US 7812505

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 7812505:

US Patent 7812505: Summary

• Title: Piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems and method of manufacturing the same
• Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI
• Inventors: Sang Kyun Lee, Sung Q Lee, Hye Jin Kim, Jae Woo Lee, Kang Ho Park, Jong Dae Kim
• Filing Date: September 29, 2008
• Issue Date: October 12, 2010
• Abstract: A piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The piezoelectric microspeaker includes a piezoelectric layer disposed on an elastic thin layer, and a resonance change unit patterned on one of a bottom surface of the elastic thin layer and a top surface of the piezoelectric layer.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a piezoelectric microspeaker that includes an elastic thin layer with a piezoelectric layer placed on top of it. A key feature is a "resonance change unit" that is patterned on either the bottom surface of the elastic thin layer or the top surface of the piezoelectric layer.
• Independent Claim 9: This claim describes a method for manufacturing such a piezoelectric microspeaker. The method involves two main steps:
  1. Building up an elastic thin layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an electrode on the top (first) surface of a silicon substrate.
  2. Creating a pattern on the bottom (second) surface of the silicon substrate (opposite the first surface), where this pattern is designed to alter the resonance frequency of the device.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, a search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not return any specific cases directly referencing US patent 7812505. The Federal Circuit's "Scheduled Cases – May 2026" document does not list this patent number. Information regarding litigation history from third-party sources (e.g., Google Patents "Family has litigation" section) indicates that US cases have been filed in the California Northern District Court and Texas Eastern District Court, but these are not CAFC dockets for 2026.Here's a concise summary of US Patent 7812505:

US Patent 7812505: Summary

• Title: Piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems and method of manufacturing the same
• Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI
• Inventors: Sang Kyun Lee, Sung Q Lee, Hye Jin Kim, Jae Woo Lee, Kang Ho Park, Jong Dae Kim
• Filing Date: September 29, 2008
• Issue Date: October 12, 2010
• Abstract: A piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The piezoelectric microspeaker includes a piezoelectric layer disposed on an elastic thin layer, and a resonance change unit patterned on one of a bottom surface of the elastic thin layer and a top surface of the piezoelectric layer.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a piezoelectric microspeaker built using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). It consists of a piezoelectric layer that sits on an elastic thin layer. A distinctive feature is a "resonance change unit" which is a patterned structure located either on the bottom side of the elastic thin layer or on the top side of the piezoelectric layer.
• Independent Claim 9: This claim outlines a manufacturing method for a piezoelectric microspeaker using MEMS. The method involves two main steps:
  1. Creating an elastic thin layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an electrode on one side (the "first surface") of a silicon substrate.
  2. Forming a specific pattern on the opposite side (the "second surface") of the silicon substrate. This pattern is designed to alter the resonance frequency of the microspeaker.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, a search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not return any specific cases directly referencing US patent 7812505. While Google Patents indicates that the patent family has litigation history in the California Northern District Court and Texas Eastern District Court, no corresponding active cases were found on the CAFC 2026 dockets.

I found information on litigation involving US Patent 7812505.

Here are the known litigation cases:

• Jurisdiction: California Northern District Court
  • Case Number: 4:26-cv-03260
  • Status: Case filed.
• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Case Number: 2:22-cv-00434
  • Status: Case filed.

Please note that specific details such as plaintiff(s), defendant(s), filing date, and outcome or current status are not provided in the readily available public snippets from Unified Patents for these cases. Accessing PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) would typically provide more detailed information, but it requires an account and may involve fees.

Proceedings overview

The USPTO ODP API returns no AIA trial proceedings for US Patent 7812505 as of the most recent ingest. A web search for PTAB proceedings related to US7812505 also did not yield any results for Inter Partes Review (IPR), Post-Grant Review (PGR), or Covered Business Method (CBM) trials. Therefore, there is currently no PTAB activity on file for this patent.

Strategic summary

Since there are no PTAB proceedings on file for US7812505, all claims (claims 1-13) remain UNTESTED by AIA trial procedures. This means no claims have been canceled or sustained through IPR, PGR, or CBM.

The estoppel landscape is entirely open. Without any prior PTAB challenges, a potential petitioner is not barred by 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) from raising any ground that was raised or reasonably could have been raised. All statutory bases (§ 102, § 103, § 112) and prior art grounds are theoretically available for a new challenge.

