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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following
Regarding claims 10 and 20, “wherein the chamber body is enclosed with an external enclosure”, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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 of this title, 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 1-9, 11-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khodyachykh (EP2843397A1) in view of Cutmore (U.S. Patent 5333493).
Regarding claim 1, Khodyachykh teaches a system for measuring a parameter in a gaseous sample (fig. 1 (1) [0004]), the system comprising: a measuring device includes a chamber body (fig. 1 (10)) having a narrow middle portion (middle part of cavity 20, also cavity design length and diameter used to achieve highest Q-factor [0009]) and at least two ends including a first end or transmission end and a second end or receiving end (fig. 1 (front and back side of 10)), wherein the narrow middle portion (middle part of cavity 20, also cavity design length and diameter used to achieve highest Q-factor [0009]) is configured to allow a gaseous sample to pass through (“gas flow through the cavity ” [0007]), and one or more out ports to reduce interference (grid separator design with inlet and outlet to enhance Q-factor [0009]), and at least two antennas including a first antenna or a transmission antenna mounted at the first end of the measuring device and a second antenna or receiving antenna mounted at the second end of the measuring device opposite to the transmission antenna (using power couplers/antennas at opposite ends of the cavity to transmit/receive signals [0011]); wherein the transmission antenna transmits a first signal to the receiver antenna via the chamber body (“The resonance frequency of the cavity can be measured by sweeping the drive frequency and detecting the minimum power of the reflected signal” [0011]), wherein the first signal is transmitted via the narrow middle portion (middle part of cavity 20, also cavity design length and diameter used to achieve highest Q-factor [0009]) that increases sensitivity of measurement (microwave signals in to cavity which propagate through the gaseous sample [0011], also cavity design length and diameter used to achieve highest Q-factor [0009]); wherein the receiver antenna receives the transmitted first signal from the transmitter antenna and generates a received signal (using power couplers/antennas at opposite ends of the cavity to transmit/receive signals [0011]), thereby enhancing the accuracy of readings with reduced interference (grid separator design with inlet and outlet to enhance Q-factor [0009]).
Khodyachykh does not explicitly teach a transmission delay (phase shift col. 5 lines 5-10), and wherein the transmission delay between the transmitted first signal and the received signal is corresponding to varying parameters of the gaseous sample in the chamber body.
However, Cutmore teaching a system to determine moisture content of a sample using transmit/ receive antenna disposed on opposite side of a sample (fig. 5) teaches a transmission delay (phase shift col. 5 lines 5-10), and wherein the transmission delay between the transmitted first signal and the received signal is corresponding to varying parameters of the gaseous sample in the chamber body (“a microwave signal is directed through a sample, using suitable transmitting and receiving antennae and the attenuation and phase shift of the signal due to the sample are measured. These are normally calculated as the difference between the attenuation and phase shift determined with the sample and with air, the phase shift and attenuation of the signal are functions of the effective complex permittivity of the sample. The dielectric constant and loss factor of water at microwave frequencies are large compared to those for most other con, non materials, and therefore the phase shift and attenuation are strong functions of the moisture content of the sample” col. Lines 5-25).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the phase/shift delay measurement of Cutmore in Khodyachykh obtain a significant improvement in measurement accuracy [Cutmore [col. 5 lines 59-60]].
Regarding claim 2, Khodyachykh as modified further teaches a phase-locked loop in communication with the receiver antenna configured to match the received signal with a reference signal and adjust the received signal with respect to reference signal to generate a synchronized signal (the received microwave signals compared with reference oscillation signal to determine phase shift and adjust output, by implementing this synchronization using a phase locked loop which is well knows equivalent for phase synchronization in RF system, col. 7 lines 15-67).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the phase/shift delay measurement of Cutmore in Khodyachykh obtain a significant improvement in measurement accuracy [Cutmore [col. 5 lines 59-60]].
Regarding claim 3, Khodyachykh as modified further teaches wherein the synchronized signal is analyzed to compute the transmission delay between the transmission and the reception of the first signal through the gaseous sample (commuting phase shifts (transmission delays between transmitted and received signals (col. 6 lines 18-38))).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the phase/shift delay measurement of Cutmore in Khodyachykh obtain a significant improvement in measurement accuracy [Cutmore [col. 5 lines 59-60]].
