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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06 March 2023, 10 October 2023 and 05 December 2025 were filed prior to the mailing date of this office correspondence. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention II, claims 10-15 in the reply filed on 16 March 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention I, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 16 March 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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(s) 10 and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada (US 20200055088) in view of Cui (US 20210385583).
[AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (second piezoelectric-body film)][AltContent: textbox (first piezoelectric-body film)][AltContent: ]
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Annotated Fig. 1A, Okada.
Regarding claim 10, Okada teaches, a method of manufacturing a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate (ultrasonic type sensor 1, Figs. 1 to 5E) including a device substrate (membrane 5, see annotated Fig. 1A) and a first piezoelectric-body film (second piezoelectric part 17) and a second piezoelectric-body film (first piezoelectric part 15) different from each other in film thickness (first piezoelectric part 15 may be made thicker compared with the second piezoelectric part 17, Figs. 5A and 5B, para. [0109]), comprising:
sticking a film with first film thickness on a first electrode (lower electrode layer 7) formed on the device substrate when one of the first piezoelectric-body film (second piezoelectric part 17) and the second piezoelectric-body film, having less film thickness (para. [0109]), is defined as the film with the first film thickness and the other one of the first piezoelectric-body film and the second piezoelectric-body film, having greater film thickness (para. [0109]), is defined as a film with second film thickness; and
sticking the film with the second film thickness (first piezoelectric part 15) on a second electrode (electrode part 21, alternatively, lower electrode 7, though lower electrode 7 is common, it would have been obvious to form two separate electrodes 7) formed on the device substrate after the sticking of the film with the first film thickness.
Okada does not teach, peeling of a piezoelectric-body film. However, Cui teaches, a manufacturing method of a stacked piezoelectric-body including, a device substrate (20, Fig. 1) and a first piezoelectric-body film (first piezoelectric film 13, see annotated Fig. 7C below) and a second piezoelectric-body film (second piezoelectric film 23, Fig. 7C) different from each other (see Fig. 7A to 7C), in which, peeling off the first piezoelectric-body film formed on a first substrate (S410-S420, providing a first substrate, a first peeling layer being formed on a surface of the first substrate…a first piezoelectric film, para. [0077]) and the second piezoelectric-body film formed on a second substrate respectively from the first substrate and the second substrate (S440-S450, providing a second substrate, a second peeling layer being formed on a surface of the second substrate… a second piezoelectric film, para. [0083-0084]).
Though, Cui teaches peeling off the electrodes along with a piezoelectric film, one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that stacking a piezoelectric film along with the electrodes would reduce the process steps in forming the electrodes and hence reduce the manufacturing steps of a piezoelectric transducer. Okada teaches, a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate including a device substrate and a first piezoelectric-body film and a second piezoelectric-body film different from each other in film thickness, and sticking the film with the second film thickness on a second electrode formed on the device substrate after the sticking of the film with the first film thickness. Therefore, in view of the teachings of Cui, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric body of Okada and to replace the first and second piezoelectric parts 17 and 15 of Okada with peeled off layers of piezoelectric parts 13 and 23 along with the electrodes of Cui so that it enables reducing the electrode forming step and hence improving the manufacturing of a piezoelectric transducer.
Regarding claim 12, Okada in view of Cui teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 10. Okada further teaches, the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate according to claim 10, wherein the first piezoelectric-body film includes a first piezoelectric film (second piezoelectric part 17) and a first upper electrode film (electrode 21) formed on the first piezoelectric film, and the second piezoelectric-body film includes a second piezoelectric film (first piezoelectric part 15) different from the first piezoelectric film and a second upper electrode film (electrode 19) formed on the second piezoelectric film (see Fig. 1A).
Regarding claim 13, Okada in view of Cui teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 12. Okada further teaches, the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate according to claim 12, wherein the first piezoelectric-body film further includes a first lower electrode film (lower electrode layer 7) formed on a surface of the first piezoelectric film on a side opposite to the first upper electrode film (see Fig. 1A).
Okada does not teach the second piezoelectric-body film further includes a second lower electrode film formed on a surface of the second piezoelectric film on a side opposite to the second upper electrode film. However, Cui further teaches, the second piezoelectric-body film further includes a second lower electrode film formed on a surface of the second piezoelectric film on a side opposite to the second upper electrode film (see the electrodes 21 and 22, Fig. 7C). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Cui, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric body of Okada and to replace the first and second piezoelectric parts 17 and 15 with peeled off layers of piezoelectric parts 13 and 23 along with the electrodes so that it enables reducing the electrode forming step and hence improving the manufacturing of a piezoelectric transducer.
