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) 1-4, 6, 8, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhao (CN 217591087).
However, Zhao (US 20230379635) is an English translation of Zhao (CN 217591087) and the rejection will be detailed herein based on the US Patent Application Publication naming Zhao. In other words, the references to “Zhao”, hereinafter, refer to Zhao (US 20230379635).
Regarding claim 1, Zhao teaches a MEMS microphone, comprising:
a substrate with a cavity (base 1 with cavity 3, [0025], fig 4);
a backplate disposed above the substrate (backplate 22, figs 4 & 5, [0025]);
a diaphragm disposed between the backplate and the substrate (diaphragm 21, [0025], fig 4); and
a limiting structure disposed in the cavity for limiting a maximum displacement of the diaphragm away from the backplate that is not less than a normal working displacement of the diaphragm away from the backplate (barrier structure 5 includes an outer frame portion 51 and a plurality of beam portions 52 connected to the outer frame portion 51 and extending inward, so as to effectively hinder the deformation of the diaphragm 21 and the backplate 22, [0027]).
Regarding claim 2, Zhao teaches the MEMS microphone as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a top wall (top of 1, fig 4), a bottom wall opposite to the top wall (bottom of 1, not shown, fig 4), and an enclosure wall connecting the top wall and the bottom wall and enclosing the cavity (side wall of 3, fig 4), the limiting structure is formed by a single connecting wall connected to the enclosure wall (transition layer 4, fig 5, [0025]).
Regarding claim 3, Zhao teaches the MEMS microphone as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a top wall (top of 1, fig 4), a bottom wall opposite to the top wall (bottom of 1, not shown, fig 4), and an enclosure wall connecting the top wall and the bottom wall and enclosing the cavity (side wall of 3, fig 4), the limiting structure is formed by at least two connecting walls connected to the enclosure wall and intersecting each other (beam portions 52, [0027], fig 6).
Regarding claim 4, Zhao teaches the MEMS microphone as described in claim 3, wherein the at least two connecting walls intersect at one place and form equal intersection intervals (beam portions 52, [0027], fig 6).
Regarding claim 6, Zhao teaches the MEMS microphone as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a top wall (top of 1, fig 4), a bottom wall (bottom of 1, not shown, fig 4) opposite to the top wall (top of 1, fig 4), and an enclosure wall connecting the top wall and the bottom wall and enclosing the cavity (side wall of 3, fig 4), the limiting structure is connected to the enclosure wall, the top wall is arranged flush with a top of the limiting structure (top of 1 is connected flush with transition layer 4, [0025], fig 5), a bottom of the limiting structure is closer to the diaphragm relative to the bottom wall (transition layer 4 is closer to diaphragm 21 than bottom of 1, figs 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 8, Zhao teaches the MEMS microphone as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a top wall (top of 1, fig 4), a bottom wall opposite to the top wall (bottom of 1, not shown, fig 4), and an enclosure wall connecting the top wall and the bottom wall and enclosing the cavity (side wall of 3, fig 4), the limiting structure is connected to the enclosure wall, the top wall is closer to the diaphragm relative to a top of the limiting structure (top wof 1 is closer to disaphragm 21 than top of barrier structure 5, figs and 5 5), a bottom of the limiting structure is closer to the diaphragm relative to the bottom wall.
Regarding claim 9, Zhao teaches the MEMS microphone as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate and the limiting structure are integrally formed (fig 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 7 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
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/KILE O BLAIR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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