FINAL REJECTION
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 § 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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-8 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyuga, US 2009/0030325 A1 (hereinafter “Hyuga”) in view of Oosawa, US 2007/0266792 A1 (hereinafter “Oosawa”).
Regarding claim 1: Hyuga discloses an ultrasonic probe (see Fig. 11b), comprising:
a transducer (collectively transducer array 120, acoustic matching layer 131, heat transfer material flowing through micro-channel 132, and acoustic matching layer 133, Fig. 11b), configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
a housing (see Fig. 11b); and
a support member (backing material 134), comprising one end connected to the housing and another end connected to the transducer (see Fig. 11b).
Hyuga does not teach that the support member (backing material 134) is connected to a backing layer of the transducer.
Oosawa teaches an ultrasonic probe (2, Fig. 1) comprising
a transducer (transducer array 10), configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
a housing (head 2a)
a support member (support 11), comprising one end connected to the housing and another end connected to the transducer (see Fig. 1);
wherein the transducer comprises a backing layer (flexible sheet 23), the backing layer is connected to the support member (see Fig. 1; ¶ [0031]).
The ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized that the backing layer (flexible sheet 23) supports the transducer elements that make up the array, and thus allow for the transducer to be fabricated in a flat sheet before being bent into its curved shaped (see Figs. 5A, 5B, 5C, 3, and 1).
Oosawa teaches at ¶ [0030]: “The support 11 is made by mixing an ultrasonic-wave attenuation material (for example ferrite powder, tungsten powder and WC2 powder) into butyl rubber or chlorinated polyethylene, and also functions as a backing material.”
Furthermore, Oosawa teaches at ¶ [0031]: “The ultrasonic transducer array 10 is joined to a flexible sheet 23. The flexible sheet 23 is curved along the curved surface of the support 11 and joined to the support 11. The flexible sheet 23 is formed of the same materials as the support 11, and also functions as a backing material.”
By forming the backing layer (flexible sheet 23) and the support member (support 11) of the same material such that they both function as backing material, the ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized that the backing layer and the support member would therefore have the same acoustic impedance; therefore, ultrasound waves would transmit across the interface between the backing layer and the support member with minimal to no reflection at said interface without the need for a matching layer therebetween.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Hyuga such that the transducer comprises a backing layer, wherein the backing layer is connected to the support member, as taught by Oosawa; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to allow for the transducer to be fabricated in a flat sheet before being bent into its curved shaped without the need for another matching layer between the backing layer and the support member.
Regarding claim 2: Hyuga further discloses that the support member has a protrusion and the transducer has a groove the protrusion engaging with the groove (the upper surface of the support member in Fig. 11b has a convex shape which reads on a protrusion; further, and the lower surface of the transducer has corresponding convex shape which reads on a groove).
Regarding claim 3: the support member has a first surface and the transducer has a second surface, the first surface is provided with the protrusion and the second surface is provided with the groove (see Fig. 11b), and the first surface is inclined relative to a first direction to define an installation angle of the transducer, where the first direction is a length direction of the housing (if the curved portion of the first surface which defines the protrusion is considered, the first surface (or at least a portion thereof) can be considered inclined relative to the first direction).
Regarding claim 4: the support member has a first surface and the transducer has a second surface, the first surface is provided with the protrusion and the second surface is provided with the groove (see Fig. 11b), the first surface comprises two first surface parts (at the proximal and distal ends of the groove/protrusion, Fig. 11b), the protrusion or the groove is arranged between the two first surface parts (see Fig. 11b), and an angle formed by the two first surface parts (appears to be 180°, Fig. 11b) is greater than or equal to a field of view angle of the ultrasonic probe (based on the geometry of the transducer, the ordinarily skilled artisan would understand that the field of view is less than 180°).
Regarding claim 5: The protrusion has a curved surface protruding outwardly, and the groove has a curved surface recessed inwardly (see Fig. 11b).
Regarding claim 6: The support member is made of a thermally conductive material (implied in the sense that all materials are thermally conductive to at least some degree, some more than others; the claim does not recite to what degree the support member must be thermally conductive).
Regarding claim 7: Hyuga further discloses a heat dissipation device arranged inside the housing (a heat transfer material flowing through the micro-channel 132, ¶ [0093]-[0094]), wherein the support member is made of a thermally conductive material and connected to the heat dissipation device (see above regarding claim 6).
Regarding claim 8: the support member is arranged within a receiving cavity formed by at least one of the transducer or the housing and connected to a cavity wall of the receiving cavity (see Fig. 11b).
Regarding claim 15: Hyuga discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic device (see Fig. 2), comprising an ultrasonic probe (see Fig. 11b), wherein the ultrasonic probe comprises:
a transducer (collectively transducer array 120, acoustic matching layer 131, heat transfer material flowing through micro-channel 132, and acoustic matching layer 133, Fig. 11b), configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
a housing (see Fig. 11b); and
a support member (backing material 134), comprising one end connected to the housing and another end connected to the transducer (see Fig. 11b).
