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 .
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 1-5, 7-9, and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsukawa (WO 2009/066467).
With respect to claim 1, Matsukawa discloses an ultrasonic motor (Fig 1) comprising: a stator (item 150) having a plate-shaped vibrating body including a first main surface and a second main surface that oppose each other (Fig 1), a through-hole (item 156) that penetrates in a direction normal to the first and second main surfaces (Fig 1), and at least one piezoelectric element (item 160) on the first main surface of the vibrating body (Fig 1); a rotor (item 140) coupled to the second main surface of the vibrating body (Fig 1); and a stator fixing member (item 170) having a main body on the first main surface of the vibrating body and a whirl-stop portion (item 176) that extends from the main body toward the vibrating body (Fig 1), wherein the whirl-stop portion and the through-hole have a polygonal shape in a plan view (Fig 1, wherein both have a square shape), the whirl-stop portion has a same number of vertices as the through-hole, and the whirl-stop portion is fitted to the through-hole (Fig 1, wherein both have a square shape).
With respect to claim 2, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein the main body of the stator fixing member has a protruding portion (items 176/178) that protrudes toward the vibrating body (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 3, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 2, wherein the whirl-stop portion is connected to the protruding portion, and the protruding portion surrounds the whirl-stop portion in the plan view (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 4, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 3, wherein the protruding portion has a circular shape in the plan view (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 5, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating body has a disk shape and is configured to vibrates in a B (m, n) mode, and a number of nodal lines extending in a radial direction in vibration of the vibrating body is n (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 7, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein the at least one piezoelectric element has a piezoelectric body and an excitation electrode on the piezoelectric body (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 8, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 7, wherein a center of the excitation electrode of the at least one piezoelectric element is not located on a straight line connecting a vertex of the through-hole of the stator and a center of the through-hole in the plan view (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 9, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein each of the whirl-stop portion of the stator fixing member and the through-hole of the stator have a regular polygon shape in the plan view (Fig 1, wherein both a have a square shape).
With respect to claim 11, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein the at least one piezoelectric element comprises a plurality of piezoelectric elements on the first main surface of the vibrating body that are dispersedly disposed along a circumferential direction of a traveling wave (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 12, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, further comprising a shaft member (item 110) that extends through the through-hole of the stator (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 13, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 12, further comprising a spring member (item 142) on a bearing portion side of the rotor (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 14, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 13, wherein an inner peripheral end edge of the spring member is coupled to a wide portion of the shaft member (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 15, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 3, wherein the whirl-stop portion extends from the protruding portion towards the vibrating body (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 16, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 15, wherein the whirl-stop portion is provided integrally with the protruding portion (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 17, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein the whirl-stop portion is configured to fix the vibrating body of the stator and suppress a rotation of the vibrating body (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 18, Matsukawa discloses an ultrasonic motor (Fig 1) comprising: a stator (item 150) having a vibrating body with first and second main surface that oppose each other (Fig 1), a through-hole (item 156) that extends in a direction normal to the first and second main surfaces (Fig 1), and at least one piezoelectric element (item 160) on the first main surface of the vibrating body (Fig 1); a rotor (item 140) coupled to the second main surface of the vibrating body (Fig 1); and a stator fixing member (item 170) having a main body on the first main surface of the vibrating body and a whirl-stop portion (item 176) that extends from the main body toward the vibrating body (Fig 1), wherein the whirl-stop portion is fitted to the through-hole and is configured to fix the vibrating body of the stator and suppress a rotation of the vibrating body (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 19, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 1, wherein the whirl-stop portion and the through-hole have a polygonal shape in a plan view and the whirl-stop portion has a same number of vertices as the through-hole (Fig 1).
With respect to claim 20, Matsukawa discloses the ultrasonic motor according to claim 18, wherein the main body of the stator fixing member has a protruding portion (items 176/178) that protrudes toward the vibrating body side, and wherein the whirl-stop portion is connected to the protruding portion, and the protruding portion surrounds the whirl-stop portion in the plan view (Fig 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
The prior art does not disclose or suggest “wherein a ≠ n is satisfied when the number of vertices of a polygonal shape in the plan view of the whirl-stop portion of the stator fixing member and the through-hole of the stator is a” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 6.
The prior art does not disclose or suggest “wherein the number of vertices of the whirl-stop portion of the stator fixing member and the number of vertices of the through-hole of the stator are five or seven” in combination with the remaining elements of claim 10.
Conclusion
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/DEREK J ROSENAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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