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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-10 are elected for further examination. Claims 11-16 are withdrawn from consideration.
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) 1-5 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsutsumi (US 2017/0214389).
Regarding claim 1, Tsutsumi’s figure 4 shows an acoustic filter comprising: a plurality of resonant elements configured to act as inductors or capacitors (Cp, Cs); and a tunable ferroelectric network element (R is a variable acoustic resonator) positioned in parallel with a first one of the plurality of resonant elements as called for in claim 1.
Regarding claim 2, the plurality of resonant elements (Cp, Cs) are arranged in a reduced order ladder configuration.
Regarding claim 3, a voltage generation source (controller 70) selectively coupled to the tunable ferroelectric network element.
Regarding claim 4, the tunable ferroelectric network element (R)comprises a negative capacitance for the acoustic filter.
Regarding claim 5, the tunable ferroelectric network element comprises a first acoustic resonator (R).
Regarding claim 10, Tsutsumi’s figure 4 shows an acoustic filter, comprising: adjusting a voltage applied to a tunable ferroelectric network element (R ) positioned in parallel with a first one of a plurality of resonant elements to act as a negative capacitance (Cp, Cs); and using the plurality of resonant elements as inductors or capacitors as called for in claim 10.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Tsutsumi (US 2017/0214389) reference does not disclose wherein the tunable ferroelectric network element further comprises a second acoustic resonator and a third acoustic resonator coupled to the second acoustic resonator with opposite polarity, the second and third acoustic resonators electrically parallel to the first acoustic resonator as called for in claim 6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In this regard, applicant’s cited prior art has been carefully considered.
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/TUAN T LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836 8/17/2026
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