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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoneda Publication No. US 2011/0211284.
Regarding claim 1, Yoneda discloses a protecting device, comprising:
an insulating substrate [Fig. 1, substrate11, par. 0040];
a first electrode and a second electrode provided on the insulating substrate [par. 0041; current carrying path terminals 1 and 2];
a fuse element [Fig. 1, 20, 21] disposed on a surface of the first electrode and the second electrode to electrically connect the first electrode and the second electrode; and
connecting conductor [Fig. 1, 13, 22] that connects the first and second electrodes to the fuse element [as shown in Fig. 1], wherein the fuse element is made of a lead-free conductor [par. 0012] and has a liquidus point higher than the reflow heating temperature [par. 0047], and
the connecting conductor has a liquidus point lower than the liquidus point of the fuse element and has a solidus point lower than the reflow heating temperature [par. 0047].
Regarding claim 2, Yoneda discloses that the fuse element has a liquidus temperature of 4000C or less [par. 0012, par. 0016, 0047].
Regarding claim 3, Yoneda discloses that the fuse element is a Sn-Cu, or Sn-Sb-Ag-Cu alloy [par. 0047].
Regarding claim 4, Yoneda discloses that the connecting conductor is a Sn-Cu-Ag, Sn-Cu, or Sn-Sb-Ag-Cu solder alloy [par. 0047].
Regarding claim 5, Yoneda further discloses:
a heat generator [Fig. 1, heat generation resistor 12] provided on the insulating substrate;
a heat-generator electrode [Fig. 1, heat generation resistor terminal 3] connected to one end of the heat generator [par. 0041];
an intermediate electrode [Fig. 1, 5] connected to the other end of the heat generator;
an insulating protective layer [Fig. 1, insulation layer 14] covering at least the heat generator [par. 0044]; and
a heat-generator lead-out electrode [Fig. 1, 15] provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and connected to the intermediate electrode.
Regarding claim 6, Yoneda further comprises an external connection electrode [Fig. 1, mounting terminal 4] to be connected to a terminal provided on an external circuit board, thereby being surface mountable on the external circuit board [par. 0064].
Conclusion
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DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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