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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18/13/2024 was filed after. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Itogawa (US20220148814).
With respect to claim 1, Itogawa discloses a multilayer ceramic capacitor (see FIG. 1, element 1) comprising: a multilayer body (see FIG. 1, element 10) including a plurality of dielectric layers (see FIG. 2, element 20) and a plurality of internal electrode layers (see FIG. 2, element 30) laminated in a lamination direction (see FIG. 1, Z direction), a first main surface (see FIG. 2, element TS1) and a second main surface (see FIG. 2, element TS2) opposed to each other in the lamination direction (see FIG. 1, Z direction), a first lateral surface (see FIG. 1, element WS1) and a second lateral surface (see FIG. 1, element WS2) opposed to each other in a width direction (see FIG. 1, Y direction) orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the lamination direction, and a first end surface (see FIG. 1, element LS1) and a second end surface (see FIG. 1, element LS2) opposed to each other in a length direction (see FIG. 1, X direction) orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the lamination direction and the width direction; a first external electrode (see FIG. 2, element 40A) on the first end surface; and a second external electrode (see FIG. 2, element 40B) on the second end surface; wherein the first external electrode and the second external electrode each include: a base electrode layer (see FIG. 2, elements 50A and 50B); a lower plated layer (see FIG. 2, elements 61A and 61B) on a surface of the base electrode layer; and an upper plated layer (see FIG. 2, elements 62A and 62B) on a surface of the lower plated layer; the lower plated layer has an average thickness of about 2.0 μm or more and about 5.0 μm or less (see paragraph 68); and the lower plated layer includes thin layer regions with a thickness smaller than the average thickness of the lower plated layer (see right side of FIG. 8, paragraph 78, noting plated layer 61 has irregularities regions).
With respect to claim 2, Itogawa discloses a ratio of an area of the thin layer regions of the lower plated layer located on top of each of the first end surface and the second end surface to a total area of the lower plated layer is about 10% or higher and about 50% or lower (see right side of FIG. 8, paragraph 78, noting plated layer 61 has irregularities regions).
With respect to claim 3, Itogawa discloses the lower plated layer includes Ni as a main component; and the upper plated layer includes Sn as a main component (see paragraph 66, noting Ni-plated layer 61A and Sn-plated layer 62A).
With respect to claim 4, Itogawa discloses each of the plurality of dielectric layers includes BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, or CaZrO3 as a main component (see paragraph 33, noting BaTiO.sub.3, CaTiO.sub.3, SrTiO.sub.3, or CaZrO.sub.3).
With respect to claim 5, Itogawa discloses each of the plurality of dielectric layers includes a Mn compound, an Fe compound, a Cr compound, a Co compound, or a Ni compound as a subcomponent (see paragraph 33, noting Mn compound, an Fe compound, a Cr compound, a Co compound, or a Ni compound).
With respect to claim 6, Itogawa discloses a thickness of each of the plurality of dielectric layers is about 0.5 μm or more and about 10 μm or less (see paragraph 34, noting 0.8 μm or more and about 10 μm or less).
With respect to claim 7, Itogawa discloses the plurality of internal electrode layers include first internal electrode layers (see FIG. 2, element 31) connected to the first external electrode (see FIG. 2, element 40A), and second internal electrode layers (see FIG. 2, element 32) connected to the second external electrode (see FIG. 2, element 40B).
With respect to claim 8, Itogawa discloses each of the plurality of internal electrode layers includes Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, or Au, or an alloy including at least one of Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, or Au (see paragraph 41, noting Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, and Au, and an alloy).
With respect to claim 9, Itogawa discloses a thickness of each of the plurality of internal electrode layers is about 0.2 μm or more and about 2.0 μm or less (see paragraph 42, noting 0.2 μm or more and about 2.0 μm or less).
With respect to claim 10, Itogawa discloses the base electrode layer includes a baked layer including a metal component and a glass component (see paragraph 57, noting a metal component, and a glass component).
With respect to claim 11, Itogawa discloses the glass component includes at least one of B, Si, Ba, Zn, Mg, Al, or Li (see paragraph 57, noting B, Si, Ba, Mg, Al, Li).
With respect to claim 12, Itogawa discloses the metal component includes at least one of Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, a Ag-Pd alloy, or Au (see paragraph 57, noting Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ag—Pd alloys, Au).
With respect to claim 13, Itogawa discloses a thickness of the baked layer at a central portion in the height direction is about 10 μm or more and about 150 μm or less (see paragraph 61, noting 3 μm or more and about 40 μm or less).
With respect to claim 14, Itogawa discloses each of the first and second external electrodes (see FIG. 2, elements 40A and 40B) extends portion of each of the first and second main surfaces (see FIG. 1, elements TS1 and TS2) and the first and second lateral surfaces (see FIG. 1, elements WS1 and WS2).
With respect to claim 15, Itogawa discloses the base electrode layer includes an electrically conductive resin layer (see paragraph 56, noting conductive resin layer).
With respect to claim 16, Itogawa discloses a thickness of the electrically conductive resin layer is about 10 μm or more and about 200 μm or less (see paragraph 90, noting 10 μm or more and about 150 μm or less).
With respect to claim 17, Itogawa discloses the electrically conductive resin layer includes a thermosetting resin and a metal component (see paragraph 105, noting conductive resin paste including a thermosetting resin and a metal component).
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.
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.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Itogawa in view of Sugita et al. (US20200343047).
With respect to claim 18, Itogawa teaches the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 17.
Itogawa does not expressly teach that the metal component of the electrically conductive resin layer is included in an amount of about 35 vol% or more and about 75 vol% or less relative to a total volume of the electrically conductive resin layer.
Sugita, on the other hand, teaches the metal component of the electrically conductive resin layer is included in an amount of about 35 vol% or more and about 75 vol% or less relative to a total volume of the electrically conductive resin layer (see paragraph 75, noting 35 vol % or greater and about 75 vol % or less).
Accordingly, it 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 to combine the teachings of Itogawa and Sugita to form the claimed invention in order to reduce a structural defect, delamination, and prevent a significant reduction of acquired capacitance (see paragraph 14).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ESTHER N LIAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5726. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 - 5:00 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy Dole can be reached at (571) 272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ESTHER N LIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2848
/Timothy J. Dole/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2848