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 20 August 2025, 22 August 2024, 18 April 2023 and 27 March 2023 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
Figure FIG. 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because paragraph [0047] of the Specification discloses FIG. 1 as “a standard piezo oscillator”. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the Specification appears not following the standard presentation to communicate effectively the concepts of the invention. The following guidelines illustrate the preferred layout for the specification of a utility application. These guidelines are suggested for the applicant’s use.
Arrangement of the Specification
As provided in 37 CFR 1.77(b), the specification of a utility application should include the following sections in order. Each of the lettered items should appear in upper case, without underlining or bold type, as a section heading. If no text follows the section heading, the phrase “Not Applicable” should follow the section heading:
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION.
(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS.
(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT.
(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT.
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM.
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.
(1) Field of the Invention.
(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S).
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS (commencing on a separate sheet).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE (commencing on a separate sheet).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING. (See MPEP § 2422.03 and 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825). A “Sequence Listing” is required on paper if the application discloses a nucleotide or amino acid sequence as defined in 37 CFR 1.821(a) and if the required “Sequence Listing” is not submitted as an electronic document either on read-only optical disc or as a text file via the patent electronic system.
Content of Specification
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION: See 37 CFR 1.72(a) and MPEP § 606. The title of the invention should be placed at the top of the first page of the specification unless the title is provided in an application data sheet. The title of the invention should be brief but technically accurate and descriptive, preferably from two to seven words. It may not contain more than 500 characters.
(b) CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: See 37 CFR 1.78 and MPEP § 211 et seq.
(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT: See MPEP § 310.
(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT. See 37 CFR 1.71(g).
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM: The specification is required to include an incorporation-by-reference of electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application. See 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5) and MPEP § 608.05. See also the Legal Framework for Patent Electronic System posted on the USPTO website (https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2019LegalFrameworkPES.pdf) and MPEP § 502.05
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR. See 35 U.S.C. 102(b) and 37 CFR 1.77.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(c). The specification should set forth the Background of the Invention in two parts:
(1) Field of the Invention: A statement of the field of art to which the invention pertains. This statement may include a paraphrasing of the applicable U.S. patent classification definitions of the subject matter of the claimed invention. This item may also be titled “Technical Field.”
(2) Description of the Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98: A description of the related art known to the applicant and including, if applicable, references to specific related art and problems involved in the prior art which are solved by the applicant’s invention. This item may also be titled “Background Art.”
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(d). A brief summary or general statement of the invention as set forth in 37 CFR 1.73. The summary is separate and distinct from the abstract and is directed toward the invention rather than the disclosure as a whole. The summary may point out the advantages of the invention or how it solves problems previously existent in the prior art (and preferably indicated in the Background of the Invention). In chemical cases it should point out in general terms the utility of the invention. If possible, the nature and gist of the invention or the inventive concept should be set forth. Objects of the invention should be treated briefly and only to the extent that they contribute to an understanding of the invention.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S): See MPEP § 608.01(f). A reference to and brief description of the drawing(s) as set forth in 37 CFR 1.74.
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(g). A description of the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention as required in 37 CFR 1.71. The description should be as short and specific as is necessary to describe the invention adequately and accurately. Where elements or groups of elements, compounds, and processes, which are conventional and generally widely known in the field of the invention described, and their exact nature or type is not necessary for an understanding and use of the invention by a person skilled in the art, they should not be described in detail. However, where particularly complicated subject matter is involved or where the elements, compounds, or processes may not be commonly or widely known in the field, the specification should refer to another patent or readily available publication which adequately describes the subject matter.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS: See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP § 608.01(m). The claim or claims must commence on a separate sheet or electronic page (37 CFR 1.52(b)(3)). Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation. There may be plural indentations to further segregate subcombinations or related steps. See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP 608.01(i) - (p).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE: See 37 CFR 1.72 (b) and MPEP § 608.01(b). The abstract is a brief narrative of the disclosure as a whole, as concise as the disclosure permits, in a single paragraph preferably not exceeding 150 words, commencing on a separate sheet following the claims. In an international application which has entered the national stage (37 CFR 1.491(b)), the applicant need not submit an abstract commencing on a separate sheet if an abstract was published with the international application under PCT Article 21. The abstract that appears on the cover page of the pamphlet published by the International Bureau (IB) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the abstract that will be used by the USPTO. See MPEP § 1893.03(e).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING: See 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825 and MPEP §§ 2421 - 2431. The requirement for a sequence listing applies to all sequences disclosed in a given application, whether the sequences are claimed or not. See MPEP § 2422.01.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 15 recites “A method for producing an exciter element as claimed in claim 1” in lines 1-2, it should be changed to “A method for producing the exciter element as claimed in claim 1”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the excitation" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “in the form of a piezo composite” in lines 5-6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the direction of the plate thickness” in lines 6-7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the plate thickness” in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “the contact surfaces” in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites “a holder for an object to be tested” in line 2 and “the exciter is configured to hold an object to be tested” in line 13. It is unclear whether the limitation of line 2 and the limitation of line 13 are the same or different.