There are no pattern signals to observe, such as multiple IPRs by the same petitioner or aggressive appeals by the patent owner, given the absence of any proceedings.

Recommended next steps

If you are a defendant facing an assertion of US7812505 today, the primary takeaway is that the patent's validity has not been tested in an AIA trial. This means:

• Validity Challenges: All claims are currently presumed valid. A defendant would need to conduct their own prior art search and analysis to determine the strength of any potential invalidity arguments under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102, 103, or 112.
• PTAB as an Option: An AIA trial (e.g., IPR) remains a viable option for challenging the patent's validity if strong prior art grounds can be identified, as there is no estoppel from previous proceedings.
• Absence of Proceedings: The lack of PTAB activity could indicate several things: the patent may not have been heavily asserted, potential challengers may not have found strong prior art, or the patent owner may have settled previous disputes before an IPR was filed. It is not necessarily an indication of robust validity.

Inventors

• Sang Kyun Lee (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI)
• Sung Q Lee (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI)
• Hye Jin Kim (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI)
• Jae Woo Lee (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI)
• Kang Ho Park (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI)
• Jong Dae Kim (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute ETRI)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures.

Original assignee

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). ETRI is a government-funded research institute in South Korea, primarily engaged in R&D in information and communication technologies. As a research institute, it generally develops technologies and may not directly ship products embodying the claims in the same way a commercial entity would. ETRI is currently an operating entity.

Assignment timeline

• 2008-07-25 (executed) / recorded 2008-11-29 — Reel 021900/0412
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: KIM, HYE JIN; KIM, JONG DAE; LEE, JAE WOO; LEE, SANG KYUN; LEE, SUNG Q; PARK, KANG HO
  • Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
  • Correspondent: BAE, KUK JIN; MIZHO PATENT & LAW FIRM; 4F, NEW HANKUK BLDG., 190-6, NAEJA-DONG, CHONGRO-KU, SEOUL, KOREA
  • Context: Internal reorg (assignment from inventors to their employer)

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7812505
    2008 : Inventors assigned to ETRI
    2010 : Patent issued to ETRI

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The sole recorded assignment is from the individual inventors to ETRI, a government-funded research institute.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. ETRI is not a known patent asserter.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. Only one assignment is recorded, so there is no recurrence to observe. The correspondent firm, MIZHO PATENT & LAW FIRM, is based in Korea and its activity on other US patent assignments is not immediately determinable from the provided data.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The assignment predates the patent issuance and any known litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of bankruptcy for ETRI.
7. Privateering — not present. No evidence of privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is currently held by ETRI, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data. Only a single assignment from the inventors to the original assignee (ETRI) is recorded. This assignment is standard practice for employee-inventors. Without further assignment records, it is not possible to determine if the patent has been transferred to an NPE or is being used for assertion.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

US patent 7812505, titled "Piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems and method of manufacturing the same," was granted on October 12, 2010, from an application filed on September 29, 2008. The priority date is December 7, 2007.

To identify the most relevant prior art, we will examine the "Cited By" and "Citations" sections of US7812505 as listed in the patent document. The "Citations" section details prior art referenced during the examination of US7812505.

Here's an analysis of the most relevant patent citations, focusing on those that could potentially anticipate claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

US3418436A - Unidirectional condenser microphone

• Full Citation: US3418436A
• Publication Date: December 24, 1968
• Brief Description: This patent describes a unidirectional condenser microphone. While a microphone and a speaker are distinct, both are acoustic transducers. The core technology involves a condenser, which uses electrostatic principles. US7812505, in contrast, focuses on piezoelectric microspeakers.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Given that US3418436A describes a condenser microphone (electrostatic) rather than a piezoelectric microspeaker, it's unlikely to directly anticipate claims of US7812505 related to piezoelectric layers or resonance change units. However, it may be relevant to the broad concept of micromachined acoustic transducers or diaphragm structures in a very general sense.

US4783821A - IC processed piezoelectric microphone

• Full Citation: US4783821A
• Publication Date: November 8, 1988
• Filing Date: November 25, 1987
• Brief Description: This patent describes an integrated circuit (IC) processed piezoelectric microphone. This reference is highly relevant as it involves piezoelectric technology and MEMS (IC processed implies microfabrication). It specifically deals with a piezoelectric microphone.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent could potentially anticipate claims in US7812505 that broadly cover a piezoelectric layer on an elastic thin layer (claim 1) or methods of forming such layers using semiconductor processes, particularly if the described microphone structure could also function as a speaker. Its relevance would depend on the structural commonalities between the piezoelectric microphone and the piezoelectric microspeaker, especially regarding the fundamental components like the piezoelectric layer and elastic diaphragm.

