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 § 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.
Claims 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okada (US 2019/0131954).
With respect to claim 15, Okada discloses an interdigital transducer for a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) resonator (Fig 2), the interdigital transducer comprising: a first conductive grid including: a first bus bar (item 17) having a first signal transmission terminal, and disposed on a first side of the first conductive grid; a first plurality of dummy electrodes (item 23) directly extending from the first bus bar (Fig 2); and a first conductive bar (item 21) disposed on a second side of the first conductive grid, and being opposite to the first bus bar (Fig 2); and a first plurality of practical electrodes (item 19), each of which extends from the first conductive bar (Fig 2)
With respect to claim 16, Okada discloses the interdigital transducer according to Claim 15, wherein: the first conductive bar is substantially parallel with the first bus bar (Fig 2); the first conductive grid further comprises a first plurality of conductive connection segments (Fig 2, conducting portions between bus bar 17 and conductive bar 21); and the first plurality of conductive connection segments are electrically connected to the first bus bar and the first conductive bar (Fig 2), directly extend between the first bus bar and the first conductive bar (Fig 2), are aligned with the first plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2), and are interlaced with the first plurality of dummy electrodes (Fig 2).
With respect to claim 17, Okada discloses the interdigital transducer according to Claim 16, wherein: the interdigital transducer is disposed on a piezoelectric substrate (item 15), and further comprises a second conductive grid and a second plurality of practical electrodes (Fig 2); the second conductive grid is opposite to the first conductive grid (Fig 2), and comprises: a second bus bar (item 18) having a second signal transmission terminal, and disposed on a first side of the second conductive grid (Fig 2); a second plurality of dummy electrodes (item 24) directly extending from the second bus bar (Fig 2); and a second conductive bar (item 22) disposed on a second side of the second conductive grid, and being opposite to the second bus bar (Fig 2), wherein the first and the second conductive bars are respectively two reflecting bars; and the second plurality of practical electrodes all extend from the second conductive bar, and are interlaced with the first plurality of practical electrodes (Fig 2).
With respect to claim 18, Okada discloses the interdigital transducer according to Claim 17, wherein: the second conductive bar is substantially parallel with the second bus bar; the first plurality of dummy electrodes are aligned with the second plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2); and the second plurality of dummy electrodes are aligned with the first plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2).
With respect to claim 19, Okada discloses the interdigital transducer according to Claim 17, wherein: the second conductive grid further comprises a second plurality of conductive connection segments (Fig 2, conducting portions between bus bar 18 and conductive bar 22); and the second plurality of conductive connection segments are electrically connected to the second bus bar and the second conductive bar (Fig 2), directly extend between the second bus bar and the second conductive bar (Fig 2), are aligned with the second plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2), and are interlaced with the second plurality of dummy electrodes (Fig 2).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-5 and 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada (US 2019/0131954) I view of Huck (US 2021/0313961).
With respect to claim 1, Okada discloses a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) resonator (Fig 2) comprising: a substrate (item 15, paragraph 49); and an interdigital transducer (item 16) disposed on the substrate (Fig 2, paragraph 49), and including: a first conductive grid including: a first bus bar (item 17) having a first signal transmission terminal, and disposed on a first side of the first conductive grid (Fig 2); a first plurality of dummy electrodes (item 23) directly extending from the first bus bar (Fig 2); a first conductive bar (item 21) disposed on a second side of the first conductive grid (Fig 2), and being opposite to the first bus bar (Fig 2); and a first plurality of practical electrodes (item 19), each of which extends from the first conductive bar (Fig 2).
Okada does not disclose a first plurality of inner bars disposed between the first bus bar and the first conductive bar.
Huck teaches a piezoelectric SAW resonator including a first plurality of inner bars disposed between the first bus bar and the first conductive bar (Fig 13).
Before the effective filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the plurality of inner bars of Huck with the SAW device of Okada for the benefit of suppressing transversal modes in the gap region (Abstract of Huck).
With respect to claim 2, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 1. Okada discloses that the substrate is a piezoelectric substrate (Paragraph 49), and a plurality of connection segments that are interlaced with the first plurality of dummy electrodes (Fig 2). Huck discloses that first conductive bar and the first plurality of inner bars are both substantially parallel with the first bus bar (Fig 13); the first conductive grid further comprises a first plurality of conductive connection segments; and the first plurality of conductive connection segments are electrically connected to the first bus bar and the first plurality of inner bars (Figs 13 and 14a), directly extend between the first bus bar and the first plurality of inner bars, are aligned with the first plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Figs 13 and 14a).
With respect to claim 3, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 2. Okada discloses that the interdigital transducer further comprises a second conductive grid and a second plurality of practical electrodes (Fig 2); the second conductive grid is opposite to the first conductive grid (Fig 2), and comprises: a second bus bar (item 18) having a second signal transmission terminal, and disposed on a first side of the second conductive grid (Fig 2); a second plurality of dummy electrodes (item 24) directly extending from the second bus bar (Fig 2); a second conductive bar (item 22) disposed on a second side of the second conductive grid, and being opposite to the second bus bar (Fig 2), and the second plurality of practical electrodes all extend from the second conductive bar, and are interlaced with the first plurality of practical electrodes (Fig 2). Huck discloses a second plurality of inner bars disposed between the second bus bar and the second conductive bar (Fig 13).
