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 Objections
Claims 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 5: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “the upper surface” should be changed to—an upper surface—to correct an antecedent basis issue.
The word “and” should be deleted from the end of claim 3.
Claim 6, line 2: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “the first endpoint” should be changed to—a first endpoint—to correct an antecedent basis issue.
Claim 7, line 2: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “the first side” should be changed to—a first side—to correct an antecedent basis issue.
Claim 9, line 9: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “the upper surface” should be changed to—an upper surface—to correct an antecedent basis issue.
Claim 10, line 8: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “the upper surface” should be changed to—an upper surface—to correct an antecedent basis issue.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka et al. (US 2014/0292437; “Tanaka”; Figure 16 is provided below for reference).
Regarding claim 1, Tanaka teaches a crystal oscillating wafer (figure 16) having a shape (See shape in figure 16 below), comprising:
a symmetric shape about an axis (A-A) that runs with a length of the wafer (Resonator 1 is symmetric about axis A-A in figure 16 below.);
a width that is greater at a first end (See the width of first thick section 23) of the crystal oscillating wafer than at a second end (See the width of second thick section 24) of the crystal oscillating wafer; and
an oscillation region (21) that comprises a first concave region located on an upper surface (See concave region of resonator 1 above the axis A-A) and a second concave region located on a lower surface (See concave region of resonator 1 below the axis A-A) of the crystal oscillating wafer.
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Figure 16 of Tanaka
As for claim 6, Tanaka teaches wherein a distance between the oscillation region (21) and a first endpoint (outside wall of second thick section 24) is less than a distance between the oscillation region (21) and a second endpoint (outside wall of first thick section 23) of the symmetry axis.
Regarding claim 7, Tanaka teaches wherein a first glue dispensing point and a second glue dispensing point are provided on a first side of the crystal oscillating wafer (Glue dispensing points are interpreted as points on the wafer where glue can be dispensed. Accordingly, the first and second glue dispensing points of Tanaka are interpreted as two points on the first thick section 23.).
As for claim 8, Tanaka teaches wherein a third glue dispensing point is provided on the symmetry axis (Glue dispensing points are interpreted as points on the wafer where glue can be dispensed. Accordingly, the third glue dispensing point of Tanaka is interpreted as a point along the axis A-A.).
Regarding claim 9, Tanaka teaches a crystal oscillator (figure 18), comprising:
a crystal oscillating wafer (1; details in figure 16),
an oscillator circuit (110),
a substrate (41), and
wherein the crystal oscillating wafer has a shape (See shape in figure 16 below), comprising:
a symmetric shape about an axis (A-A) that runs with a length of the wafer (Resonator 1 is symmetric about axis A-A in figure 16 below.);
a width that is greater at a first end (See the width of first thick section 23) of the crystal oscillating wafer than at a second end (See the width of second thick section 24) of the crystal oscillating wafer (1); and
an oscillation region (21) that comprises a first concave region located on an upper surface (See concave region of resonator 1 above the axis A-A) and a second concave region located on a lower surface (See concave region of resonator 1 below the axis A-A) of the crystal oscillating wafer (1); and
the crystal oscillating wafer (1) and the oscillator circuit (110) are located on the substrate (41), and the crystal oscillating wafer (1) is electrically connected (para. [0124]) to the oscillator circuit (110).
Regarding claim 10, Tanaka teaches an electronic device (figures 19-22), wherein the electronic device comprises a crystal oscillator (figure 18), wherein the crystal oscillator comprises a crystal oscillating wafer (1; details in figure 16), an oscillator circuit (110), and a substrate (41), wherein:
the crystal oscillating wafer has a shape (See shape in figure 16 below), comprising:
a symmetric shape about an axis (A-A) that runs with a length of the wafer (Resonator 1 is symmetric about axis A-A in figure 16 below.);
a width that is greater at a first end (See the width of first thick section 23) of the crystal oscillating wafer than at a second end (See the width of second thick section 24) of the crystal oscillating wafer (1); and
an oscillation region (21) that comprises a first concave region located on an upper surface (See concave region of resonator 1 above the axis A-A) and a second concave region located on a lower surface (See concave region of resonator 1 below the axis A-A) of the crystal oscillating wafer (1); and
the crystal oscillating wafer (1) and the oscillator circuit (110) are located on the substrate (41), and the crystal oscillating wafer (1) is electrically connected (para. [0124]) to the oscillator circuit (110).
Claims 1, 4, and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li (CN 111193491; reference of record; Figure 1 is provided below for reference).
Regarding claim 1, Li teaches a crystal oscillating wafer (10) having a shape (see shape in figure 1), comprising:
a symmetric shape about an axis (B-B) that runs with a length of the wafer (Resonator 10 is symmetric about axis B-B in figure 1 below.);
a width that is greater at a first end of the crystal oscillating wafer than at a second end of the crystal oscillating wafer (A width at the far end of resonator 10 is greater than a width of the near end of resonator 10.); and
an oscillation region (around boss 3) that comprises a first concave region (2) located on an upper surface and a second concave region (2) located on a lower surface of the crystal oscillating wafer (“the upper surface of the substrate 1 one end and the lower surface are symmetrically provided with a groove 2”).
