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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Status
The amendments filed 10 February 2026 have overcome the rejection of claim 1 and its dependents as it incorporates previously allowed subject matter. A new rejection necessitated by amendment for claims 18-21 follows.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 18-21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 18-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhuang US 2013/0192365.
Regarding claim 18, Zhuang discloses as seen in fig. 6, a gyroscope comprising a support (base, paragraph 0032), a first drive assembly (21a) elastically coupled to the support (via springs 25b and anchor 26), a first mass 30a elastically coupled to the first drive assembly via spring 25a, the first mass configure to move with respect to the support along a first drive direction and along a first sense direction that is transverse to the first drive direction (paragraph 0033), a second drive assembly (21b) elastically coupled to the support and the first drive assembly (25a couple the drive assembly to the substrate and elastically connect to the first drive assembly) a second mass 30b elastically coupled to the second drive assembly via spring 25a, the second mass configured to move with respect to the support along a first drive direction and along a first sense direction that is transverse to the first drive direction, and a sense mass 22 elastically coupled to the support (via spring 24 and anchor 27) and elastically coupled between the first mass and the second mass (elements 23a and 23b connect to the first and second masses).
Regarding claim 19, Zhauang further teaches a first actuation assembly (drive combs 28) on the support, the first actuation assembly configured to control a movement of the first drive assembly 21a in a first direction ) and a second actuation assembly (drive combs in element 21b) on the support, the second actuation assembly configured to control a movement of the second drive assembly 21b in a second direction opposite the first direction (the masses vibrate along opposite directions, paragraph 0032).
Regarding claim 20, the sense mass 100 of Zhuang is configured to rotate around a rotation axis such as the Z-axis when a force is applied in the x or y directions.
Regarding claim 21, Zhuang teaches a gyroscope as seen in fig. 6 comprising a fixed structure (base), a first movable mass 30a configured to move along a first drive direction (parallel to the Y-direction) and along a first sense direction (parallel to the z-direction) transverse to the first drive direction, a first drive assembly 21a elastically coupled to the fixed structure (via element 25a) and the first movable mass, the first drive assembly configured to generate a first alternate drive movement in the first drive direction (oscillation along the Y-direction, paragraph 0021), a second movable mass 30b configured to move in a second drive direction parallel to the first drive direction and in a second sense direction parallel to the first sense direction, and a second drive assembly 21b elastically coupled to the fixed structure and the second movable mass (via element 25b), the second drive assembly configured to generate a second alternate drive movement in the second drive direction (paragraph 0032), and a sense mass 22 elastically coupled to the fixed structure (via element 24), the first movable mass, and the second movable mass, the first movable mass 100 being coupled to the second movable mass by the sense mass (elements 23a and 23b connect the masses).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 8, 9 and 11-15 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: with regard to claim 11, the prior art of record fails to teach, alone or in combination, the specifics of the pitch/roll sense portion, wherein a third movable mass is configured to move with respect to the fixed structure in a third drive direction, parallel to the first drive direction, and in a third sense direction, transverse to the third drive direction and to the first sense direction, and a third drive elastic structure, coupled to the third movable mass and to the first drive assembly, the third drive elastic structure rigid in the third drive direction, configured to transfer the first alternate drive movement to the third movable mass and compliant in the third sense direction. Anac teaches a pitch proof mass 650a which is capable of determining a change of pitch in the system, but is not coupled to the first drive assembly in a manner which would allow for a shared drive to be used during operation. Additionally, the addition of a fourth movable mass in the system which is coupled to a third drive assembly, is not taught in any manner in the prior art which would result in the claimed features found in dependent claim 11. Claims 12-15 are each ultimately dependent from claim 11, and therefore would be allowable for the same reasons due to their dependency thereon.
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.
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/MARK A SHABMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855