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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “wherein when seen in the normal direction, the entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the fixing terminal,
…
wherein a length of the fixing terminal is substantially equal to a length of the pressure receiving member.”
The phrase “the fixing terminal” lacks proper antecedent basis and makes it unclear what fixing terminal is being referred to.
Since the fixing terminal is not positively recited as part of the claimed invention, the claim will be considered to include an interpretation in which “the fixing terminal” is a fixing terminal that is not positively recited as part of the claimed invention.
Claim 5 recites “the fixing terminal” and is indefinite for substantially the same reasons as claim 1.
Claim 6 recites “wherein when seen in the normal direction, the entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the fixing terminal,
…
wherein a length of the fixing terminal is substantially equal to a length of the pressure receiving member.”
Accordingly, claim 6 is indefinite for substantially the same reasons as claim 1.
Since the fixing terminal is not positively recited as part of the claimed invention, the claim will be considered to include an interpretation in which “the fixing terminal” is a fixing terminal that is not positively recited as part of the claimed invention.
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 and 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gocho et al. (JP 2011220865 A, hereinafter Gocho).
As to claim 1, Gocho teaches a force sensor 1 comprising:
a pressure-receiving member 12 that receives a load (¶17);
a sensor substrate 10 including a displaceable portion (¶17 teaches that the receiving member 12 is provided on element 11, ¶18 teaches that element 11 is displaced due to the load received by receiving portion 12, and figs. 1-2 show that the receiving member is laid directly on element 11; also, figs. 2-3 show that both of elements 11-12 are substantially centered with respect to the sensor substrate 10; accordingly, Gocho’s displaceable portion is at least a partial portion of element 11 that is entirely contained within the pressure receiving member 12 when viewed in a direction normal to package substrate 30) to be displaced under the load received by the pressure-receiving member (¶18), and a plurality of piezoelectric resistors 13 that electrically detect an amount of displacement of the displaceable portion (¶17-18);
a base substrate 20 having a sensor-mounting surface (upper surface) on which the sensor substrate is mounted, the base substrate including electrical wiring portions (electrical wiring drawn out from electrical connection portions 25 - ¶21 and fig. 4) electrically connected to the plurality of piezoelectric resistors (fig. 1, ¶17, ¶21-22 and ¶29 explain the electrical connections between the piezoelectric resistors 13, circuit wiring portions 16, electrical connection portions 15, electrical connection portions 25, and the electrical wiring portions described above); and
a package substrate 30 having a substrate-mounting surface (upper surface) on which the base substrate is mounted, and a pad surface (lower surface) located opposite the substrate-mounting surface, the pad surface having pad electrodes 31, 31 through to electrically connect to an external device (see ¶22; note that the external device is not positively recited as part of the claimed force sensor and is directed to an intended use of the force sensor; accordingly, the pad electrodes 31 are capable of being used to electrically connect to an external device),
wherein the pressure-receiving member, the sensor substrate, and the base substrate are stacked in a normal direction with respect to the substrate-mounting surface (figs. 1-2),
wherein when seen in the normal direction, an entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the pressure-receiving member (as described above), and
wherein the pad surface of the package substrate has, when seen in the normal direction, a fixing terminal 32 at least a part of which overlaps at least a part of a first area (being the area of the receiving member 12 when viewed along the normal direction) that coincides with the pressure-receiving member (see figs. 1 and 6; when viewed along the normal direction, the base substrate 20 contains all of the receiving member 12, and the fixing terminal contains all of the base substrate and the receiving member), and
wherein when seen in the normal direction, the entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the fixing terminal (see the 112b rejection(s) of this claim above for the Examiner’s interpretation of this portion of the claim; a large enough fixing terminal is capable of being positioned relative to the displaceable portion, such that when seen in the normal direction, the entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the fixing terminal),
wherein, when seen in the normal direction, which corresponds to an upper side of the pressure-receiving member, the displaceable portion is located such that it is concealed by the pressure-receiving member and therefore not visible (as explained above, Gocho’s displaceable portion is at least a partial portion of element 11 that is entirely contained within the pressure receiving member 12 when viewed in a direction normal to package substrate 30), and
wherein a length of the fixing terminal is substantially equal to a length of the pressure receiving member (see the 112b rejection(s) of this claim above for the Examiner’s interpretation of this portion of the claim; a fixing terminal having such a dimension is capable of being positioned relative to the prior art apparatus as claimed).