Hyuga does not teach that the support member (backing material 134) is connected to a backing layer of the transducer.
Oosawa teaches an ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising an ultrasonic probe (2, Fig. 1) comprising
a transducer (transducer array 10), configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
a housing (head 2a)
a support member (support 11), comprising one end connected to the housing and another end connected to the transducer (see Fig. 1);
wherein the transducer comprises a backing layer (flexible sheet 23), the backing layer is connected to the support member (see Fig. 1; ¶ [0031]).
The ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized that the backing layer (flexible sheet 23) supports the transducer elements that make up the array, and thus allow for the transducer to be fabricated in a flat sheet (Figs. 5A, 5B, and 5C) before being bent into its curved shaped (Figs. 3 and 1).
Oosawa teaches at ¶ [0030]: “The support 11 is made by mixing an ultrasonic-wave attenuation material (for example ferrite powder, tungsten powder and WC2 powder) into butyl rubber or chlorinated polyethylene, and also functions as a backing material.”
Furthermore, Oosawa teaches at ¶ [0031]: “The ultrasonic transducer array 10 is joined to a flexible sheet 23. The flexible sheet 23 is curved along the curved surface of the support 11 and joined to the support 11. The flexible sheet 23 is formed of the same materials as the support 11, and also functions as a backing material.”
By forming the backing layer (flexible sheet 23) and the support member (support 11) of the same material such that they both function as backing material, the ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized that the backing layer and the support member would therefore have the same acoustic impedance; therefore, ultrasound waves would transmit across the interface between the backing layer and the support member with minimal to no reflection at said interface without the need for a matching layer therebetween.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Hyuga such that the transducer comprises a backing layer, wherein the backing layer is connected to the support member, as taught by Oosawa; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to allow for the transducer to be fabricated in a flat sheet before being bent into its curved shaped without the need for another matching layer between the backing layer and the support member.
Regarding claim 16: Hyuga further discloses that the support member has a protrusion and the transducer has a groove, the protrusion engaging with the groove (the upper surface of the support member in Fig. 11b has a convex shape which reads on a protrusion; further, and the lower surface of the transducer has corresponding convex shape which reads on a groove).
Regarding claim 17: the support member has a first surface and the transducer has a second surface, the first surface is provided with the protrusion and the second surface is provided with the groove (see Fig. 11b), and the first surface is inclined relative to a first direction to define an installation angle of the transducer, where the first direction is a length direction of the housing (if the curved portion of the first surface which defines the protrusion is considered, the first surface (or at least a portion thereof) can be considered inclined relative to the first direction).
Regarding claim 18: the support member has a first surface and the transducer has a second surface, the first surface is provided with the protrusion and the second surface is provided with the groove (see Fig. 11b), the first surface comprises two first surface parts (at the proximal and distal ends of the groove/protrusion, Fig. 11b), the protrusion or the groove is arranged between the two first surface parts (see Fig. 11b), and an angle formed by the two first surface parts (appears to be 180°, Fig. 11b) is greater than or equal to a field of view angle of the ultrasonic probe (based on the geometry of the transducer, the ordinarily skilled artisan would understand that the field of view is less than 180°).
Regarding claim 19: the support member is arranged within a receiving cavity formed by at least one of the transducer or the housing and connected to a cavity wall of the receiving cavity (see Fig. 11b).
Regarding claim 20: Hyuga discloses an ultrasonic probe, comprising:
a transducer (collectively transducer array 120, acoustic matching layer 131, heat transfer material flowing through micro-channel 132, and acoustic matching layer 133, Fig. 11b), configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
a housing (see Fig. 11b); and
a support member (backing material 134) arranged within the housing and supporting the transducer,
wherein the support member has a protrusion, and the transducer has a groove, the protrusion engaging with the groove (the upper surface of the support member in Fig. 11b has a convex shape which reads on a protrusion; further, and the lower surface of the transducer has corresponding convex shape which reads on a groove).
Hyuga does not teach that the support member (backing material 134) is connected to a backing layer of the transducer.
Oosawa teaches an ultrasonic probe (2, Fig. 1) comprising
a transducer (transducer array 10), configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
a housing (head 2a)
a support member (support 11), comprising one end connected to the housing and another end connected to the transducer (see Fig. 1);
wherein the transducer comprises a backing layer (flexible sheet 23), the backing layer is connected to the support member (see Fig. 1; ¶ [0031]).
The ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized that the backing layer (flexible sheet 23) supports the transducer elements that make up the array, and thus allow for the transducer to be fabricated in a flat sheet before being bent into its curved shaped (see Figs. 5A, 5B, 5C, 3, and 1).
