Appeal No. 95-2948
Application 07/833,664
Dvorkis example of signals of 500 Hz in the x direction and 10 Hz in the y direction, since 10 Hz
is below the resonant frequency, the resonant frequency in the y direction would have to be 20,
25, 50, etc. for 500 Hz to be an integral multiple thereof and these few values are less likely
compared to all the other values it could have.
Bard does not disclose the resonant frequencies of the vibrating element and there is
insufficient information to reason that the resonant frequencies are not integral multiples. Singh
does not use a vibrating element and is not relevant to this limitation.
Second, claim 1 recites "means for driving said vibrating element at substantially its
resonant frequency in each of said two modes." Dvorkis discloses that in figure 4 only the
U-shaped spring 110 is driven at its resonance frequency. "Typically, the planar spring 128 will
be driven below its resonance frequency" (column 8, lines 57-58). However, because Dvorkis
discloses that the U-shaped spring 110 is driven at its resonance frequency, one skilled in the art
would have considered it obvious to likewise drive the planar spring 128 at its resonance
frequency. One reason for driving the spring at its resonance frequency that would have been
evident to one skilled in the art would be to get larger displacements at the end of the spring for
a given input signal. See Bard, column 2, line 67, to column 3, line 1 ("Larger displacements are
also possible when the frequency of the drive signal equals the mechanical resonance frequency
of the piezoelement.").
Appellant further argues that "the Dvorkis reference does not describe or suggest the
specific 'means for driving said vibrating element at substantially its resonant frequency in each of
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