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
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by AN et al (US 2015/0170842).
Regarding claim 1, AH discloses a multilayer electrical component (Fig. 1-7) comprising: a dielectric body (Fig. 4, 110); first and second conductive terminations (Fig. 4, 131/132) separated by the dielectric body (Fig. 4); a plurality of parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 121-129) forming a stack of electrode layers, which are embedded in the dielectric body (Fig. 4), where one or more gaps in each of the respective parallel plate electrodes forms electrically isolated plate portions (Fig. 4); wherein the interaction between the electrically isolated plate portions of the parallel plate electrodes in adjacent electrode layers produces a piezoelectric effect (Fig. 4, this would inherently happen between adjacent metal sections), having a corresponding force (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of adjacent metal plates); wherein the gaps in the parallel plate electrodes are offset relative to a gap in a separate nearby associated parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, gap at 121 is offset from gap at 125), thereby resulting in the associated corresponding forces being directed away from a common boundary (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 2, AH further discloses that the corresponding force of the piezoelectric effect is a piezoelectric force (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of the structure).
Regarding claim 3, AH further discloses that the corresponding force of the piezoelectric effect is an electrostrictive force (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of the structure).
Regarding claim 4, AH further discloses that at least some of the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include a parallel plate electrode, which is coupled at a first end to the first conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 121).
Regarding claim 5, AH further discloses that at least some of the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include a parallel plate electrode, which is coupled at a second end to the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 122).
Regarding claim 6, AH further discloses that at least some of the plurality of parallel plate electrodes comprise a first electrostatically isolated plate portion connected to the first conductive termination (Fig. 4, 121) and a second electrostatically isolated plate portion (Fig. 4, 122) connected to the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 7, AH further discloses that at least some of the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include a parallel plate electrode that is separate from either of the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 123).
Regarding claim 8, AH further discloses that associated parallel plate electrodes, include parallel plate electrodes that have ends that have similar connectivity relative to the first and second conductive terminations (Fig. 4, 125s).
Regarding claim 9, AH further discloses that the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include: at least some parallel plate electrodes, which are coupled at a first end to the first conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 125); and at least some parallel plate electrodes, which are coupled at a second end to the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 126).
Regarding claim 10, AH further discloses that the plate portions of adjacent parallel plate electrodes, which include both the parallel plate electrode, which is coupled at the first end to the first conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4); and the parallel plate electrode, which is coupled at the second end to the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component; form a series of capacitors between the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination (Fig. 4, from 125 to 121 to 123 to 122 to 126).
Regarding claim 11, AH further discloses that the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include: at least some parallel plate electrodes, which are respectively coupled at each of a first end and a second end to the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 121/122); and at least some parallel plate electrodes, which are separate from either of the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4, 123).
Regarding claim 12, AH further discloses that an interaction between the plate portions of adjacent parallel plate electrodes, which include both the parallel plate electrode, which is respectively coupled at each of a first end and a second end to the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component; and the parallel plate electrode, which is separate from either of the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component; form a series of capacitors between the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination (Fig. 4, 121 to 123 to 122).
Regarding claim 13, AH further discloses that the plate portions of each of the parallel plate electrodes capacitively interact with plate portions from an adjacent parallel plate electrode (Fig. 4), when the respective plate portions of the parallel plate electrode and the adjacent parallel plate electrode each have a surface that at least partially overlaps with one another (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 14, AH further discloses that at least some of the parallel plate electrodes includes multiple gaps (Fig. 4, next to 129).
Regarding claim 15, AH discloses a multilayer electrical component (Fig. 1-7) comprising: a dielectric body (Fig. 4, 110); first and second conductive terminations (Fig. 4, 131/132) separated by the dielectric body (Fig. 4); a plurality of parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 121-129) forming a stack of electrode layers (Fig. 4), which are embedded in the dielectric body (Fig. 4), where one or more gaps in each of the respective parallel plate electrodes forms electrically isolated plate portions (Fig. 4); wherein the interaction between the electrically isolated plate portions of the parallel plate electrodes in adjacent electrode layers produces a piezoelectric effect (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of the structure), having a corresponding force (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of the structure); wherein the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include a first set of associated parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 121/125/127), which are each coupled at a first end to the first conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4), and a second set of associated parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 122/126/128), which are each coupled at a second end to the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4); and wherein the gaps in a particular parallel plate electrode within a particular associated set are offset relative to the gaps in a separate nearby parallel plate electrode within the same particular associated set (Fig. 4, gaps at 121/125/127 are offset), thereby resulting in the associated corresponding forces being directed away from a common boundary (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 16, AH further discloses that the parallel plate electrodes of at least one of the first set of associated parallel plate electrodes and the second set of associated parallel plate electrodes includes multiple gaps (Fig. 4, around 129).
Regarding claim 17, AH discloses a multilayer electrical component (Fig. 1-7) comprising: a dielectric body (Fig. 4, 110); first and second conductive terminations (Fig. 4, 131/132) separated by the dielectric body (Fig. 4); a plurality of parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 121-129) forming a stack of electrode layers (Fig. 4), which are embedded in the dielectric body (Fig. 4), where one or more gaps in each of the respective parallel plate electrodes forms electrically isolated plate portions (Fig. 4); wherein the interaction between the electrically isolated plate portions of the parallel plate electrodes in adjacent electrode layers produces a piezoelectric effect (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of the structure), having a corresponding force (Fig. 4, this is an inherent trait of the structure); wherein the plurality of parallel plate electrodes include a first set of associated parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 121/122), which are respectively coupled at each of a first end and a second end to the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4), and a second set of associated parallel plate electrodes (Fig. 4, 123), which are separate from either of the first conductive termination and the second conductive termination of the multilayer electrical component (Fig. 4); and wherein the gaps in a particular parallel plate electrode within a particular associated set are offset relative to the gaps in a separate nearby parallel plate electrode within the same particular associated set (Fig. 4, gaps next to 121 and 125 are offset), thereby resulting in the associated corresponding forces being directed away from a common boundary (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 18, AH further discloses that the parallel plate electrodes of at least one of the first set of associated parallel plate electrodes and the second set of associated parallel plate electrodes includes multiple gaps (Fig. 4, next to 129).
Additional Relevant Prior Art:
HATTORI (US 2015/0325371) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-17.
TOGASHI et al (US 2010/00278189) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-8.
Togashi et al (US 2006/0279903) teaches relevant art in Fig. 3-4.
SEO (US 2014/0293500) teaches relevant art in Fig. 2.
Ritter et al (US 2017/0162335) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-4B.
LEE et al (US 2019/0148068) teaches relevant art in Fig. 4-14.
LEE et al (US 2019/0148073) teaches relevant art in Fig. 4-14.
Ahn et al (US 2024/0055186) teaches relevant art in Fig. 1-4.
Conclusion
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/MICHAEL P MCFADDEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848