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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species B, claims 1, 3, and 17-18 in the reply filed on 24 February 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 2 and 4-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 24 February 2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18 March 2024, have been considered.
Drawings
The drawings received on 18 March 2024 are accepted.
Specification
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Examiner’s Note
The examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record in the body of this action for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. Applicant should consider the entire prior art as applicable as to the limitations of the claims. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the response, to consider fully the entire references as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyazawa et al. (US 8,636,341).
With respect to claim 1, Miyazawa discloses a piezoelectric actuator comprising:
a substrate (Fig. 2A, element 10) having a pressure chamber (Fig. 2A, element 12) elongated in a first direction (Fig. 3A below), the pressure chamber having one end (Fig. 3A below) in the first direction;
a diaphragm (Fig. 2A, element 50) on the substrate and having a one face (Fig. 2A, element 50, i.e. bottom portion) facing the pressure chamber; and
a piezoelectric element (Fig. 2A, element 300) including:
a lower electrode (Fig. 2A, element 60, 65; Column 5, lines 21-34);
a piezoelectric body (Fig. 2A, element 70); and
an upper electrode (Fig. 2A, element 80),
sequentially laminated on another face of the diaphragm (Fig. 2A, element 50, i.e. top portion) opposite to the one face,
the piezoelectric element (Fig. 3A, element 300) extending across the one end of the pressure chamber (Fig. 3A, element 12) in the first direction, and
the lower electrode (Fig. 3A, element 60, 65) including multiple lower electrode divisions (Fig. 3A, i.e. portions of 60, 65 between element 61) across the one end in the first direction and separated from each other (Fig. 3A, element 61) in a second direction (Fig. 3A below) orthogonal to the first direction.
The examiner notes to applicant that the limitations concerning “multiple lower electrode divisions across the one end in the first direction” are broad in scope and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of Miyazawa as applied above.
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (one end)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (D3)][AltContent: textbox (D2)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (center of the pressure chamber)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: connector][AltContent: textbox (first direction)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (second direction)]
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With respect to claim 3, Miyazawa discloses an expression: D2<D3 is satisfied, where a second lower electrode (Fig. 3A, element 60, 65) width D2 (Fig. 3A above) is a length of the lower electrode in the second direction (Fig. 3A above) at a center of the pressure chamber (Fig. 3 above) in the first direction (Fig. 3A above); and a pressure chamber (Fig. 3A, element 12) width D3 (Fig. 3A above) is a length of the pressure chamber in the second direction at the center of the pressure chamber in the first direction.
With respect to claim 17, Miyazawa discloses a liquid discharge head (Fig. 1, element I) comprising: the piezoelectric actuator (Fig. 1, element 320); and a nozzle plate (Fig. 2A, element 20) bonded to one face of the substrate (Fig. 2A, element 10) opposite to another face of the substrate bonded to the diaphragm (Fig. 2A, element 50), the nozzle plate having a nozzle (Fig. 2A, element 21) communicating with the pressure chamber (Fig. 2A, element 12), wherein the pressure chamber stores a liquid to be discharged from the nozzle (Column 10, line 59 – Column 11, line 3).
With respect to claim 18, Miyazawa discloses a liquid discharge apparatus (Fig. 10, element II) comprising: the liquid discharge head (Fig. 1, element I); and a driver (Fig. 1, element 120) to drive a piezoelectric element (Fig. 1, element 300) of a piezoelectric actuator (Fig. 1, element 320; Column 10, line 59 – Column 11, line 3).
Conclusion
In view of the foregoing, the above claims have failed to patentably distinguish over the applied art.
The remaining references listed on forms 892 and 1449 have been reviewed by the examiner and are considered to be cumulative to or less material than the prior art references relied upon in the rejection above.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Geoffrey Mruk whose telephone number is (571)272-2810. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4:30 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricardo Magallanes can be reached at (571) 272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GEOFFREY S MRUK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 04/08/2026
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