US4816125A - IC processed piezoelectric microphone

• Full Citation: US4816125A
• Publication Date: March 28, 1989
• Filing Date: November 25, 1987
• Brief Description: This patent is a continuation of US4783821A and also describes an IC processed piezoelectric microphone. It shares similar core technology with US4783821A.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Similar to US4783821A, this patent could potentially anticipate claims related to the fundamental construction of a piezoelectric device on an elastic layer using microfabrication, as described in US7812505 (e.g., claim 1, and method claims 9, 10, 11).

US4885781A - Frequency-selective sound transducer

• Full Citation: US4885781A
• Publication Date: December 5, 1989
• Filing Date: September 17, 1987
• Brief Description: This patent describes a frequency-selective sound transducer. The focus on "frequency-selective" suggests mechanisms to control resonance or frequency response, which aligns with the resonance change unit in US7812505.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent might anticipate claims related to altering resonance frequencies (claim 7) or general methods for manufacturing sound transducers with specific frequency characteristics (claim 9). The specifics of the "frequency-selective" mechanism would need to be compared to the resonance change unit of US7812505 to determine direct anticipation.

JPH0884396A - Piezoelectric speaker

• Full Citation: JPH0884396A
• Publication Date: March 26, 1996
• Filing Date: September 14, 1994
• Brief Description: This Japanese patent describes a piezoelectric speaker. This is a highly relevant reference as it specifically addresses the same type of device: a piezoelectric speaker.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent could potentially anticipate a wide range of claims in US7812505, especially those related to the basic structure and function of a piezoelectric microspeaker, including the piezoelectric layer on an elastic thin layer (claim 1) and methods of manufacturing such a device (claim 9). The specific details of its construction and any frequency tuning mechanisms would be critical for evaluating anticipation of claims like the resonance change unit (claim 7).

US20030048914A1 - Micromachined piezoelectric microspeaker and fabricating method thereof

• Full Citation: US20030048914A1
• Publication Date: March 13, 2003
• Filing Date: September 12, 2001
• Brief Description: This publication details a micromachined piezoelectric microspeaker and its fabricating method. This is extremely relevant as it explicitly covers both the device type (microspeaker) and the manufacturing method using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and piezoelectric material.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This reference is likely to anticipate many of the claims in US7812505, particularly those defining the piezoelectric microspeaker (claim 1) and the method of manufacturing it (claim 9). Specific comparisons would be needed for the "resonance change unit" (claims 1 and 7) and its specific patterning techniques (claim 8) to determine if these elements are also anticipated.

US6924584B2 - Piezoelectric transducers utilizing sub-diaphragms

• Full Citation: US6924584B2
• Publication Date: August 2, 2005
• Filing Date: December 13, 2002
• Brief Description: This patent describes piezoelectric transducers utilizing sub-diaphragms. The concept of "sub-diaphragms" might relate to structures that influence the vibratory characteristics of the main diaphragm, similar to how the resonance change unit in US7812505 alters stiffness and mass.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent could potentially anticipate claims related to the resonance change unit (claim 1) and its function in altering resonance frequencies (claim 7), depending on whether the "sub-diaphragms" are patterned on the bottom surface of an elastic thin layer or top surface of a piezoelectric layer in a similar manner to the claimed invention.

US20050248238A1 - Thin film piezoelectric resonator, thin film piezoelectric device, and manufacturing method thereof

• Full Citation: US20050248238A1
• Publication Date: November 10, 2005
• Filing Date: June 20, 2002
• Brief Description: This publication discusses a thin film piezoelectric resonator, a thin film piezoelectric device, and its manufacturing method. The use of "thin film piezoelectric" and "resonator" is highly relevant to US7812505, which deals with piezoelectric layers and resonance.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent could potentially anticipate claims related to the piezoelectric layer itself (claim 1, 3, 4, 5) and the methods of forming it (claim 9, 10, 11). Depending on whether the "resonator" features include patterned structures to change resonance frequency, it might also anticipate claims 1 and 7 related to the resonance change unit.

