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 Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 20 recites “and first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer”. However this should be read as “and the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5-10, and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 5, line three of claim 5 recites “the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 2 to 20 µm”. However claim 1 recites “a flexible substrate comprising polyimide and having a thickness between 5 and 80 µm”. Therefore it is unclear how the substrate can have a thickness between 2-4 µm when the minimum was defined in claim 1 as 5 µm. For examination purposes claim 5 will be interpreted as “the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 5 to 20 µm”.
Regarding claim 7, lines 7-8 of claim 7 recite “a second acoustic transmitter element configured to transmit one or more acoustic signals”. However claim 1 defines “one or more first acoustic signals” and claim 7 defines “one or more second acoustic signals”. Therefore it is unclear if the limitation is referring to the one or more first acoustic signals, the one or more second acoustic signals, or another set of one or more acoustic signals. The one or more acoustic signals are transmitted by a second acoustic transmitter element therefore for examination purposes the limitation will be read as “a second acoustic transmitter element configured to transmit one or more second acoustic signals”. Claim 8 is also rejected due to its dependency.
Regarding claim 7, lines 9-12 of claim 7 recite “wherein the flexible acoustic sensor element is communicatively coupled with at least one control system, and the at least one control system is configured to determine, based on the one or more first acoustic signals and the one or more second acoustic signals, a physiological characteristic associated with the target object”. However it is unclear if this is referring to the first flexible acoustic sensor element defined in claim 1 or the second flexible acoustic sensor element defined in claim 7. Claim 7 then recites that a physiological characteristic is determined by the control system based on based on the one or more first acoustic signals and the one or more second acoustic signals. Additionally it is unclear if the one or more first acoustic signals and the one or more second acoustic signals are the transmitted or detected signals. Based on the specification of the current application determinations are made based on the detected signals. Therefore for examination purposes the limitation will be read as “wherein the first flexible acoustic sensor element and the second flexible acoustic sensor element are communicatively coupled with at least one control system, and the at least one control system is configured to determine, based on the received one or more first acoustic signals and the detected one or more second acoustic signals, a physiological characteristic associated with the target object”. Claim 8 is also rejected due to its dependency.
Regarding claim 9, claim 9 recites “the flexible acoustic sensor element comprises a plurality of pixelated sensor elements”. It is unclear if this is referring to the first flexible acoustic sensor element defined in claim 1 or a different flexible acoustic sensor element. For examination purposes the limitation will be interpreted as “the first flexible acoustic sensor element comprises a plurality of pixelated sensor elements”. Claim 10 is also rejected due to its dependency.
Regarding claim 13, claim 13 recites “identifying one or more sensor elements from the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with higher received signal strength than other ones of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements”. It is unclear what pixelated sensor elements can be considered “other ones” of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements. It’s unclear if this limitation is referring to the pixelated sensor element(s) with highest received signal strength and therefore higher than every other ones of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements. For examination purposes that claim will be interpreted as identifying one or more sensor elements associated with an object reflecting ultrasound back to the sensor. Claim 14 is also rejected due to its dependency.
Regarding claim 13, claim 13 recites “activating a row and a column of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with the identified one or more sensor elements”. It is unclear if this is the same row and same column defined in claim 12. For examination purposes the limitation will be read as “activating the row and the column of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with the identified one or more sensor elements”. Claim 14 is also rejected due to its dependency.
Regarding claim 14, claim 14 recites “the activated row comprises the second group of acoustic sensor elements, and the activated column comprises the first group of acoustic sensor elements”. However claim 12 recites “the first group of acoustic sensor elements comprise a row of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements, and the second group of acoustic sensor elements comprise a column of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements”. Therefore it is unclear if the first group of acoustic sensor elements is both a row and a column and if the second group of acoustic sensor elements is both a row and a column.
Regarding claim 15, lines 11-16 of claim 15 recites “wherein the flexible acoustic sensor element is communicatively coupled with at least one control system”. However it is unclear if this is referring to the first flexible acoustic sensor element or the second flexible acoustic sensor element. Claim 15 then recites that a physiological characteristic is determined by the control system based on the one or more first acoustic signals and the one or more second acoustic signals. As recited in claim 15 the one or more first acoustic signals are received by the first flexible plurality of pixelated sensor elements and the one or more second acoustic signals are received by the second plurality of pixelated sensor elements. Therefore for examination purposes the limitation will be read as “wherein the first flexible acoustic sensor element and the second flexible acoustic sensor element are communicatively coupled with at least one control system”. Claims 16-20 are also rejected due to their dependency.