Oosawa teaches at ¶ [0030]: “The support 11 is made by mixing an ultrasonic-wave attenuation material (for example ferrite powder, tungsten powder and WC2 powder) into butyl rubber or chlorinated polyethylene, and also functions as a backing material.”
Furthermore, Oosawa teaches at ¶ [0031]: “The ultrasonic transducer array 10 is joined to a flexible sheet 23. The flexible sheet 23 is curved along the curved surface of the support 11 and joined to the support 11. The flexible sheet 23 is formed of the same materials as the support 11, and also functions as a backing material.”
By forming the backing layer (flexible sheet 23) and the support member (support 11) of the same material such that they both function as backing material, the ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized that the backing layer and the support member would therefore have the same acoustic impedance; therefore, ultrasound waves would transmit across the interface between the backing layer and the support member with minimal to no reflection at said interface without the need for a matching layer therebetween.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Hyuga such that the transducer comprises a backing layer, wherein the backing layer is connected to the support member, as taught by Oosawa; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to allow for the transducer to be fabricated in a flat sheet before being bent into its curved shaped without the need for another matching layer between the backing layer and the support member.
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyuga in view of Oosawa as applied to claim 8 above, and further in view of Yoshida, US 2020/0352545 A1 (hereinafter “Yoshida-1”).
Regarding claim 9: Hyuga in view of Oosawa teaches the invention of claim 8 as discussed above but does not teach that the cavity wall of the receiving cavity is provided with an adhesive sump extending along a second direction, the support member is located within the adhesive sump, and the adhesive sump is configured to receive adhesive connecting the support member and the housing, where the second direction is perpendicular to a first direction and the first direction is a length direction of the housing.
Yoshida-1 teaches a cavity wall of a receiving cavity is provided with an adhesive sump (concave portion 1511) extending along a second direction (vertical direction in Fig. 3), a support member (14, Fig. 3) is located within the adhesive sump (see Fig. 3), and the adhesive sump is configured to receive adhesive connecting the support member and the housing (“In a gap between the concave portion 1511 and the unit, an adhesive 16 (FIG. 3) is filled” ¶ [0065]), where the second direction (vertical direction in Fig. 3) is perpendicular to a first direction and the first direction is a length direction of the housing (the horizontal direction in Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the invention of Hyuga such that the cavity wall of the receiving cavity is provided with an adhesive sump extending along a second direction, the support member is located within the adhesive sump, and the adhesive sump is configured to receive adhesive connecting the support member and the housing, where the second direction is perpendicular to a first direction and the first direction is a length direction of the housing, as taught by Yoshida-1; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to more securely adhere the support member to the housing.
Regarding claim 10: Hyuga further discloses that the transducer comprises a curved backing layer (133, Fig. 11b) connected to the support member (134, Fig. 11b), with an axial direction of the backing layer (into and out of the page of Fig. 11b) being perpendicular to the second direction (vertical direction in Fig. 11b) and the first direction (horizontal direction of Fig. 11b).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyuga in view of Oosawa as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yoshida, US 2021/0219957 A1 (hereinafter, “Yoshida-2”).
Regarding claim 12: Hyuga in view of Oosawa teaches the invention of claim 1 as discussed above; but does not teach the transducer comprises, an electrical connection layer, a piezoelectric layer, a matching layer, and an acoustic lens layer sequentially arranged and connected, and at least one end of the acoustic lens layer extends into and engages with the housing.
Yoshida-2 teaches teach the transducer comprises a backing layer (14), an electrical connection layer (111b), a piezoelectric layer (111), a matching layer (12), and an acoustic lens layer (13) sequentially arranged and connected (see Figs. 3 and 6), and at least one end of the acoustic lens layer extends into and engages with the housing (see Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the invention of Hyuga such that the transducer comprises a backing layer, an electrical connection layer, a piezoelectric layer, a matching layer, and an acoustic lens layer sequentially arranged and connected, and at least one end of the acoustic lens layer extends into and engages with the housing, as taught by Yoshida-2; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to focus the ultrasound beam with the lens, acoustically matching the lens to the transducer in order to pass through as much acoustic energy to the lens, to seal the housing at the lens-housing interface.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyuga in view of Oosawa and Yoshida-2 as applied to claim 12 above, and further in view of Yagi et al., US 2006/0058676 A1 (hereinafter “Yagi”).
Regarding claim 13: Hyuga modified in view of the teachings of Oosawa and Yoshida-2 teaches the invention of claim 12. Hyuga further teaches cables (4) extending through the housing. By making the modification as discussed above, it is understood that the electrical connection layer is connected with electrical connection leads which are connected to the cables because the cables in Hyuga are used to electrically connect the transducer to the apparatus main body (see Fig. 7).