US20060284516A1 - Microphone and a method of manufacturing a microphone

• Full Citation: US20060284516A1
• Publication Date: December 21, 2006
• Filing Date: June 8, 2005
• Brief Description: This publication describes a microphone and a method of manufacturing a microphone. While it is a microphone, the manufacturing methods and underlying piezoelectric principles could be similar to those for a microspeaker.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent might anticipate method claims (claim 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) related to depositing layers and etching a silicon substrate, especially if the described microphone structure incorporates elements that could be adapted for speaker functionality without inventive effort.

US7301212B1 - MEMS microphone

• Full Citation: US7301212B1
• Publication Date: November 27, 2007
• Filing Date: July 30, 2004
• Brief Description: This patent describes a MEMS microphone. Similar to other microphone references, the MEMS technology and use of piezoelectric principles could be relevant to the manufacturing aspects and basic structure, even if the end product is a microphone rather than a speaker.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent could potentially anticipate claims related to the general MEMS manufacturing methods (claim 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) and the fundamental layering of materials (elastic thin layer, piezoelectric layer) as broadly described in US7812505.

USRE40781E1 - Method of providing a hydrophobic layer and condenser microphone having such a layer

• Full Citation: USRE40781E1
• Publication Date: June 23, 2009
• Filing Date: May 31, 2001
• Brief Description: This is a reissue patent concerning a method of providing a hydrophobic layer and a condenser microphone. This reference focuses on condenser microphones and a specific hydrophobic layer, which differs from the piezoelectric and resonance change unit focus of US7812505.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent is less likely to directly anticipate claims of US7812505 due to the differing transducer type (condenser vs. piezoelectric) and the specific focus on a hydrophobic layer, which is not a primary feature of US7812505.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US7812505

The present analysis evaluates the obviousness of US Patent 7812505 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, considering combinations of prior art references cited within the patent document. The core of US7812505 lies in a piezoelectric microspeaker (and its manufacturing method) that incorporates a "resonance change unit" to shift resonance frequencies, particularly from an audible to an inaudible band. This unit is described as a patterned structure, often a protrusion, formed by etching the silicon substrate.

Claims of US7812505

The key claims under consideration are:

• Claim 1 (Apparatus): A piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), comprising: a piezoelectric layer disposed on an elastic thin layer; and a resonance change unit patterned on one of a bottom surface of the elastic thin layer and a top surface of the piezoelectric layer.
• Claim 9 (Method): A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric microspeaker using MEMS, comprising: forming an elastic thin layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an electrode over a first surface of a silicon substrate; and forming a pattern over a second surface of the silicon substrate, the second surface being on an opposing side of the first surface, the pattern being configured to change a resonance frequency.

Dependent claims further specify materials, layering, bonding, etching techniques, and the purpose of the resonance change unit.

Prior Art Combinations and Motivation for Obviousness

A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in the field of MEMS piezoelectric transducers, seeking to address known challenges such as undesirable resonance frequencies in the audible band, would have found the claimed inventions obvious in light of the following combinations of prior art:

Combination for Claims 1, 6, and 7 (Apparatus and related features)

• Primary References: US20030048914A1 (Yi), US6924584B2 (Palo Alto Research Center Inc.).
• Secondary Reference: WO2007078646A1 (Intel Corporation).

1. Known MEMS Piezoelectric Microspeakers: Yi teaches a micromachined piezoelectric microspeaker and its fabrication, including a piezoelectric layer formed on a diaphragm (elastic thin layer) over a silicon substrate. Eunki Hong et al. similarly describe micromachined piezoelectric diaphragms with a PZT thin film on a silicon diaphragm.
2. Concept of Resonance Tuning/Frequency Control: Yi explicitly mentions "tuning a resonance frequency to a desired frequency" to achieve "uniform acoustic characteristics" by forming "sound emitting holes" in the diaphragm. While these are holes, they represent patterned features on the diaphragm designed to modify resonance. Palo Alto Research Center discloses piezoelectric transducers where diaphragms have "features which affect the mechanical response of the transducers to achieve frequency selective operation," utilizing "multiple sub-diaphragms" defined by "etched regions." This directly teaches patterning a diaphragm to control its frequency response. Intel's patent further reinforces the general concept of "frequency tuning" in film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) by "modifying a mass of the resonator by adding or subtracting material" or "modifying a stress in the resonator."
3. Motivation to Combine: The background of US7812505 itself highlights the problem of "a plurality of resonance frequencies are included in an audible frequency band." A POSITA, aware of this problem and the teachings of Yi and Palo Alto Research Center regarding diaphragm patterning for resonance tuning/frequency selection, would be motivated to combine these approaches. Knowing that modifying the mass and/or stiffness of a vibrating diaphragm alters its resonance frequencies (as supported by Intel), a POSITA would find it obvious to implement a patterned structure, such as a localized protrusion (resonance change unit), on the bottom surface of the elastic thin layer (which forms part of the diaphragm assembly). This protrusion, by locally varying the mass and stiffness, would shift the resonance frequencies. The specific placement "on the bottom surface of the elastic thin layer" would be a matter of routine design choice to achieve the desired mechanical modification and manage fabrication. Claim 7, which specifies patterning to change resonance frequency from an audible to an inaudible band, describes a desired outcome that would be an obvious objective for a POSITA applying known frequency tuning techniques to address the stated problem.

