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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Amendment
The amendment filed on 02/25/2026 has been entered into this application.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “a function signal generator” within the claim(s).
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LO et al. (2018/0071505 A1) in view of Yang et al. (2018/0228464 A1).
Regarding claim 1, LO teaches of an acoustic tweezer is included in an ultrasonic device (figs. 1A-2C) comprising:
a function signal generator a driving unit 102 (i.e. a pulse generator) configured to generate a function signal for an ultrasound signal for an ultrasonic device 100 [pars. 0023-24];
a power amplifier is not shown in the figure [par. 0024] is implicitly function to configured to amplify the ultrasound signal from driving unit 102 (i.e. the pulse generator) based on the function signal [pars. 0024]; and
an ultrasound transducer a transducer 104 of a single channel in which a hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets) having different thin film thicknesses for each region is attached to an ultrasound oscillating surface of the ultrasound transducer [pars. 0035-37], wherein the ultrasound transducer the transducer 104 is configured to generate a plurality of ultrasound signals having different phase differences by allowing an oscillated ultrasound signal to pass through the hologram thin film is wherein the transducer 104 of the present disclosure can adopt the piezoelectric sheet 1042 with four channels as shown in FIG. 2B with phase difference of π/2 is generated between every two of the channel 1042a, channel 1042b, channel 1042c and channel 1042d. However, the abovementioned phase difference can be ranged from π/8 to π/2 and is not limited thereto [par. 0029]
wherein the ultrasound transducer the transducer 104 is a focused ultrasound transducer based on the step S204 is provided for creating a steep potential distribution in a center of the vortex so as to focus [pars. 0030] having a concave ultrasound oscillating surface due to the (i.e. 1042a/first region of the hologram thin film being attached to a first region 212 of the oscillating surface of the transducer 104), wherein the hologram thin film/piezoelectric sheet/ 1042 is inherently/implicitly attached to the concave ultrasound oscillating surface [pars. 0006, 0023, 0029] is a curved shape surface or the piezoelectric sheet 1042 is in a curved shape, and
wherein an ultrasound focal length (i.e. the focal length of the vortex acoustic filed is 2 cm) [par. 0038] or, focal length/the working distance [par. 0027] is determined based on a radius of curvature of the focused ultrasound transducer the transducer 104 (piezoelectric sheet 1042 ….. curvature radius).
In the alternative, if the Applicant argues that LO does explicitly specify that the hologram thin film is attached to the concave ultrasound oscillating surface, then in view of LO teaching of ultrasound transducer 104, as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1A-1B, and 2B) the ultrasound transducer 104 surface is a curved shape surface or the piezoelectric sheet 1042 is in a curved shape [pars. 0006, 0023, 0029] both are attached, and may or are being divided into n regions (i.e. four regions) based on the center of the ultrasound oscillating surface of the ultrasound transducer 104, and piezoelectric/material 1042 as hologram thin film, as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1A-1B, and 2B) the piezoelectric sheet/material 1042 has a curvature radius or radius curvature [pars. 0027, 0029]. It would have been at least obvious to even one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to modify Lo as desired appropriate such as in the manner set forth in applicant’s claims, since the propose modification of the prior art would not change the principle of operation of the prior art invention being modified, the system will still operate accurately to provide a single/sound wave/signal approach to manipulate objects with sizes of interest and/or to improve the local concentration of the microbubbles in targeted areas and provide more efficient bonding as per teaching of Lo, (LO, par. 0004].
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify LO as desired appropriate such as in the manner set forth in applicant’s claims, in view of the teaching of LO in order to providing (i.e. a single) sound wave/signal approach to manipulate objects with sizes of interest and/or to improve the local concentration of the microbubbles in targeted areas and provide more efficient bonding and/or function as seal, as per teaching of Lo, (LO, par. 0004]), since it has been held that the provision of adjustability, where needed, involves only routine skill in the art, In re Stevens, 101 USPQ 284 (CC1954).
In addition, based on the context of the applicant disclosure as found in specification as published [pars. 0031, 0049, 0055], Applicant has described hologram thin film may include at least one of, for example, a polymer material, a resin material, and a plastic-based material.
Using Hologram thin film that may include at least one of, for example, a polymer material, a resin material, and a plastic-based material in an acoustic or ultrasound transducer configured to or in generating a plurality of ultrasound signals, wherein a piezoelectric material/sheet is substituted for Hologram thin film is known in the art, as evidenced by Yang.