Hyuga does not teach the electrical connection leads are provided in multiple, the cables are provided in multiple, the multiple electrical connection leads and the multiple cables are arranged at intervals along a fourth direction, and the multiple electrical connection leads and the multiple cables are soldered to form solder joints in one-to-one correspondence, where the fourth direction forms an angle with respect to the first direction and the first direction is a length direction of the housing; and adjacent two of the solder joints are staggered in the fourth direction.
Yagi teaches the electrical connection leads are provided in multiple (signal pattern 4 on flexible circuit boards 2, Figs. 1 and 2), the cables are provided in multiple (cables 9, Figs. 6), the multiple electrical connection leads and the multiple cables are arranged at intervals along a fourth direction (see Fig. 6), and the multiple electrical connection leads and the multiple cables connected to form joints in one-to-one correspondence, where the fourth direction forms an angle with respect to the first direction and the first direction is a length direction of the housing; and adjacent two of the joints are staggered in the fourth direction (see Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the invention of Hyuga such that the electrical connection leads are provided in multiple, the cables are provided in multiple, the multiple electrical connection leads and the multiple cables are arranged at intervals along a fourth direction, and the multiple electrical connection leads and the multiple cables connected to form joints in one-to-one correspondence, where the fourth direction forms an angle with respect to the first direction and the first direction is a length direction of the housing, and adjacent two of the joints are staggered in the fourth direction, as taught by Yagi; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve the flexibility of the electrical connection leads and cables.
Although Hyuga modified in view of the teachings of Oosawa, Yoshida-2, and Yagi doesn’t teach that the connections between connection (joints) leads and the cables are made by soldering to form solder joints therebetween, the examiner takes OFFICIAL NOTICE that soldering to form solder joints is considered well-understood, routine, and conventional for the purposes of creating electrical connections between electrical leads and cables and therefore would have been obvious to ordinarily skilled artisan in order to form the aforementioned electrical connections between the electrical leads and the cables.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyuga in view of Oosawa and Yoshida-2 as applied to claim 12 above, and further in view of Miller, US 2003/0028105 A1 (hereinafter “Miller”).
Regarding claim 14: Hyuga modified in view of the teachings of Oosawa and Yoshida-2 teaches the invention of claim 12. Hyuga further teaches cables (4) extending through the housing. By making the modification as discussed above, it is understood that the electrical connection layer is connected with electrical connection leads which are connected to the cables because the cables in Hyuga are used to electrically connect the transducer to the apparatus main body (see Fig. 7).
Hyuga does not teach that the connections between the leads and cables are made through a connector.
Miller teaches connections between leads and cables are made through connectors (117 and 118).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the invention of Hyuga such that the connections between the leads and the cables are made through a connector, as taught by Miller; and the ordinarily skilled artisan would have been motivated to make this modification in order to facilitate electrical connection of the transducer to the apparatus main body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 is 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, for the reasons already of record 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/4/2026 have been fully considered but they are not entirely persuasive.
Applicant argues there are differences in functions and purpose of the backing material in Hyuga and the support member in the present application. Applicant points to the Specification which describes in detail the function and purpose of the support member.
In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., the aforementioned details and purpose of the support member) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
Otherwise, claim 1 recites that the support member comprises one end connected to the housing and another end connected the transducer. The backing material 134 in Hyuga comprises one end connected to the housing and another end connected the transducer as discussed above. The backing material 134 in Hyuga appears to provide support to the transducer. Therefore, the backing material 134 in Hyuga reads on the claimed support member.
Further, the fact that the backing material 134 has another purpose (e.g., acoustic) does not inherently preclude its ability to provide structural support to the transducer in the sense that the backing material 134 is still connected to the transducer and the transducer and the housing notwithstanding its acoustic purposes; i.e., it is not impossible for an element to serve two purposes. For example, the support 11 in Oosawa is explicitly disclosed as serving two purposes (i.e., support and acoustic attenuation) as discussed above in the rejection.
Claim 1 has been amended to further recite that the transducer comprises a backing material which is connected to the support member. The Oosawa reference teaches this limitation as discussed above in the rejection of claim 1.
Applicant argues that there are essential differences between the structural relationship and independence of the backing material in Hyuga and the support structure of the present application. For example, the backing layer and the support member are recited in the amended claims as two distinct elements, the former as part of the transducer itself and the latter as a separate/distinct element that is connected thereto.
In view of the amendment, new grounds of rejection are provided above which further rely on the Oosawa reference, which teaches two distinct/separate elements: the support 11 and the flexible sheet 23 which respectively read on the claimed support member and backing layer as discussed above in the rejection.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLIN T. SAKAMOTO whose telephone number is (571)272-4958. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, ~9AM-5PM Pacific.
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, KEITH M. RAYMOND can be reached at (571) 270-1790. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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COLIN T. SAKAMOTO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3798
/COLIN T. SAKAMOTO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3798
20 March 2026
1 Non-Final Rejection dated 12/4/2025