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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/22/2026 has been entered.
Claim 1 is amended.
Claims 1-8 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claims 1-6, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 9,921,303 B2) in view of Takahashi (US 10,123,744 B2) and Ha (US 10505498 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a receiving circuit, configured to generate a reflected wave signal based on a reflected wave from an object[Title; Abstract has ultrasonic wave reflected];
an envelope detection circuit, configured to generate an envelope detection signal of the reflected wave signal[Fig 7 and Col 7, Lines 10-15 has envelope detector #170 calculating an envelope from filtered signal ie generate envelope detection signal of reflected wave];…..
and a selection circuit, configured to select one of a first signal and a second signal [Fig 7 has comparator #180 and differential value calculator #110],
receive, as an input, a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is the envelope detection signal or a delayed signal of the envelope detection signal, and the second signal is the differentially amplified signal or a signal obtained from a difference between the envelope detection signal and the differentially amplified signal, and output either the first signal or the second signal. [Fig 7, Abstract has envelope signal and Col 4 Lines 20-25 and col 8 Lines 55-65 has offset to differential signal meaning delayed signal and Fig 10 has j which is the differential and differential value calculator in Fig 7 and Abstract has thresholds meaning differential signal or signal based on difference]
Lee implies, but does not explicitly teach a differential amplifier circuit, configured to generate a differentially amplified signal of the envelope detection signal [Abstract has differential of signals and Fig 10 has j which is the differential and differential value calculator in Fig 7];
Takahashi teaches that a differential amplifier circuit, configured to generate a differentially amplified signal of the envelope detection signal[Abstract has differential amplification and Fig 1 has differential amplification #70 after envelope extraction #40];
Ha also teaches receive, as an input, a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is the envelope detection signal or a delayed signal of the envelope detection signal, and the second signal is the differentially amplified signal or a signal obtained from a difference between the envelope detection signal and the differentially amplified signal, and output either the first signal or the second signal.[Title, Abstract, Col 4, Lines 65 to Col 5, Line 10, Claim 1 has envelope detection and differential signal output of either envelope or differential]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date to have modified the processor in Lee with the differential amplification of the signal in Takahashi and the detection circuit of Ha for selection between various inputs to select for a desired output or to amplify differences between detection output and baseline to detect the object.
It would also have been obvious to use thresholds or selection between inputs to get a certain output, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges or values involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 2, Lee, as modified, teaches that wherein the differential amplifier circuit is configured to clamp the differentially amplified signal. [Fig 7 has comparator #180 and differential value calculator # 110 and Abstract has maximum value meaning it is being clamped]
Regarding claim 3, Lee, as modified, teaches that wherein the envelope detection signal is a signal obtained by detecting an upper envelope of the reflected wave signal[Abstract has thresholds for detection or a signal obtained by subtracting a signal obtained by detecting a lower envelope of the reflected wave signal from the signal obtained by detecting the upper envelope of the reflected wave signal. [Claim 3 has subtraction].
Regarding claim 4, Lee, as modified, teaches that wherein the differential amplifier circuit is configured to clamp the differentially amplified signal, such that the differentially amplified signal does not lower than a predetermined value. [Abstract has predetermined threshold].
Regarding claim 5, Lee, as modified, teaches that wherein the envelope detection signal is a signal obtained by detecting an lower envelope of the reflected wave signal [Abstract has thresholds for detection], or a signal obtained by subtracting a signal obtained by detecting an upper envelope of the reflected wave signal from the signal obtained by detecting the lower envelope of the reflected wave signal, and the selection circuit is configured to select a greater one of the first signal and the second signal. [Claim 3 has subtraction; See also Col 8, Lines 40-65 for various comparators and thresholds from Fig 11].
Regarding claim 6, Lee, as modified, teaches that wherein the differential amplifier circuit is configured to clamp the differentially amplified signal, such that the differentially amplified signal docs not exceed a predetermined value. [Fig 7 has comparator # 180 and differential value calculator # 110 and Abstract has maximum value meaning it is being clamped at predetermined threshold].
Regarding claim 8, Lee, as modified, teaches that A vehicle comprising the ultrasonic sensor of Claim 7. [Background has use of device in vehicles]
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 9,921,303 B2) in view of Takahashi (US 10,123,744 B2) and Ha (US 10505498 B2) as applied to claim1 above, and further in view of Terumoto (US 2015/0366513 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Lee teaches An ultrasonic sensor, comprising: the signal processing device of Claim 1 [Abstract has ultrasonic object detection]
Lee does not explicitly teach a piezoelectric element configured to receive the reflected wave. [Though the application of piezoelectric receivers for ultrasonic sensors would be well known in the art]
Terumoto teaches that a piezoelectric element configured to receive the reflected wave. [0081 has peizoelectric sensor]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date to have modified the sensor in Lee with the piezoelectric element in Terumoto to use piezoelectric elements as the use of such materials are well known in the art for being able to function as a receiver.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/22/2026 with respect to claims 1-8 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the specific combination of the references being used in the current rejection.
Moreover in response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Specifically applicants arguments on pages 2-4 of the remarks is reading the prior art overly narrowly as a person of ordinary skill would understand the concept of choosing between various factors to get the desired result as being obvious as it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges or values involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Applicant's remaining arguments amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims patentably distinguishes them from the references. Rejections are maintained – and no allowable subject matter can be identified at this time.
Conclusion
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/VIKAS ATMAKURI/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/JAMES R HULKA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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