As to claim 5, Gocho teaches wherein the fixing terminal is comprised of a metal material that is solderable (see the 112b rejection(s) of this claim above for the Examiner’s interpretation of this portion of the claim; such a fixing terminal is capable of being positioned relative to the prior art apparatus as claimed).
As to claim 6, Gocho teaches a force sensor comprising:
a pressure-receiving member 12 that receives a load (¶17);
a sensor substrate 10 including a displaceable portion (¶17 teaches that the receiving member 12 is provided on element 11, ¶18 teaches that element 11 is displaced due to the load received by receiving portion 12, and figs. 1-2 show that the receiving member is laid directly on element 11; also, figs. 2-3 show that both of elements 11-12 are substantially centered with respect to the sensor substrate 10; accordingly, Gocho’s displaceable portion is at least a partial portion of element 11 that is entirely contained within the pressure receiving member 12 when viewed in a direction normal to package substrate 30) that is displaced by the load received by the pressure-receiving member (¶18), and a plurality of piezoelectric resistors 13 that detect an amount of displacement of the displaceable portion (¶17-18);
a base substrate 20 having a surface (upper surface) on which the sensor substrate is mounted, the base substrate including electrical wiring portions (electrical wiring drawn out from electrical connection portions 25 - ¶21 and fig. 4) electrically connected to the plurality of piezoelectric resistors (fig. 1, ¶17, ¶21-22 and ¶29 explain the electrical connections between the piezoelectric resistors 13, circuit wiring portions 16, electrical connection portions 15, electrical connection portions 25, and the electrical wiring portions described above); and
a package substrate 30 having a surface (upper surface) on which the base substrate is mounted, and a pad surface (lower surface) located opposite the substrate surface, the pad surface having pad electrodes 31, 31 to electrically connect to an external device (see ¶22; note that the external device is not positively recited as part of the claimed force sensor and is directed to an intended use of the force sensor; accordingly, the pad electrodes 31 are capable of being used to electrically connect to an external device),
wherein the pressure-receiving member, the sensor substrate, and the base substrate are stacked in a normal direction with respect to the substrate surface (figs. 1-2),
wherein when seen in the normal direction, the entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the fixing terminal (see the 112b rejection(s) of this claim above for the Examiner’s interpretation of this portion of the claim; a large enough fixing terminal is capable of being positioned relative to the displaceable portion, such that when seen in the normal direction, the entirety of the displaceable portion is located within the fixing terminal), and
wherein, when seen in the normal direction, which corresponds to an upper side of the pressure-receiving member, the displaceable portion is located such that it is concealed by the pressure-receiving member and therefore not visible (as explained above, Gocho’s displaceable portion is at least a partial portion of element 11 that is entirely contained within the pressure receiving member 12 when viewed in a direction normal to package substrate 30), and
wherein a length of the fixing terminal is substantially equal to a length of the pressure receiving member (see the 112b rejection(s) of this claim above for the Examiner’s interpretation of this portion of the claim; a fixing terminal having such a dimension is capable of being positioned relative to the prior art apparatus as claimed).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/14/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pgs. 5-6 that
“For many reasons, Applicant respectfully disagrees. Nonetheless, solely for purposes of advancing prosecution, and without waiver, Applicant is amending claims 1 and 6 herein to recite, inter alia, "wherein, when seen in the normal direction, which corresponds to an upper side of the pressure-receiving member, the displaceable portion is located such that it is concealed by the pressure-receiving member and therefore not visible, and wherein a length of the fixing terminal, is substantially equal to a length of the pressure receiving member." Applicant respectfully submits that Gocho fails to teach or suggest the limitations above, let alone claims 1 and 6 as a whole.”
and
“The cited reference Gocho does not disclose, as in the present application, the specific positional relationship between the displaceable portion and the pressure- receiving member.”
Applicant’s argument is not persuasive. As shown in the rejections of claims 1 and 6 above, Gocho teaches wherein, when seen in the normal direction, which corresponds to an upper side of the pressure-receiving member, the displaceable portion is located such that it is concealed by the pressure-receiving member and therefore not visible (as explained above, Gocho’s displaceable portion is at least a partial portion of element 11 that is entirely contained within the pressure receiving member 12 when viewed in a direction normal to package substrate 30), and
wherein a length of the fixing terminal is substantially equal to a length of the pressure receiving member (see the 112b rejection(s) of this claim above for the Examiner’s interpretation of this portion of the claim; a fixing terminal having such a dimension is capable of being positioned relative to the prior art apparatus as claimed).
Gocho anticipates claims 1 and 5-6.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/R.C.P./ Examiner, Art Unit 2853
/STEPHEN D MEIER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2853