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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaya (US 2007/0228891).
With respect to claim 1, Tanaya discloses a resonance device (Figs 1, 2A, and 2B) comprising: a first substrate (item 54) including a resonator (item 55) having a vibrating portion (items 35 and 36), a holding portion (item 53) surrounding the vibrating portion in a plan view of the resonance device and configured to hold the vibrating portion (Figs 2A and 2B), and an isolation groove (gap between vibrating portions 35/36 and holding portion 53) in the holding portion and that surrounds the vibrating portion in the plan view of the resonance device (Figs 2A and 2B); and a second substrate (item 56) facing the first substrate with the resonator interposed therebetween (Fig 1) and that includes a first connection portion (items 37 and 38) electrically connected to the vibrating portion (Figs 2A and 2B, paragraph 94).
With respect to claim 2, Tanaya discloses the resonance device according to Claim 1, further comprising: a joint portion (items 53, 37a, and 37b) jointing the first substrate to the second substrate and sealing a vibration space for the resonator (Figs 1, 2A, and 2B), the joint portion having conductivity and electrically connected to the first connection portion, and a second connection portion electrically connected to the joint portion and extending to outer edges of the resonator in the plan view (Paragraph 94, wherein the connection portion is electrically connected via extraction portions 37a and 38a).
With respect to claim 3, Tanaka discloses the resonance device according to Claim 2, wherein the second connection portion extends to the outer edges on a surface of the first substrate that faces the second substrate and on a surface of the second substrate that faces the first substrate (Figs 1, 2A and 2B).
With respect to claim 4, Tanaka discloses the resonance device according to Claim 2, wherein the isolation groove extends along an outer periphery of the joint portion in the plan view (Figs 2A and 2B, wherein the language of the claim does not specify whether the isolation groove must extend outward or inward of the outer periphery of the joint portion).
With respect to claim 5, Tanaka discloses the resonance device according to Claim 2, wherein the isolation groove extends along an inner periphery of the joint portion in the plan view (Figs 2A and 2B, rein the language of the claim does not specify whether the isolation groove must extend outward or inward of the inner periphery of the joint portion).
With respect to claim 6, Tanaka discloses the resonance device according to Claim 1, wherein the isolation groove is between outer edges of the resonator and the vibrating portion in the plan view (Figs 2A and 2B).
With respect to claim 7, Tanaka discloses the resonance device according to Claim 2, wherein the isolation groove is configured such that a conductive path from an outside of the resonator via the holding portion to the vibrating portion is interrupted by the isolation groove before the jointing by the joint portion (Figs 1, 2A and 2B).
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka in view of Hirota et al. (US 2018/0034441).
With respect to claim 8, Tanaka discloses the resonance device according to Claim 1.
Tanaka does not disclose that the resonator further includes a degenerate silicon substrate.
Hirota et al. teaches a piezoelectric resonance device in which the resonator further includes a degenerate silicon substrate (Paragraph 82).
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the degenerate silicon of Hirota et al. with the piezoelectric resonance device of Tanaka for the benefit of improving temperature characteristics (Paragraph 82 of Hirota et al.).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 17 July 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that the gap between the vibrating and holding portions of Tanaya is not an “isolation groove”. However, based on the broadest reasonable interpretation of this term, any gap of any depth or width may be considered an “isolation groove”. Therefore, Tanaya does disclose the claimed isolation groove.
Applicant argues that Tanaya does not disclose the gap between the holding and vibrating portions of Tanaya does surround the vibrating portion due to the connection of the vibrating portion to the holding portion at the base end of the vibrating portions. However, as the gap between the holding and vibrating portions extends completely along three sides of the vibrating portions as well as portions of the fourth side, this gap does surround the vibrating portion based on the broadest reasonable interpretation of the term.
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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/DEREK J ROSENAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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