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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/03/2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-14 are pending and claims 13-14 have been withdrawn.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1; line 6, 8 and 15, recited the phrase “preferred longitudinal direction”. However, features described as preferred or illustrative in the specification are not critical or essential, also features which are merely preferred are not to be considered critical. Therefore, the scope of the limitations “preferred longitudinal direction” is unclear and indefinite, also metes and bounds of the claimed invention is not precisely defined.
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, 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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-8 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yilmazoglu Oktay, DE 102017115330, and further in view of Yilmazoglu Oktay, US 2016/0178459.
Regarding claim 1, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; An arrangement of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), comprising: a substrate (100) having a substrate surface (102) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; substrate 200 has top surface]; a first CNT block (110) and a second CNT block (120) rising up from the substrate surface (102) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of high density CNT 110a and 110b rising up from top surface of substrate 200], the first CNT block (110) and the second CNT block (120) being spaced apart from each other [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of high density 110a and 110b CNTs are laterally offset from each other]; and a CNT link (130) connecting the first CNT block (110) to the second CNT block (120) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 6; stack of low density 120 bridged between stack of high density 110a and 110b], wherein the CNT link (130) is configured as a CNT bridge which does not touch any underlying structure [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of low density CNT 120 bridged between stack of high density CNT 110a and 110b and stack of low density 120 does not touch the surface of the substrate 200]. Yilmazoglu Oktay’ 5330 substantially discloses the claimed invention, including two stacks of both horizontally or vertically arranged high-density CNT wall connected by a link of low-density CNT stack and a further link of high-density CNT stack, but is specifically silent about CNTs of each of the first CNT block (110) and the second CNT block (120) extending in a preferred longitudinal direction from respective substrate-side proximal ends toward respective distal ends spaced from the substrate surface (102), the preferred longitudinal direction being perpendicular to the substrate surface (102), CNTs of the CNT link (130) extend in the preferred longitudinal direction perpendicular to the substrate surface (102). However, Yilmazoglu Oktay’8459 teaches that each of the carbon nanotubes 6 of each CNT block 10, 20, 30, 40 preferably has the same length and the same alignment with respect to the carrier 2. The carbon nanotubes here are positioned vertically on a carrier substrate and also at least one intermediate block 8 between the main block 10 and at least one secondary block 20, 30, 40. The intermediate block 8 with vertical or lateral alignment. It may also be designed in the form of a bridge (Fig. 4 and [0011, 0026, 0035]). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yilmazoglu Oktay’5330 by providing CNTs of each of the first CNT block (110) and the second CNT block (120) extending in a preferred longitudinal direction from respective substrate-side proximal ends toward respective distal ends spaced from the substrate surface (102), the preferred longitudinal direction being perpendicular to the substrate surface (102), CNTs of the CNT link (130) extend in the preferred longitudinal direction perpendicular to the substrate surface (102), so that to make available an improved spring sensor element that is simple to manufacture, permits a measurement with a particularly high precision, also to provide a simple spring sensor element that can also detect particularly small forces and accelerations ([0009]).
Regarding Claim 2, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; the CNT link (130) includes a CNT wall [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of low density 120 is CNT wall].
Regarding Claim 3, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; an adhesion-reducing layer (105) in an area on the substrate (100) that is below the CNT bridge (130) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; intermediate layer 210a is below the stack of low density 120].
Regarding Claim 4, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; the CNT link (130) comprises at least one of: - a predetermined thickness (D), - a predetermined width (B) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of low density 120 bridged between stack of high density 110a and 110b has a predetermined width], - a predetermined distance (H) above the substrate (100).
Regarding Claim 5, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; the predetermined thickness (D) or the predetermined width (B) or the predetermined distance (H) changes along the connection between the first CNT block (110) and the second CNT block (120) in a predetermined manner [Fig. 6A-6B; thickness of the stack of low density 120 changes due to low density formation of CNTs at various point].
Regarding Claim 7, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; at least one further CNT link (135) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of high density 110c bridged between stack of high density 110a and 110b], wherein the at least one further CNT link (135) connects the first CNT block (110) to the second CNT block (120) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; stack of high density 110c bridged between stack of high density 110a and 110b] and CNTs of the at least one further CNT link (135) are aligned in a same direction as the CNTs of the first CNT block (110) or the second CNT block (120) [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 2-3; the orientation of the CNTs in the high density stacks 110c are same as the stack of high density 110a and 110b].
Regarding Claim 8, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; the CNT link (130) is connected to the at least one further CNT link (135) by a crosslink (137) of CNTs [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 4; stack of high density 110c and the stack of low density 120 connected and bridged between stack of high density 110a and 110b].
