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 .
In the response to this Office Action, the Examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the Examiner in prosecuting this application.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO internet Web site contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit http://www.uspto.gov/forms/. The filing date of the application will determine what form should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 7-17 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-17 of U.S. Patent 12,424,019 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other.
The following is an example for comparing claim 7 of this application and claims 1 and 7 of U.S. Patent 12,436,639 B2:
Claim 7 of this application
Claims 1 and 7 of U.S. Patent 12,424,019 B2
7. An ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus, configured to be arranged under a display screen of an electronic device to recognize under-display ultrasonic fingerprint, wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus comprises:
a substrate, a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode stacked sequentially, wherein the lower electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the upper electrode form a piezoelectric transducer for emitting an ultrasonic signal and receiving an ultrasonic signal reflected from a finger on the display screen;
wherein a first region of the substrate comprises a plurality of metal layers, the lower electrode is disposed on a second region of the substrate, a top metal layer among the plurality of metal layers comprises an N number of drive traces, N=1 or N is a positive integer greater than 1, the upper electrode extends from an upper surface of the piezoelectric layer to the N number of drive traces for connection with the N number of drive traces, a distance between other traces adjacent to the N number of drive traces in the top metal layer and the N number of drive traces is greater than or equal to 10 μm; and/or, the other traces adjacent to the N number of drive traces on the top metal layer are grounded.
1. An ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus, being arranged under a display screen of an electronic device to implement under-display ultrasonic fingerprint identification, wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus comprises:
an ultrasonic fingerprint chip, comprising:
a substrate; and
a plurality of metal layers arranged in a first region of the substrate; and
a piezoelectric transducer, arranged above the ultrasonic fingerprint chip and comprising:
a piezoelectric layer;
an upper electrode located above the piezoelectric layer; and
a lower electrode located below the piezoelectric layer and above a second region of the substrate, wherein:
a top metal layer among the plurality of metal layers comprises N drive traces;
N=1 or N is a positive integer greater than 1;
a passivation layer is provided above the top metal layer, and provided with a first window corresponding to the N drive traces; and
the upper electrode extends from an upper surface of the piezoelectric layer into the first window for connection to respective first connection regions of the N drive traces located in the first window.
7. The ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance between other traces adjacent to the N drive traces on the top metal layer and the N drive traces is larger than or equal to 10 μm; and/or the other traces adjacent to the N drive traces on the top metal layer are grounded.
The limitations of claim 7 of current application are broader and are therefore anticipated by those found in claims 1 and 7 of U.S. Patent 12,424,019 B2.
Claims 8-17 are similarly rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-17 of U.S. Patent 12,424,019 B2.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6 are allowed.
The following is an Examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Applicant's claims presented on 07/27/2026 in conjunction with the examiner’s amendment authorized by applicant on 09/04/2026 constitute the basis for the reasons of allowance as the current prior art of record, considered individually or in combination, fails to teach or reasonably suggest the claimed features of claim 1structurally and functionally interconnected with other limitations in the manner as cited in the claims and dependent claims. Examiner notes that the current invention as disclosed in the independent claims is allowed in its entirety. Each and every limitation working together in concert realizes the current claimed invention’s novelty. No single limitation alone accomplishes the allowability of the inventive independent claim(s), rather each and every limitation of the claim(s) and their disclosed relationships are integral.
None of the references, either singularly or in combination, teach or fairly suggest an ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus, configured to be arranged under a display screen of an electronic device to recognize under-display ultrasonic fingerprint, wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus comprises: a substrate, a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode stacked sequentially, wherein the lower electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the upper electrode form a piezoelectric transducer for emitting an ultrasonic signal and receiving an ultrasonic signal reflected from a finger on the display screen; wherein a first region of the substrate comprises a plurality of metal layers, the lower electrode is disposed on a second region of the substrate, a top metal layer among the plurality of metal layers comprise an N number of drive traces, N=1 or N is a positive integer greater than 1, a passivation layer is provided on the top metal layer and provided with a first window corresponding to the N number of drive traces; and the upper electrode extends from an upper surface of the piezoelectric layer into the first window for connection to respective first connection regions of the N number of drive traces in the first window, and a surface of each of the first connection regions in the first window has an anti-oxidative protective layer.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0005290 A1 to Liu et al. discloses a fingerprint identification structure, comprising: a driving electrode layer, comprising N driving electrodes arranged at intervals; a piezoelectric material layer, located on a side of the driving electrode layer; a receiving electrode layer, located on a side of the piezoelectric material layer away from the driving electrode layer, and comprising M receiving electrodes; an auxiliary driving electrode layer, located on a side of the piezoelectric material layer away from the receiving electrode layer, and arranged in a different layer from the driving electrode layer; and
a first insulating layer, located between the driving electrode layer and the auxiliary driving electrode layer, wherein the auxiliary driving electrode layer comprises N auxiliary driving electrodes, the N driving electrodes and the N auxiliary driving electrodes are alternately arranged, an orthographic projection of an i-th auxiliary driving electrode on the piezoelectric material layer is overlapped with an interval between an orthographic projection of an i-th driving electrode on the piezoelectric material layer and an orthographic projection of an (i+1)-th driving electrode on the piezoelectric material layer, M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and i is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than N.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0036027 A1 to Li et al. discloses a fingerprint identification module, comprising a base substrate and a plurality of fingerprint identification regions located on the base substrate, wherein each of the plurality of fingerprint identification regions comprises: a plurality of receiving electrodes; a piezoelectric material layer, located at a side of the plurality of receiving electrodes; and a plurality of driving electrodes, located at a side of the piezoelectric material layer away from the plurality of receiving electrodes; wherein the plurality of receiving electrodes, the piezoelectric material layer and the plurality of driving electrodes form a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, each of the plurality of fingerprint identification regions is correspondingly provided with at least one driving chip, the plurality of driving electrodes in each of the plurality of fingerprint identification regions are connected with an output terminal of the at least one driving chip, and the at least one driving chip is configured to apply a driving voltage to the plurality of driving electrodes so as to drive the plurality of ultrasonic sensors in the corresponding fingerprint identification region to perform fingerprint identification.
However, none of the above teach or fairly suggest the ultrasonic fingerprint apparatus and electronic device as claimed.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 7-17 are allowable over prior art and will be allowed once the double patenting rejection is resolved.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABHISHEK SARMA whose telephone number is (571)272-9887. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon - Fri 8:00-5:00.
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/ABHISHEK SARMA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2621
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