Regarding claim 19, claim 19 recites “wherein the thickness of the flexible substrate is selected from between 2 to 20 µm”. However claim 15 recites “a flexible substrate comprising polyimide and having a thickness between 5 and 80 µm”. Therefore it is unclear how the substrate can have a thickness between 2-4 µm when the minimum was defined in claim 15 as 5 µm. For examination purposes claim 19 will be interpreted as “wherein the thickness of the flexible substrate is selected from between 5 to 20 µm”.
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 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Khuri-Yakub (US 20240346120).
Regarding claim 11, Khuri-Yakub discloses a method of operating a flexible acoustic sensor apparatus ([0040] – “The method can further comprise identifying the signal echo from a signal waveform obtained from the ultrasound transducer”, [0190] – “These multiple sensors of sensor 100 can be constructed and arranged (e.g. attached to a flexible or hinged substrate)”), the method comprising:
controlling a first group of acoustic sensor elements of the flexible acoustic sensor apparatus to transmit acoustic signals toward an object of interest (0261] – “FIG. 2 shows the ith row electrode 3106(i) causing piezoelectric layer 3114 to emit an ultrasound pulse”, [0166] – “controller 200 shown, which can be configured to transmit signals to, and/or receive signals from, sensor 100”);
receiving, at a second group of acoustic sensor elements of the flexible acoustic sensor apparatus, reflected acoustic signals from the object of the interest ([0260] – “a plurality of column electrodes 3108 that extend in the x direction”, [0261] – “In operation, either the row electrode 3106(i) or the column electrode 3108(j) causes an ultrasound pulse to be emitted (e.g. via a signal applied to the electrode), and the other of electrodes 3106(i) or 3108(j) is configured to record the received ultrasound pulse”, [0166] – “controller 200 shown, which can be configured to transmit signals to, and/or receive signals from, sensor 100”); and
performing one or more beamforming techniques with the transmitted acoustic signals and the reflected acoustic signals ([0040] – “One or both of said transmitting and said sensing can use beamforming”), the one or more beamforming techniques comprising:
row-column driving based on the transmission of the acoustic signals by the first group of acoustic sensor elements and the receipt of the reflected acoustic signals by the second group of acoustic sensor elements ([0040] – “The ultrasound transducer can be a pixel element of an ultrasound transducer array; and the transmitting and sensing use row-column addressing of the ultrasound transducer array. Transmitting can use only one row of the ultrasound transducer array and said sensing can use only one column of the ultrasound transducer array”);
a delay-and-sum beamforming process comprising applying a time delay to one or more of the received reflected acoustic signals, and summing the received reflected acoustic signals;
division of a plurality of pixelated sensor elements into subarrays; positioning at least a portion of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements at different heights; or
a combination thereof.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-9, 15-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20170277937) and further in view of Xuying (WO 2024240197).
Regarding claim 1, Baek discloses an acoustic sensing apparatus ([0004] – “a biometric measuring device…the biometric sensors are positioned to further enable biometric information to be captured…the biometric sensors may include…an ultrasonic sensor”) comprising:
a flexible substrate ([0042] – “the rollable sleeve 110 may be configured to be rollable by using flexible (or at least partially flexible) materials”, [0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, the inner surface layer is interpreted as the flexible substrate) […]; and
a first flexible acoustic sensor element disposed adjacent to the flexible substrate, the first flexible acoustic sensor element comprising a first stack of materials ([0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, [0004] – “the biometric sensors may include…an ultrasonic sensor”, [0067] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented as a flexible…ultrasonic transducer”, Fig. 4B shows a stack of materials for the ultrasonic sensor), the first stack of materials comprising:
an acoustic receiver element configured to receive one or more first acoustic signals received through the flexible substrate ([0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416”, it can be interpreted there would be a receiver element or electrode to receive the signal from the piezoelectric material);
a piezoelectric layer disposed adjacent to the acoustic receiver element ([0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416”, it can be interpreted there would be a receiver element or electrode to receive the signal from the piezoelectric material and therefore the receive piezoelectric film layer would be adjacent to the element or electrode receiving the signal from the piezoelectric material); and
an acoustic transmitter element configured to transmit one or more first acoustic signals through the flexible substrate ([0068] – “ultrasonic waves may be emitted from the transmit piezoelectric film layer 414 towards the finger 10”, it can be interpreted there would be a transmitter element or electrode to transmit the signal to the piezoelectric material);
a coupling layer configured to secure the flexible substrate to a body part of a user, the body part of the user comprising a target object from which the one or more first acoustic signals transmitted from the acoustic transmitter element are reflected ([0067] – “an acoustic matching layer 420 may be deployed on the surface of the ultrasonic sensor 124 in order to improve the acoustic coupling between the transducer and the skin and tissue of a limb, such as a finger 10”, [0069] – “As the ultrasonic waves propagate through the finger 10, the ultrasonic waves are reflected by the artery 12”).