Regarding claims 4, 5, 13, Khodyachykh does not explicitly teach wherein the chamber body is a glass tube.
However, Cutmore teaching a system to determine moisture content of a sample using transmit/ receive antenna disposed on opposite side of a sample (fig. 5) teaches wherein the chamber body is a glass tube (“dielectric matching to the mean effective dielectric constant of the sample is sufficient to obtain a significant improvement in measurement accuracy” col. 8 lines 1-20).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cavity body of Khodyachykh by glass as taught by Cutmore to reduce interference and thereby enhance accuracy to obtain a significant improvement in measurement accuracy [Cutmore [col. 5 lines 59-60]].
Regarding claims 6, 15, Khodyachykh as modified further teaches wherein the chamber body is coated with a chromium layer (shielding the cavity to reduce interference [0007]), where-as as well known in the RF art to apply conductive coating such as (nickel, chromium or other materials to cavity bodies and connect them to electrical grounds in to provide RF shielding) as evident by (Veerasamy U.S. Publication 20110143045 [0045] back support coated with chromium layers).
Regarding claims 7, 12, Khodyachykh as modified further teaches wherein the antenna transmits the first signal to the receiver antenna via the narrow middle portion of the chamber body (middle part of cavity 20, also cavity design length and diameter used to achieve highest Q-factor [0009]) configured to increase the sensitivity of measurement and reduce the time taken to reach stability and measurement (microwave signals in to cavity which propagate through the gaseous sample [0011], also cavity design length and diameter used to achieve highest Q-factor [0009]).
Regarding claims 8, 16, Khodyachykh as modified further teaches wherein out ports are configured to reduce interference and improve the sensitivity of measure (using power couplers/antennas at opposite ends of the cavity to transmit/receive signals [0011], grid separator design with inlet and outlet to enhance Q-factor [0009])).
Regarding claims 9, 17, Khodyachykh as modified further teaches a shielding for wave transmitted from the outer environment, thereby providing an uninterrupted transmission of signals inside the chamber body to improve accuracy (shielding the cavity to reduce interference [0007]).
Regarding claim 11, the method recited is intrinsic to the apparatus recited in claim 1, as disclosed by Khodyachykh (EP2843397A1) in view of Cutmore (U.S. Patent 5333493) as the recited method steps will be performed during the normal operation of the apparatus, as discussed above with regard to claim 1. Khodyachykh as modified further teaches matching the received signal with a reference signal via a phase-locked loop to generate a synchronized signal (the received microwave signals compared with reference oscillation signal to determine phase shift and adjust output, by implementing this synchronization using a phase locked loop which is well knows equivalent for phase synchronization in RF system, col. 7 lines 15-67).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the phase/shift delay measurement of Cutmore in Khodyachykh obtain a significant improvement in measurement accuracy [Cutmore [col. 5 lines 59-60]].
Claims 10, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khodyachykh (EP2843397A1), Cutmore (U.S. Patent 5333493) as applied to the rejection of claim 1 above and further in view of Fitzpatrick (U.S. Patent 6535087).
Regarding claims 10, 18, Khodyachykh as modified by Cutmore does not explicitly teach wherein the chamber body is enclosed with an external enclosure with a constant temperature to improve accuracy.
However, Fitzpatrick teaching an externally temperature-compensated microwave resonator teaches the chamber body is enclosed with an external enclosure with a constant temperature to improve accuracy (fig. 2 (microwave resonator 12, upper and lower structure 24-26) col. 1 (lines 36-48).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the casing of Fitzpatrick in Khodyachykh as moidified by Cutmore to gain the advantage of effective temperature control to stabilize resonators yielding improve accuracy.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Conrad (U.S. Publication 20170038311) discloses RADIO FREQUENCY MATERIAL ANALYSIS UTILIZING PHASE.
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/TAQI R NASIR/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/LEE E RODAK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858