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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-12, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Welbon et al. (US 2004/0196112), in view of Vanhille et al. (US 2011/0181376).
In regard to Claim 1:
Welbon discloses, in Figure 3, an apparatus, comprising: a waveguide (210, 220, 230) arranged to guide electromagnetic waves (Paragraph 0023), the waveguide comprising at least one conductive wall (230) enclosing a waveguide path (210), and a component with a conductive surface (225); wherein the waveguide (210, 220, 230) is integrated with the component (225), wherein the waveguide (210, 220, 230) has at least part of the at least one conductive wall (230) shared with the conductive surface of the component (the bottom portion of 230 is shared with 225) and at least another part of the at least one conductive wall that is non-shared (the top portion of 230 is not shared with 225), but does not disclose wherein the waveguide is gas-filled.
Vanhille discloses wherein the waveguide is gas-filled (Paragraph 0036).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the gas-filled waveguide taught by Vanhille with the waveguide taught by Welborn, since all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. (KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385).
In regard to Claim 2:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the at least part of the at least one conductive wall (230) shared with the component (225) comprises: the waveguide (210, 220, 230) attached to the component (225) so that at least part of a wall of the component is in contact with the at least part of the at least one conductive wall of the waveguide (the top surface of 225 is in contact with 230 of the waveguide), and the waveguide (210, 220, 230) attached to the component (225) so that the at least part of the wall of the component forms the at least part of the at least one conductive wall of the waveguide (225 forms the bottom portion of the waveguide 210, 220, 230).
In regard to Claim 3:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the waveguide comprises a plurality of conductive walls (230 side portions, 230 top portion, 230 bottom portion), wherein the at least part of the at least one conductive wall shared with the component comprises: at least one wall of the plurality of conductive walls that is shared with the conductive component (bottom portion of 230 connected to 225), and wherein the at least another part of the at least one conductive wall that is non-shared comprises: at least one wall of the plurality of conductive walls that is non-shared (the top portion of 230 is not shared with 225).
In regard to Claim 4:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the component is one of: an electromagnetic shield, a lightguide, an audioguide, a heatsink, a frame for a display, an antenna, an antenna cable, a printed circuit board, a radio frequency cable, a battery, a connector (225), a frame for a connector, a frame for a camera, a frame for a battery, a metallic support frame, a support structure, a holder, a cover structure, a protection structure,or a part used to protect the component.
In regard to Claim 7:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the waveguide is arranged to guide at least one of light or sound waves as well as the electromagnetic waves (Paragraph 0023).
In regard to Claim 8:
Vanhille further discloses wherein the waveguide comprises at least one aperture in the at least one conductive wall, the at least one aperture arranged to be used as at least one antenna (Paragraph 0065).
In regard to Claim 9:
Vanhille further discloses wherein the waveguide is arranged as an open-ended waveguide, the open-end of the waveguide arranged to be used as an antenna (Paragraph 0065).
In regard to Claim 10:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the apparatus comprises a feed probe (215) which is arranged to be inserted into an opening of the waveguide (210, 220, 230) opening of the waveguide defined by 220).
In regard to Claim 11:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the apparatus comprises a substrate (205), wherein the conductive component (225) is mounted to the substrate (205).
In regard to Claim 12:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein the waveguide (210, 220, 230) is integrated with the substrate (205), the waveguide having at least part of the at least one conductive wall shared with the substrate (230 bottom side is connected to 225 that is shared with 205).
In regard to Claim 15:
Welbon further discloses, in Figure 3, wherein one of: the apparatus is for a user device (Paragraphs 0002 and 0004), the apparatus is comprised in the user device, or the apparatus is the user device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 13-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Watanabe et al. (US 2020/0185804) discloses a waveguide device (130) includes a first waveguide module having a first waveguide (140) and a second waveguide module having a second waveguide (142). The first and second waveguides are connected. The first waveguide module includes a microstrip line composed of a strip conductor (134), a ground conductor (132) opposing the strip conductor, and a dielectric (136) therebetween. The second waveguide module includes an electrically conductive member having an electrically conductive surface (110), a waveguide member (122) having an electrically-conductive waveguide face, and an artificial magnetic conductor on opposite sides of the waveguide member, and includes as the second waveguide a space between the electrically conductive surface and the waveguide face. The surface of the strip conductor and the waveguide face of the waveguide member are electrically connected, and the surface of the ground conductor and the electrically conductive surface are electrically connected.
Kamo et al. (US 2020/0194862) discloses a waveguide device includes a first electrical conductor including a first electrically conductive surface and a second electrical conductor including a second electrically conductive surface opposing the first electrically conductive surface. The second electrical conductor includes a through hole, a ridge-shaped waveguide protruding from the second electrically conductive surface, and electrically conductive rods protruding from the second electrically conductive surface. The waveguide includes an electrically-conductive waveguide surface opposing the first electrically conductive surface, and one end thereof extends into the through hole. The electrically conductive rods are located on opposite sides of the waveguide, each including a leading end opposing the first electrically conductive surface. The first electrical conductor or the second electrical conductor includes an electrically conductive wall protruding from the first electrically conductive surface or the second electrically conductive surface. The electrically conductive wall extends around the one end of the waveguide.
Rogers (US 2020/0067165) discloses an aperture coupled microstrip-to-waveguide transition (“ACMWT”) is disclosed that includes a plurality of dielectric layers forming a dielectric structure and an inner conductor formed within the dielectric structure. The plurality of dielectric layers includes a top dielectric layer that has a top surface. The (“ACMWT”) further includes a patch antenna element (“PAE”) formed on the top surface, a bottom conductor, an antenna slot within the PAE, a coupling element (“CE”) formed above the inner conductor and below the PAE, and a waveguide. The waveguide includes at least one waveguide wall and a waveguide backend, where the waveguide backend has a waveguide backend surface that's a portion of the top surface of the top dielectric layer and where the waveguide backend surface and the at least one waveguide wall form a waveguide cavity within the waveguide. The PAE is a conductor located within the waveguide cavity at the waveguide backend surface.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John W Poos whose telephone number is (571)270-5077. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at 571-272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JOHN W POOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896