DETAILED ACTION
Applicant’s response, filed December 9, 2025, are fully acknowledged by the Examiner. Currently, claims 1-20 are pending. The following is a complete response to the December 9, 2025 communication.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A directed to claims 1-12 in the reply filed on December 9, 2025 is acknowledged. Claims 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species B, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on December 9, 2025
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US Pat. Pub. 2018/0264281 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kim provides for a method of focusing radio waves, which is performed by a processor, the method comprising:
generating an anatomic numerical model for electromagnetic analysis inside a living body including a focusing target (see [0072] providing for the mapping module 230 to generate the mapping model including the target point 320),
calculating a current distribution, in which radio waves are focusable at a target depth inside the living body, based on the anatomic numerical model (see [0121] providing for the e-field distribution within the living body including at the target point 320), and
extracting a pattern combination of antenna modules in which the calculated current distribution is implementable (see [0121] providing that the analysis provide for the determination of the pattern of antenna 311-316 for targeting the point 320), wherein the pattern combination is formed by controlling one or more antenna elements configured to radiate radio waves through switches individually coupled to two or more antenna elements (via the control through the main controller 410 and the power divider 430 to selectively control the amplitude/phase/ and power to each of 311-316 as in at least [0101]).
Regarding claim 2, Kim provides that the generating of the anatomic numerical model further includes measuring radio wave characteristic information including permittivity, conductivity, and/or impedance through a radio wave characteristic measurement module (see at least [0010], [0015], [0027] and [0107]-[0110] providing for the use of permittivity and conductivity).
Regarding claim 3, Kim provides that the anatomic numerical model includes acquiring external information that includes a target area and a target size of the living body including the focusing target (see at least [0059] providing for the mapping model including “a phantom model corresponding to the target point … a predetermined body portion, of the object 150” with such being external information relative to the target area and the target size including the focus point).
Regarding claim 4, Kim provides that the pattern combination is extracted by combining channel weights according to an arrangement of antenna element pattern modules (see [0121] providing for the extracting of a weighting for the channel for each of the antennas 311-316 to determine “an amplitude value of a signal allocated to each of the transmission antennas 311 through 316”).
Regarding claim 5, Kim provides that, wherein, in the antenna element pattern modules, the two or more antenna elements are formed in concentric circle shapes having different radii (See figures 3 and 4 with the antenna elements 311-316 being defined within concentric circle shapes as delimited by the inner and outer circular shapes as in figures 3 and 4 with the different radii).
Regarding claim 6, Kim provides that, in the antenna element pattern modules, two or more antenna elements are disposed in a grid form on a plane (see figures 3 and 4 with the cross-section therein defined along a plane and showing a grid formed thereon in which 311-316 are defined along)
Regarding claim 7, Kim provides for an apparatus for focusing radio waves with an adjustable focusing depth, the apparatus comprising:
a memory in which one or more instructions are stored (See [0131] providing for the instructions to be on a memory), and a processor (main controller 410) configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory , wherein the processor configured to execute the one or more instructions performs an operation of:
generating an anatomic numerical model for electromagnetic analysis inside a living body including a focusing target (see [0072] providing for the mapping module 230 to generate the mapping model including the target point 320),
calculating a current distribution, in which radio waves are focusable at a target depth inside the living body, based on the anatomic numerical model (see [0121] providing for the e-field distribution within the living body including at the target point 320), and
extracting a pattern combination of antenna modules in which the calculated current distribution is implementable (see [0121] providing that the analysis provide for the determination of the pattern of antenna 311-316 for targeting the point 320), and the pattern combination is formed by controlling one or more antenna elements configured to radiate radio waves through switches individually coupled to two or more antenna elements (via the control through the main controller 410 and the power divider 430 to selectively control the amplitude/phase/ and power to each of 311-316 as in at least [0101]).
Regarding claim 8, Kim provides that the operation of, by the processor, generating the anatomic numerical model further includes measuring radio wave characteristic information including permittivity, conductivity, and/or impedance through a radio wave characteristic measurement module (see at least [0010], [0015], [0027] and [0107]-[0110] providing for the use of permittivity and conductivity).
Regarding claim 9, Kim provides that wherein the operation of, by the processor, generating the anatomic numerical model further includes acquiring external information that includes a target area and a target size of the living body including the focusing target (see at least [0059] providing for the mapping model including “a phantom model corresponding to the target point … a predetermined body portion, of the object 150” with such being external information relative to the target area and the target size including the focus point).
Regarding claim 10, Kim provides that the pattern combination is extracted by combining channel weights according to an arrangement of antenna element pattern modules (see [0121] providing for the extracting of a weighting for the channel for each of the antennas 311-316 to determine “an amplitude value of a signal allocated to each of the transmission antennas 311 through 316”).
Regarding claim 11, Kim provides that, in the antenna element pattern modules, two or more antenna elements are formed in concentric circle shapes having different radii (See figures 3 and 4 with the antenna elements 311-316 being defined within concentric circle shapes as delimited by the inner and outer circular shapes as in figures 3 and 4 with the different radii).
Regarding claim 12, Kim provides that wherein, in the antenna element pattern modules, the two or more antenna elements are disposed in a grid form on a plane (see figures 3 and 4 with the cross-section therein defined along a plane and showing a grid formed thereon in which 311-316 are defined along).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RONALD HUPCZEY, JR whose telephone number is (571)270-5534. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday; 8 am - 4 pm.
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/Ronald Hupczey, Jr./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3794