DETAILED ACTION
DETAILED ACTION
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) 1-3 and 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by IGAWA et al (JP 2010141172 A).
Regarding claim 1, IGAWA discloses a capacitor (Fig. 1-2) comprising: a first capacitor element (Fig. 1, top 1) including: a first anode (tantalum powder of top 1 [0014]) including a first end surface and a second end surface (Fig. 1, left and right ends of anode in 1) that are separated from each other in a first direction (Fig. 1, left to right), and an outer peripheral surface (outer surface of anode); a first dielectric layer (dielectric layer [0014]) covering the first end surface of the first anode ([0014]), the second end surface of the first anode ([0014]), and the outer peripheral surface of the first anode ([0014]); a first cathode (cathode layer [0014]) covering the first dielectric layer ([0014]); and a first anode lead (Fig. 2, 2 of top capacitor) including a first outer lead part protruding from the first end surface of the first anode (Fig. 2, 2); a second capacitor element (Fig. 1, 1 below top 1) adjacent to the first capacitor element in a second direction (Fig. 1, up and down) orthogonal to the first direction (Fig. 1), the second capacitor element including: a second anode (tantalum powder of second capacitor [0014]) including a first end surface and a second end surface (Fig. 1, left and right ends of anode in 2nd capacitor) that are separated from each other in the first direction (Fig. 1), and an outer peripheral surface (outer surface of anode); a second dielectric layer (dielectric layer [0014]) covering the first end surface of the second anode ([0014]), the second end surface of the second anode ([0014]), and the outer peripheral surface of the second anode ([0014]); a second cathode (cathode layer [0014]) covering the second dielectric layer ([0014]); and a second anode lead (Fig. 2, 2 of 2nd capacitor) including a second outer lead part (Fig. 2, 2 of 2nd capacitor) protruding from the first end surface of the second anode; a first anode terminal plate (Fig. 1, left 5a) including a first anode terminal (Fig. 2, 5) and being connected to the first outer lead part (Fig. 1-2); a second anode terminal plate (Fig. 1, 5a in middle) including a second anode terminal (Fig. 2, 5) and being connected to the second outer lead part (Fig. 1-2); a first cathode terminal plate (Fig. 1, left 6a under top capacitor) including a first cathode terminal (Fig. 1, left 6a under top capacitor) and being connected to the first cathode (Fig. 1-2); a second cathode terminal plate (Fig. 1, left 6a under 2nd capacitor) including a second cathode terminal (Fig. 1, left 6a under 2nd capacitor) and being connected to the second cathode (Fig. 1-2); and a resin part (Fig. 2, resin around capacitor 1 [0014]) covering the first capacitor element and the second capacitor element and exposing the first anode terminal (Fig. 2), the second anode terminal (Fig. 2), the first cathode terminal (Fig. 2), and the second cathode terminal (Fig. 2), wherein: in the first capacitor element, the first outer lead part and the first cathode are disposed side by side in this order in the first direction (Fig. 1), in the second capacitor element, the second cathode and the second outer lead part are disposed side by side in this order in the first direction (Fig. 1), the first outer lead part overlapping the second cathode at side view in the second direction (Fig. 1), and the second outer lead part overlapping the first cathode at the side view (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, IGAWA further discloses that the first cathode terminal plate and the second cathode terminal plate are integrated (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, IGAWA further discloses a conductive part (Fig. 1, part of 6a between capacitors) disposed between the first cathode and the second cathode (Fig. 1), the conductive part connecting the first cathode and the second cathode (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, IGAWA further discloses that: the resin part includes a lower surface (Fig. 2, bottom of resin) and an upper surface (Fig. 2, top of resin box) intersecting a third direction (Fig. 2b, up and down) orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction (Fig. 1-2), the first anode terminal and the second anode terminal are disposed along the lower surface of the resin part (Fig. 2b), the first anode terminal plate includes a first rising part (Fig. 2b, 3) protruding from the first anode terminal in the third direction (Fig. 2), the first rising part includes a leading end (Fig. 2b, top of 3) provided with a first positioning groove (Fig. 2b, part 2 sits in) into which a part of the first outer lead part is inserted (Fig. 2 and 7), the second anode terminal plate includes a second rising part (Fig. 2, 3 for 2nd capacitor) protruding from the second anode terminal in the third direction (Fig. 2), and the second rising part includes a leading end (Fig. 2b, top of 3) provided with a second positioning groove (Fig. 2b, part 2 sits in) into which a part of the second outer lead part is inserted (Fig. 2 and 7).
Regarding claim 6, IGAWA further discloses that: the first anode terminal, the first outer lead part, the first cathode, and the first cathode terminal are disposed side by side in this order in the first direction (Fig. 1-2), and the second cathode terminal, the second cathode, the second outer lead part, and the second anode terminal are disposed side by side in this order in the first direction (Fig. 1-2).
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) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IGAWA et al (JP 2010141172 A) in view of ISHIDA et al (JP 2008258194 A).
Regarding claim 4, IGAWA fails to teach the claim limitation.
ISHIDA teaches that the second cathode terminal plate (Fig. 1, 24) is a conductive plate separate from the first cathode terminal plate (Fig. 1, 23).
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 ISHIDA to the invention of IGAWA, in order to construct the devices using known specifications and designs in the art to meet user needs based on known design possibilities.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art fails to teach or make obvious, alone or in combination, the limitation of “wherein: the first cathode terminal plate further includes: a first mount part that overlaps the first cathode in the third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, and is equipped with the first capacitor element; and a first protrusion that protrudes from the first mount part in the third direction and is located between the first cathode and the second cathode, and the second cathode terminal plate further includes: a second mount part that overlaps the second cathode in the third direction and is equipped with the second capacitor element; and a second protrusion that protrudes from the second mount part in the third direction and is located between the first cathode and the second cathode” in combination with the other claim limitations.
Additional Relevant Prior Art:
MATSUOKA et al (US 2009/0147448) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-44.
Petrzilek et al (US 2016/0268054) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-2.
Conclusion
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/MICHAEL P MCFADDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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