With respect to claim 4, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 3. Huck discloses that the second conductive bar and the second plurality of inner bars are both substantially parallel with the second bus bar (Fig 13). Okada discloses that the first plurality of dummy electrodes are aligned with the second plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2); and the second plurality of dummy electrodes are aligned with the first plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2).
With respect to claim 5, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 3. Huck discloses that the second conductive grid further comprises a second plurality of conductive connection segments; and the second plurality of conductive connection segments are electrically connected to the second bus bar and the second plurality of inner bars, directly extend between the second bus bar and the second plurality of inner bars (Fig 13), are aligned with the second plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 13). Okada discloses that the connection segments are interlaced with the second plurality of dummy electrodes (Fig 2).
With respect to claim 8, Okada discloses a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) resonator (Fig 2), comprising: a substrate (item 15, paragraph 49); and an interdigital transducer (item 16) disposed on the substrate, and including: a first conductive grid including: a first bus bar (item 17) having a first signal transmission terminal, and disposed on a first side of the first conductive grid; a first plurality of dummy electrodes (item 23) directly extending from the first bus bar (Fig 2); a first conductive bar (item 21) disposed on a second side of the first conductive grid, and being opposite to the first bus bar (Fig 2); and a first plurality of practical electrodes (item 19), each of which extends from the first conductive bar (Fig 2).
Okada does not disclose a first inner bar disposed between the first bus bar and the first conductive bar.
Huck teaches a piezoelectric SAW resonator including a first inner bar disposed between the first bus bar and the first conductive bar (Fig 13).
Before the effective filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the plurality of inner bars of Huck with the SAW device of Okada for the benefit of suppressing transversal modes in the gap region (Abstract of Huck).
With respect to claim 9, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 8. Okada discloses that the substrate is a piezoelectric substrate (Paragraph 49) and connection segments that are interlaced with the first plurality of dummy electrodes (Fig 2). Huck discloses that the first inner bar and the first conductive bar are both substantially parallel with the first bus bar (Fig 13); the first conductive grid further comprises a first plurality of conductive connection segments; and the first plurality of conductive connection segments are electrically connected to the first bus bar and the first inner bar, directly extends between the first bus bar and the first inner bar (Fig 13), are aligned with the first plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 13).
With respect to claim 10, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 9. Okada discloses that the interdigital transducer further comprises a second conductive grid and a second plurality of practical electrodes; the second conductive grid is opposite to the first conductive grid (Fig 2), and comprises: a second bus bar (item 18) having a second signal transmission terminal, and disposed on a first side of the second conductive grid (Fig 2); a second plurality of dummy electrodes (item 24) directly extending from the second bus bar (Fig 2); a second conductive bar (item 22) disposed on a second side of the second conductive grid (Fig 2), and being opposite to the second bus bar (Fig 2). Huck discloses a second inner bar disposed between the second bus bar and the second conductive bar (Fig 13), wherein the first conductive bar, the second conductive bar, the first inner bar and the second inner bar are reflecting bars; and the second plurality of practical electrodes all extend from the second conductive bar, and are interlaced with the first plurality of practical electrodes (Fig 13).
With respect to claim 11, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 10. Huck discloses that the second inner bar and the second conductive bar are both substantially parallel with a second bus bar (Fig 13). Okada discloses that the first plurality of dummy electrodes are aligned with the second plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2); and the second plurality of dummy electrodes are aligned with the first plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Fig 2).
With respect to claim 12, the combination of Okada and Huck discloses the SAW resonator according to Claim 10. Huck discloses that the second conductive grid further comprises a second plurality of conductive connection segments; and the second plurality of conductive connection segments are electrically connected to the second bus bar and the second inner bar (Figs 13 and 14a), directly extend between the second bus bar and the second inner bar, are aligned with the second plurality of practical electrodes respectively (Figs 13 and 14a). Okada discloses that the connection segments are interlaced with the second plurality of dummy electrodes (Fig 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 7, 13, 14, and 20 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 disclose or suggest “wherein: the first plurality of practical electrodes have a periodic electrode distance λ; each of the first plurality of dummy electrodes and a nearby one of the first plurality of inner bars have a first gap distance therebetween which ranges from 0.0625λ to 0.5λ; and the first conductive bar and each of the second plurality of practical electrodes have a second gap distance therebetween which ranges from 0.0625λ to 0.5λ” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 6.
The prior art does not disclose or suggest “wherein: the first plurality of practical electrodes have a periodic electrode distance λ; each of the first plurality of dummy electrodes and the first inner bar have a first gap distance therebetween which ranges from 0.0625λ to 0.5λ; and the first conductive bar and each of the second plurality of practical electrodes have a second gap distance therebetween which ranges from 0.0625λ to 0.5λ” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 13.
The prior art does not disclose or suggest “wherein: the specific resonance frequency ranges from 30MHz to 6GHz; the first plurality of practical electrodes have a periodic electrode distance λ; each of the first plurality of dummy electrodes and the first conductive bar have a first gap distance therebetween which ranges from 0.0625k to 0.5k;the first conductive bar and each of the second plurality of practical electrodes have a second gap distance therebetween which ranges from 0.0625λ to 0.5λ; and each of the first plurality of dummy electrodes has an electrode length ranging from 0.1λ to 5λ” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 20.
Conclusion
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/DEREK J ROSENAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837