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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, and 3-14 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
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(s) 1, 3-9, and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakaguchi et al. (JP 2020119916) in view of Ogawa et al. (US 2020/0006011).
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Regarding claim 1, Sakaguchi et al. disclose in fig. 1-2, an electrolytic capacitor (title) comprising a capacitor element and a liquid component, wherein the capacitor element includes an anode foil (21) having a dielectric layer (22) on a surface of the anode foil (21), and a conductive polymer component (26) in contact with at least a portion of the dielectric layer (22),
the conductive polymer component (26) contains a self-doped conductive polymer [0037], [0040], and
the liquid component (27, [0048], [0058], [0062]) contains at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycols having 4 or more carbon atoms (pentanediol [0062]) and polyalkylene glycols having a repeating structure of oxyalkylene having 3 or more carbon atoms (polypropylene glycol [0058]).
Sakaguchi et al. disclose the claimed invention except for a mode value of a volume-based pore diameter of the anode foil having the dielectric layer is more than 0.1 µm and 0.3 µm.
Ogawa et al. disclose an anode foil for use in an electrolytic capacitor wherein the anode foil has a modal pore diameter of the pore distribution measured with the mercury porosimeter ranged from 100 nm to 200 nm, inclusive [0085].
Lacking unexpected results, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the anode foil art to form the capacitor of Sakaguchi et al. using the anode foil of Ogawa et al. wherein a mode value of a volume-based pore diameter of the anode foil is more than 0.1 µm and 0.3 µm, since such a modification would form an electrolytic capacitor having increased wettability and electrostatic capacity.
Regarding claim 3, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the alkylene glycol has 6 or less carbon atoms (pentanediol [0062]).
Regarding claim 4, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the alkylene glycol has a structure in which at least one carbon atom is interposed between carbon atoms each bonded with one hydroxyl group (pentanediol [0062]).
Regarding claim 5, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the alkylene glycol. The limitation, “the polyalkylene glycol has a repeating structure of oxy C3-4 alkylene” only limits the polyalkylene glycol of claim 1. The polyalkylene is not positively claimed in claim 5.
Regarding claim 6, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the claimed invention. The limitation, “a weight average molecular weight of the polyalkylene glycol is 400 or more” only limits the polyalkylene glycol of claim 1. The polyalkylene is not positively claimed in claim 5.
Regarding claim 7, Sakaguchi et al. disclose a content rate of the solvent in the liquid component is 30 mass% or more and 100 mass% or less [0071]-[0072].
Regarding claim 8, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the self-doped conductive polymer has a skeleton of a conjugated polymer and has 1 or more and 3 or less anionic groups per molecule of the conjugated polymer [0040].
Regarding claim 9, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the self-doped conductive polymer has a skeleton of a conjugated polymer containing a monomer unit corresponding to a thiophene compound and an anionic group introduced into the skeleton [0040].
Regarding claim 11, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the self-doped conductive polymer contains at least a sulfo group [0040].
Regarding claim 12, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the anode foil (21) contains aluminum [0093].
Regarding claim 13, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the capacitor element includes a cathode foil (23) and a separator (25) interposed between the anode foil (21) and the cathode foil (23), and the conductive polymer component (26) is impregnated in the separator (25).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakaguchi et al. (JP 2020119916) and Ogawa et al. (US 2020/0006011) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Kawakami et al. (JP 2021-195437A).
Regarding claim 10, Sakaguchi et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the anionic group is introduced into the skeleton via a linking group, and the linking group includes an alkylene group having 2 or more carbon atoms.
Kawakami et al. disclose a self-doped conductive polymer [0001], [0027], , wherein an anionic group is introduced into a skeleton via a linking group, and the linking group includes an alkylene group having 2 or more carbon atoms [0019], [0023], [0024].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to form the electrolytic capacitor of Sakaguchi et al. wherein the anionic group is introduced into the skeleton via a linking group, and the linking group includes an alkylene group having 2 or more carbon atoms, since such a modification would form an electrolytic capacitor having high capacity and low ESR.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakaguchi et al. (JP 2020119916) in view of Tsubaki et al. (US 2020/0211785)
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Regarding claim 14, Sakaguchi et al. disclose in fig. 1-2, an electrolytic capacitor (title) comprising a capacitor element and a liquid component, wherein the capacitor element includes an anode foil (21) having a dielectric layer (22) on a surface of the anode foil (21), and a conductive polymer component (26) in contact with at least a portion of the dielectric layer (22),
the conductive polymer component (26) contains a self-doped conductive polymer [0037], [0040], and the liquid component (27, [0048], [0058], [0062]) contains at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycols having 4 or more carbon atoms (pentanediol [0062]) and polyalkylene glycols having a repeating structure of oxyalkylene having 3 or more carbon atoms (polypropylene glycol [0058]).
Sakaguchi et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the pH of the liquid component is 1 or more and 4 or less.
Tsubaki et al. disclose an electrolytic capacitor having a liquid component, wherein the liquid component has a pH of 3.6 to 3.8 [0036].
Lacking unexpected results, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the liquid component art to form the liquid component of Sakaguchi et al. so that the pH is 1 or more and 4 or less, since such a modification would form an electrolytic capacitor wherein degradation of the conductive polymer is suppressed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC THOMAS whose telephone number is (571)272-1985. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 6:00 AM-2:30 PM.
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/ERIC W THOMAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
ERIC THOMAS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
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