DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-6 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato et al. [US 20070062292] in view of Koyama [US 20200260170].
As to claim 1. Sato discloses An ultrasonic sensor installable to a vehicle comprising:
a body section, [fig. 1A, 0025] body 21, including an outer surface, [fig. 1A, 0025] portion T, facing an external space of the vehicle, [fig. 1A, 0023] mounted on a wall member 10 of a vehicle bumper, and an inner surface on the back side of the outer surface, [fig. 1A] the opposite side of T, the body section further including a first layer bonded to an outer plate on the inner surface side of the outer plate, [fig. 1A, 0036, 0038] mounting member 28 bonded to the wall 10 using adhesive 30, which is a body part formed from non-conductive material, [0038] using a two-sided tape;
a vibration conversion section including a piezoelectric material layer, [0024], and a drive electrode, [fig. 1A0034] lead wire 24, the vibration conversion section having a function of converting ultrasonic vibration and electrical signals, [fig. 1A, 0023] ultrasonic transducer 22, and being bonded to the body section to enable ultrasonic vibration together with the outer plate, [fig. 1A, 0024]; and
an electric circuit section comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, [0034] lead wire 24 connected to the circuit board 23, wherein the first terminal is electrically connected to the drive electrode of the vibration conversion section to enable the transfer of the electric signals to and from the vibration conversion section, [fig. 1A, 0023, 0034] circuit board 23 connected to the lead wire 24, which requires a terminal for connecting the lead wire 24,
Sato fails to explicitly disclose wherein the body is a shield, and wherein the first layer is a conductive layer; wherein the shield section, the second terminal of the electric circuit section, and a reference electrode that is associated with the vibration conversion section, are electrically short-circuited to a common ground side line, and the shield section shields the vibration conversion section.
Koyama teaches an ultrasonic sensor comprising a body 3 that also functions as a shield, [fig. 1, 0031], that is formed using a conductive resin, [0034], that is attached to the GND of the circuit board 5, [0034, 0035], to suppress the effects of noise, [0052]; wherein the system implements a microphone 2 as the sensor implemented using a piezoelectric element, [0027]; wherein a negative terminal 2c of the microphone and a terminal of the circuit board are further connected to the GND terminal, [fig. 1, 0035].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Sato with that of Koyama to make the body 21 and the vibration transmission part of the body 21a using a conductive resin to provide shielding from noise.
As to claim 2. Sato discloses The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the vibration conversion section is bonded to the body section by an adhesive layer, [0024] transducer 22 attached to the body 21.
Sato fails to disclose wherein the shield section is bonded to the inner surface of the outer plate.
Koyama teaches an ultrasonic sensor comprising a body 3 that also functions as a shield, [fig. 1, 0031], that is formed using a conductive resin, [0034], wherein body 3 is attached to the bumper of the vehicle using a resin 8, [0047].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Sato with that of Koyama so that the sensor body can be firmly secured to the bumper.
As to claim 3. Sato fails to disclose The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the shielding section is the conductive layer formed by a conductive adhesive layer bonding the outer plate and the vibration conversion section.
Koyama teaches an ultrasonic sensor comprising a body 3 that also functions as a shield, [fig. 1, 0031], that is formed using a conductive resin, [0034], wherein body 3 is attached to the terminal of the sensor using a conductive adhesive, [0053].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Sato with that of Koyama so that the sensor body can be firmly secured to the bumper.
As to claim 4. Sato discloses The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 3, wherein an acoustic impedance of the conductive adhesive layer is set between an acoustic impedance of the outer plate and an acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric material layer, [0027-0030] the impedance of the layers of material between the sensor and the surface 10 is set to be intermediate between the two.
As to claim 5. Sato fails to disclose The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the shield section is includes the reference electrode.
Koyama teaches an ultrasonic sensor comprising a body 3 that also functions as a shield, [fig. 1, 0031], that is formed using a conductive resin, [0034], that is attached to the GND of the circuit board 5, [0034, 0035], to suppress the effects of noise, [0052].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Sato with that of Koyama to make the body 21 and the vibration transmission part of the body 21a using a conductive resin to provide shielding from noise.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato in view of Koyama as applied to claim 1 above, further in view of Ota [US 20090302712].
As to claim 6. The combination of Sato and Koyama fails to disclose The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic sensor further includes a cover section formed of conductive material configured to cover the vibration conversion section and the electric circuit section, and the cover section is electrically short-circuited to the shield section.
Ota teaches an ultrasonic sensor with an inner case 30 and outer case 10, [fig. 3A, 3B, 0031], and house the components of the sensor, [fig. 4A]; wherein both are made of metal material, [0033, 0037]; and wherein the inner case is connected to the outer case, [fig. 4A].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of the combination of Sato and Koyama with that of Ota so that having the outer case provides protection to the functional components of the sensor.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 08/20/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Argument 1: The prior arts do not teach the newly added limitations of the claims.
Response 1: The Office Action is amended to consider the newly presented scope of the claims.
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 BENYAM HAILE whose telephone number is (571)272-2080. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM Mon. - Thur..
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/Benyam Haile/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2688