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Figure 1 of Li
Regarding claim 4, Li teaches wherein the crystal oscillating wafer is substantially an octagonal sheet formed by a second square region and a third square region, a part of a third side of the second square region coincides with a fourth side of the third square region, a midpoint of the third side coincides with a midpoint of the fourth side, the third side is longer than the fourth side, and the third side is an opposite side of a first side that is of the crystal oscillating wafer (See the octagonal sheet configuration in figure 1 of Li above.).
As for claim 6, Li teaches wherein a distance between the oscillation region (boss 3 in groove 2) and a first endpoint (far end of resonator 10) is less than a distance between the oscillation region (boss 3 in groove 2) and a second endpoint (near end of resonator 10) of the symmetry axis (B-B).
Regarding claim 7, Li teaches wherein a first glue dispensing point and a second glue dispensing point are provided on a first side of the crystal oscillating wafer (Glue dispensing points are interpreted as points on the wafer where glue can be dispensed. Accordingly, the first and second glue dispensing points of Li are interpreted as two points on the substrate 1.).
As for claim 8, Li teaches wherein a third glue dispensing point is provided on the symmetry axis (Glue dispensing points are interpreted as points on the wafer where glue can be dispensed. Accordingly, the third glue dispensing point of Li is interpreted as a point along the axis B-B.).
Regarding claim 9, Li teaches a crystal oscillator (figure 1), comprising:
a crystal oscillating wafer (10),
an oscillator circuit (“the whole oscillator has very good low-frequency physical properties”),
a substrate (upon which resonator 10 rests in the chip), and
wherein the crystal oscillating wafer (10) has a shape (see shape in figure 1), comprising:
a symmetric shape about an axis (B-B) that runs with a length of the wafer (Resonator 10 is symmetric about axis B-B in figure 1 below.);
a width that is greater at a first end of the crystal oscillating wafer than at a second end of the crystal oscillating wafer (A width at the far end of resonator 10 is greater than a width of the near end of resonator 10.); and
an oscillation region (around boss 3) that comprises a first concave region (2) located on an upper surface and a second concave region (2) located on a lower surface of the crystal oscillating wafer (“the upper surface of the substrate 1 one end and the lower surface are symmetrically provided with a groove 2”); and
the crystal oscillating wafer and the oscillator circuit are located on the substrate, and the crystal oscillating wafer is electrically connected to the oscillator circuit (The resonator wafer and oscillator circuit are formed on a substrate within a chip. “the space of the chip supporting area to cause the chip number of each piece of quartz etching chemical wafer”).
Regarding claim 10, Li teaches an electronic device (device utilizing the resonator based oscillator of Li), wherein the electronic device comprises a crystal oscillator (“the whole oscillator has very good low-frequency physical properties” (), wherein the crystal oscillator comprises a crystal oscillating wafer (10), an oscillator circuit (driving the wafer 10), and a substrate (upon which resonator 10 rests in the chip), wherein:
the crystal oscillating wafer (10) has a shape (see shape in figure 1), comprising:
a symmetric shape about an axis (B-B) that runs with a length of the wafer (Resonator 10 is symmetric about axis B-B in figure 1 below.);
a width that is greater at a first end of the crystal oscillating wafer than at a second end of the crystal oscillating wafer (A width at the far end of resonator 10 is greater than a width of the near end of resonator 10.); and
an oscillation region (around boss 3) that comprises a first concave region (2) located on an upper surface and a second concave region (2) located on a lower surface of the crystal oscillating wafer (“the upper surface of the substrate 1 one end and the lower surface are symmetrically provided with a groove 2”); and
the crystal oscillating wafer and the oscillator circuit are located on the substrate, and the crystal oscillating wafer is electrically connected to the oscillator circuit (The resonator wafer and oscillator circuit are formed on a substrate within a chip. “the space of the chip supporting area to cause the chip number of each piece of quartz etching chemical wafer”).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of Johnson et al. (US 2009/0094985; “Johnson”).
Regarding claim 2, Li teaches the crystal oscillating wafer according to claim 1, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the crystal oscillating wafer is substantially an isosceles trapezoidal sheet, and a first side that is of the crystal oscillating wafer and that passes the first endpoint is a lower base of the crystal oscillating wafer.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to embody a resonator with an isosceles trapezoidal sheet. For example, see para. [0047] and figure 4A of Johnson.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize an isosceles trapezoidal sheet as the resonator shape of Li because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known resonator device shape.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The best prior art references of record, Tanaka and Li, fail to teach:
“wherein a shape of the crystal oscillating wafer is substantially a hexagonal sheet formed by a first square region and an isosceles trapezoidal region, a second side of the first square region coincides with a lower base of the isosceles trapezoidal region, and the second side is an opposite side of a first side that is of the crystal oscillating wafer”, as set forth in claim 3; and
“wherein a shape of the crystal oscillating wafer is substantially a pentagonal sheet formed by a fourth square region and an isosceles triangular region, a fifth side of the fourth square region coincides with a base of the isosceles triangular region, and the fifth side is an opposite side of a first side that is of the crystal oscillating wafer.”, as set for in claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nguyen et al. (US 10,126,376; figure 1a) teaches a trapezoidal resonator shape.
Kikushima et al. (US 2014/0292434; figure 13) teaches a resonator device with differing widths along its length.
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836 September 9, 2026
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