Conversely Baek does not teach a flexible substrate comprising polyimide and having a thickness between 5 and 80 µm,
However Xuying discloses a flexible substrate comprising polyimide and having a thickness between 5 and 80 µm ([0104] – “The substrate layer 11 mainly serves to support the overall structure. Its material can be a rigid material (such as glass, silicon, etc.) or a flexible material (such as polymer materials such as polyimide PI or PET)”, [0118] – “the thickness of the substrate layer can be 50 micrometers (μm), 70 μm”),
Xuying is an analogous art considering it is in the field of a flexible acoustic sensor.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it is an acoustically transparent material and the thickness and material of the substrate would provide very good flexibility.
Regarding claim 2, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Baek further discloses wherein the coupling layer comprises a gel or an acoustically transparent adhesive ([0067] – “the acoustic matching layer 420 may be provided as a solid acoustic gel”, [0064] – “a conductive gel or adhesive may be applied to a surface of the electrodes in order to facilitate the electrical contact between the electrodes 122 and the skin”), and the target object comprises a blood vessel within the body part of the user ([0069] – “the ultrasonic waves are reflected by the artery 12…the processor may process the electrical output signals received from the TFT layer 412 in order to generate time varying distance measurements or images of the artery”).
Regarding claim 3, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Baek further discloses wherein the acoustic receiver element comprises one or more receiver pixels of thin-film transistor (TFT) circuitry on the piezoelectric layer ([0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416, which converts the reflected waves 20 into electrical signals (e.g., current or voltage signals). Columns and rows of individual amplifiers (not shown) may be embedded in the TFT layer 412 to detect and amplify the electrical signals”).
Regarding claim 4, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Conversely Baek does not teach wherein the acoustic transmitter element comprises a first electrode layer having a thickness of up to 100 µm.
However Xuying discloses wherein the acoustic transmitter element comprises a first electrode layer having a thickness of up to 100 µm ([0090] – “The second electrode layer 04 is used to provide an electrical signal, and the piezoelectric layer 03 converts the electrical signal into a sound wave”, [0118] – “the thickness of the second electrode layer can be 2 μm, 4 μm, 6 μm, 8 μm, 10 μm, 15 μm, 18 μm, 20 μm, 28 μm, 35 μm, etc.”),
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the thickness of the acoustic transmitter element being less than 100 µm of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because “the thickness of the working part in the transducer can be reasonably designed according to the required penetrating power so that the transducer can emit ultrasound at the corresponding operating frequency” (Xuying [0091]).
Regarding claim 6, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Conversely Baek does not teach wherein the flexible substrate comprising polyimide is disposed farther from the body part of the user than the acoustic transmitter element, and the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 30 to 70 µm.
However Xuying discloses wherein the flexible substrate comprising polyimide is disposed farther from the body part of the user than the acoustic transmitter element (as seen in Figure 1 the body part [finger] is placed on top of the stack of materials, [0088] – “ultrasonic fingerprint recognition is shown in Figure 1: the transducer emits ultrasonic waves, which penetrate the medium (such as a display screen) and reach the surface in the medium that is in contact with the finger”, therefore it can be interpreted the top layer in each Figure is the layer that would be closest to the finger. [0089] – “a substrate layer 01” [0090] – “The second electrode layer 04 is used to provide an electrical signal, and the piezoelectric layer 03 converts the electrical signal into a sound wave based on the inverse piezoelectric effect”, as seen in Figures 2 and 3 the second electrode layer 04 is closer to the top layer and therefore the body part than the substrate layer 01), and the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 30 to 70 µm ([0118] – “the thickness of the substrate layer can be 50 micrometers (μm), 70 μm”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it is an acoustically transparent material and the thickness of the substrate would provide very good flexibility.
