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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I, claims 1, 2, 7, 10-18 and 20 in the reply filed on 12/01/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 3-6, 8, 9 and 19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/01/2025.
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, 2, 7, 10-18 and 20 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1, lines 18-19, note that the relationship is unclear between the recited “a plurality of acoustic wave resonators each including the IDT electrode” and the previous recited “plurality of IDT electrodes” which includes a “first IDT electrode” and a “second IDT electrode” (i.e. the claim previously defines a “plurality of IDT electrodes” including a “first IDT electrode” and a “second IDT electrode”, therefore it is unclear if the recited “the IDT electrode” is referring to all the “plurality of IDT electrodes”, the “first” IDT electrode, or the “second” IDT electrode?). Identical issue occurs in claim 2, lines 14-15. By virtue of dependency from claims 1 or 2, claims 7, 10-18 and 20 have also been rejected under 35 USC 112(b). For the purpose of examination, the examiner will interpret for claims 1 and 2, that the recited “plurality of acoustic wave resonators” each include either the “first” or “second” IDT electrode.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 7, 10-15, 17, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koji (JP2017187421A, Machine English Translation Provided by Examiner).
In regards to claims 1, 2 and 7, based on the 35 USC 112(b) interpretation made above, Koji teaches in annotated Fig. 10 below and Fig.12, an acoustic wave device comprising:
A piezoelectric substrate (1) including a piezoelectric layer (1); and
A plurality of IDT electrodes (9 and 10) provided on the piezoelectric substrate and each including a plurality of electrode fingers (present but not labeled), wherein the plurality of IDT electrodes includes a plurality of curved IDT electrodes in which shapes of the plurality of electrode fingers in plan view are curved shapes;
A direction in which a curved portion including a curved shape of an electrode finger in a curved IDT electrode is convex (Annotated Sides C1 and C2) in directions in which the plurality of electrode fingers is arranged is an outer side direction of the curved portion;
The plurality of IDT electrodes includes a first IDT electrode (9) and a second IDT electrode (10), and both the first IDT electrode and the second IDT electrode are the curved IDT electrodes;
A plurality of acoustic wave resonators (9 and 10) each including either the first or second IDT are provided and include a first acoustic wave resonator (9) including the first IDT electrode and a second acoustic wave resonator (10) including the second IDT electrode; and
Based on Fig. 10, the first acoustic wave resonator and the second acoustic wave resonator are connected without another acoustic wave resonator interposed therebetween, and when one of the directions (Annotated Direction A) in which the plurality of electrode fingers are arranged is a first direction and a direction opposite to the first direction is a second direction (Annotated Direction B) in the first IDT electrode (9) and the second IDT electrode (10), the outer side direction in the first IDT electrode is the first direction, and the outer side direction of the second IDT electrode is the second direction; and
Based on Fig. 10, a length of an electrode finger increases toward the first direction (Annotated Direction A) in the first IDT electrode (9), and a length of an electrode finger increases toward the second direction (Annotated Direction B) in the second IDT electrode (10).
In regards to claims 10 and 11, based on Fig. 10, wherein a shape of the first IDT electrode (9) and a shape of the second IDT electrode (10) are in a line symmetrical relationship.
In regards to claims 12 and 13, based on Fig. 10, wherein shapes of the first IDT electrode (9) and the second IDT electrode (10) are the same; and a position of the second IDT electrode (10) is rotated by 180° relative to the first IDT electrode (9).
In regards to claims 14 and 15, based on Fig. 10, the first (9) and second (10) IDT electrodes have the same size and shape, which will results in the first and second IDT electrodes having a same electrostatic capacitance. Therefore, a difference between an electrostatic capacitance of the first acoustic wave resonator (9) and an electrostatic capacitance of the second acoustic wave resonator (10) is equal to or less than about 0.35 pF (i.e. the difference of two identical IDT electrodes will be equal to 0, which is less than 0.35 pF).
In regards to claim 17, based on Fig. 12, the piezoelectric substrate includes a support substrate (4 and 12); and the piezoelectric layer (1) is provided on the support substrate.
In regards to claim 18, based on Fig. 12, wherein the piezoelectric substrate includes an intermediate layer (4) between the support substrate (12) and the piezoelectric layer (1).
In regards to claim 20, based on Fig. 12, the piezoelectric substrate includes only the piezoelectric layer (i.e. the piezoelectric layer 1 is the only piezoelectric layer included in the acoustic wave device).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 16 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of 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.
Kimura (US2023/0283259 A1) teaches in Fig. 1 an acoustic wave device comprising a plurality of IDT electrodes (R1-R4) which are tilted in respective to an X direction.
Shimizu et al. (USPAT 9,124,240 B2) teaches in Fig. 7 a duplexer comprising a first filter (421) and a second filter (422), the first filter comprises a plurality of IDT electrodes which are titled, and the second filter comprises a plurality of IDT electrodes which are non-tilted.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORGE L SALAZAR JR whose telephone number is (571)-272-9326. The examiner can normally be reached between 9am - 6pm Monday-Friday.
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/JORGE L SALAZAR JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843