Regarding Claim 10, Yilmazoglu discloses; a coating [Page 10, ¶ 3; a coating, for example the thin CNT layer 120, with piezoelectric materials such as zinc oxide (ZnO) to generate electricity (energy harvesting)] on at least one of: - the CNT link (130), - the at least one further CNT link (135), - the first CNT block (110), - the second CNT block (120), wherein the coating is configured to enhance or cause at least one of: a thermoresistive effect, a pyroelectric effect, a thermochromic effect, and a piezoelectric effect [Page 10, ¶ 3; a coating, for example the thin CNT layer 120, with piezoelectric materials such as zinc oxide (ZnO) to generate electricity (energy harvesting)].
Regarding Claim 11, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; a sensor, comprising: the arrangement of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) according to claim 1; and an evaluation unit (200) configured to determine electrical characteristics of the arrangement and, based thereon, to perform at least one of: - a power measurement of electromagnetic waves, - a force measurement, - an acceleration measurement, - a flow measurement [Page 12, ¶ 1; the following quantities can be measured: force, acceleration, angular velocity, pressure, tactile, vibration, flow (gas or liquid) and more].
Regarding Claim 12, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; a method, comprising: applying the arrangement according to claim 1 - as a bolometer, - as a power meter for THz signals, - as a force meter, or - as an accelerometer [Page 12, ¶ 1; the following quantities can be measured: force, acceleration, angular velocity, pressure, tactile, vibration, flow (gas or liquid) and more].
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yilmazoglu Oktay, DE 102017115330, in view of Yilmazoglu Oktay, US 2016/0178459 as applied to claims 1-5, 7-8 and 10-12 above, and further in view of Fig. 4A-4D of Primary reference Yilmazoglu Oktay, DE 102017115330.
Regarding Claim 6, Yilmazoglu Oktay discloses; at least one electrical contact of the first CNT block (110) and the second CNT block (120) selected from the group consisting of: a first contact layer (115) for contacting the first CNT block (110), the first contact layer (115) being formed adjacent to or partially below the first CNT block (110) on the substrate (100) and comprising a metal [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; first electrical contact element 130a with a stack of high density 110a], a second contact layer (125), the second contact layer (125) being formed adjacent to or partially below the second CNT block (120) on the substrate (100) and comprising a metal [Fig. 6A-6B and Page 9, ¶ 1; the second electrical contact element 130b with a stack of high density 110b], Yilmazoglu Oktay substantially discloses the claimed invention, including two stack of both horizontally or vertically arranged high density CNT wall connected by a link of low density CNT stack and a further link of high density CNT stack in Fig. 6A-6B but is silent about a first broadening (117) of the first CNT block (110) on a side facing the substrate (100, and a second broadening (127) of the second CNT block (120) on a side facing the substrate (100). However, Yilmazoglu Oktay teaches in Fig 4A-4D that the high-density stacks form, in part, spacers that extend at least partially into the low-density stacks to define a variable distance stop. The spacers are therefore themselves formed from nanotubes (Fig 4A-4D;115a, 115b and Page 4, ¶ 1). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yilmazoglu Oktay by providing a first broadening (117) of the first CNT block (110) on a side facing the substrate (100, and a second broadening (127) of the second CNT block (120) on a side facing the substrate (100), so that spacers are formed, to allow changing the variable distance between adjacent high-density stacks only in a predetermined range (Page 4, ¶ 1).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yilmazoglu Oktay, DE 102017115330 in view of Yilmazoglu Oktay, US 2016/0178459 as applied to claims 1-5, 7-8 and 10-12 above, and further in view of Dijon, US 2012/0292103.
Regarding Claim 9, Yilmazoglu Oktay substantially discloses the claimed invention, including two stack of high density CNT wall connected by a link of low density CNT stack and a further link of high density CNT stack, but silent about at least one further CNT block (151, 152) rising up from the substrate (100),wherein the CNT link (130) or the at least one further CNT link (135) connects the first CNT block (110), the second CNT block (120), and the at least one further CNT block (151, 152). However, Dijon teaches that multiple nanotubes bundles 8 are interconnected by a nanotube bundle 8’ (Fig. 5B). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yilmazoglu Oktay by providing at least one further CNT block (151, 152) rising up from the substrate (100), wherein the CNT link (130) or the at least one further CNT link (135) connects the first CNT block (110), the second CNT block (120), and the at least one further CNT block (151, 152), so that forming the electric connections, in an electronic device, with bundles of carbon nanotubes (CNT) directed along a first direction and contained in cavities called vias. Such CNT bundles are laterally interconnected by lines, also formed of CNT bundles along a second direction ([0016]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim 1 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.
New 103 rejection anticipated by Yilmazoglu Oktay, DE 102017115330 in view of Yilmazoglu Oktay, US 2016/0178459 has been applied, please see the rejection above.
Conclusion
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/AZM PARVEZ/
Examiner
Art Unit 2892
/NORMAN D RICHARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2892
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