Regarding claim 14, Okada in view of Cui teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 12. Okada does not teach, piezoelectric film is monocrystalline. However, Cui further teaches, the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate according to claim 12, wherein the first piezoelectric film is monocrystalline and the second piezoelectric film is monocrystalline (first piezoelectric film and/or the second piezoelectric film are semi-crystalline phase polymers, including α-crystal type, β-crystal type, γ-crystal type, para. [0085]). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Cui, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric body of Okada and to replace the first and second piezoelectric parts 17 and 15 with monocrystalline layers of piezoelectric parts 13 and 23 so that it enables electric field polarization while manufacturing the piezoelectric device.
Regarding claim 15, Okada in view of Cui teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 10. Okada further teaches, the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate according to claim 10, wherein area of a surface of the first electrode (see the lower electrode layer 7, Fig. 1A) is greater than area of a sticking surface of the first piezoelectric-body film (second piezoelectric part 17, Fig. 1A) to be stuck on the surface of the first electrode, and area of a surface of the second electrode is greater than area of a sticking surface of the second piezoelectric-body film (first piezoelectric part 17) to be stuck on the surface of the second electrode. Though Okada teaches the lower electrode 7 is common electrode, it would have been obvious to form two separate common electrodes 7 on the substrate. Therefore, in view of the teachings of Cui, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, and to form two separate common electrodes so that it enables improving the manufacturing by reducing the processing steps of forming common electrodes.
Claim(s) 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cui in view of Okada.
Regarding claim 11, Cui teaches, a method of manufacturing a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate (transducer 100, Fig. 2) including a device substrate (20, Fig. 1) having a first electrode (electrode 11) and a second electrode (electrode 21) different from each other, a first piezoelectric-body film (first piezoelectric film 13), and a second piezoelectric-body film (second piezoelectric film 23), the method comprising:
[AltContent: textbox (second piezoelectric-body film)][AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (first piezoelectric-body film)][AltContent: ]
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Annotated Fig. 7C, Cui.
peeling off the first piezoelectric-body film formed on a first substrate (S410-S420, providing a first substrate, a first peeling layer being formed on a surface of the first substrate…a first piezoelectric film, para. [0076-0077]) and the second piezoelectric-body film formed on a second substrate (S440-S450, providing a second substrate, a second peeling layer being formed on a surface of the second substrate… a second piezoelectric film, para. [0083-0084]) respectively from the first substrate and the second substrate;
sticking the second piezoelectric-body film on an electrode with second film thickness formed on the device substrate when one of the first electrode and the second electrode (Fig. 7C, adhered to face each other with the adhesive layer 19, thereby forming the transducer 100, para. [0100]); and
sticking the first piezoelectric-body film on the first electrode after the sticking of the film with the second film thickness (see Fig. 7C, para. [0100]).
Cui does not teach, first piezoelectric-body having greater film thickness, and the other one having less film thickness. However, Okada teaches, a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate (ultrasonic type sensor 1, Figs. 1 to 5E) including a device substrate (membrane 5, see annotated Fig. 1A) and a first piezoelectric-body film (second piezoelectric part 17) and a second piezoelectric-body film (first piezoelectric part 15) different from each other in film thickness (first piezoelectric part 15 may be made thicker compared with the second piezoelectric part 17, Figs. 5A and 5B, para. [0109]), and sticking the film with the second film thickness on a second electrode formed on the device substrate after the sticking of the film with the first film thickness (see Fig. 1A). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Okada, it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric body of Cui and to replace the first and second piezoelectric parts 13 and 23 of Cui with piezoelectric parts 15 and 17 of Okada as taught in Fig. 1A so that it enables to make a larger deformation of the vibration part and in turn easier to improve the transmission strength of a transducer as Okada disclosed in para. [0110].
Conclusion
Prior art Kojima (US 20170160242) teaches a piezoelectric-body film joint substrate including a device substrate and a first piezoelectric-body film and a second piezoelectric-body film different from each other in film thickness, and sticking the film with the second film thickness on a second electrode formed on the device substrate after the sticking of the film with the first film thickness.
Prior art Kuroda (US 20230142065) teaches a piezoelectric stack including a device substrate and a first piezoelectric-body film and a second piezoelectric-body film different from each other in film thickness, and sticking the film with the second film thickness on a second electrode formed on the device substrate after the sticking of the film with the first film thickness.
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/JOSE K ABRAHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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