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 3 and 4 recite the limitations "the second piezoelectric film" and “the first piezoelectric film”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claims. These claims are dependent on claim 1, and the first and second piezoelectric films are recited in claim 2.
Claims 14 and 15 recite the limitations "the second region" and “the first region”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. These claims are dependent on claim 2, and the first and second piezoelectric regions are recited in claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2, 5-13, and 16-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance. The prior art does not disclose or suggest “the piezoelectric film includes a first region and a second region in a thickness direction of the piezoelectric film; and when a density in the first region is a first density and a density in the second region is a second density, the first density and the second density are different from each other” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 1. The prior art does not disclose or suggest “the piezoelectric film includes a first piezoelectric film and a second piezoelectric film stacked directly or indirectly on the first piezoelectric film; the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film are made of piezoelectric materials of a same system; and when a density of the first piezoelectric film is a first density and a density of the second piezoelectric film is a second density, the first density and the second density are different from each other” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 2.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Taguchi et al. (US 5998907) discloses an acoustic wave device having a support substrate, piezoelectric film, and IDT electrode, wherein the piezoelectric film is made up of two layers of piezoelectric material, but does not disclose that these two layers have different densities.
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/DEREK J ROSENAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837