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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/5/2025 and 7/17/2026 has been considered by the examiner.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Itou et al. (US20210055254A1). Itou was provided in IDS filed on 5/5/2025.
Regarding claim 1, Itou teaches a sensor element (a sensor element 3 in Fig.2 [para. 0026]) comprising: an oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte body (a tubular solid electrolyte body 3s in Fig.2 [para. 0026]), a detection electrode (outer electrode 55 in Fig.2 [para. 0026]) which is provided on one surface of the solid electrolyte body (see Fig.2) and comes into contact with a gas to be measured (the outer electrode 55 is exposed to the subject gas. Gas detection is performed between the inner electrode 51 and the outer electrode 55 through the solid electrolyte body 3 s [para. 0039]), and a reference electrode (inner electrode 51 in Fig.2 [para. 0026]) which is provided on the other surface of the solid electrolyte body (see Fig.2) and comes into contact with a reference gas (a reference electrode which is disposed on a second surface of the solid electrolyte body and with which a reference gas comes into contact [claim 1]),
the sensor element being characterized by further comprising a catalyst layer which covers the detection electrode (a catalyst layer 60 is formed on the surface of the outer electrode 55 [para. 0035]), the catalyst layer including a porous carrier formed of ceramic particles (As shown in FIG. 3, the catalyst layer 60 includes a porous carrier 63 [para. 0041]; The carrier 63 includes, as a main component, aggregates of ceramic particles 61 and Ti oxide particles 62 with a smaller diameter than the ceramic particles 61 [para. 0042]), and catalyst particles supported on the carrier and formed of one or more noble metals selected from a group consisting of Pt, Pd, and Rh (the catalyst layer 60 includes a porous carrier 63 and at least one catalyst 65 selected from the group consisting of Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, and Pt and supported on the carrier 63 [para. 0041]),
wherein the carrier includes oxide particles bonded to portions of surfaces of the ceramic particles, the oxide particles having a composition different from that of the ceramic particles, being smaller than the ceramic particles in terms of circle-equivalent diameter in a cross-sectional image, and being formed of alumina (the ceramic particles 61 include at least one type of particles selected from the group consisting of, for example, alumina particles, alumina-magnesia spinel particles, and zirconia particles and are, for example, alumina-magnesia spinel particles [para. 0043]; A slurry for the green catalyst layer 60 contained 63 wt % of spinel particles with an average diameter of 30 to 40 μm, 8 wt % of glass powder, and 29 wt % of the following fine particles with an average diameter of 0.3 μm [para. 0070]; The fine particles were TiO2 particles, alumina particles, ZrO2 particles, or YSZ particles [para. 0071]; the 63 wt % of spinel particles with an average diameter of 30 to 40 μm is deemed as the ceramic particles, and the 29 wt% fine particles of alumina is deemed as the oxide particles. The oxide particles of alumina having a composition different from that of the ceramic particles of alumina-magnesia spinel particles), and
the catalyst particles are supported on at least either of surfaces of the oxide particles and the surfaces of the ceramic particles (at least one catalyst 65 selected from the group consisting of Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, and Pt and supported on the carrier 63. For example, the catalyst 65 is in the form of particles, and a large number of catalyst particles are dispersed on the surface of the carrier 63 [para. 0041; Fig.3]).
Regarding claim 2, Itou teaches a gas sensor (a gas sensor 100 in Fig.1 [para. 0024]) comprising a sensor element (sensor element 3 [para. 0024]) and a shell body (a tubular metallic body 20 in Fig.1 [para. 0026]) which holds the sensor element (the sensor element 3 with a closed forward end is inserted into and held by a tubular metallic body 20 [para. 0026]), characterized in that the sensor element is the sensor element as recited in claim 1 (Itou teaches the sensor element of claim 1 above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 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 3, Itou teaches a method for manufacturing the sensor element as recited in claim 1 (a method for making the sensor element as shown in Figs.2-3 [para. 0035-0067]), characterized in that the carrier is manufactured by applying a slurry to cover the detection electrode (A slurry for the green catalyst layer 60 was applied to the surface of the gas limiting layer 57, which covers the outer electrode 55 [para. 0070]) and firing the slurry (Next, the entire solid electrolyte body 3 s was subjected to heat treatment in a reducing atmosphere, and the carrier 63 for the catalyst layer was impregnated with a Pt solution and subjected to heat treatment. The catalyst layer 60 with fine Pt particles supported on the surface of the carrier 61 was thereby completed [para. 0072]), the slurry containing the ceramic particles ( The slurry contained 63 wt % of spinel particles with an average diameter of 30 to 40 μm, 8 wt % of glass powder, and 29 wt % of the following fine particles with an average diameter of 0.3 μm. The fine particles were alumina particles [para. 0070-0071]; the ceramic particles 61 include for example, alumina-magnesia spinel particles [para. 0043]) for depositing the oxide particles. Itou teaches the slurry containing alumina particles. Itou and other references listed in Conclusion do not teach and/or suggest wherein the slurry containing “ions” of zirconia, alumina, or lanthana.
Regarding claim 4, Itou teaches a method for manufacturing the sensor element as recited in claim 1 (a method for making the sensor element as shown in Figs.2-3 [para. 0035-0067]), characterized in that a porous body (porous carrier [abstract]) which is to serve as the carrier is manufactured by applying a slurry containing the ceramic particles to cover the detection electrode and firing the slurry ((A slurry for the green catalyst layer 60 was applied to the surface of the gas limiting layer 57, which covers the outer electrode 55 [para. 0070]. Next, the entire solid electrolyte body 3s was subjected to heat treatment in a reducing atmosphere, and the carrier 63 for the catalyst layer was impregnated with a Pt solution and subjected to heat treatment. The catalyst layer 60 with fine Pt particles supported on the surface of the carrier was thereby completed [para. 0072]). Itou teaches the porous body is impregnated with a Pt solution and subjected to heat treatment. Itou and the references listed in Conclusion do not teach and/or suggest the porous body is impregnated with a solution containing “ions” of zirconia, alumina, or lanthana for depositing the oxide particles and is fired.
Conclusion
The prior arts made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Mori et al. (US20090173630A1) teaches a gas sensor element comprising a catalyst layer (particle dispersed layer 160) covering the detection electrode. Egawa et al. (JP2005069701A) teaches a gas sensor element comprising a detection electrode and a reference electrode wherein the detection electrode is covered by a porous catalyst layer supporting a noble metal which is any one of Pt, Pd, Rh and Ru. Ito et al. (WO2020136962A1) teaches a gas sensor element comprising a catalyst layer covering a detection electrode. Ogasawara et al. (US5271821A) teaches an oxygen sensor comprising a catalyst layer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHIZHI QIAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3487. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
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/SHIZHI QIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1795
