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 .
This action is in response to Applicant’s response to election/restriction filed 05/12/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-5 in the reply filed on 05/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 6-8 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/12/2026.
Claims 1-8 are pending. Claims 1-5 are being examined. Claims 6-8 are withdrawn from further consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IUCF HYU (KR 20200037483 A).
Considering claims 1-3, IUCF HYU teaches a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic composition and method of manufacturing the composition comprising BCTZ-based base material, copper oxide, wherein a weight ratio of the copper oxide is 0.2-0.4 wt% and is sintered at a temperature of 1300-1450°C for 4 hours (IUCF HYU, abstract, page 3 of English translation). IUCF HYU teaches the piezoelectric properties of the lead-free piezoelectric ceramic are result effective relative to the sintering temperature and the amount of copper oxide (IUCF HYU, Table 1 and Table 2); therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to vary the sintering temperature and hours of sintering to within the claimed ranges and the amount of copper oxide including to within the claimed 0.6 wt% in order to achieve desired piezoelectric properties for the lead-free piezoelectric ceramic with a reasonable expectation of success.
Considering claim 4, IUCF HYU teaches the BCTZ-based material included the claimed formula (IUCF HYU, claim 3).
Considering claim 5, the claims are directed to a method of preparing a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic; IUCF HYU teaches/obviates the claimed method of preparing a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic. Thus, the prepared lead-free piezoelectric ceramic of IUCF HYU would also be capable of being used for a speaker.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANITA NASSIRI-MOTLAGH whose telephone number is (571)270-7588. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-3:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jonathan Johnson can be reached at 571-272-1177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANITA NASSIRI-MOTLAGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1734
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