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 § 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 9-10 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. The limitation “Claims 87” doesn’t correspond to an existing claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miller (US 2003/0028108 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Miller (‘108) teach a system comprising: a transducer array having a plurality of transducer elements, each transducer element having a transducer electrode (see [0002]; and Figs. 2, 4); an SRL (substrate redistribution layer) having a plurality of upper contacts, each of the upper contacts configured to be mated to a corresponding one of the plurality of transducer electrodes and at least one lower contact array comprising a plurality of lower contacts (see [0032]-[0034]); at least one die having a plurality of electrical connections, each configured to be mated to a corresponding one of the lower contacts of the SRL (see [0031]-[0033]).
Regarding claim 2, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 1, wherein the SRL further comprises at least one additional contact array configured to be connected to a flex cable (see [0031]-[0033]).
Regarding claim 3, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 2, wherein the at least one additional contact array resides on the same side of the SRL as the lower contact array, the additional contact array residing between an edge of the SRL and at least one of the lower contact arrays (see [0031]-[0033]).
Regarding claim 4, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 1, further comprising a plurality of passive elements mounted to the SRL on the same side of the SRL as the lower contact array, the passive elements residing between a first edge of the SRL and at least one of the lower contact arrays (see [0032]-[0034]).
Regarding claim 5, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 4, wherein the SRL further comprises at least one additional contact array configured to be connected to a flex cable residing on the same side of the SRL as the lower contact array, the additional contact array residing between an edge of the SRL adjacent the first edge and at least one of the lower contact arrays (see [0031]-[0033]).
Regarding claim 6, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 1, further comprising a backing layer and a transducer material layer, the backing layer situated between the transducer material and the SRL (see [0033]).
Regarding claim 7, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 1, further comprising a matching layer configured to reduce differences in an acoustic impedance between the transducer material layer and the acoustic impedance of the material in the target region (see [0051]).
Regarding claim 8, Miller (‘108) teach the system of Claim 1, wherein the lower contacts of the lower contact array are configured such that all of the lower contacts lie within a footprint of the transducer array (see [0038]).
Regarding claim 9, Miller (‘108) teach a two-dimensional ultrasound imaging hardware tiled system in which a plurality of systems can be tiled together (see [0032]-[0034]).
Regarding claim 10, Miller (‘108) teach the two-dimensional ultrasound imaging hardware of Claim 9, wherein the SRL has a footprint and the transducer array has a footprint, the footprint of the SRL and the footprint of the transducer array being essentially the same (see [0032]-[0034]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARK REMALY whose telephone number is (571)270-1491. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:00 - 6:00.
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, Christopher Koharski can be reached at (571) 272-7230. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARK D REMALY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3797
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