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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 9-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song (KR-1020220029003), Qui (CN-115915901), in view of Lam (US-2022365209).
In regards to claim 1, Song teaches a transparent ultrasound probe module provided inside a housing of an optical apparatus, the transparent ultrasound probe module comprising: (1 fig(s) 1-2, 4-9, ‘ultrasonic sensor-based ultrasonic optical composite imaging system’)
a lens provided on one side of an inside of the housing, formed of a transparent material, (215, 216, 218, 219, 2151, 2153 fig. 10, ‘piezoelectric unit’, ‘back/rear layer on the second electrode and acting as a noise signal attenuation layer made of a transparent non-conductive material’) and disposed such that one surface thereof is exposed to the outside of the housing’, ‘insulating unit’, ‘correction lens unit’, ‘1st piezoelectric layer‘, ‘2nd piezoelectric layer’) and
a first matching layer provided on the other surface of the lens and formed of a transparent material; (213 fig. 10, ‘acoustic lens/matching unit’; claim 2, ‘the second matching layer (eg, 2 to 6 Mraly), transparent epoxies or silicones (eg, PDMS) may be used, and as the third matching layer, a parylene coating may be used. In this case, the second matching layer (eg, 211) may be formed on the first matching layer (eg, 213) by directly using parylene coating while omitting the generation of the second matching layer. Even in this case, the desired matching layer can be generated using the simulation waveform resulting from the KLM simulation.’)
a piezoelectric element layer provided on the first matching layer and including a plurality of transparent piezoelectric elements capable of interconverting an electrical signal and a mechanical signal; (20, 215 fig. 10, ‘ultrasonic sensor’, ‘piezoelectric unit’)
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention for Song to provide a transparent ultrasonic sensor and photoacoustic system that improves the performance of the optical apparatus.
Song does not teach:
a lens…. disposed such that one surface thereof is exposed to the outside of the housing;
a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer formed of a transparent material, provided on one surface and the other surface of the piezoelectric element layer, respectively, and configured to transmit an electrical signal;
circuit boards connected to each of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, formed of a bendable material, and configured to transmit and receive the electrical signal to and from the piezoelectric element; and
a block layer provided on the second electrode layer, formed of a transparent material, and configured to remove ultrasound noise.
Qui teaches:
a first electrode layer (Steps 1-4; para(s) [0062-0067]) and a second electrode layer (Steps 1-4; para(s) [0062-0067]) formed of a transparent material, provided on one surface and the other surface of the piezoelectric element layer, respectively, and configured to transmit an electrical signal; (2, 7 fig(s) 1-4, ‘transparent electrode ‘, ‘flexible circuit board’)
circuit boards (7 fig(s) 1-4, ‘flexible circuit board’) connected to each of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, formed of a bendable material, (Steps 1-4; para(s) [0062-0067]) and configured to transmit and receive the electrical signal to and from the piezoelectric element; and (1 fig(s) 1-4, ‘piezoelectric material’)
a block layer (8 fig(s) 1-4, ‘transparent backing layer’; para(s) [0062-0067]) provided on the second electrode layer, formed of a transparent material, and configured to remove ultrasound noise. (Step 5, ‘abricate a transparent backing layer 8 on top of the flexible circuit board to obtain a high-performance transparent array transducer, as shown in Figure 4.’; para [0069])
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention for Qui to provide the structure required for a transparent ultrasonic sensor and photoacoustic system that improves the performance of the optical apparatus.
Qui does not teach:
a lens…. disposed such that one surface thereof is exposed to the outside of the housing;
Lam teaches:
a lens…. disposed such that one surface thereof is exposed to the outside of the housing; (120 fig. 2,’ optical lens’)
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention for Lam to provide the lens structure required for a transparent ultrasonic sensor and photoacoustic system that improves the performance of the optical apparatus.
In regards to claim 2, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1) further comprising a second matching layer formed of a transparent material, between the first matching layer and the lens. (Song: 213 fig. 10, ‘acoustic lens/matching unit’; claim 2, ‘the second matching layer (eg, 2 to 6 Mraly), transparent epoxies or silicones (eg, PDMS) may be used, and as the third matching layer, a parylene coating may be used. In this case, the second matching layer (eg, 211) may be formed on the first matching layer (eg, 213) by directly using parylene coating while omitting the generation of the second matching layer. Even in this case, the desired matching layer can be generated using the simulation waveform resulting from the KLM simulation.’)