Regarding claim 7, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Baek further discloses further comprising a second flexible acoustic sensor element comprising a second stack of materials (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0004] discloses that the biometric sensors may include ultrasonic sensors, [0070] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented in several strips aligned in parallel”, [0067] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented as a flexible…ultrasonic transducer”), having:
a second acoustic receiver element configured to detect one or more second acoustic signals (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0004] discloses that the biometric sensors may include ultrasonic sensors, [0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416”, it can be interpreted there would be a receiver element or electrode to receive the signal from the piezoelectric material);
a second piezoelectric layer disposed adjacent to the second acoustic receiver element (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0004] discloses that the biometric sensors may include ultrasonic sensors, [0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416”, it can be interpreted there would be a receiver element or electrode to receive the signal from the piezoelectric material and therefore the receive piezoelectric film layer would be adjacent to the element or electrode receiving the signal from the piezoelectric material); and
a second acoustic transmitter element configured to transmit one or more acoustic signals (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0004] discloses that the biometric sensors may include ultrasonic sensors, [0068] – “ultrasonic waves may be emitted from the transmit piezoelectric film layer 414 towards the finger 10”, it can be interpreted there would be a transmitter element or electrode to transmit the signal to the piezoelectric material);
wherein the flexible acoustic sensor element is communicatively coupled with at least one control system, and the at least one control system is configured to determine, based on the one or more first acoustic signals and the one or more second acoustic signals, a physiological characteristic associated with the target object ([0036] – “the biometric measuring device 100 may include an auxiliary electronics package 130 that houses various electronic components for providing power, controlling sensor operation, processing sensor outputs, and/or communicating raw sensor or processed sensor outputs to remote computing devices”, [0085] – “the processor may use the output signal from the one or more biometric sensors 120 to calculate a variety of cardiovascular properties, such as arterial distension, pulse transit time (PTT), pulse wave velocity (PWV)”).
Regarding claim 8, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 1 and 7.
Baek further discloses wherein the physiological characteristic comprises pulse wave velocity (PWV) of the target object of the body part of the user ([0085] – “the processor may use the output signal from the one or more biometric sensors 120 to calculate a variety of cardiovascular properties, such as arterial distension, pulse transit time (PTT), pulse wave velocity (PWV)”).
Regarding claim 9, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Baek further discloses wherein: the flexible acoustic sensor element comprises a plurality of pixelated sensor elements communicatively coupled with at least one control system ([0069] – “Columns and rows of individual amplifiers (not shown) may be embedded in the TFT layer 412 to detect and amplify the electrical signals. The electrical signals may be output from the TFT layer 412 and coupled through electrical connections (e.g., 315 of FIG. 3) to an input of a processor (e.g., 210 of FIG. 2) for processing”); and
the at least one control system is configured to perform one or more beamforming techniques with the transmitted one or more first acoustic signals and the received one or more first acoustic signals ([0070] – “enable ultrasound beam steering of both transmitted ultrasound and received reflected sound”).
