DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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 .
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.
Foreign Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 6 August 2025 and 13 March 2023 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 1-2, 4-9 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sasaki (JP 2006-147941 A).
Regarding independent claim 1, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses a piezoelectric element comprising:
a piezoelectric body (3, 5, 7);
an external electrode (17) disposed on an outer surface of the piezoelectric body (3, 5, 7); and
an internal electrode (14) connected to the external electrode (17) and disposed in the piezoelectric body (3, 5, 7),
wherein the internal electrode (14) includes a first internal conductor (2) and a second internal conductor (16) opposing each other,
the first internal conductor (2) includes a first conductor portion and a second conductor portion continuous with each other,
the second internal conductor (16) includes:
a third conductor portion (upper end of 16) opposing the first conductor portion in a direction where the first internal conductor (2) and the second internal conductor (16) oppose each other; and
a fourth conductor portion (lower portion) including a first region connected to the second conductor portion and a second region continuous with the first region and continuous with the third conductor portion,
the piezoelectric body (3, 5, 7) includes a body portion located between the first internal conductor (2) and the second internal conductor (16) and formed with a through hole (13) penetrating the body portion in the direction, and
the fourth conductor portion (lower portion) is located in the through hole (13) and has a thickness increasing toward a center line of the through hole (13) (since the fourth conductor portion is located in the through hole penetrating the element body portion.)
Regarding claim 2, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the first region (lower portion) has a first thickness in the direction, the second region (lower portion) has a second thickness in the direction, and a degree of increase in the second thickness is smaller than a degree of increase in the first thickness (FIG.8 shows that the degree of increase in the thickness of the second region continuous with the first region and continuous with the third conductor is smaller than the degree of increase in the thickness of the lower portion.)
Regarding claim 4, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the second conductor portion includes an outer edge, and the entire outer edge is positioned inside an outer edge of the second region when viewed in the direction (the entire outer edge of the second conductor portion is located inside the outer edge of the second region.)
Regarding claim 5, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the second region (in lower portion) is formed with a recess (S) at an end portion distant from the first region (in lower portion) in the direction.
Regarding claim 6, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the recess (S) has a depth increasing toward the center line (center line of through hole 13).
Regarding claim 7, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the second conductor portion (portion of 2) includes an outer edge, and the outer edge is positioned inside an outer peripheral edge of the recess (S) when viewed in the direction.
Regarding claim 8, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the second region (portion of 2) and the recess (S) have a circular shape (FIG. 8) when viewed in the direction.
Regarding claim 9, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the first region has a length in the direction smaller than a distance between a bottom of the recess and the second conductor portion in the direction (the length in the stacking direction of the lower portion (first region) of the lower region in the through hole 13 of the conductive member 14 is smaller than the length in the stacking direction of the upper surface (bottom of recess) of the lower region in the through hole 13 of the conductive member 14 and the individual electric 2 (second conductor portion)).
Regarding claim 12, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses the fourth conductor portion (lower portion) is formed with a cavity (non-filled region).
Regarding claim 13, Sasaki (e. g. see FIG. 1, FIG. 8, paragraphs [0011], [0023], [0028]) discloses an equivalent circle diameter (diameter of the curved surface) in the cross section of the cavity (non-filled region) is 50% or less of a width (FIG. 8) in the cross section of the fourth conductor portion (lower portion).
Examiner’s Note:
In this Office Action, Examiner has cited particular figures, column numbers, paragraph numbers, and line numbers of the prior arts applied in the rejections. However, other figures and passages of the same prior arts may anticipate the claim limitations as well. Therefore, Applicants are respectfully requested to consider the prior arts in their entirety as potentially teaching claimed invention.
For amendment purpose, Applicants are very much appreciated for indicating the portion(s) of the specification which dictates the structure(s) relied on for proper interpretation as well as for verification and determination of the metes and bounds of the claimed invention. Applicants’ indication of the specific figures and items of figures which represent features of the invention disclosed in the amended claims, is also expected.
Additionally, in the event that other prior art(s) is/are provided and made of record by the Examiner as being relevant or pertinent to applicant's disclosure but not relied upon, the examiner requests that the reference(s) be considered in any subsequent amendments, as the reference(s) is also representative of the teachings of the art and may apply to the specific limitations of any newly amended claim(s).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 10-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sato et al. (U. S. Patent No. 9751306) discloses a piezoelectric device that can suppress a circumstance in which the substrates break when joining a first substrate on which a first electrode layer is formed, and a second substrate on which a second electrode layer that is electrically connected to the first electrode layer, is formed.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EMILY P. PHAM whose telephone number is (571) 270-3046. The examiner can normally be reached MON-FRI 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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, DEDEI HAMMOND can be reached at (571) 270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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21 February 2026
/EMILY P PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837