In regards to claim 3, Song, Qui & Lam teach teache a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1) wherein the circuit boards are formed of a transparent material. (Song: ‘The transparent ultrasonic sensor 20 includes a protective layer 211 from the right, an acoustic lens part 213 positioned behind the protective layer 211 , a piezoelectric part 215 positioned behind the matching part 213 , and a piezoelectric part 215 . ) and the first and second housings 2171 and 2173, the back layer 216 positioned behind the piezoelectric part 215, and the insulating part 218 positioned between the first and second housings 2171 and 2173. ), and a correction lens unit 219 positioned behind the second housing 2173 may be provided’’; fig. 10)
In regards to claim 9, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1) wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements constituting the piezoelectric element layer are disposed in a row. (Song: fig(s) 3(a, c) ‘plurality of piezoelectric elements m x n rectangular transparent ultrasonic sensors arranged‘)
In regards to claim 10, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 9, wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are disposed in a row, and arranged in the shape of an arch protruding convexly upward. (Song: pages 7-24; ‘Various optical systems, such as a mirror, a dichroic mirror, a convex lens, a concave lens, an optical window, or any combination thereof, may be included in the light source selector 12 to suit the purpose.’; the acoustic lens can be manufactured in a convex shape such as a plano-convex shape. As such, when the acoustic lens is manufactured in a plano-convex shape, the acoustic lens may have a function of collecting light.)
In regards to claim 11, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 9, (see claim rejection 9) wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are disposed in a row, and arranged in a U-shape that is concave upward. (Song: pages 7-24; ‘Various optical systems, such as a mirror, a dichroic mirror, a convex lens, a concave lens, an optical window, or any combination thereof, may be included in the light source selector 12 to suit the purpose.’; the acoustic lens can be manufactured in a convex shape such as a plano-convex shape. As such, when the acoustic lens is manufactured in a plano-convex shape, the acoustic lens may have a function of collecting light.)
In regards to claim 12, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1) wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements constituting the piezoelectric element layer are disposed in a grid shape horizontally and vertically. (Song: fig(s) 3(a, c) ‘plurality of piezoelectric elements m x n rectangular transparent ultrasonic sensors arranged‘)
In regards to claim 13, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1) wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements constituting the piezoelectric element layer are disposed in a circular shape. (Song: fig(s) 3(b, c-d), ‘illustrates a circular transparent ultrasonic sensor array in which a plurality of disk-shaped transparent ultrasonic sensors are arranged in k concentric circles.’; pages 7-24)
In regards to claim 14, Song, Qui, & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 13, (see claim rejection 14) wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are formed in the form of rings with different diameters and disposed in an annular shape. (Song: fig(s) 3(b, c-d), ‘illustrates a circular transparent ultrasonic sensor array in which a plurality of disk-shaped transparent ultrasonic sensors are arranged in k concentric circles.’; pages 7-24, ‘the design and shape of the rings can be configured to the apparatus.’)
In regards to claim 15, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 13, (see claim rejection 13) wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are disposed in a hemispherical shape having a constant curvature. (Song: pages 7-24; ‘Various optical systems, such as a mirror, a dichroic mirror, a convex lens, a concave lens, an optical window, or any combination thereof, may be included in the light source selector 12 to suit the purpose.’; the acoustic lens can be manufactured in a convex shape such as a plano-convex shape. As such, when the acoustic lens is manufactured in a plano-convex shape, the acoustic lens may have a function of collecting light.; ‘Since the matching unit 213 uses an acoustic lens, the surface curvature is constant and the transparency of the surface is improved, thereby reducing the loss of the ultrasonic signal when the ultrasonic signal irradiated to the sample (A) or reflected from the sample (A) is transmitted/received.’
In regards to claim 16, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1,(see claim rejection 1) wherein the matching layer and the block layer are formed of one or more materials from among plastics, silicone, glass, and epoxy, or formed of a composite in which a powder having a diameter of several nanometers to hundreds of micrometers is mixed with one of the materials. (Song: 213, 215, 216, 218, 219, 2151, 2153 fig. 10, ‘matching layer’, ‘piezoelectric unit’, ‘back/rear layer on the second electrode and acting as a noise signal attenuation layer made of a transparent non-conductive material’) and disposed such that one surface thereof is exposed to the outside of the housing’, ‘insulating unit’, ‘correction lens unit’, ‘1st piezoelectric layer‘, ‘2nd piezoelectric layer’; ‘the matching layer performing the matching function of acoustic impedance has already been manufactured, the acoustic lens may be made of transparent epoxy or transparent silicone.’; pages 7-24)
In regards to claim 17, Song, Qui & Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, wherein the lens has a shape of one of a concave lens, a convex lens, and a flat lens. (Song: pages 7-24; ‘Various optical systems, such as a mirror, a dichroic mirror, a convex lens, a concave lens, an optical window, or any combination thereof, may be included in the light source selector 12 to suit the purpose.’; the acoustic lens can be manufactured in a convex shape such as a plano-convex shape. As such, when the acoustic lens is manufactured in a plano-convex shape, the acoustic lens may have a function of collecting light.)