Regarding claim 15, Baek discloses an acoustic sensing apparatus ([0004] – “a biometric measuring device…the biometric sensors are positioned to further enable biometric information to be captured…the biometric sensors may include…an ultrasonic sensor”) comprising:
a flexible substrate ([0042] – “the rollable sleeve 110 may be configured to be rollable by using flexible (or at least partially flexible) materials”, [0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, the inner surface layer is interpreted as the flexible substrate) […]; and
a first flexible acoustic sensor element disposed adjacent to the flexible substrate and comprising a first plurality of pixelated sensor elements ([0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, [0004] – “the biometric sensors may include…an ultrasonic sensor”, [0067] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented as a flexible…ultrasonic transducer”, [0069] – “Columns and rows of individual amplifiers (not shown) may be embedded in the TFT layer 412 to detect and amplify the electrical signals”);
a second flexible acoustic sensor element disposed adjacent to the flexible substrate and comprising a second plurality of pixelated sensor elements (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0004] discloses that the biometric sensors may include ultrasonic sensors, [0070] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented in several strips aligned in parallel”, [0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, [0067] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented as a flexible…ultrasonic transducer”, [0069] – “Columns and rows of individual amplifiers (not shown) may be embedded in the TFT layer 412 to detect and amplify the electrical signals”); and
a coupling layer configured to secure the flexible substrate to a body part of a user having a target object ([0067] – “an acoustic matching layer 420 may be deployed on the surface of the ultrasonic sensor 124 in order to improve the acoustic coupling between the transducer and the skin and tissue of a limb, such as a finger 10”, [0069] – “As the ultrasonic waves propagate through the finger 10, the ultrasonic waves are reflected by the artery 12”);
wherein the flexible acoustic sensor element is communicatively coupled with at least one control system, and the at least one control system is configured to determine, based on one or more first acoustic signals received at the first plurality of pixelated sensor elements, and one or more second acoustic signals received at the second plurality of pixelated sensor elements, a physiological characteristic associated with the target object ([0036] – “the biometric measuring device 100 may include an auxiliary electronics package 130 that houses various electronic components for providing power, controlling sensor operation, processing sensor outputs, and/or communicating raw sensor or processed sensor outputs to remote computing devices”, [0085] – “the processor may use the output signal from the one or more biometric sensors 120 to calculate a variety of cardiovascular properties, such as arterial distension, pulse transit time (PTT), pulse wave velocity (PWV)”).
Conversely Baek does not teach a flexible substrate comprising polyimide and having a thickness between 5 and 80 µm,
However Xuying discloses a flexible substrate comprising polyimide and having a thickness between 5 and 80 µm ([0104] – “The substrate layer 11 may or may not be insulating. The substrate layer 11 mainly serves to support the overall structure. Its material can be a rigid material (such as glass, silicon, etc.) or a flexible material (such as polymer materials such as polyimide PI or PET)”, [0118] – “the thickness of the substrate layer can be 50 micrometers (μm), 70 μm”),
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it is an acoustically transparent material and the thickness and material of the substrate would provide very good flexibility.
Regarding claim 16, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 15.
Baek further discloses wherein the first flexible acoustic sensor element ([0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, [0004] – “the biometric sensors may include…an ultrasonic sensor”, [0067] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented as a flexible…ultrasonic transducer”) comprises:
a first piezoelectric layer configured to convert mechanical energy from the received one or more first acoustic signals to first electrical signals ([0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416, which converts the reflected waves 20 into electrical signals”); and
first thin-film transistor (TFT) circuitry disposed adjacent to the first piezoelectric layer and comprising first acoustic receiver elements configured to detect the first electrical signals ([0069] – “Columns and rows of individual amplifiers (not shown) may be embedded in the TFT layer 412 to detect and amplify the electrical signals”, as seen in Fig. 4B the TFT layer 412 is disposed adjacent to the first piezoelectric layer 416); and
wherein the second flexible acoustic sensor element (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0004] discloses that the biometric sensors may include ultrasonic sensors, [0070] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented in several strips aligned in parallel”, [0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 may be attached to the inner surface layer 302 of the rollable sleeve 110”, [0067] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented as a flexible…ultrasonic transducer”)comprises:
a second piezoelectric layer configured to convert mechanical energy from the received one or more second acoustic signals to second electrical signals (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0070] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented in several strips aligned in parallel”, [0069] – “the reflected waves 20 may be sensed by the receive piezoelectric film layer 416, which converts the reflected waves 20 into electrical signals”); and
second thin-film transistor (TFT) circuitry disposed adjacent to the second piezoelectric layer and comprising second acoustic receiver elements configured to detect the second electrical signals (Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0070] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented in several strips aligned in parallel”, [0069] – “Columns and rows of individual amplifiers (not shown) may be embedded in the TFT layer 412 to detect and amplify the electrical signals”, as seen in Fig. 4B the TFT layer 412 is disposed adjacent to the first piezoelectric layer 416).
Regarding claim 17, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 15 and 16.
Baek further discloses wherein the target object comprises a blood vessel within the body part of the user, and the physiological characteristic comprises pulse wave velocity (PWV) of the blood vessel ([0085] – “the processor may use the output signal from the one or more biometric sensors 120 to calculate a variety of cardiovascular properties, such as arterial distension, pulse transit time (PTT), pulse wave velocity (PWV)”).
