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 .
Response to Amendment
Claims 88-104 remain pending in the application in response to the applicant’s amendments to the rejections previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 04/24/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 10/24/2025 with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 103 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 103 recites “a cladding covering at least a portion of the flexible printed circuit board, the cladding having mechanical properties and electrical properties, the mechanical properties comprising mechanical resistance and the electrical properties comprising electrical insulation”, which is already recited in claim 88. Therefore, the examiner assumes claim 103 should have been cancelled.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 88-102 and 104 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over J. Ng et al, “Design, manufacturing and packaging of high frequency micro ultrasonic transducers for medical applications”, 2011 13th Electronics Packaging Technology Conference, pp. 93-98, Dec. 2011, from IDS, in view of Kandori (US 20150365017 A1, published December 17, 2015), hereinafter referred to as Ng and Kandori, respectively.
Regarding claim 88, Ng teaches an ultrasonic transducer assembly for inspecting a sample, the ultrasonic transducer assembly comprising:
a support (Fig. 4, “backing” as support);
a flexible printed circuit board having a proximal end and a distal end (Fig. 4, “flex” as flexible printed circuit board),
the proximal end being affixed to the support and the distal end extending away from the support (Fig. 4, proximal end of “flex” fixed to “backing” (support), and distal end of flex is away from backing (support));
an array of transducers mounted on the support and positioned near or at the proximal end of the flexible printed circuit board (Fig. 4, piezo-composite as array of transducers mounted on backing (support); Fig. 1, “linear array transducer 128 elements” at proximal end of “polyimide based flexible circuit”),
each transducer being made from a flexible porous piezoelectric material (see Fig. 2 — “Image of a lapped piezo-composite slab consisting of diced ceramic pillars of 50 x 50um and a kerf of 30um which has been filled with epoxy.” Where ceramic piezocomposites are known to be flexible and porous) and
being operatively connected to the flexible printed circuit board (see pg. 95, col. 2, para. 2 — “The flexible interconnects are directly bonded onto the transducer...”); and
a power unit mounted on the flexible printed circuit board and positioned near or at the distal end of the flexible printed circuit board (see Fig. 5, where a power unit is implicitly disclosed in the document since the piezoelectric array transducer must be electrically excited in order to generate the ultrasonic waves. The connection between the flexible circuit and the linear transducer array (power unit mounted on flexible circuit) in the inset of Fig. 5 may be interpreted as a part of the power unit),
the power unit being operatively connected to the flexible printed circuit board; wherein the flexible printed circuit board comprises conductive channels operatively connecting the array of transducers to the power unit (Fig. 5, the connection lines between the flexible circuit and the linear transducer array (power unit mounted on flexible circuit) in the inset of Fig. 5 as channels).
Ng inherently teaches an ultrasound transducer assembly with a cladding (housing (“cladding”) protecting ultrasound transducers and circuitry of ultrasound transducers from the environment is known in the art, and ultrasound probe housing is known to be electrically isolating from the patient), but does not explicitly teach a cladding covering at least a portion of the flexible printed circuit board.
Whereas, Kandori, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a cladding covering at least a portion of the flexible printed circuit board, the cladding having mechanical properties and electrical properties, the mechanical properties comprising mechanical resistance and the electrical properties comprising electrical insulation (Fig. 1; see para. 0032 – “In addition, the coverlay 123 [cladding covering] is formed from an insulating film, such as a polyimide film or the photo solder resist film.”; see para. 0033 – “That is, the coverlay 123 is disposed on part of a surface of the flexible printed circuit board 203 that faces the side surface of the substrate 200 in substantially parallel (a side surface that continuously extends from the upper surface through a corner).”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified an ultrasound transducer assembly with a cladding covering, as disclosed in Ng, by having a cladding covering at least a portion of the flexible printed circuit board, as disclosed in Kandori. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to provide additional protection to the flexible PCB, as taught in Kandori (see para. 0007).
Furthermore, regarding claim 89, Ng further teaches wherein the support is a sheet made from a metal or a metal alloy (see pg. 94, col. 2, para. 1 — “The backing layer [support] is a dense, acoustically lossy material behind the piezoelectric layer that provides damping for the piezoelectric resonator and allows a short pulse to be transmitted forward from the array. It is made up of 20 vol% tungsten [metal] (Sum particle size) in epoxy.”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 90, Ng further teaches wherein the support is flexible (see pg. 94, col. 1, para. 1 — “The reduction of the footprint devoted to interconnects is enabled by a fanout distribution layer created on a flexible substrate [support is flexible], which is spirally rolled up within the needle as shown in Fig. 1.” Also, modifying a support as flexible in order to adapt to the curve of the patient’s skin is known in the art).
Furthermore, regarding claim 91, Ng further teaches wherein the support is rigid (see pg. 94, col. 2, para. 1- “The backing layer [support] also prevents reflection from the bottom of the transducer as well as providing structural support.” Where the backing layer is rigid, which is known in the art).
Furthermore, regarding claim 92, Ng further teaches wherein each transducer of the array of transducers comprises a respective transducer contact and the flexible printed circuit board comprises a plurality of conductive pads positioned near or at the proximal end of the flexible printed circuit board, the respective transducer contact being in electrical communication with a corresponding conductive pad (Fig. 5; see pg. 95, col. 2, para. 2 — “The flexible interconnects are directly bonded onto the transducer, the dicing blade is then aligned to the gaps between the copper traces on the flexible circuit to dice the assembly into a linear array.”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 93, Ng further teaches wherein the power unit comprises wires, connectors, or plugs (Fig. 5, the connection lines (wires) between the flexible circuit and the linear transducer array (power unit mounted on flexible circuit) in the inset of Fig. 5).