Claim 2 recites “a plate-shaped piezo composite having a first face lying transverse to the direction of the plate thickness, a second face spaced apart from the first face by the plate thickness and lying parallel to the first face, and having rod-like piezo elements between the first and second faces” in lines 2-5, this appears redundant to disclosure of claim 1 except for “rod-like piezo elements”.
Claim 17 recites the limitation “The method as claimed in claim 17” in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 1, 3-16 and 18-20 depend directly or indirectly on rejected claims 1, 2 and 17, therefore, also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for the reason set above.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jiang et al. (U. S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20200287123 provided by the IDS submitted on 27 March 2023).
Regarding independent claim 1: Jiang et al. (e. g. see FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 8, FIG. 11, FIG. 16, FIG. 17) discloses an exciter element (flexible piezo-composite sensors and transducers) for generating mechanical movements, having an exciter (piezoelectric thin film) and a holder (a flexible aluminum foil or stainless steel sheet substrate was introduced as an alternative of a fixed probe transducer) for an object to be tested (a compressive bending test on a curvature specimen), and having an electrical interface (effective medium model) for transmission of the excitation (transmitted acoustic energy distribution was measured using a hydrophone in the curved condition) or measurement data (excitation signal), comprising
a piezo vibrating plate or a piezo oscillator (vibration transducer) in the form of a piezo composite (flexible piezo-composite sensors and transducers) having a first face lying transverse to the direction of the plate thickness (thickness a curvature specimen), a second face spaced apart from the first face by the plate thickness (thickness a curvature specimen) and lying parallel to the first face, and having piezo elements (105 of FIG. 16, FIG. 17) between the first and second faces,
a first contact surface (115) provided on the first face and a second contact surface (120) on the second face, wherein the contact surfaces (115, 120) are activatable,
wherein the exciter (piezoelectric thin film) is configured to hold an object to be tested on its second face ([0057] To demonstrate the flexibility of the fabricated 1-3 composites, a bending deformation was applied to the fabricated devices on the cylindrical surfaces with different radii of the curvature (e.g., R=5, 13 and 19 mm), as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. For the bending tests, the flexible 1-3 composite exhibited a complete flexibility to wrap the surface of specimens even on the small radius specimen, as shown in FIG. 8B. To determine the robustness of the transducer, several tests were conducted. Based on the electrical impedance measurement in the curved conditions with different radii of the curvature).
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).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Saito et al. (U. .S Patent No. 5142187) discloses a piezoelectric composite transducer comprising a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic poles. The plurality of piezoelectric ceramic poles are arranged two-dimensionally so as to form spaces therebetween. Organic films are disposed on both end surfaces of the plurality of piezoelectric ceramic poles so that the spaces forms hollow portions. The hollow portions causes making small its acoustic impedance up to a value close to the acoustic impedance of water or a human body.
Gururaja (U. .S Patent No. 6467140) discloses a method of making composite piezoelectric transducer arrays.
Cochran et al. (U. S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20130043768) discloses an ultrasonic transducer array and method of making an ultrasonic transducer array. The array comprising a plurality of individual array elements made from a piezoelectric composite which is made from a plurality of individual piezoelectric segments; a passive filler between the piezoelectric segments; and, one or more electrodes for driving the array elements formed from the piezoelectric segments.
Min (U. S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20130181577) discloses an ultrasonic probe including a matching layer providing conductivity via an electrode formed on a surface contacting a piezoelectric material, and a manufacturing method thereof. The method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe includes forming kerfs on a surface of the matching layer, forming an electrode on the surface of the matching layer at which the kerfs are formed, or on an opposite surface thereof, and mounting the surface provided with the electrode on the piezoelectric material.
Chaggares et al. (U. S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20200038912) discloses an ultrasonic transducer and methods for designing and manufacturing the same. The ultrasonic transducer includes a piezoelectric composite layer configured to be in acoustic communication with a sample and having at least partially decoupled acoustic impedance and electrical impedance properties.
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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24 April 2026
/EMILY P PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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