Appeal No. 94-3696
Application 07/995,230
(Jarvis)
May, Jr. 3,902,084 Aug. 26, 1975
Rudnick 3,474,268 Oct. 21, 1969
The Rejections on Appeal
Claims 1-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Carson or Jarvis, in view of Rudnick or May.
The Invention
The invention is directed to a tactile sensing apparatus and
method which senses physical force and generates a corresponding
electrical signal through a piezoelectric effect material. A
temporary low voltage electrical charge is applied to the
piezoelectric effect material for preconditioning the material.
Claims 1 and 20 are the sole independent claims and are
reproduced below:
1. Force magnitude and force pattern responsive tactile
sensing apparatus comprising the combination of:
a two-dimensional array of electrode elements
disposed in electrical and physical isolation across a planar
surface area portion of a semiconductor substrate member;
a force responsive physically deformable film of
piezoelectric effect material disposed over said array of
electrode elements and said substrate member surface area
portions, in electrical capacitance coupling with said electrode
element array;
an electrically conductive common electrode member
disposed over a second distal surface portion of said film of
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007