DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter.
The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because none of the claims are directed to statutory subject matter.
Claim 1 is directed to an “equivalent circuit model”. A model is not a process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter.
Claim 2 is directed to a program, which is software per se. Software per se is not a process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. MPEP §2106.03(I).
Claim 3 is directed to a computer-readable recording medium, the broadest reasonable interpretation of which is as a signal per se. See, MPEP §2106.03(I) (“Transitory forms of signal transmission (often referred to as "signals per se"), such as a propagating electrical or electromagnetic signal or carrier wave”).
Claim 4 is directed to “a simulation device” but no actual physical structures are recited and the claim distinguishes the simulation device from an actual computer. Accordingly, the claim is not directed to any of the stator categories. See, MPEP §2106.03(I) (“Non-limiting examples of claims that are not directed to any of the statutory categories include: Products that do not have a physical or tangible form, such as information (often referred to as "data per se") or a computer program per se (often referred to as "software per se") when claimed as a product without any structural recitations”).
Examiners Note: The claims as discussed above fail the subject matter eligibility test at Step 1 as outlined in MPEP §2106(III). Applicants should ensure that any amendments to overcome the §101 rejection fully meet Steps 2A and 2B as well.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Schefler et al., “Modelling an anti-ferroelectric ceramic capacitor for time and frequency domain simulations of power systems” teaches modelling AFE ceramic capacitors using equivalent circuits.
Morris et al. (US 2019/0371802) teaches an anti-ferroelectric capacitor memory cell.
Slesazeck et al. (US 2020/0357453) teaches a ferroelectric memory and logic cell and operation method.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN W WATHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5570. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Trujillo can be reached at 571-272-3677. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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BRIAN W. WATHEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2151
/BRIAN W WATHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2151
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