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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Patent No. 4786914 A), hereinafter known as Wu, in view of Werner et al. (US PGPUB 2010/0097048 A1), hereinafter known as Werner.
Regarding claim 7, Wu teaches (Fig. 1a-1b and 2) An electromagnetic polarization converter (Fig. 1a), comprising: a ground plane (30; col. 1, lines 22-24); a dielectric substrate (15, 26) disposed on the ground plane (30); and a surface (14) disposed on the dielectric substrate (15, 26); wherein the surface (14) comprises a frequency selective surface (14), the frequency selective surface (14) formed as a meander line structure (14) but does not specifically teach a metasurface.
However, Werner teaches (Fig. 6 and 15B) a metasurface (26, 28, 76, 78; [0041], [0043], [0095], [0110]) disposed on the dielectric substrate (14; [0043]); wherein the metasurface (26, 28, 76, 78) comprises a frequency selective surface ([0092]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the electromagnetic polarization converter of Wu with Werner to include “a metasurface,” as taught by Werner, for the purpose of improving robustness by enabling adjustments to reflectivity and absorption ([0008]).
Regarding claim 8, Wu does not specifically teach wherein the frequency selective surface is separated from the ground plane by λg/4 where λg is a guided wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of a frequency band over which polarization conversion takes place.
However, Werner teaches wherein the frequency selective surface is separated from the ground plane by λg/4 ([0068]) where λg is a guided wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of a frequency band over which polarization conversion takes place ([0068]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the electromagnetic polarization converter of Wu with Werner to include “wherein the frequency selective surface is separated from the ground plane by λg/4 where λg is a guided wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of a frequency band over which polarization conversion takes place,” as taught by Werner, for the purpose of improving absorption and matching ([0143]).
Regarding claim 9, Wu further teaches (Fig. 1a and 2) wherein the surface (Fig. 1a) comprises a planar structure having four sides and four vertices and the frequency selective surface (11) is oriented at a 45 degree angle along a diagonal line intersecting two of the four vertices but does not specifically teach a metasurface.
However, Werner teaches (Fig. 6 and 15B) a metasurface (26, 28, 76, 78; [0041], [0043], [0095], [0110]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the electromagnetic polarization converter of Wu with Werner to include “a metasurface,” as taught by Werner, for the purpose of improving robustness by enabling adjustments to reflectivity and absorption ([0008]).
Claims 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu in view of Werner as applied to claim 7 above, and in further view of Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology (CN 104347957 A).
Regarding claim 11, Wu further teaches (Fig. 1a) wherein the frequency selective surface (11) comprises the meander line structure (11) but does not specifically teach a meander line structure comprising a channel formed on the metasurface and having a plurality of asymmetric widths.
However, Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology teaches (Fig. 2) a meander line structure (201) comprising a channel formed on the metasurface and having a plurality of asymmetric widths ([0044]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the electromagnetic polarization converter of Wu with Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology to include “a meander line structure comprising a channel formed on the metasurface and having a plurality of asymmetric widths,” as taught by Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology, for the purpose of reducing size and achieving better conversion performance (see also [0041]).
Regarding claim 12, Wu does not specifically teach wherein a first width w3 of the plurality of asymmetric widths is twice a second width w2 of the plurality of asymmetric widths.
However, Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology teaches (Fig. 2) wherein a first width w3 of the plurality of asymmetric widths is twice a second width w2 of the plurality of asymmetric widths ([0047]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the electromagnetic polarization converter of Wu with Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology to include “wherein a first width w3 of the plurality of asymmetric widths is twice a second width w2 of the plurality of asymmetric widths,” as taught by Kuang Chi Institute of Advanced Technology, for the purpose of reducing size and achieving better conversion performance (see also [0041]).
Conclusion
The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply.
Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YONCHAN J KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-3204. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/DAMEON E LEVI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/YONCHAN J KIM/ Examiner, Art Unit 2845