PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC STACKED STRUCTURE

Application No. 18/371,425

• Filed: Sep 21, 2023
• Priority: Nov 16, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0153850
• Examiner: PHAM, EMILY P
• Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
• OA Round: 1 (Non-Final)

Office Action

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 .
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 23 May 2024 and 21 September 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 § 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 first layers" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the first layers" in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the first layers" in line 13. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 17. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 19. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 19 recites the limitation "the first layer" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.

Claim 1 recites the limitation "the second layers" in lines 4-5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the second layer" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the second layers" in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the second layers" in lines 13-14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 18. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 20. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "the second layer" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-7 and 12-17 depend directly or indirectly on a rejected claim and are, therefore, also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for the reason set above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nie et al. (U. S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20200111948) discloses a piezoelectric ceramic stacked structure and a piezoelectric accelerometer.
Gao (U. S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20200400708) discloses a piezoelectric acceleration sensor.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EMILY P. PHAM whose telephone number is [phone]. 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 [phone]. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is [phone].
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at [phone] (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call [phone] (IN USA OR CANADA) or [phone].

26 June 2026
/EMILY P PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837

Prosecution Timeline

• Sep 21, 2023: Application Filed
• Jun 30, 2026: Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)