Yang from the same field of endeavor teaches of a piezoelectric material that can be utilized for the piezoelectric layer or piezoelectric thin film may include a polymer, ……., the piezoelectric layer or piezoelectric thin film may be formed as a continuous single piece or multiple pieces Yang (Yang, [par. 0144]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify LO as desired appropriate such as in the manner set forth in applicant’s claim, by substituting LO’s piezoelectric material/sheet by a polymer as a Hologram thin film in view of the teaching of Yang in order to providing (i.e. a single) sound wave/signal approach to manipulate objects with sizes of interest and/or to improve the local concentration of the microbubbles in targeted areas and provide more efficient bonding and/or function as seal, as per teaching of Lo, (LO, par. 0004]), since it has been held that the provision of adjustability, where needed, involves only routine skill in the art, In re Stevens, 101 USPQ 284 (CC1954).
For the purposes of clarity, it well known in the art that ultrasonic transducers may include a piezoelectric material or a piezoelectric thin film.
As to claims 2-8, LO further discloses a structure that is use in a device/system that is implementing limitations such as, wherein the plurality of generated ultrasound signals by the driving unit 102 (i.e. the pulse generator) for producing an acoustic vortex (not shown in the figure) [pars. 0023] comprises a first ultrasound signal, a second ultrasound signal, and a third ultrasound signal, wherein the first ultrasound signal, the second ultrasound signal, and the third ultrasound signal are configured to form an acoustic field in the form of an acoustic vortex by overlapping and interfering with each other (see abstract) [pars. 0006, 0023-24, 0029, 0035] (claim 2); wherein the acoustic tweezer is included in an ultrasonic device (figs. 1A-2C) is configured to control movement of a target particle such as microbubbles, cells and droplets [pars. 0004-5, 0030] in a fluid using an acoustic field in the form of an acoustic vortex the vortex acoustic field of (i.e. FIG. 3A-3B) that is formed by ultrasound signals overlapping and interfering with each other by ultrasound signals overlapping and interfering with each other [par. 0015, 0035 and 0037] (claim 3);
wherein the hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets) is divided into n regions based on a center of the ultrasound oscillating surface of the ultrasound transducer, wherein each region has a different thin film thickness than another, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to "2 as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1B and 2B) [pars. 0024-27] (claim 4);
wherein the hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets) comprises a first region having a first thin film thickness, a second region having a second thin film thickness, and a third region having a third thin film thickness, wherein the first thin film thickness, the second thin film thickness, and the third thin film thickness have different thin film thickness values as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1B and 2B) [pars. 0024-27] (claim 5);
wherein the ultrasound oscillating surface the piezoelectric sheet 1042 that is cut into (i.e. four adjacent channels) of the ultrasound transducer the transducer 104 comprises a fourth region to which the hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets) is not attached, wherein the fourth region is a region different from the first region, the second region, and the third region, as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1B and 2B) [pars. 0023-27] (claim 6);
wherein a first ultrasound signal that passes through the first region of the hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets) has a phase difference of 90 degrees (
π
2
)
compared to an ultrasound signal before passing through the first region of the hologram thin film, a second ultrasound signal that passes through the second region of the hologram thin film has a phase difference of 180° compared to an ultrasound signal before passing through the second region of the hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets), and a third ultrasound signal that passes through the third region of the hologram interference results/patterns [pars. 0037] of (i.e. thin film in the form of piezoelectric sheet/thin sheets) has a phase difference of 270° compared to an ultrasound signal before passing through the third region of the hologram thin film as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1B and 2B) [pars. 0023-27] (claim 7); and wherein the first ultrasound signal of i.e (π/2), the second ultrasound signal, and the third ultrasound signal are simultaneously output from one ultrasound oscillating surface of the ultrasound transducer, as can be seen in depicted drawing (figs. 1B and 2B) [pars. 0023-27] [pars. 0037] (claim 8).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments/remarks, filed on 02/25/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new ground(s) of rejection(s) and/or any of the combination of references being used in the current rejection.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references listed in the attached form PTO-892 teach of other prior art acoustic tweezer.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Isiaka Akanbi whose telephone number is (571) 272-8658. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tarifur R. Chowdhury can be reached on (571) 272-2287. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.
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/ISIAKA O AKANBI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877