DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the filing of the Applicant Election on 11/18/2025.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 1- 11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/18/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 20 includes that “the sealing structure electrically connects the microelectromechanical transducer element and the substrate”. There is no support for this in the original specification. It is believed it was intended to claim the electrical connection
Claim 20 is 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 20 recites the limitation "the media channel" in fifth to last line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Furthermore, the claim includes “and the electrical connection” in the third to last line. It is not clear to what “and the electrical connection” refers because the sealing structure cannot be sandwiched between the electrical connection. Please see the rejection under 112(a) above.
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.
Claims 12, 16 – 17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hooper et al. (US 2012/0266684, as cited in IDS 11/3/2022).
Regarding claim 12, Hooper et al. teaches a microelectromechanical transducer element, comprising (Figure 1): a sensitive region 108 with a membrane (Paragraph 0013) and a sensing element on a transducer substrate 110 monitoring at least one measurand and generating an electrical signal correlated with the at least one measurand, and an electrical contact outputting the electrical signal (also Paragraph 0017);
a sealing structure 104; and
an electrical connection 130 made out of a same material 120 as the sealing structure 104 (also Paragraph 0018), the sealing structure 104 and the electrical connection 130 are provided on a same surface of the transducer substrate 110.
Regarding claim 16, Hooper et al. teaches a channel 114 within the transducer substrate 110.
Regarding claim 17, Hooper et al. teaches that the channel 114 is in fluidic connection with the membrane (also Paragraph 0015).
Regarding claim 20, Hooper et al. teaches a microelectromechanical sensor arrangement, comprising (Figure 6): a microelectromechanical transducer element 102 having a sensitive region with a membrane 108 (Paragraph 0013) and a sensing element on a transducer substrate 110 monitoring at least one measurand and generating an electrical signal correlated with the at least one measurand, and an electrical contact outputting the electrical signal, a sealing structure 104, and an electrical connection 606 made out of a same material as the sealing structure 120 (also Paragraph 0035); and
a substrate 602 having a channel 612 (also Paragraph 0032 – 0033), the microelectromechanical transducer element is mounted on the substrate 602 such that the media channel 612 is in fluidic connection with the membrane of the sensitive region, the sealing structure 104 surrounds the channel 612 and is sandwiched between the microelectromechanical transducer element 102 and the substrate 602 and the electrical connection 606, the sealing structure 104 electrically connects the microelectromechanical transducer element and the substrate (material 120 is metallic and is capable of transferring current if 102 is overcharged).
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 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooper et al. (US 2012/0266684, as cited in IDS 11/3/2022) in view of Marion et al. (US 6,566,170).
Regarding claim 13, Hooper et al. teaches that the sealing structure and the electrical connection are made of a metal (Paragraph 0018) but does not teach that the sealing structure and the electrical connection are made of a solder material. Marion et al. teaches that a sealing structure 112 and an electrical connection 110 are made of a solder material (Column 5, Line 36 – 40).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a solder material for the sealing structure and the electrical connection of Hooper et al. in the manner as taught by Marion et al. since doing so provides electrical connection and adhesion.
Regarding claim 14, Hooper et al. does not teach that the sealing structure and the electrical connection are made of a reflow solder material, however, Marion et al. teaches that the sealing structure 112 and the electrical connection 110 are made of a reflow solder material (Column 5, Line 37, where AuSn can be reflowed and can be used as solder).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a reflow solder material for the sealing structure and the electrical connection of Hooper et al. in the manner as taught by Marion et al. since doing so provides electrical connection and adhesion.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooper et al. (US 2012/0266684, as cited in IDS 11/3/2022) in view of Conti et al. (US 2010/0284553).
Regarding claim 15, Hooper et al. does not teach a via in the transducer substrate, however, Conti et al. shows (Figure 9c, Paragraph 0088) that a via 51 can be provided in a transducer substrate 20 and connecting an electrical contact 35a with an electrical connection 34a. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form a via in the transducer substrate of Hooper et al. and connect the electrical contact with the electrical connection with the via in the manner as taught by Conti et al. since doing so would allow one to provide electrical connection on the other side of the transducer substrate.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooper et al. (US 2012/0266684, as cited in IDS 11/3/2022) in view of Pfeiffer et al. (US 2020/0386641).
Regarding claim 18, Hooper et al. does not teach that the channel is a snubber structure, however, Pfeiffer et al. teaches (Figure 3A, Paragraph 0035 – 0036) that a channel 98 can be a snubber structure. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a snubber structure for the channel of Hooper et al. since doing so provides protection to the membrane from transient fluid pressure events.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hooper et al. (US 2012/0266684, as cited in IDS 11/3/2022) in view of Kim et al. (US 2015/0041930).
Regarding claim 19, Hooper et al. does not teach that the transducer substrate has a groove positioned between the sensitive region and both the sealing structure and the electrical connection. Kim et al. teaches (Figure 2, Paragraphs 0070 - 0073) that a transducer substrate 110 has a groove 114 positioned adjacent to a sensitive region 150. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a groove in the transducer substrate of Hooper et al. in the manner as taught by Kim et al. since doing so can prevent vibrations from transferring from the substrate to the sensitive region. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form said groove between the sensitive region and both the sealing structure and the electrical connection since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art (In re Japikse, 86, USPQ 70, 1950).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUN MI KIM KING whose telephone number is (571)270-1431. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM MST.
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/SUN MI KIM KING/Examiner, Art Unit 2813
/KHAJA AHMAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2813