In regards to claim 18, Song, Qui & Lam teach an optical/ultrasound optical apparatus comprising:
a housing; (Song: 1 fig 1, ‘ultrasonic sensor-based ultrasonic optical composite imaging system’)
the transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1 (see claim rejection 1) provided on one side of an inside of the housing; (Song: 20 fig. 1, ‘ultrasonic transducer’, abstract’)
and an optical instrument provided on the other side of the inside of the housing and disposed coaxially with the transparent ultrasound probe module in a longitudinal direction of the housing. (Song: 1, 10, 20 fig. 1, ‘light source’, ‘ultrasonic transducer’, abstract’)
In regards to claim 19, Song, Qui & Lam teach an optical/ultrasound optical apparatus of claim 18, further comprising an optical lens provided inside the housing, and disposed between the optical instrument and the transparent ultrasound probe module. (Song: 1, 10, 20 fig. 1, ‘ultrasonic sensor-based ultrasonic optical composite imaging system‘, ‘light source’, ‘ultrasonic transducer’, abstract’)
In regards to claim 20, Song, Qui & Lam teach an optical/ultrasound optical apparatus of claim 18, wherein the optical instrument includes at least one of a camera or a light source. (Song: 1, 10, 20 fig. 1, ‘ultrasonic sensor-based ultrasonic optical composite imaging system‘, ‘light source’, ‘ultrasonic transducer’, abstract’)
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.
Claim(s) 4-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song (KR-1020220029003), Qui (CN-115915901), Lam (US-2022365209), in view of, Seomin (KR-101354603).
Song, Qui, and Lam teach:
In regards to claim 4, Song, Qui, and Lam teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1)
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention for Song, Qui, and Lam to provide a transparent ultrasonic sensor and photoacoustic system that improves the performance of the optical apparatus.
Song, Qui, and Lam don’t teach:
wherein the circuit boards include a ground board (ground fpcb) and a signal board (signal fpcb).
Seomin teaches:
wherein the circuit boards include a ground board (ground fpcb) and a signal board (signal fpcb). (10, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32, 33 fig. 3, ‘matching layer’, ‘piezoelectric layer’, ‘ground electrode’, ‘signal electrode’, ‘backing layer’, ‘groove’, ‘conductive patterns’, ‘conductive pattern’; ‘and 33 may be formed to extend outward from both sides of the groove 31. The outwardly extending portions of the conductive patterns 32 and 33 may be electrically connected to a member for supplying an electrical signal, for example, a PCB or an FPCB.’)
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention for Seomin to provide the required circuitry for a transparent ultrasonic sensor and photoacoustic system that improves the performance of the optical apparatus.
In regards to claim 5, Song, Qui, Lam, & Seomin teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 4, wherein the ground fpcb is connected to the first electrode layer, between the first electrode layer and the first matching layer, and the signal fpcb is connected to the second electrode layer, between the second electrode layer and the block layer. (Seomin: 10, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32, 33 fig. 3, ‘matching layer’, ‘piezoelectric layer’, ‘ground electrode’, ‘signal electrode’, ‘backing layer’, ‘groove’, ‘conductive patterns’, ‘conductive pattern’; fig(s) 3-8, 9-13 show this arrangements are variable and can be designed differently.’)
In regards to claim 6, Song, Qui, Lam, & Seomin teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 1, (see claim rejection 1) wherein the circuit boards include a gold foil performing a grounding function and a signal fpcb. (Seomin: 10, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32, 33 fig. 3, ‘matching layer’, ‘piezoelectric layer’, ‘ground electrode’, ‘signal electrode’, ‘backing layer’, ‘groove’, ‘conductive patterns’, ‘conductive pattern’; fig(s) 3-8, 9-13 show this arrangements are variable and can be designed differently using various conductive metals.’)
In regards to claim 7, Song, Qui, Lam, & Seomin teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 6, (see claim rejection 6) wherein the gold foil plate is connected to the first electrode layer, between the first electrode layer and the first matching layer, and the signal fpcb is connected to the second electrode layer, between the second electrode layer and the block layer. (Seomin: 10, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32, 33 fig. 3, ‘matching layer’, ‘piezoelectric layer’, ‘ground electrode’, ‘signal electrode’, ‘backing layer’, ‘groove’, ‘conductive patterns’, ‘conductive pattern’; fig(s) 3-8, 9-13 show this arrangements are variable and can be designed differently using various conductive metals.’)
In regards to claim 8, Song, Qui, Lam, & Seomin teach a transparent ultrasound probe module of claim 7, wherein the block layer is formed to have a wider surface than each of the piezoelectric element layer and the second electrode layer, and the signal fpcb is disposed on the piezoelectric element layer, which is located on an upper surface of the block layer, and on a portion of the upper surface of the block layer protruding from the second electrode layer, and is connected to the second electrode layer through a conductive material. (Seomin: 10, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32, 33 fig. 3, ‘matching layer’, ‘piezoelectric layer’, ‘ground electrode’, ‘signal electrode’, ‘backing layer’, ‘groove’, ‘conductive patterns’, ‘conductive pattern’; fig(s) 3-8, 9-13 show this arrangements are variable and can be designed differently.’)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references cited Ye (WO-2026082182), Erkamp (US-20230404539), Kye (US-20080255456-A1), and Lee (US-20200315577) references further describe a transparent ultrasound probe module and optical apparatus as described by the claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN C BUTLER whose telephone number is (571)270-3973. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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, Stephanie E Bloss can be reached at (571)272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/K.C.B/Examiner, Art Unit 2852
/STEPHANIE E BLOSS/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
Prosecution Insights