Regarding claim 18, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 15, 16, and 17.
Baek further discloses wherein the first and second flexible acoustic sensor elements are communicatively coupled with at least one control system, and the at least one control system is configured to determine the PWV of the blood vessel based on a distance between the first flexible acoustic sensor element and the second flexible acoustic sensor element, and a time delay associated with the one or more first acoustic signals and the one or more second acoustic signals ([0036] – “the biometric measuring device 100 may include an auxiliary electronics package 130 that houses various electronic components for providing power, controlling sensor operation, processing sensor outputs, and/or communicating raw sensor or processed sensor outputs to remote computing devices”, [0085] – “the processor may use the output signal from the one or more biometric sensors 120 to calculate a variety of cardiovascular properties, such as arterial distension, pulse transit time (PTT), pulse wave velocity (PWV)”, [0087] – “the biometric measuring device 100 may include at least two biometric sensors 120 spaced apart in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the artery to measure certain cardiovascular properties, such as a pulse transit time (PTT). In such embodiments, in block 620 the processor may compute the pulse transit time (PTT) based on a time shift between the AC signal components of two pulse waveforms detected at the respective sensor locations”, velocity is equal to distance divided by time therefore it would be obvious to use the distance between two sensor and the PPT to calculate the PWV).
Regarding claim 20, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 15 and 16.
As cited above Baek discloses the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer.
Conversely Baek does not teach wherein the thickness of the flexible substrate is selected from between 30 to 70 µm, and […] piezoelectric layer […] are disposed between the target object and the flexible substate.
However Xuying discloses wherein the thickness of the flexible substrate is selected from between 30 to 70 µm ([0118] – “the thickness of the substrate layer can be 50 micrometers (μm), 70 μm”), and […] piezoelectric layer […] are disposed between the target object and the flexible substate (as seen in Figure 1 the body part [finger] is placed on top of the stack of materials, [0088] – “ultrasonic fingerprint recognition is shown in Figure 1: the transducer emits ultrasonic waves, which penetrate the medium (such as a display screen) and reach the surface in the medium that is in contact with the finger”, therefore it can be interpreted the top layer in each Figure is the layer that would be closest to the finger. [0089] – “a substrate layer 01” [0090] – “The second electrode layer 04 is used to provide an electrical signal, and the piezoelectric layer 03 converts the electrical signal into a sound wave based on the inverse piezoelectric effect”, as seen in Figures 2 and 3 the piezoelectric layer 03 is closer to the top layer and therefore the body part than the substrate layer 01, it would be obvious for one with ordinary skill in the art for the piezoelectric layer for each sensor to be disposed between the target object and the flexible substate when multiple sensors are used as taught by Baek).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it is an acoustically transparent material and the thickness of the substrate would provide very good flexibility.
Claims 5 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20170277937) and Xuying (WO 2024240197) as applied to claims 1 and 16 above, and further in view of Lu (US 20200125815).
Regarding claim 5, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Baek further discloses wherein the flexible substrate […] is disposed closer to the body part of the user than the acoustic transmitter element (As cited above the inner surface layer 302 is interpreted as the flexible substrate, [0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 and gaps 300 may be interposed between an inner surface layer 302 and a backing layer 304”, in light of Figs. 1A-1C and 3A the inner surface layer 302 is disposed closer to the body part than the biometric sensors, therefore the substrate is disposed closer to the body part than the acoustic transmitter element of the ultrasonic sensor of Fig. 4B)
Conversely Baek does not teach wherein the flexible substrate comprising polyimide […], and the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 2 to 20 µm.
However Xuying discloses wherein the flexible substrate comprising polyimide ([0104] – “The substrate layer 11 mainly serves to support the overall structure. Its material can be a rigid material (such as glass, silicon, etc.) or a flexible material (such as polymer materials such as polyimide PI or PET)”,),
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it is an acoustically transparent material and the thickness and material of the substrate would provide very good flexibility.
Conversely Baek and Xuying do not teach the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 2 to 20 µm.
However Lu discloses the thickness of the flexible substrate is between 2 to 20 µm ([0104] – “a thickness of the flexible substrate 1121 is between about 10 μm and about 100 μm”, MPEP 2144.05 “In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists”).
