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 .
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 to 3, and 7 to 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Abe et al (2022/0098756).
The Abe et al reference teaches a method of post treating a single crystal piezoelectric, note entire reference. A reducing material and the single crystal piezoelectric material are placed into a chamber for treatment, para 0017. Then preforming a reduction treatment by heating the materials in a preset atmosphere para 0024. The temperature of the heat treatment is above 350c, note para 0017. The process suppresses pyroelectric properties, note summary.
With respect to claim 2, the Abe et al reference teaches single crystal lithium tantalate, note examples.
With respect to claim 3, the Abe et al reference teaches the time for the heat treatment to be up to 7 hours, note para 0026.
With respect to claim 7, the Abe et al reference teaches the atmosphere is inert, note para 0025.
With respect to claim 8, the Abe et al reference teaches the piezoelectric and reducing agent are embedded, note examples.
With respect to claim 9, the Abe et al reference teaches growing the lithium tantalate and then heat treating ,note, para 0033.
Claims 4 to 6 and 10 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.
The claims are allowable over the art of record as the art does not show or suggest the use of sodium boron hydride as a reducing agent.
Examiner’s Remarks
The remaining references are merely cited of interest as showing the state of the art in lithium tantalate reduction methods.
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RMK
/ROBERT M KUNEMUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1714
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