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 .
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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, and 4-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2019/0304696 A1) or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Matsuda et al. (US 2012/0147518 A1).
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Regarding claim 1, Kim et al. disclose a ceramic electronic device (100) comprising:
a multilayer structure in which each of a plurality of dielectric layers (111) and each of a plurality of internal electrode layers (121, 122, 321”, 322”) are alternately stacked,
wherein in at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers (311”), an average grain size of dielectric grains is 150 nm or less ([0011], when the thickness of the dielectric 0.14 µm), and a number of the dielectric grains (311”) per one metal grain (322”) of one of the plurality of internal electrode layers adjacent to the at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers is 5 in an extension direction of the one of the plurality of internal
electrode layers (fig. 4C).
Kim et al. do not specifically disclose the average grain size of dielectric grains is 150 nm or less.
Matsuda et al. disclose a multilayer ceramic capacitor, wherein an average grain size of dielectric grains is 150 nm or less [0022].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the dielectric art to form the device of Kim et al. so that the average grain size of dielectric grains is 150 nm or less, since such a modification would form a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor having high reliability and capacitance.
Regarding claim 4, Kim et al. disclose a thickness of the at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers is 0.5 µm or less [0011].
Regarding claim 5, Kim et al. disclose a thickness of the at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers is 0.3 µm or less [0011].
Regarding claim 6, Kim et al. disclose a thickness of the one of
the plurality of internal electrode layers is 0.6 µm or less [0010].
Regarding claim 7, Kim et al. disclose a thickness of the one of the plurality of internal electrode layers is 0.4 µm or less [0010].
Regarding claim 8, Kim et al. disclose a main component of the dielectric grains is barium titanate [0050].
Regarding claim 9, Kim et al. disclose a main component of the metal grain is nickel [0019].
Regarding claim 10, Kim et al. disclose a manufacturing method of a ceramic electronic device comprising:
firing a multilayer structure obtained by stacking a plurality of stack units in which each of a plurality of internal electrode patterns is formed on each of a plurality of dielectric green sheets [0050], so that in at least one of a plurality of dielectric layers formed from the plurality of dielectric green sheets, an average grain size of dielectric grains is 150 nm or less ([0011], when the thickness of the dielectric 0.14 µm), and a number of the dielectric grains (311”) per one metal grain (322”) of one of a plurality of internal electrode layers formed from the plurality of internal electrode patterns adjacent to the at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers is 5 in an extension direction of the one of the internal electrode layers (Fig. 4C).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2019/0304696 A1) in view of Matsuda et al. (US 2012/0147518 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Kim et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the average grain size of the dielectric grains in the at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers is 40 nm or more and 110 nm or less.
Matsuda et al. disclose a multilayer ceramic capacitor, wherein an average grain size of dielectric grains is 40 nm to 110 nm less [0022].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the dielectric art to form the device of Kim et al. so that the average grain size of dielectric grains is 40 nm to 110 nm, since such a modification would form a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor having high reliability and capacitance.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2019/0304696 A1) in view of Kasuya et al. (US 2009/0067117 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Kim et al. disclose the claimed invention except for an average grain size of metal grains in the one of the plurality of internal electrode layers is 0.6 µm or more and 1.4 µm or less.
Kasuya et al. disclose a multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising Ni internal electrodes, wherein an average grain size of metal grains in the one of the plurality of internal electrode layers is 0.6 µm or more and 1.4 µm or less (Table 2)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the internal electrode art before the invention was made to form the capacitor of Kim et al. so that an average grain size of metal grains in the one of the plurality of internal electrode layers is 0.6 µm or more and 1.4 µm or less, since such a modification would form an internal electrode having desired continuity and electrostatic capacity.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 113092200A – Fig. 2 – ceramic grains contacting metal grain
JP 2002-343669 A – ceramic capacitor having internal electrodes with metal grains
JP 2003-077761 A – ceramic capacitor having internal electrodes with metal grains
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/ERIC W THOMAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
ERIC THOMAS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
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