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 § 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) 1-6, 8-10, 12-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SUGITA (US 2017/0330686).
Regarding claim 1, SUGUTA discloses a multilayer ceramic capacitor (Fig. 1-7) comprising: a multilayer body (Fig. 1, 2) including a plurality of dielectric layers (Fig. 3, 10) laminated in a lamination direction (Fig. 3, T), the multilayer body including a first main surface (Fig. 1, 21) and a second main surface (Fig. 1, 20) opposed to each other in the lamination direction (Fig. 1), a first lateral surface (Fig. 1, 15) and a second lateral surface (Fig. 1, 16) opposed to each other in a width direction (Fig. 1, W) orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the lamination direction (Fig. 1), and a first end surface (Fig. 1, 24) and a second end surface (Fig. 1, 25) opposed to each other in a length direction (Fig. 1, L) orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the lamination direction and the width direction (Fig. 1); first internal electrode layers (Fig. 3, 7) on the dielectric layers and exposed at the first end surface (Fig. 3); second internal electrode layers (Fig. 3, 8) on the dielectric layers and exposed at the second end surface (Fig. 3); a first external electrode (Fig. 3, 4) including a base electrode layer (Fig. 3, 40) disposed on the first end surface and a plated layer (Fig. 3, 42) on the base electrode layer (Fig. 3); and a second external electrode (Fig. 3, 5) including a base electrode layer (Fig. 3, 50) on the second end surface and a plated layer (Fig. 3, 52) on the base electrode layer (Fig. 3); wherein the first internal electrode layers are exposed at the first lateral surface and the second lateral surface (Fig. 2); the second internal electrode layers are exposed at the first lateral surface and the second lateral surface (Fig. 2); the first internal electrode layers each include a first region (Fig. 2, 88a) along an end thereof adjacent to the first lateral surface of the multilayer body and a second region (Fig. 2, 88b) along an end thereof adjacent to the second lateral surface of the multilayer body (Fig. 2); the first region and the second region include a Ni-Mg-O phase therein ([0034]); the second internal electrode layers each include a third region (Fig. 2, 88a) along an end thereof adjacent to the first lateral surface of the multilayer body (Fig. 2) and a fourth region (Fig. 2, 88b) along an end thereof adjacent to the second lateral surface of the multilayer body; and the third region and the fourth region include a Ni-Mg-O phase therein ([0034]).
Regarding claim 2, SUGUTA further discloses that the first region and the second region each have a dimension in the width direction of about 5 μm or more and about 50 μm or less ([0033]); and the third region and the fourth region each have a dimension in the width direction of about 5 μm or more and about 50 μm or less ([0033]).
Regarding claim 3, SUGUTA further discloses that the dielectric layers include at least Mg ([0011]).
Regarding claim 4, SUGUTA further discloses that a number of the dielectric layers is 50 or more and 100 or less ([0028]).
Regarding claim 5, SUGUTA further discloses that a thickness of each of the dielectric layers is about 0.5 μm or more and about 10 μm or less ([0028]).
Regarding claim 6, SUGUTA further discloses that each of the dielectric layers includes BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, or CaZrO3 as a main component ([0027]).
Regarding claim 8, SUGUTA further discloses that each of the first and second internal electrode layers has a rectangular or substantially rectangular shape (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9, SUGUTA further discloses that a number of the first and second internal electrode layers is 50 or more and 1000 or less ([0028]).
Regarding claim 10, SUGUTA further discloses that a thickness of each of the first and second internal electrode layers is about 0.2 μm or more and about 2.0 μm or less ([0037]).
Regarding claim 12, SUGUTA further discloses that each of the first and second internal electrode layers includes Ni ([0034]), Cu, Ag, Pd, or Au, or an alloy including at least one of Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, or Au.
Regarding claim 13, SUGUTA further discloses that each of the base electrode layers of the first and second external electrodes includes a baked layer ([0044]).
Regarding claim 14, SUGUTA further discloses that the baked layer includes at least one of Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, a Ag-Pd alloy, or Au ([0044]).
Regarding claim 15, SUGUTA further discloses that a thickness of a central portion of baked layer is about 10 μm or more and about 150 μm or less ([0044]).
Regarding claim 16, SUGUTA further discloses that each of the base electrode layers of the first and second external electrodes includes a conductive resin layer ([0044]).
Regarding claim 17, SUGUTA further discloses that a thickness of the conductive resin layer is about 10 μm or more and about 200 μm or less ([0044]).
Regarding claim 18, SUGUTA further discloses that the conductive resin layer includes a thermosetting resin and a metal component ([0044]).
Regarding claim 20, SUGUTA further discloses that the metal component includes Ag or Cu, or an alloy of Ag or Cu ([0044]).
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUGITA (US 2017/0330686) in view of YAMASHITA (US 2012/0250221).
Regarding claim 7, SUGUTA fails to teach the claim limitations.
YAMASHITA teaches that each of the dielectric layers includes a Mn compound, an Fe compound, a Cr compound, a Co compound, or a Ni compound as a subcomponent ([0050]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of YAMASHITA to the invention of SUGUTA, in order to construct the devices using known materials in the art to meet user needs based on known material properties and availability of those materials. The use of conventional materials/components to perform their known function is obvious. MPEP 2144.06.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUGITA (US 2017/0330686).
Regarding claim 11, SUGUTA fails to teach the claim limitations.
However, the examiner notes that the limitation of “wherein a dimension of each of the first and second internal electrode layers is about 5 μm or more and about 50 μm or less” is considered to be a result effective variable, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention to include the limitation of “wherein a dimension of each of the first and second internal electrode layers is about 5 μm or more and about 50 μm or less as this limitation would be easily reached by one having ordinary skill in the art in order to construct the devices using understood variable specifications and designs in the art to best meet user needs based on known design possibilities.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SUGITA (US 2017/0330686) in view of KOBAYASHI et al (US 2019/0362895).
Regarding claim 19, SUGUTA fails to teach the claim limitations.
KOBAYOSHI teaches that the thermosetting resin includes epoxy resins, phenol resins, urethane resins, silicone resins, or polyimide resins ([0030]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of KOBAYOSHI to the invention of SUGUTA, in order to construct the devices using known materials in the art to meet user needs based on known material properties and availability of those materials. The use of conventional materials/components to perform their known function is obvious. MPEP 2144.06.
Additional Relevant Prior Art:
Nakamura et al (US 2011/0216472) teaches relevant art in [0034-0038].
LEE et al (US 2014/0125194) teaches relevant art in [0018-0025].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL P MCFADDEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5649. The examiner can normally be reached M-Thur 8am-9pm PST.
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/MICHAEL P MCFADDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848