Appeal No. 96-4204
Application 08/148,307
beam. The center of gravity being coplanar with the beam,
however, is not the same as the masses being coplanar with the
sensor plate as recited in claim 1. The masses of Albert are
clearly not part of a planar sensor plate. Therefore, we do not
sustain the rejection of claim 1 as anticipated by the disclosure
of Albert.
With respect to independent claim 8, appellant argues
that Albert does not teach the claimed semiconductor substrate
and a planar sensor plate suspended between a first and a second
capacitor plate [brief, pages 7-8]. The examiner responds that
the transducer of Albert is made of piezoelectric material,
quartz or metal and since quartz and semiconductors are both
crystalline materials, the recitation of claim 8 is fully met.
We do not agree.
Although a semiconductor material such as silicon or
germanium is a crystalline material, not every crystalline
material is a semiconductor. The examiner’s conclusion that the
quartz of Albert is a semiconductor substrate is untenable and
defies accepted knowledge that quartz is not a semiconductor.
The examiner’s own supplied dictionary definition is that quartz
is an oxide of silicon and such an oxide is known to be an
insulating material and not a semiconductor. We note for the
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