Combination for Claims 9, 8, 12, and 13 (Method and related features)

• Primary References: US20030048914A1 (Yi), US6924584B2 (Palo Alto Research Center Inc.).
• Secondary Reference: General knowledge of MEMS fabrication techniques.

1. Standard MEMS Manufacturing: Yi teaches a method of manufacturing a micromachined piezoelectric microspeaker involving depositing layers (e.g., elastic thin layer, piezoelectric layer, electrode) on a silicon substrate. Yi also details etching the silicon substrate from the rear surface (opposing side) to create a back cavity, allowing the diaphragm to vibrate. This establishes the foundational steps of Claim 9.
2. Patterning by Etching for Resonance Control: Palo Alto Research Center teaches that "etched regions define the sub-diaphragms" which are used for "frequency selective operation" by affecting the mechanical response of the transducer.
3. Motivation to Combine: A POSITA manufacturing MEMS piezoelectric microspeakers, following known processes like those in Yi, would perform backside etching of the silicon substrate. Recognizing the need to control resonance frequencies (as described in Yi and the background of US7812505), and having the knowledge from Palo Alto Research Center that patterning by etching can achieve such control, the POSITA would be motivated to modify the standard backside etching step. This modification would involve creating a specific pattern (e.g., a protrusion, which the patent itself describes as "leaving the silicon during the etching of the silicon substrate") on the opposing surface of the silicon substrate. This pattern would then act to change the resonance frequency, fulfilling the purpose of the claimed invention.
4. Etching Techniques (Claims 8, 12): The use of Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) or anisotropic Si etching (e.g., KOH wet etching) for patterning silicon substrates in MEMS is well-established and represents routine choices for a POSITA. US7812505 itself states that the resonance change unit can be patterned using DRIE or anisotropic Si etching and that the silicon substrate can be etched using DRIE or KOH wet etching.
5. Multiple Etching Steps (Claim 13): US7812505 acknowledges that "the nonuniformity of the silicon substrate ... greatly affects the sound quality ... etching ... may be performed twice or three times." Multi-step etching processes are known in MEMS to improve uniformity, achieve complex geometries, or control etch depth, especially when precision is critical for device performance. A POSITA facing known issues of non-uniformity in etching, particularly for an acoustically sensitive device, would find it obvious to employ multiple etching steps to mitigate this problem and improve acoustic quality.

Obviousness of Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11)

These claims describe specific materials, layer structures, and fabrication details that are generally known and conventional in the MEMS piezoelectric transducer art:

• Claim 2 (Elastic thin layer material): Silicon, silicon oxide, or silicon nitride. Yi, Palo Alto Research Center, and Eunki Hong et al. all teach these materials for diaphragms.
• Claim 3 (Piezoelectric layer bonding/deposition): Bonding with epoxy adhesive or sol-gel deposition. Intel mentions sol-gel deposition for piezoelectric materials. Epoxy adhesives are also commonly used for bonding in MEMS.
• Claim 4 (Piezoelectric layer single material): PZT, PMN-PT, PVDF, ZnO, AlN, lead-free. Yi and Palo Alto Research Center both teach the use of PZT, ZnO, and PVDF.
• Claim 5 (Piezoelectric layer multiple-layer structure): Including Ti, Pt, PZT, and Pt layers. This is a common and well-known electrode and piezoelectric material stack in PZT thin-film MEMS fabrication.
• Claim 10 (Method with lower electrode, insulating layer, upper electrode): This describes a standard architecture for piezoelectric microspeakers with upper and lower electrodes, as generally shown in Yi and FIG. 1 of US7812505 itself.
• Claim 11 (Method with adhesive, piezoelectric layer, interdigitated electrode): Eunki Hong et al. explicitly describes "micromachined piezoelectric diaphragms actuated by ring shaped interdigitated transducer electrodes" with PZT thin films on silicon diaphragms. The use of an adhesive for bonding piezoelectric layers is also a known technique.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis of the cited prior art, all claims of US7812505 would likely be found obvious to a POSITA. The concept of using patterned structures to modify resonance frequencies in MEMS piezoelectric transducers was known. The specific implementation of a "resonance change unit" as a patterned protrusion formed by etching the silicon substrate is an obvious variation and combination of existing techniques and motivations in the field of MEMS acoustic devices. The materials, fabrication methods, and layer structures described in the dependent claims are also widely disclosed or represent routine engineering choices within the art.

