www.uspto.gov
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/821,708
`
`08/23/2022
`
`NOBUHIRO TANIGAKI
`
`083710-3760
`
`3971
`
`Rimon PC - Pansonic Corporation
`8300 Greensboro Dr.
`Suite 500
`McLean, VA 22102
`
`FERGUSON,DION
`
`2848
`
`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`01/23/2024
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOmail@rimonlaw.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-4 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C) Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected.
`(] Claim(s)__ is/are objectedto.
`C] Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)( The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11) The drawing(s)filed on 23 August 2022 is/are:
`a){¥]) accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)(¥) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`_—_c)L) None ofthe:
`b)L) Some**
`a)Y) All
`1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. |
`3.2.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`*“ See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240117
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/821,708
`TANIGAKI etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF)StatusExaminer
`DION R FERGUSON
`2848
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s)filed on 23 August 2022.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)() This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3) An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4)(2) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/821, 708
`Art Unit: 2848
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`2.
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
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`and 103 (or as subject to pre-AlA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory
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`basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AlA) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of
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`rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same
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`under either status.
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`3.
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis
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`for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`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.
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`4.
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`Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamaguchi etal. (US
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`Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007/0019366).
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`5.
`
`With respect to claim 1, Yamaguchi discloses an electrolytic capacitor including a bottom
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`surface, and a top surface opposite to the bottom surface (see paragraphs [0073]-[0074]), the
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`electrolytic capacitor comprising: a capacitor element including an anode lead (see FIG. 1, element 10
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`and FIG. 5, element 2); an anode lead terminal and a cathode lead terminal each electrically connected
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`to the capacitor element (see FIG. 1, elements 15a/15b and 19, respectively); and an exterior resin
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`disposed around the capacitor element (see FIG. 1, element 23), wherein: at least one of the anode lead
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`terminal or the cathode lead terminal includes a terminal part exposed on the bottom surface (see FIG.
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`1, elements 16a/16b), and two anchor parts each extending from the terminal part and embeddedin
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/821, 708
`Art Unit: 2848
`
`Page 3
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`the exterior resin (see FIG. 21, elements 17a and paragraph [0111]), the terminal part has a side end
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`along a direction in which the anode lead extends (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 21), and each of the two anchor
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`parts includes an upright part rising from the side end of the terminal part toward the top surface, and
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`an extending part bending and extending from an upper end of the upright part (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 21,
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`elements 17a/17b).
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`6.
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`With respect to claim 2, Yamaguchi discloses that an entire surface of the extending partis in
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`contact with the exterior resin. See FIG. 1 and paragraph [0111].
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`7.
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`With respect to claim 3, Yamaguchi discloses that the extending part of one of the two anchor
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`parts and the extending part of another of the two anchor parts are each bent from an upper end of the
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`upright part, and extend in directions away from each other. See FIG. 21, elements 17a/17b, which
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`extend away from one another.
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`8.
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`With respect to claim 4, Yamaguchi discloses that each of the anode lead terminal and the
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`cathode lead terminal includes the two anchor parts. See FIG. 21, elements 17a/17b and 29, which are
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`disposed on the anode terminal and cathode terminal, respectively.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to DION R FERGUSON whosetelephone number is (571)270-7566. The examiner can
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`normally be reached Monday-Friday, 5:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m..
`
`Examiner interviewsare available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a
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`USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use
`
`the USPTO Automated Interview Request(AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
`
`Timothy Dole can be reached on 571-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this
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`application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/821, 708
`Art Unit: 2848
`
`Page 4
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`571-272-1000.
`
`/DION R. FERGUSON/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848
`
`