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) 1-3, 5, 8-10, 13, 14, 16, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhuo, et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0198963 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 13, Zhuo discloses a radiation support system comprising a waveguide assembly comprising:
A waveguide (110) extending along a first axis (Fig. 2);
A mode launcher (204) extending along a second axis, the second axis being different than the first axis (Fig. 2); and
A resonant cavity twist (paragraph 0027: resonant cavities 104-a and 104-b form a waveguide twist) coupling the waveguide to the mode launcher (paragraph 0040).
Regarding claim 2, Zhuo discloses wherein the waveguide is rectangular (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3 and 14, Zhuo discloses wherein the resonant cavity twist is a single step resonant cavity twist (resonant cavities 104-a and 104-b).
Regarding claims 5 and 16, Zhuo discloses wherein the waveguide includes a first portion between the mode launcher and the resonant cavity twist and a second portion on an opposite side of the resonant cavity twist from the mode launcher (Fig. 2).
Regarding claims 8, 9, 19 and 20, Zhuo discloses an iris between the mode launcher and the waveguide, wherein a cross section of the iris has a first area smaller than a second area of a cross section of the waveguide (first portion of bend 202 in Fig. 2 can be considered an iris, with an area of the cross section smaller than the one of waveguide 110).
Regarding claim 10, Zhuo discloses wherein the mode launcher (204) includes a top surface that is higher than a top surface of the waveguide (110) (Fig. 2).
Claim(s) 1, 6, 7, 13, 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xu, et al (CN 111293015 A; cited in IDS; copy in IFW).
Regarding claims 1 and 13, Xu discloses a radiation support system comprising a waveguide assembly comprising:
A waveguide (part of bend of waveguide 1 extending vertically) extending along a first axis (Fig. 4);
A mode launcher (waveguide 5) extending along a second axis, the second axis being different than the first axis (Fig. 4); and
A resonant cavity twist (twist 2 in Fig. 2 and 4) coupling the waveguide to the mode launcher (paragraph 0006).
Regarding claims 6 and 17, Xu discloses wherein the mode launcher has a cylindrical inner surface (cylindrical waveguide 5).
Regarding claims 7 and 18, Xu discloses wherein the cylindrical inner surface of the mode launcher includes a back cavity (4).
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) 4 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou in view of Xu, et al (CN 108011165 A; cited in IDS; copy in IFW; Hereinafter “Xu 2”).
Regarding claims 4 and 15, Zhou teaches the apparatus of claims 1 and 13, but fails to teach wherein the resonant cavity twist includes a double ridge design.
Xu 2 teaches another waveguide assembly, including a resonant cavity twist including a double ridge design (Figs. 1 and 2); Xu 2 furthermore discusses the advantages of such a design, including increased compactness (paragraph 0004).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide Zhou’s resonant cavity twist with a double ridge design as taught by Xu 2, because doing so would allow the assembly to be constructed more compactly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 12 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to teach a plurality of pins protruding from at least one of the waveguide, the mode launcher, or the resonant cavity twist, or a fin inside the mode launcher running at least partly along a length of the mode launcher.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL P MASKELL whose telephone number is (571)270-3210. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10A-6P.
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/MICHAEL MASKELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878 25 July 2026
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