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.
Specification
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.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitations of claim 17 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). 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.
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.
Claims 1-8, 11, 13-16 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Song et al. (US20230188059, hereinafter Song).
Regarding claim 1, Song discloses an apparatus (Fig. 6), comprising: a vibration member (500); an active vibration device (600) configured to vibrate the vibration member; and a passive vibration device (100) disposed at a periphery of the active vibration device and configured to generate electrical energy based on a deformation of the passive vibration device.
Regarding claim 2, the active vibration device and the passive vibration device are connected with a rear surface of the vibration member. (See Fig. 6, paragraph 0135)
Regarding claim 3, the passive vibration device is deformed by a vibration of the vibration member. (paragraph 0134)
Regarding claim 4, the active vibration device and the passive vibration device do not overlap with each other on the vibration member. Figs 6 and 8 do not show the active and passive vibration devices overlapping with each other on the vibration member.
Regarding claim 5, the passive vibration device comprises a plurality of passive vibration devices (100), and wherein at least a portion of a periphery of the active vibration device is surrounded by the plurality of passive vibration devices. See Fig. 7.
Regarding claim 6, the passive vibration device comprises at least one opening region (space between the elements 100), and wherein the active vibration device is disposed in the at least one opening region. See Figs. 6 and 7.
Regarding claim 7, Song discloses the invention as explained above but is silent regarding the electrical connection structure. It is the examiner’s position that the electrical connection must go through a region to connect the element. Therefore, the limitation is considered to be inherent and anticipated.
Regarding claim 8, Song discloses a supporting plate (710) covering at least a portion of each of the active vibration device and the passive vibration device.
Regarding claim 11, Song is silent regarding the structure of the active and passive vibration device. However, the structure of a piezoelectric element comprising a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between two electrodes is well known in the art of piezoelectric elements.
Regarding claim 13, the active vibration device and the passive vibration device comprise the same material or different materials.
Regarding claim 14, the active vibration device comprises an active vibration part between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the active vibration device, and wherein the passive vibration device comprises a passive vibration part between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the passive vibration device.
Regarding claims 15 and 16, Song discloses the use of different piezoelectric materials including PDVF.
Regarding claim 22, Song discloses the display panel in Fig. 5 and its description.
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 of this title, 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 12 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song.
Regarding claim 12, Song discloses the invention as explained above but fails to explicitly the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the active vibration device are electrically disconnected with the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the passive vibration device. The examiner takes Official Notice that the electrical connections would have been a matter of design choice and the electric circuit designed as necessitated by the specific requirements of the particular application. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to provide the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the active vibration device are electrically disconnected with the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer of the passive vibration device as necessitated by the specific requirements of the particular application.
Regarding claim 17, Song discloses the invention as explained above but fails to explicitly disclose at least one of the active vibration part and the passive vibration part comprising: a plurality of inorganic material portions having a piezoelectric characteristic; and an organic material portion disposed between the plurality of inorganic material portions. Selection from among known, suitable materials has long been held to be within the skill expected of the routineer and therefore obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to provide organic and inorganic portions as necessitated by the specific requirements of the particular application.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9-10 and 18-21 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wang discloses a display comprising a piezoelectric element that produces sound or converts vibration into electrical energy.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jaydi San Martin whose telephone number is (571)272-2018. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th 7:45-6:00pm.
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 on 571-270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/J. San Martin/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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