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 § 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.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kondo et al. (US 2022/0059752; “Kondo”; reference of record).
Regarding claim 1, Kondo teaches a method of manufacturing an oscillator (1c; figure 9) including a container (30) in which a resonator (43) is accommodated and a base substrate (10), the method comprising:
applying a plurality of first insulating adhesives (Insulating bonding members 50 are formed from epoxy resin, polyimide resin, or silicon resin. Para. [0032]) to the container (30) form a plurality of first projecting portions (50) on the container (30);
applying a plurality of second insulating adhesives (Insulating bonding bump members 16 are formed from epoxy resin, polyimide resin, or silicon resin. Para. [0049]) to the base substrate (10) and curing the plurality of second insulating adhesives (13) by heat (para. [0050]) to form a plurality of second projecting portions (16);
applying a bonding material (17) onto the plurality of second projecting portions (16); and
bonding the plurality of first projecting portions (50) and the plurality of second projecting portions (16) with the bonding material (17) interposed therebetween to mount the container (30) on the base substrate (10).
Kondo fails to teach curing the plurality of first insulating adhesives by heat to form the plurality of first projecting portions.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to cure insulating resin bonding members of an oscillator with heat to form projecting portions. For example, Kondo teaches curing insulating resin bonding members 16 with heat to form projecting portions in para. [0050]. It is noted that the first insulating resin bonding members 50 and the second insulating resin bonding members 16 of Kondo are formed from the same insulating materials, such as epoxy resin, polyimide resin, or silicon resin (para. [0032] and [0049]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to cure the first insulating adhesives of Kondo by heat because such a modification would have been exercising a well-known protocol for forming oscillation projecting portions from resin-based insulating adhesives.
As for claim 3, Kondo teaches wherein the container (30) includes a base (31) and a lid (32), and
the plurality of first projecting portions (50) are formed on the lid (32).
Regarding claim 4, Kondo teaches wherein the container (30) includes a terminal (37) formed on the base (31), and
the terminal (37) and the base substrate (10) are electrically connected to each other via a bonding wire (52).
As for claim 5, Kondo teaches wherein a larger projecting portion of the plurality of first projecting portions (50) has a larger area in a plan view than any of the plurality of second projecting portions (16) (see dimensions in figure 9).
Regarding claim 7, Kondo teaches wherein the larger projecting portion (50) is bonded to any one of the plurality of second projecting portions (16).
As for claim 8, Kondo teaches wherein the oscillator includes an integrated circuit (41) including an oscillation circuit (61) accommodated in the container (30).
Regarding claim 9, Kondo teaches wherein the integrated circuit (41) further includes a temperature compensation circuit (62) and a temperature sensor (63).
Regarding claim 10, Kondo teaches the method of manufacturing an oscillator according to claim 9, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the oscillator further includes a heater fixed to the container.
The embodiment in figures 10-11 of Kondo includes a heater (80) fixed to container (30) that maintains the oscillator at a constant temperature to improve frequency stability of the oscillator. See paragraph [0055] of Kondo.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a heater to figure 9 of Kondo because such a modification would have provided the benefit of stabilizing the oscillation frequency of Kondo against temperature fluctuations.
As for claim 11, Kondo teaches wherein the container (30) includes a base (31), a lid (32), and a plurality of terminals (37) formed on a surface of the base (31) opposite to the lid (32), and the plurality of terminals (37) includes a first terminal and a second terminal (see figure 9),
the plurality of first projecting portions (50) are formed on a surface of the lid (32) opposite to the base (31), and the plurality of first projecting portions (50) include a first projecting portion and a second projecting portion (see projecting portions 50 in figure 9), and
the first projecting portion (50) and the second projecting portion (50) at least partially overlap with the first terminal (37) and the second terminal (37), respectively, in a plan view (see figure 9).
Regarding claim 12, Kondo teaches wherein the container (30) includes first and second edges (left and right edges of container 30 in figure 9) opposite to each other in a first direction (X),
the first terminal (37) is located closest to the first edge (left edge of container 30 in X direction) among the plurality of terminals, and
the second terminal (37) is located closest to the second edge (right edge of container 30 in X direction) among the plurality of terminals.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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: The best prior art reference of record, Kondo, fails to teach:
“wherein the larger projecting portion is boned to each of the plurality of second projecting portions.”, as set forth in claim 6.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEVI GANNON whose telephone number is (571)272-7971. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00AM-4:30PM.
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836 September 25, 2026