To determine the full legal life and related applications for US Patent 7812505, we need to consult official USPTO records.

A patent's term is generally 20 years from its earliest effective filing date, with potential adjustments or extensions.

Here's a breakdown for US Patent 7812505:

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA)

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) adds days to the term of a patent to compensate for certain delays by the USPTO during prosecution. The USPTO calculates PTA at the time of patent issuance and it is typically included in the Issue Notification Letter. Applicant delays can reduce any awarded PTA.

Based on the Google Patents record for US7812505, the patent does not explicitly state any awarded Patent Term Adjustments on its front page. To get the precise PTA, one would need to access the official patent file wrapper via USPTO's Patent Center.

Patent Term Extensions (PTE)

Patent Term Extensions (PTE) are available for patents on certain human drugs, food or color additives, medical devices, animal drugs, and veterinary biological products to restore a portion of the patent term lost while awaiting premarket government approval from a regulatory agency, such as the FDA. A PTE cannot exceed five years and the total patent term, including the restoration period, cannot exceed 14 years following agency approval.

US Patent 7812505 is titled "Piezoelectric microspeaker using microelectromechanical systems and method of manufacturing the same." This subject matter (microspeakers) does not fall into the categories of products eligible for PTE under 35 U.S.C. § 156. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that this patent has received any Patent Term Extension.

Continuation Applications

A continuation application is an application for the invention(s) disclosed in a prior-filed copending nonprovisional application. The disclosure must not include any new matter that would constitute new matter if submitted as an amendment to the parent application. It must be filed while the parent application is still pending.

The Google Patents page for US7812505 indicates that it is the direct grant from application number US12/240,138. There are no listed continuation applications for US7812505 within the provided "Other versions" or "Applications Claiming Priority" sections that would suggest subsequent continuation filings from US7812505 itself.

Divisional Applications

A divisional application is a type of continuing application that claims subject matter only disclosed in an earlier, parent application, but with distinct claims. It is typically filed when an examiner requires restriction between two or more independent and distinct inventions claimed in a single application. Like continuation applications, divisional applications must be filed while the parent application is still pending.

Based on the provided information, there are no listed divisional applications for US7812505.

Related Family Members

The "Family has litigation" section on Google Patents lists related applications. In this context, "family" refers to a collection of patent documents that cover the same invention and have at least one common inventor, showing a patent lineage back to a priority date.

For US7812505, the following related family members are identified:

• Application Number: US12/240,138 (the application that led to US7812505B2).
• Publication Number: US20090146527A1 (the pre-grant publication of US12/240,138).
• Korean Priority Application: KR1020070126788A, filed December 7, 2007, which is the priority document for US7812505. This Korean application led to KR100931575B1, also listed in the "Also Published As" section.

Projected Expiration Date

The basic patent term for a U.S. utility patent filed on or after June 8, 1995, is 20 years from the earliest effective filing date. US Patent 7812505 was filed on September 29, 2008, and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2007-126788, filed December 7, 2007. The 20-year term is calculated from the earliest priority date, which is December 7, 2007.

Therefore, the base expiration date would be December 7, 2027.

However, Google Patents itself provides an "Adjusted expiration" date. This date incorporates any Patent Term Adjustment (PTA). For US7812505, Google Patents lists the "Adjusted expiration" date as January 23, 2029. This indicates that there was a Patent Term Adjustment granted to the patent, extending its term beyond the initial 20 years from its priority date.

Therefore, the projected expiration date for US Patent 7812505 is January 23, 2029.