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
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) 1, 18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nakamura (WO 2021/153736).
In regard to Claim 1:
Nakamura discloses, in Figure 2, an acoustic filter comprising:
a first resonator (102) arranged in a first direction;
a second resonator (101) arranged in the first direction; and
a first acoustic wave suppression structure (REF12) disposed between the first resonator (102) and the second resonator (101) and configured to generate at least one first stopband (Paragraphs 0009 and 0025) to reduce a first acoustic wave that is leaked between the first resonator and the second resonator and that is propagated in the first direction (Paragraphs 0018 and 0096).
In regard to Claim 18:
Nakamura discloses, in Figure 2, the acoustic filter of claim 1, wherein the first resonator is a first surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator (102, Paragraph 0017), wherein the second resonator is a second SAW resonator (101, Paragraph 0017), wherein each of the first SAW resonator and the second SAW resonator comprises an interdigital transducer (IDT) (Paragraph 0017), and wherein the IDT comprises:
a first busbar (top bus bar of IDT1 and IDT2);
a second busbar disposed opposite to the first busbar (bottom bus bar of IDT1 and IDT2 opposite of the top bus bar);
first electrode fingers that are arranged in sequence in the first direction and that are in contact with the first busbar (electrode fingers connected to the top busbar of IDT1 and IDT2); and
second electrode fingers that are arranged in sequence in the first direction and that are in contact with the second busbar (electrode fingers connected to the bottom busbar of IDT1 and IDT2), wherein the first electrode fingers and each of the second electrode fingers are alternately arranged in sequence in the first direction (Paragraphs 0017 and 0018).
In regard to Claim 20:
Nakamura discloses, in Figure 2, an electronic device, comprising:
a printed circuit board (Figure 3: 105); and
an acoustic filter disposed on the printed circuit board (Paragraph 0019) and comprising:
a first resonator (102) arranged in a first direction;
a second resonator (101) arranged in the first direction; and
a first acoustic wave suppression structure (REF12) disposed between the first resonator (102) and the second resonator (101) and configured to generate at least one first stopband (Paragraphs 0009 and 0025) to reduce a first acoustic wave that is leaked between the first resonator and the second resonator and that is propagated in the first direction (Paragraphs 0018 and 0096).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-17 and 19 are 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Suzuki et al. (US 2020/0304092) discloses an acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric body portion, an interdigital transducer electrode connected to a first terminal and a second terminal, and a reflector connected to the second terminal. In the interdigital transducer electrode, in the interdigital transducer electrode, where, of a group of electrode fingers, the electrode finger located at one end in a second direction is a first end electrode finger and the electrode finger located at another end is a second end electrode finger, the first end electrode finger is located between the reflector and the second end electrode finger in the second direction. An outer busbar portion of one of a first busbar and a second busbar, not connected to the first end electrode finger, is located on an inner side in the second direction relative to a center portion, in a first direction, of the first end electrode finger.
Kishino et al. (US 2020/0287519) discloses an acoustic wave element includes an IDT electrode includes pluralities of electrode fingers, and reflector electrodes on the two sides of the IDT electrode. The IDT electrode includes a major part and at least one end part which is located between the major part and one of the reflector electrodes and is arranged along a direction of propagation of an acoustic wave together with the major part, the at least one end part includes a pitch of the plurality of electrode fingers substantially the same as a pitch of the plurality of electrode fingers in the major part, is electrically connected in parallel with respect to the major part, and is divided into two or more sections which are electrically connected in series with each other.
Goto et al. (US 2023/0163748) discloses an acoustic wave device can include a substrate, a piezoelectric layer, a first electrode that includes a first bus bar and a first plurality of fingers extending from the first bus bar, and a second electrode that includes a second bus bar and a second plurality of fingers extending from the second bus bar. The second plurality of fingers can be interdigitated with the first plurality of fingers. The acoustic wave device can include a raised frame structure. The raised frame structure can be configured to suppress a transverse mode. The fingers can have widths that are greater than the distances between the fingers. The acoustic wave device can include a bus bar that includes a main section and a secondary section that are electrically connected by gap lines, which can have smaller width than the fingers. The acoustic wave device can include dummy fingers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John W Poos whose telephone number is (571)270-5077. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-5.
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, Jessica Han can be reached at 571-272-2078. 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.
/JOHN W POOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896