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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-13 and 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Price et al. (GB 2331185).
Regarding claim 1, Price discloses a radar system comprising: a radar sensor comprising an antenna (10) configured to emit a radar beam towards a predefined region (page 8, line 25- page 9, line 11, note “common arrangement”, also Figure 11a); and
a reflector (30) spaced apart from the radar sensor and configured to: redirect at least part of the radar beam towards a target region different from the predefined region, and redirect a reflection of the radar beam originating from the target region onto the radar sensor (e.g. Figures 1b and 8; while only receive radiation is illustrated in relation to the reflector, a common transmit and receive arrangement is also disclosed; see also page 10, lines 5-16).
Regarding claim 2, Price discloses the radar sensor is a monostatic radar sensor (transmit & receive); and the reflector is configured to redirect the reflection of the radar beam onto the antenna (e.g. Figures 1b and 8).
Regarding claims 3-5, Price discloses the reflector is symmetrical with respect to a line of symmetry or a plane of symmetry (central axis CC) and tapers toward an apex or edge toward the radar sensor (e.g. Figures 1b and 8; Page 5, lines 1-13).
Regarding claim 6, Price discloses the line of symmetry or plane of symmetry extends through a phase center of the antenna (phase center of the array, page 4, lines 9-10).
Regarding claim 7, Price discloses the line of symmetry or the plane of symmetry is displaced with respect to a phase center of the antenna (phase center of an individual antenna, e.g. Fig. 1b).
Regarding claim 8, Price discloses the reflector comprises an outer surface configured to redirect the at least part of the radar beam and the reflection of the radar beam; and wherein at least the outer surface of the reflector is metallic (page 5, lines 8-13).
Regarding claim 9, Price discloses the reflector spatially extends over an entire beamwidth of the radar beam (as illustrated, e.g. Figures 1b and 8).
Regarding claim 10, Price discloses an imaginary line between a phase center of the antenna and any boundary point of the predefined region is tilted by at least 10 degrees with respect to an imaginary line between the phase center and any boundary point of the target region (as illustrated, e.g. Figure 8).
Regarding claim 11, Price discloses the antenna comprises an emitting surface configured to emit the radar beam (Fig. 11a); and the target region extends over at least 120 degrees along a plane parallel to the emitting surface when viewed from a phase center of the antenna (360 degrees; page 10, lines 5-16).
Regarding claim 12, Price discloses the target region comprises subregions which are opposing with respect to a phase center of the antenna (See Figures 11a & 11b).
Regarding claim 13, it is implicitly disclosed by Price that the radar sensor is configured to determine, based on the reflection of the radar beam, at least one of presence, a movement, or a distance of an object in an environment of the radar system, as the radar is for missile fuzing applications (page 1, lines 1-10).
Regarding claim 15, Price discloses a method for operating a radar system comprising a radar sensor and a reflector spaced apart from the radar sensor, the method comprising: emitting, at an antenna (10) of the radar sensor, a radar beam towards a predefined region (page 8, line 25- page 9, line 11, note “common arrangement” and Figure 11a);
redirecting, using the reflector (30), the radar beam towards a target region different from the predefined region; and redirecting, using the reflector, a reflection of the radar beam originating from the target region onto the radar sensor (e.g. Figures 1b and 8; while only receive radiation is illustrated in relation to the reflector, a common transmit and receive arrangement is also disclosed per above; see also page 10, lines 5-16).
Regarding claim 16, Price discloses the reflector comprises a convex shaped metallic surface facing a surface of the antenna of the radar sensor (page 5, lines 8-13).
Regarding claim 17, Price illustrates the target region is outside an angular range of the radar sensor (e.g. Figures 1b and 8).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Price as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Goss et al. (4,236,157).
Regarding claim 14, while Price discloses an application of missile fuze triggering (page 1, lines 1-5), the disclosure of Price does not specifically require control circuitry configured to control an operation of an electronic device based on an output signal of the radar system. Goss similarly discloses a radar based fuze where control circuitry of an electronic device is configured to control an operation of the electronic device based on an output signal of the radar system (column 1, lines 7-10; column 2, lines 4-21). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art with a reasonable expectation of success to employ control circuity in the device of Price as disclosed by Goss in order to trigger the missile at a specified height.
Claim(s) 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Price et al. (GB 2331185) in view of Toth et al. (5,451,969) and Goss et al. (4,236,157).
Regarding claim 18, Price discloses a system comprising a radar sensor comprising a radar antenna (10), the radar antenna having an emitting surface facing in a first direction and having a first angular range (e.g. Figures 1b and 8);
a reflector (30) disposed above the emitting surface of the radar antenna in the first direction, the reflector having a convex surface facing the emitting surface (page 5, lines 8-13), wherein the reflector is configured to extend an angular range of the monostatic radar system outside of the first angular range (e.g. Figures 1b and 8; while only receive radiation is illustrated in relation to the reflector, a common transmit and receive arrangement is also disclosed per above; see also page 10, lines 5-16).
While Price discloses an application of missile fuze triggering (page 1, lines 1-5), the disclosure of Price does not specifically require control circuitry configured to control an operation of the system based on an output signal of the radar sensor. Goss similarly discloses a radar based fuze where control circuitry is configured to control an operation of the system based on an output signal of the radar (column 1, lines 7-10; column 2, lines 4-21). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art with a reasonable expectation of success to employ control circuity in the device of Price as disclosed by Goss in order to trigger the missile at a specified height.
Price discloses the radar antenna is a patch array (page 4, lines 14-15) but does not specifically disclose it is disposed on a printed circuit board. Toth discloses the use of a printed circuit board patch array for missile borne radar (e.g. Figure 3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art with a reasonable expectation of success to implement the antenna of Price on a printed circuit board as disclosed by Toth in order to provide a low profile (Toth column 5, lines 17-20) within the missile.
Regarding claim 19, Price illustrates the first angular range is 120° or less (e.g. Figures 1b and 8).
Regarding claim 20, Price discloses the convex surface has a pyramidal, prismatic, or conic shape (page 5, lines 8-13).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Asano discloses a communications antenna having a convex reflector to redirect transmission and reception signals. Hamman discloses a radar having a reflector to redirect transmitted and received radar beams. Hamman discloses a radar having a reflector to redirect transmitted and received radar beams. Waddoup discloses a radar having a symmetrical convex reflector to redirect transmitted and received radar beams.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew M Barker whose telephone number is (571)272-3103. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM; Fri 8 AM-12 PM Eastern Time.
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/MATTHEW M BARKER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3646