode (430),
the second resistive element (410) is in contact with the second front electrode (435) and the intermediate electrode (430), and
a first length of the first resistive element (420) in a first direction in which the first
resistive element (420) and the second resistive element (410) are separated from each other is
longer than a second length of the second resistive element in the first direction (the first resistor 420 is 4 square and the second resistor 410 is 2 square and that the first resistor is about twice the length of the second resistor; see paragraphs 0017 and 0020).
Dunn teaches the claimed invention except for the first resistive element is provided with a first trimming groove, and the second resistive element is provided with a second trimming groove.
Yun teaches a chip resistor (see fig. 4) having laser trim (grooves) formed on the first resistor (331) and the second resistor (332), the groves being formed for the purpose of controlling the resistor characteristics (see paragraphs 0031-0032).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Yun with Dunn, since forming grooves to the resistor body allows for controlling the resistor characteristics to reach a target resistance for the resistor device of Dunn.
Regarding claims 2 and 3, Dunn teaches the first resistor having the length twice the length of the second resistor (see at least paragraphs 0017 and 0020).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, Dunn teaches the claimed invention except for “trim grooves.”
Yun teaches the chip resistor, wherein the first trimming groove (groove for resistor “331”; see fig. 4 and at least paragraph 0045) includes a first trimming groove portion and a second trimming groove portion connected to the first trimming groove portion (L-shaped),
in the plan view of the first main surface, a longitudinal direction of the first trimming groove portion extends along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (crosses the length of the resistor device; see fig. 4),
in the plan view of the first main surface, a longitudinal direction of the second
trimming groove portion extends along the first direction (extends along the length of the resistor device),
in the plan view of the first main surface, the longitudinal direction of the second trimming groove extends along the second direction (crosses the length of the resistor device; see fig. 4), and
a first ratio of a trimming groove absent portion in the first resistive element in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the plan view of the first main surface is substantially equal to a second ratio of a trimming groove absent portion in the second resistive element in the second direction (groove are formed equally distanced; see fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Yun with Dunn, since forming grooves to the resistor body allows for controlling the resistor characteristics to reach a target resistance for the resistor device of Dunn.
Regarding claim 7, Dunn teaches the claimed invention except for the first trimming groove is provided close to the first front electrode and the first side surface with respect to a first centerline of the first resistive element in the first direction, and
the second trimming groove is provided close to the second front electrode and
the second side surface with respect to a second centerline of the second resistive
element in the first direction.
Yun teaches the first trimming groove placed closer to the first front electrode (321) and the second trimming groove placed closer to the second front electrode (332). Yun teaches a chip resistor (see fig. 4) having laser trim (grooves) formed on the first resistor (331) and the second resistor (332), the groves being formed for the purpose of controlling the resistor characteristics (see paragraphs 0031-0032).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Yun with Dunn, since forming grooves to the resistor body allows for controlling the resistor characteristics to reach a target resistance for the resistor device of Dunn.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 8-19 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.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art does not teach or suggest the chip resistor having the first trimming groove portion is provided on a first centerline of the first resistive element in the first direction or close to the first front electrode with respect to the first centerline, and the second trimming groove portion extends from the first trimming groove portion toward the first front electrode.
Claim 8 depends on claim 6.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art does not teach or suggest the chip resistor having the insulating protective layer electrically isolates the first electrode and the second electrode from each other and electrically isolates the first electroconductive resin layer and the second electroconductive resin layer from each other, and
in the plan view of the first main surface, the first electroconductive resin layer
covers at least a part of the first trimming groove and the second electroconductive
resin layer covers at least a part of the second trimming groove.
Claims 10-19 depend on claim 9.
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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