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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamaguchi et al. (US 6087760).
With respect to claim 1, Yamaguchi et al. discloses an ultrasonic transducer (Fig 4B) comprising: a base portion (item 40); a piezoelectric element (items 14 and 15) joined to the base portion (Fig 4B); a vibration plate (item 13) joined to the piezoelectric element and configured to vibrate so as to generate an annular node (Figs 4-5); and a resonator (item 11) joined to the vibration plate (Fig 4B), wherein the resonator is joined to a first surface, of the vibration plate, on one side in a thickness direction thereof (Fig 4B), a surface, of the piezoelectric element, on a side opposite to a side on which the piezoelectric element is joined to the base portion (Fig 4B), is joined to a second surface, of the vibration plate, on another side in the thickness direction thereof (Fig 4B), a through-hole (hole through which rod 12 passes) is formed in the piezoelectric element so as to penetrate therethrough in the thickness direction (Fig 4B), and, in a planar direction orthogonal to the thickness direction, a joined portion between the vibration plate and the resonator is located inward of the node, and the through-hole is located inward of the node (Figs 3-4, wherein the hole is inward of the nodes 30-33).
With respect to claim 2, Yamaguchi et al. discloses an ultrasonic transducer (Fig 4B) comprising: a base portion (item 40); an interposed member (item 42) having an annular shape and joined to the base portion (Figs 4A-4B); a piezoelectric element (items 14 and 15) joined to the base portion with the interposed member interposed therebetween (Fig 4B); a vibration plate (item 13) joined to the piezoelectric element and configured to vibrate so as to generate an annular node (Figs 4-5); and a resonator (item 11) joined to the vibration plate (Fig 4B), wherein a first surface, of the vibration plate, on one side in a thickness direction thereof is joined to the resonator (Fig 4B), a second surface, of the vibration plate, on another side in the thickness direction thereof is joined to a surface, of the piezoelectric element, on a side opposite to a side on which the piezoelectric element is joined to the base portion (Fig 4B), a through-hole (hole through which rod 12 passes) is formed in the piezoelectric element so as to penetrate therethrough in the thickness direction (Fig 4B), and, in a planar direction orthogonal to the thickness direction, a joined portion between the vibration plate and the resonator is located inward of an inscribed circle inscribed in the interposed member, and the through-hole is located inward of the inscribed circle (Figs 3-4).
With respect to claim 3, Yamaguchi et al. discloses the ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the joined portion is located so as to overlap with the through-hole as seen in the thickness direction (Fig 4B).
With respect to claim 4, Yamaguchi et al. discloses the ultrasonic transducer according to claim 3, wherein an entirety of the joined portion is located so as to overlap with the through-hole as seen in the thickness direction (Fig 4B).
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaguchi et al. in view of Sato et al. (JP 2013-172237).
With respect to claim 5, Yamaguchi et al. discloses the ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1.
Yamaguchi et al. does not disclose that the vibration plate has a hole portion, and at least a part of the joined portion is located so as to overlap with the hole portion as seen in the thickness direction.
Sato et al. teaches a piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer in which the vibration plate has a hole portion, and at least a part of the joined portion is located so as to overlap with the hole portion as seen in the thickness direction (Fig 9, wherein the through hole extends through both the piezoelectric element 13 and vibration plate 14).
Before the effective filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the through hole in the vibration plate of Sato et al. with the piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer of Yamaguchi et al. for the benefit of better securing and aligning the resonator portion to both the piezoelectric element and the vibration plate (Fig 9 of Sato et al.).
Conclusion
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/DEREK J ROSENAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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