Appeal No. 1997-4050
Application 08/535,317
1. A microstructural transducer, comprising:
a microstructural platform;
a movable microstructural member;
a microstructural linkage elastically coupling said movable
microstructural member to said microstructural platform;
measuring means for sensing displacement of said movable
microstructural member relative to said platform;
first control means for inducing a first force field in
response to said displacement; and
second control means for inducing a second force field near
said movable member in accordance with a predetermined stimulus.
9. The transducer of Claim 1 wherein said second force field
is an electrostatic field and said second control means comprises
a conductive platen on said platform which is held at a voltage to
generate said electrostatic field.
The references relied upon by the examiner as evidence of
obviousness are:
Hulsing, II (Hulsing) 4,459,759 Jul. 17, 1984
Henrion et al. (Henrion) 5,134,881 Aug. 04, 1992
Claims 1, 3-9 and 12-27 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as unpatentable over Henrion.
Claims 2, 10, 11, 28, 50-57 and 59 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over Henrion in view of Hulsing.
The respective positions of the examiner and the appellants
with regard to the propriety of these rejections are set forth in
the final rejection (Paper No. 23) and the examiner’s answer
(Paper No. 31), and the appellants’ brief (Paper No. 28).
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