Furthermore, regarding claim 94, Ng further teaches wherein the flexible printed circuit board comprises at least one ground (see pg. 94, col. 2, para. 2 — “The electrodes on the piezo-composite facing the matching layer side are connected to a common ground...”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 95, Ng further teaches a second support, the distal end of the flexible printed circuit board being affixed to the second support (Fig. 8, flex circuit fixed to PMNPT/epoxy support (first support) via anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) (second support)).
Furthermore, regarding claim 96, Ng further teaches wherein the second support is rigid (see pg. 94, col. 1, para. 1 — “The reduction of the footprint devoted to interconnects is enabled by a fanout distribution layer created on a flexible substrate [support is flexible], which is spirally rolled up within the needle as shown in Fig. 1.” Where the backing layer is rigid, which is known in the art).
Furthermore, regarding claim 97, Ng further teaches wherein the second support is flexible (see pg. 94, col. 1, para. 1 — “The reduction of the footprint devoted to interconnects is enabled by a fanout distribution layer created on a flexible substrate [support is flexible], which is spirally rolled up within the needle as shown in Fig. 1.” Also, modifying a support as flexible in order to adapt to the curve of the patient’s skin is known in the art).
Furthermore, regarding claim 98, Ng further teaches wherein the flexible printed circuit board comprises a plurality of conducting layers (see pg. 94, col. 1, para. 3 — “Electrodes [conducting layers] are applied on both faces of the [piezo-composite] active layer using silver paint for prototyping... After that, the piezocomposite layer is sandwiched between an acoustic matching layer and an acoustic absorbing backing layer as shown in Fig. 3.”),
each conducting layer comprising at least one of the conductive channels (see pg. 94, col. 2, para. 2 — “The electrodes [conductive layer] on the piezo-composite facing the matching layer side are connected to a common ground [via conductive channels], whereas the electrodes [conductive layer] facing the backing layer side are the individually addressable active electrodes for each of the element in the linear array [via conductive channels].”),
the flexible printed circuit board comprising at least one insulating layer, each insulating layer being provided between two successive layers of the plurality of the conducting layers (Fig. 4, epoxy (insulating layer) within piezo-composite, so epoxy is between electrodes (conductive layers); see Table 1- “1. Dice ceramic and fill epoxy including excess on the periphery.” Where epoxy is known as an insulator; see pg. 94, col. 1, para. 3 — “Electrodes [conducting layers] are applied on both faces of the [piezo-composite] active layer using silver paint for prototyping.”).
Furthermore, regarding claim 99, Ng further teaches wherein the number of conductive channels is comprised between 2 and 256,2 to 128, 2to 64,2t032,2to 16,2 to 8, or 2to 4 (Fig. 1, linear array transducer 128 elements (conductive channels), which is between 2 and 256).
Furthermore, regarding claim 100, Ng further teaches wherein the array of transducers is configured to generate ultrasound having a center frequency comprised in a frequency range extending from about 0.5 MHz to about 50 MHz (Table 1, linear array transducer at 15, 25 and 50 MHz operating frequencies).
Furthermore, regarding claim 101, Ng further teaches wherein the array of transducers has a constant pitch (Table 1, pitch size of linear array transducer can be constant at one of 100, 60, or 30 micrometers for 15, 25 and 50 MHz operating frequencies, respectively).
Furthermore, regarding claim 102, Ng further teaches wherein the array of transducers has a variable pitch (Table 1, pitch size of a linear array can be varied with 100, 60, or 30 micrometers for 15, 25 and 50 MHz operating frequencies, respectively, known to fabricate sub-arrays with different pitches in order to select different operating frequencies).
Furthermore, regarding claim 104, Ng further teaches
a seal extending over at least a portion the support, at least a portion of the array of transducers and at least a portion of the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the array of transducers and the flexible printed circuit board are sandwiched between the support and the seal (housing (“seal”) covering ultrasound transducers and circuitry of ultrasound transducers is known in the art),
the seal being made from an electrically insulating material (ultrasound probe housing is known to be electrically isolating from the patient), and
the ultrasonic transducer assembly further comprising a flexible cover, the flexible cover extending over the seal and mechanically contacting the support through the seal (providing disposable ultrasound probe covers to the ultrasound transducer assembly to increase sterility is known in the art, and disposable ultrasound probe covers are flexible).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Goodman et al. (US 5910644 A, published June 8, 1999) discloses the adhesive coated flexible coverlay the covers and seals the copper conductor elements while exposing the conductor terminal pads.
Culijat et al. (WO 2008137030 A1, published November 13, 2008) discloses a copper-cladded Kapton® flexible printed circuit (FPC) substrate.
Liu et al. (US 20170246663 A1, published August 31, 2017) discloses a flexible circuit is covered with a very thin non-conductive cover-lay material.
Durocher et al. (US 10499509 B1, published December 3, 2019) discloses a coverlay and/or solder mask is formed on the flexible circuit to encapsulate the external circuit layers of the flexible circuit.
Okada et al. (US 20130241355 A1, published September 19, 2013) discloses in order to prevent such a breakage of the wiring pattern at the folded section of the FPC, a coverlay (film, covering material) using, for example, a polyimide film may be provided on said folded section. This coverlay protects the wiring pattern.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nyrobi Celestine whose telephone number is 571-272-0129. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 7:00AM - 5:00PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a 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, Pascal Bui-Pho can be reached on 571-272-2714. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Nyrobi Celestine/Examiner, Art Unit 3798