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 .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on January 28, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 89 and 90 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Epitaux et al. (WO 2020/232192, of the record).
Re claim 89: Epitaux teaches a waveguide comprising a waveguide interconnect member (250) serving as a first portion of the waveguide; and a complementary interconnect member (252) serving as a second portion of the waveguide removably butt-coupled to the first portion (paragraphs 0192, 0196) (figs. 16A-16E; paragraphs 0187-0197)).
Re claim 90: Wherein a portion of the waveguide interconnect member (i.e., a portion indicated by reference numeral (122)) is devoid of a waveguide shield (56) serving as a ground shield (paragraph 0188).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 24, 25, 37, 39, 42, 43, and 80-82 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
None of prior art teaches a data communication connector comprising a dielectric waveguide that is elongate along a central axis; and a recess in the dielectric waveguide that is configured to receive at least a portion of an antenna, wherein the recess extends from a first side to a second side of the dielectric waveguide so as to define a through hole, and a method of transmitting an electromagnetic signal through a data communication line having a first end and opposed second end comprising inserting a portion of the first antenna in a first recess comprising a through hole in the dielectric core of the data communication line as set forth in the claims.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 89 and 90 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection rely on different teaching of the prior art of the record that was not applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Quan et al. (US 6236287) and Takita (JP H1174708) coaxial connectors.
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/SEUNG H LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876