DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 12/17/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 14-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KANZAKI (US 2016/0118191).
Regarding claim 1, KANZAKI discloses a laminated ceramic capacitor (Fig. 1-3), comprising: a body (Fig. 1, 10) having a first internal electrode layer (Fig. 1, 12 on left), a second internal electrode (Fig. 1, 12 on right) layer, and a ceramic layer (Fig. 1, 11) disposed between the first internal electrode layer and the second internal electrode layer in a lamination direction (Fig. 1, up and down), the first internal electrode layer containing a main component metal element ([0012]), the ceramic layer being formed of ceramic material ([0021]) containing a sintering agent composed mainly of a sintering agent element ([0022-0023]); a first external electrode (Fig. 1, 13 on left) provided on the body so as to be electrically connected to the first internal electrode layer (Fig. 1); and a second external electrode (Fig. 1, 13 on right) provided on the body so as to be electrically connected to the second internal electrode layer (Fig. 1), wherein the first internal electrode layer includes a first electrode part (Fig. 3, 12) and a first non-electrode part (Fig. 3, 20a/20b), the first electrode part being formed of a sintered compact of the main component metal element (Fig. 3), the first non-electrode part being surrounded by the first electrode part (Fig. 3), wherein the second internal electrode layer includes a second electrode part (Fig. 3, 12) and a second non-electrode part (Fig. 3, 20a/b), the second electrode part being formed of a sintered compact of the main component metal element (Fig. 3), the second non-electrode part being surrounded by the second electrode part (Fig. 3), wherein each of the first non-electrode part and the second non-electrode part has a segregated part containing the sintering agent element ([0041-0042]), and wherein in a cross section of the body cut along the lamination direction, a ratio of a second area to a first area is 35% or lower Table 1, coverage greater than 65% in many samples), the first area representing a sum of an area of the first internal electrode layer and an area of the second internal electrode layer, the second area representing an area of the segregated part (Table 1).
Regarding claim 2, KANZAKI further discloses that the ratio of the second area to the first area is 5% or higher (Table 1, sample 1, coverage of 80% would leave 20% segregations).
Regarding claim 3, KANZAKI further discloses that a concentration of the sintering agent element in the segregated part is 20 at% or higher (Table 1, sample 1, coverage of 80% would leave 20% segregations).
Regarding claim 12, KANZAKI discloses a circuit module comprising the laminated ceramic capacitor of claim 1 (Fig. 1, the capacitor is considered to be a circuit module when in use [0004]).
Regarding claim 13, KANZAKI discloses an electronic device comprising the circuit module of claim 12 (when in use [0004]).
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.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANZAKI (US 2016/0118191) in view of IGUCHI et al (US 2022/0392704).
Regarding claim 4, KANZAKI fails to teach the claim limitations.
IGUCHI teaches that the first internal electrode layer further contains a secondary element, and wherein the secondary element is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Zn, B, and Si ([0012]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of IGUCHI to the invention of KANZAKI, in order to increase the durability of the capacitor (IGUCHI [0004]).
Regarding claim 5, KANZAKI, as modified by IGUCHI, further teaches that the segregated part contains the secondary element (IGUCHI [0071]).
Regarding claim 6, KANZAKI, as modified by IGUCHI, further teaches that a concentration of the secondary element in the segregated part is 5 at% or higher (IGUCHI 10% [0071]).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANZAKI (US 2016/0118191) in view of PARK et al (US 2017/0025222).
Regarding claim 7, KANZAKI fails to teach the claim limitations.
PARK teaches that the ceramic layer (Fig. 4, 111) contains a plurality of crystal grains (Fig. 4, 11) each formed of a sintered compact of the ceramic material ([0038]), and wherein in the ceramic layer, a number of the crystal grains interposed between the first internal electrode layer and the second internal electrode layer (Fig. 4, 121/122) is three or less (Fig. 4, only 2 11 stacked).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of PARK to the invention of KANZAKI, in order to make a capacitor with high capacitance and high reliability (PARK [0007]).
Claim(s) 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANZAKI (US 2016/0118191) in view of Sohn et al (US 2010/0165542).
Regarding claim 8, KANZAKI fails to teach the claim limitations.
Sohn teaches that the sintering agent is a low-melting glass ([0029]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Sohn to the invention of KANZAKI, in order to allow sintering at lower temps (Sohn [0029]).
Regarding claim 9, KANZAKI, as modified by Sohn, further teaches that the low-melting glass contains at least one substance selected from the group consisting of SiO2, B2O3, and mixtures of these (Sohn [0031]).
Regarding claim 10, KANZAKI, as modified by Sohn, further teaches that the low-melting glass is borosilicate glass (Sohn [0031]) or phosphate glass.
Regarding claim 11, KANZAKI fails to teach the claim limitations.
Sohn teaches that the sintering agent is B2O3 powder (0031]), P2O5 powder, or a mixture of these.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Sohn to the invention of KANZAKI, in order to allow sintering at lower temps (Sohn [0029]).
Additional Relevant Prior Art:
TANAKA et al (US 2012/0162858) teaches relevant art in Claims 18-21.
ARIIZUMI et al (US 2020/0043657) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-2.
HASHIMOTO (US 2020/0312570) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-7.
Conclusion
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/MICHAEL P MCFADDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848