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
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 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) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaguchi et al. (US Publication 2018/0108488) in view of Furukawa et al. (US Publication 2016/0307703).
In re claim 1, Yamaguchi discloses a manufacturing method for a solid electrolytic capacitor (100 – Figure, ¶15) that includes an anode body (11 – Figure, ¶15) having a porous part on a surface thereof (¶21)and a dielectric layer (12 – Figure, ¶15) formed on at least a portion of a surface of the porous part (Figure), the manufacturing method comprising:
a step (i) of forming a first solid electrolyte layer (¶18) that covers at least a portion of the dielectric layer (¶18); and
a step (ii) of forming a second solid electrolyte layer (¶18) that covers at least a portion of the first solid electrolyte layer (¶18), wherein the first solid electrolyte layer contains a first conductive polymer (¶24), the second solid electrolyte layer contains a second conductive polymer (¶55),
the step (i) includes:
a step (i-a) of supplying a reaction solution containing a monomer and a silane compound to a surface of the dielectric layer (¶85-87); and
a step (i-b) of forming the first solid electrolyte layer by polymerizing the monomer in the supplied reaction solution to form the first conductive polymer (¶87-89), and the monomer comprises 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (¶105).
Yamaguchi does not disclose the monomer contains a compound represented by the following formula (I):
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258
722
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Furukawa discloses the formation of the solid electrolyte layer (34 – Figure 3, ¶22) involves the polymerization of alkyl EDOT (¶10, ¶22, ¶45), having the formula
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258
722
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(¶10, ¶22, ¶45).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate the monomer of Furukawa to improve the withstand voltage characteristics of the electrolytic capacitor (¶22: Furukawa).
In re claim 2, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the manufacturing method according to claim 1, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the monomer further contains 3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene (¶105).
In re claim 3, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the manufacturing method according to claim 1, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses the silane compound is a silane coupling agent (¶33), the reaction solution contains an oxidizing agent (¶88, ¶105), and in the reaction solution (¶105), a value of (mass of the silane compound)/(sum total of mass of the monomer, mass of the oxidizing agent, and mass of a liquid medium of the reaction solution) is within a range of 0.05 to 0.40 (¶105; The mass ratio is 0.27).
In re claim 4, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the manufacturing method according to claim 1, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses the step (ii) includes:
a step (ii-a) of applying a dispersion liquid that contains the second conductive polymer and a dispersion medium to the first solid electrolyte layer (¶106); and
a step (ii-b) of forming the second solid electrolyte layer by removing at least a portion of the dispersion medium from the applied dispersion liquid (¶108).
In re claim 5, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the manufacturing method according to claim 1, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the anode body (11 – Figure) is a tantalum sintered body (¶16).
In re claim 6, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the manufacturing method according to claim 1, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the second conductive polymer contains poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (¶106, ¶108).
In re claim 7, Yamaguchi discloses A solid electrolytic capacitor comprising:
an anode body (11 – Figure) that has a porous part on a surface thereof (¶21);
a dielectric layer (12 – Figure 1) that is formed on at least a surface of a portion of the porous part (Figure 1);
a first solid electrolyte layer that covers at least a portion of the dielectric layer (¶18); and
a second solid electrolyte layer that covers at least a portion of the first solid electrolyte layer (¶18), wherein the first solid electrolyte layer includes a first conductive polymer and a silicon-containing component (¶24),
the second solid electrolyte layer contains a second conductive polymer (¶55),
the first conductive polymer is a polymer of a monomer (¶87-89, ¶105), and
the monomer comprises 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (¶105).
Yamaguchi does not disclose the monomer contains a compound represented by the following formula (I):
PNG
media_image1.png
258
722
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Furukawa discloses the formation of the solid electrolyte layer (34 – Figure 3, ¶22) involves the polymerization of alkyl EDOT (¶10, ¶22, ¶45), having the formula
PNG
media_image1.png
258
722
media_image1.png
Greyscale
(¶10, ¶22, ¶45).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate the monomer of Furukawa to improve the withstand voltage characteristics of the electrolytic capacitor (¶22: Furukawa).
In re claim 8, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 7, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the monomer further contains 3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene (¶105).
In re claim 9, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 7, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the silicon-containing component is derived from a silane coupling agent (¶33).
In re claim 10, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 7, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the anode body (11 – Figure) is a tantalum sintered body (¶16).
In re claim 11, Yamaguchi in view of Furukawa discloses the solid electrolytic capacitor according to claim 7, as explained above. Yamaguchi further discloses wherein the second conductive polymer contains poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (¶106, ¶108).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kobayashi (US Publication 2006/0084237) [¶19-21], Figure 1
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARUN RAMASWAMY whose telephone number is (571)270-1962. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/ARUN RAMASWAMY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848
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