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 .
Response to Arguments
In view of the amendment to claims 1 and 8, and cancellation of claims 6-7 and 16-17, the rejection of claims 1-20 has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed on 12/31/2025, with respect to newly added claim 22 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Please refer to rejection below for details.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(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.
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Fujimoto et al. (US 2020/0055087 A1).
As to claim 22, Fujimoto et al. discloses a vibrating device (Figs. 1-3: vibration device 1) comprising:
a light transmitting body (Figs.1-3: light transmission body 2);
a vibrating body (Figs.1-3: cylindrical body 3) with a tubular structure including a first end portion (Figs.1-3: first end portion 3a), a second end portion (Figs.1-3: second end portion 3b), and a side wall joining the first and second end portions (Figs.1-3: cylindrical body main body 3d corresponds to the claimed side wall. As shown in Figs.1-3, the cylindrical body main body 3d is connecting the first end portion 3a and the second end portion 3b), the vibrating body being connected to the light transmitting body at the first end portion to vibrate the light transmitting body ([0048]: “The first end portion 3a is coupled with the light transmission body 2”); and
an extending portion (Figs.1-3: ring-shaped flange portion 3e) extending outward from the side wall of the vibrating body ([0050]: “A ring-shaped flange portion 3e extending outward in the radial direction is provided on the second end portion 3b side of the cylindrical body 3”);
a piezoelectric element (Figs.1-3: ring-shaped piezoelectric element 4) at the second end portion of the vibrating body (As shown in Figs. 2 and 3);
wherein a thickness of the extending portion is equal to or greater than about 0.25 mm and equal to or less than about 1 mm ([0068]: “The thickness of the ring-shaped flange portion 3e is set to about 1.00 mm”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 8-15 and 18-21 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The reasons for allowance of the claims 1-5, 8-15 and 18-21 are clear from the written record of prosecution. Attention is specifically drawn to the amendments and arguments dated 12/31/2025. As such, the reasons for allowance have been fully addressed and complied according to MPEP 1302.14(I).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Fujimoto et al. (US 2020/0213495 A1) discloses a vibrating device includes a dome-shaped cover, a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical vibrating body, and a piezoelectric element.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ZHENZHEN WU/Examiner, Art Unit 2637
/SINH TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2637
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