Lu is an analogous art considering it is in the field of a flexible acoustic sensor.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate thickness of Lu to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because the thinner the flexible substrate is the more acoustically transparent it becomes which would be beneficial when the substrate layer is disposed closer to the body part of the user than the acoustic transmitter element as taught by Baek.
Regarding claim 19, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
Baek further discloses wherein the […] flexible substrate […] disposed between the target object and the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer (As cited above the inner surface layer 302 is interpreted as the flexible substrate, [0057] – “the biometric sensors 120 and gaps 300 may be interposed between an inner surface layer 302 and a backing layer 304”, in light of Figs. 1A-1C and 3A the inner surface layer 302 is disposed closer to the body part than the biometric sensors, therefore the substrate is disposed between to the target object of the body part and the first piezoelectric layer [receive piezoelectric film layer 416] of the ultrasonic sensor of Fig. 4B, Figs. 1A-1C and 3A show the measuring device comprising multiple biometric sensors, [0070] – “the ultrasonic sensor 124 may be implemented in several strips aligned in parallel”, therefore there would be a second piezoelectric layer in a second sensor and it would be obvious that the substrate would be disposed between to the target object of the body part than the second piezoelectric layer [receive piezoelectric film layer 416] of a second ultrasonic sensor of Fig. 4B)
Conversely Baek does not teach wherein the thickness of the flexible substrate is selected from between 2 to 20 µm.
However Lu discloses wherein the thickness of the flexible substrate is selected from between 2 to 20 µm ([0104] – “a thickness of the flexible substrate 1121 is between about 10 μm and about 100 μm”, MPEP 2144.05 “In the case where the claimed ranges "overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art" a prima facie case of obviousness exists”).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the substrate thickness of Lu to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because the thinner the flexible substrate is the more acoustically transparent it becomes which would be beneficial when the substrate layer is disposed closer to the body part of the user than the acoustic transmitter element as taught by Baek.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20170277937) and Xuying (WO 2024240197) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Frydman (US 10956709).
Regarding claim 10, Baek and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 1 and 9.
Conversely Baek does not teach wherein: the one or more beamforming techniques comprise row-column driving, a delay- and-sum beamforming process, division of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements into subarrays, positioning at least a portion of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements at different heights, or a combination thereof; and
the row-column driving comprises the transmission of the one or more first acoustic signals using a selected row of pixels of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements, and the receipt of the one or more first acoustic signals using a selected column of pixels of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements.
However Frydman discloses wherein: the one or more beamforming techniques comprise row-column driving (Col. 20 lines 52-56 – “Each row of the pixel array 1235 may then be scanned, e.g., through a row select mechanism, a gate driver, or a shift register, and the readout transistor M3 for each column may be triggered to allow the magnitude of the peak charge for each pixel 1234 to be read by additional circuitry”), a delay- and-sum beamforming process, division of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements into subarrays, positioning at least a portion of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements at different heights, or a combination thereof; and
the row-column driving comprises the transmission of the one or more first acoustic signals using a selected row of pixels of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements, and the receipt of the one or more first acoustic signals using a selected column of pixels of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements (Col. 20 lines 52-56 – “Each row of the pixel array 1235 may then be scanned, e.g., through a row select mechanism, a gate driver, or a shift register, and the readout transistor M3 for each column may be triggered to allow the magnitude of the peak charge for each pixel 1234 to be read by additional circuitry”).
Frydman is an analogous art considering it is in the field of an acoustic sensor sensing signals from the finger.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Baek to include the row-column driving of Frydman to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it will reduce the wiring needed and can lead to faster image processing by addressing an entire row or column at once.
Claim 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khuri-Yakub (US 20240346120) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Xuying (WO 2024240197).
Regarding claim 12, Khuri-Yakub discloses all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claim 11.
