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)(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) 1-6 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takata (US 2017/0272057).
In regard to Claim 1:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, a band-pass acoustic wave filter, the band-pass acoustic wave filter comprising:
a first serial-arm resonator device (S1) in a serial arm path (4a, 4b path), the serial arm path connecting a first input/output terminal (4a) and a second input/output terminal (4b); and
a first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a, L2) connected between the serial arm path (4a, 4b path) and ground (GND),
wherein the first serial-arm resonator device (S1) comprises a first acoustic wave resonator (Paragraph 0032),
wherein the first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a, L2) comprises a second acoustic wave resonator (P1a) and a first inductor (L2) connected in series between the serial arm path (4a, 4b path) and ground (GND),
wherein the first acoustic wave resonator (S1) and the second acoustic wave resonator (P1a) are on a same piezoelectric substrate (Figure 4: 24; Paragraph 0045),
wherein a first resonant frequency is lower than or equal to a low frequency end of a passband of the acoustic wave filter, the first resonant frequency being a resonant frequency of the first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a, Paragraph 0052),
wherein a first anti-resonant frequency is higher than or equal to a high frequency end of the passband, the first anti-resonant frequency being an anti-resonant frequency of the first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a, Paragraph 0049), and
wherein a frequency difference between the first anti-resonant frequency and the high frequency end of the passband is less than a frequency difference between the first resonant frequency and the low frequency end of the passband (Paragraphs 0063 and 0067).
In regard to Claim 2:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, the acoustic wave filter according to Claim 1, wherein a resonant frequency of the second acoustic wave resonator is in the passband (Paragraph 0054).
In regard to Claim 3:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, the acoustic wave filter according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of serial-arm resonator devices (S1-S5) including the first serial-arm resonator device (S1); and
a plurality of parallel-arm resonator devices (P1a, P1b, P2-P3) including the first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a),
wherein each of the plurality of serial-arm resonator devices (S1-S5) and the plurality of parallel-arm resonator devices (P1a, P1b, P2-P3) comprises an acoustic wave resonator (Paragraphs 0032 and 0035), and
wherein all the acoustic wave resonators included in the acoustic wave filter are on the same piezoelectric substrate (Figure 4: 24; Paragraph 0045).
In regard to Claim 4:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, the acoustic wave filter according to Claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of serial-arm resonator devices (S1-S5) including the first serial-arm resonator device (S1); and
a plurality of parallel-arm resonator devices (P1a, P1b, P2-P3) including the first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a),
wherein, among the plurality of parallel-arm resonator devices (P1a, P1b, P2-P3), the first parallel-arm resonator device (P1a) is connected closest to the first input/output terminal (4a).
In regard to Claim 5:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, the acoustic wave filter according to Claim 1, wherein the second acoustic wave resonator (P1a) is connected to the serial arm path (4a, 4b path), and the first inductor (L2) is connected to ground (GND).
In regard to Claim 6:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, the acoustic wave filter according to Claim 1, wherein the second acoustic wave resonator (P1a) is connected to ground (GND via L2), and the first inductor (L2) is connected to the serial arm path (4a, 4b path via P1b).
In regard to Claim 8:
Takata discloses, in Figure 1, a radio-frequency module comprising: the acoustic wave filter according to Claim 1 (see the rejection of Claim 1 above); and a low-noise amplifier (6) that has an input terminal connected to the first input/output terminal (4a).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 9-11 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.
Sugaya et al. (US 2017/0077896) discloses a radio frequency module includes a transmission terminal, a transmission filter connected to the transmission terminal, a common terminal, a reception filter which is connected to the common terminal, a reception terminal, a branch point to which the common terminal, the transmission filter, and the reception filter are connected, a transmission path connecting the transmission terminal and the branch point, a reception path connecting the reception terminal and the branch point, a common path connecting the common terminal and the branch point, a matching circuit connected to the common path, and an inductor circuit that includes a first inductor that defines a propagation path through electromagnetic coupling to at least one of the transmission path, the common path, the matching circuit, and the reception path, and a second inductor that is positioned so as not to be electromagnetically coupled to the transmission path, the common path, the matching circuit, or the reception path.
Komura (US 2012/0086524) discloses an IDT electrode defining any one of a plurality of surface acoustic wave resonators defining series arm resonators and parallel arm resonators, except for the IDT electrode having a smallest amount of heat generation per unit time when a signal flows between first and second signal terminals, does not face wiring electrodes.
Kaneda et al. (US 2016/0277006) discloses an acoustic wave device includes: a substrate; an acoustic wave resonator that is formed on the substrate; a first wiring line that is formed on the substrate and is electrically coupled to the acoustic wave resonator; and a second wiring line that is electrically coupled to the first wiring line, at least a part of the second wiring line being formed immediately above the acoustic wave resonator across an air gap.
Takamine (US 2012/0286896) discloses a small-sized surface acoustic wave filter device having favorable filter characteristics includes a transmission-side surface acoustic wave filter chip including a ladder surface acoustic wave filter unit located on a piezoelectric substrate. The ladder surface acoustic wave filter unit includes a series arm connected between an input pad and an output pad and a plurality of resonators and including at least one first resonator connected to the input pad or the output pad. A die-attach surface is provided with an inductor connected to the first resonator. The inductor is arranged such that at least a portion thereof faces the first resonator and does not face any of the plurality of resonators and other than the first resonator.
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.
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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.
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/JOHN W POOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896