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 .
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 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.
Email Communication
Applicant is encouraged to authorize the Examiner to communicate with applicant via email by filing form PTO/SB/439 either via USPS, Central Fax, or EFS-Web. See MPEP 502.01, 502.03, 502.05.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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) 1-2, 7, 9, & 12-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lim (US 2013/0093556).
In regards to claim 1, Lim ‘556 discloses
A multilayer electronic component comprising:
a body including a plurality of dielectric layers (fig. 1-3; [0054-0055]), a first internal electrode (31 – fig. 3; [0085]), a second internal electrode (31 – fig. 3; [0085]), and a reinforcing pattern (41 – fig. 3-5; [0052]); and
an external electrode (21-22 – fig. 1; [0059]) disposed on the body,
wherein the first and second internal electrodes are disposed alternately with the dielectric layer therebetween in a first direction (fig. 3; [0085]), and
when a region of the body in which the first and second internal electrodes overlap in the first direction is a capacitance formation portion, the reinforcing pattern is disposed on one surface and the other surface of the capacitance formation portion in the first direction, when a direction, perpendicular to the first direction, is a second direction, and a direction, perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, is a third direction, the reinforcing pattern is disposed to contact a surface of the body in the second direction and is spaced apart from each other in the second direction (fig. 3), and
when the reinforcing pattern includes four parts in the third direction from one end of the reinforcing pattern in the third direction to the other end of the reinforcing pattern in the third direction, a length of the reinforcing pattern at a 1/4 point in the second direction is greater than a length of the reinforcing pattern at a 1/2 point in the second direction and a length of the reinforcing pattern at a 3/4 point in the second direction is greater than the length of the reinforcing pattern at the 1/2 point in the second direction (fig. 5B – length at center is 0).
In regards to claim 2, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing pattern does not overlap the capacitance formation portion in the first direction (fig. 3).
In regards to claim 7, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing pattern is in contact with one surface and the other surface of the body in the third direction (fig. 3).
In regards to claim 9, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing patterns have the substantially same length in the second direction in a region beyond a cross-section of the capacitance formation portion in the third direction (fig. 5B).
In regards to claim 12, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing pattern is disposed in plural on the one surface and the other surface of the capacitance formation portion in the first direction ([0145-0153]).
In regards to claim 13, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing pattern includes one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof ([0107]).
In regards to claim 14, Lim ‘556 discloses
A multilayer electronic component comprising:
a body including a plurality of dielectric layers (fig. 1-3; [0054-0055]), a first internal electrode (31 – fig. 3; [0085]), a second internal electrode (31 – fig. 3; [0085]), and a reinforcing pattern (41 – fig. 3-4; [0052]); and
an external electrode (21-22 – fig. 1; [0059]) disposed on the body,
wherein the first and second internal electrodes are disposed alternately with the dielectric layer therebetween in a first direction (fig. 3; [0085]), and
when a region of the body in which the first and second internal electrodes overlap in the first direction is a capacitance formation portion, the reinforcing pattern is disposed on one surface and the other surface of the capacitance formation portion in the first direction (fig. 3),
when a direction, perpendicular to the first direction, is a second direction, and a direction, perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, is a third direction, the reinforcing pattern is disposed to contact a surface of the body in the second direction (fig. 3), and
a length of the reinforcing pattern, in the second direction, decreases from an edge portion of the reinforcing pattern towards a central portion of the reinforcing pattern in the third direction (fig. 3-4 – it is seen that the thickness at the edge is larger than the thickness at the center and thus the thickness decreases from an edge point of the reinforcing pattern towards a central portion of the reinforcing pattern in the third direction).
In regards to claim 15, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing pattern does not overlap the capacitance formation portion in the first direction (fig. 3).
In regards to claim 16, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing pattern is in contact with one surface and the other surface of the body in the third direction (fig. 4A).
In regards to claim 17, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing pattern has a length in the third direction greater than a length of the first or second internal electrode in the third direction (fig. 4A).
In regards to claim 18, Lim ‘556 discloses
The multilayer electronic component of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing pattern includes one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof ([0107]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3-6, 8, & 10-11 is/are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art does not teach or suggest (in combination with the other claim limitations) wherein L1 ≤ 0.22L, in which L is a maximum length of the body in the second direction and L1 is a maximum length of the reinforcing pattern in the second direction (claim 3), wherein L2 ≤ 0.95LM, in which a region between a cross-section of the capacitance formation portion in the second direction and the surface of the body in the second direction is a length-margin portion, LM is an average length of the length-margin portion in the second direction, and L2 is a length of the reinforcing pattern closest to the capacitance formation portion in the second direction (claim 4), wherein 0.05LM ≤ L3 ≤ 0.5LM, in which a region between a cross-section of the capacitance formation portion in the second direction and the surface of the body in the second direction is a length-margin portion, LM is an average length of the length-margin portion in the second direction, and L3 is a minimum length of the reinforcing pattern in the second direction (claim 5), wherein L2 ≤ L1 ≤ 0.22 L, L3 ≤ L2 ≤ 0.95 LM, 0.05 LM ≤ L3 ≤ 0.5 LM, in which a region between a cross-section of the capacitance formation portion in the second direction and the surface of the body in the second direction is a length-margin portion, L is a maximum length of the body in the second direction, LM is an average length of the length-margin portion in the second direction, L1 is a maximum length of the reinforcing pattern in the second direction, L2 is a size of a portion of the reinforcing pattern closest to the capacitance formation portion, and L3 is a minimum length of the reinforcing pattern in the second direction (claim 6), wherein the capacitance formation portion includes a first capacitance formation portion adjacent to one surface of the body in the first direction and a second capacitance formation portion adjacent to the other surface of the body in the first direction, and the reinforcing pattern is also disposed between the first capacitance formation portion and the second capacitance formation portion (claim 8), wherein the reinforcing pattern is concave in the second direction (claim 10), and wherein a side surface of the reinforcing pattern facing the capacitance formation portion is round in shape (claim 11).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
JP1131263A – fig. 3 JP2002305127A – fig. 4
JP10097948A – fig. 1 US 2016/0240317 – fig. 9
US 2008/0080120 – fig. 11
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID M SINCLAIR whose telephone number is (571)270-5068. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH from 8AM-4PM.
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/David M Sinclair/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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