Khuri-Yakub further discloses wherein: the flexible acoustic sensor apparatus ([0190] – “These multiple sensors of sensor 100 can be constructed and arranged (e.g. attached to a flexible or hinged substrate)”) comprises:
a flexible substrate ([0190] – “These multiple sensors of sensor 100 can be constructed and arranged (e.g. attached to a flexible or hinged substrate)”) […]; and
thin-film transistor (TFT) circuitry comprising a plurality of pixelated sensor elements ([0419] – “sensor matrix (e.g. a sensor 100 b, as described hereinabove, that includes electrodes, an insulator, thin film transistors, a passivation layer, and the like)”, [0043] – “for each pixel element of the ultrasound transducer array”); and
the first group of acoustic sensor elements comprise a row of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements, and the second group of acoustic sensor elements comprise a column of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements, the row and the column being substantially perpendicular to each other on the flexible acoustic sensor apparatus ([0261] – “In operation, either the row electrode 3106(i) or the column electrode 3108(j) causes an ultrasound pulse to be emitted (e.g. via a signal applied to the electrode), and the other of electrodes 3106(i) or 3108(j) is configured to record the received ultrasound pulse”, [0166] – “controller 200 shown, which can be configured to transmit signals to, and/or receive signals from, sensor 100”, it can be seen in Fig.2 the row electrodes 3106(i) and column electrodes 3108(j) are perpendicular to each other).
Conversely Khuri-Yakub does not teach a flexible substrate comprising polyimide;
However Xuying discloses a flexible substrate comprising polyimide ([0104] – “The substrate layer 11 mainly serves to support the overall structure. Its material can be a rigid material (such as glass, silicon, etc.) or a flexible material (such as polymer materials such as polyimide PI or PET)”),
Xuying is an analogous art considering it is in the field of a flexible acoustic sensor.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Khuri-Yakub to include the substrate of Xuying to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because the material of the substrate would provide very good flexibility.
Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khuri-Yakub (US 20240346120) and Xuying (WO 2024240197) as applied to claim 12 above, and further in view of Frydman (US 10956709).
Regarding claim 13, Khuri-Yakub and Xuying disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 11 and 12.
Conversely Khuri-Yakub does not teach wherein the row-column driving comprises: identifying one or more sensor elements from the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with higher received signal strength than other ones of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements; and
activating a row and a column of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with the identified one or more sensor elements.
However Frydman discloses wherein the row-column driving comprises: identifying one or more sensor elements from the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with higher received signal strength than other ones of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements (Col. 18 lines 51-55 – “block 1105 may involve determining whether an area of the device's surface is not reflecting ultrasonic waves in a manner characteristic of an air/device boundary, but is instead absorbing ultrasonic waves in a manner consistent with a target object in contact with the device”, therefore one or more sensor elements would be identified that are associated with higher received signal strength); and
activating a row and a column of the plurality of pixelated sensor elements associated with the identified one or more sensor elements (Col. 19 lines 1-6 – “If block 1110 concludes successfully, in this example the process continues to block 1115, in which fingerprint image data are obtained from the target object. As noted elsewhere herein, data received from a sensor array, such as an ultrasonic sensor array, may be referred to herein as “image data,””, Col. 20 lines 52-56 – “Each row of the pixel array 1235 may then be scanned, e.g., through a row select mechanism, a gate driver, or a shift register, and the readout transistor M3 for each column may be triggered to allow the magnitude of the peak charge for each pixel 1234 to be read by additional circuitry”, one with ordinary skill in the art would find it obvious that one or more of the identified sensor elements where a finger was detected would be used to image the fingerprint).
Frydman is an analogous art considering it is in the field of a flexible acoustic sensor.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Khuri-Yakub to include the determination of a target object being close to the sensors of Frydman to achieve the same results. One would have motivation to combine because it can reduce the power and processing requirements.
Regarding claim 14, Khuri-Yakub, Xuying, and Frydman disclose all the elements of the claimed invention as cited in claims 11, 12, and 13.
Khuri-Yakub further discloses wherein: the activated row comprises the first group of acoustic sensor elements, and the activated column comprises the second group of acoustic sensor elements ([0261] – “In operation, either the row electrode 3106(i) or the column electrode 3108(j) causes an ultrasound pulse to be emitted (e.g. via a signal applied to the electrode), and the other of electrodes 3106(i) or 3108(j) is configured to record the received ultrasound pulse”); or
the activated row comprises the second group of acoustic sensor elements, and the activated column comprises the first group of acoustic sensor elements ([0261] – “In operation, either the row electrode 3106(i) or the column electrode 3108(j) causes an ultrasound pulse to be emitted (e.g. via a signal applied to the electrode), and the other of electrodes 3106(i) or 3108(j) is configured to record the received ultrasound pulse”).
Conclusion
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/R.C.L./Examiner, Art Unit 3797
/SHAHDEEP MOHAMMED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
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