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 “L-ground conductor and S-ground conductor” 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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-8 and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “one or more split rings, wherein each split ring of the one or more split rings includes one or more splits; an S-ground conductor on the first surface of the planar dielectric substrate, wherein the S-ground conductor substantially overlaps with the split-ring resonator; and a rectifying block to rectify AC signals from the microstrip L-resonator into DC output signals.” The meaning of the language “each split ring of the one or more split rings includes one or more splits” is unclear. It is not clear one or more split means and what structure constitutes the one or more splits. It is not clear how the S-ground conductor substantially overlaps with the split-ring resonator.
Claim recites, “a rectifying block to rectify AC signals from the microstrip L-resonator into DC output signals”. The limitation is not clear. It is not clear what element is in the rectifying block and how the rectifying block is connected with the L-resonator and where the rectifying block is connected to rectify the AC signal and it is also not clear from where the AC signal is found. Therefore, claim language is not clear.
Clarification is required so that the scope of the claim is clear.
Claims 2-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite by virtue of its dependence from claim 1.
It appears that claims 15-20 should have been rejected under 35 USC 112(b).
Referring to claim 15, it appears that the claim has recited insufficient structure for performing the recited method of having "two states," namely, "applying a wideband signal and detecting a metal". Paragraphs 34-39 of the specification teach that the method of metal detection using a dual resonator, however, claim 15 only includes a first resonator and a second resonator. Consequently, the claim does not appear to recite the requisite structure for performing the claimed function. As such, the boundaries of the language are unclear because the claim does not provide a discernable boundary on what performs the method. The recited method does not follow from the structure recited in the claim, i.e., first resonator and the second resonator, so it is unclear whether the method requires some other structure or is simply a result of operating the resonator. Thus, one of ordinary skill would not be able to draw a clear boundary between what is and is not covered by the claim. See MPEP 2173.05(g).
Claims 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite by virtue of its dependence from claim 15.
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) 9-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tadachi in the US Patent Number US 4654606 A in view of KOSAKA et al. (Hereinafter, “Kosaka”) in the US patent Application Publication Number US 20210167505 A1.
Regarding claim 9, Tadachi teaches an apparatus of a dual resonator sensor (a microwave resonance circuit device of the type wherein a dielectric resonator is coupled only to a desired microstrip line; Column 1 Line 9-12) comprising:
a planar dielectric substrate [1] to provide electrical insulation (In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 indicates a dielectric substrate; Column 2 Line 9);
a first resonator [3/4/5] (microstrip lines 3, 4, 5 as the resonator because microstrip line and microstrip resonator are often use interchangeability and microstrip resonator is special types of microstrip lines) and are on a first surface of the planar dielectric substrate [1] (In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 indicates a dielectric substrate, 3, 4 and 5 indicate microstrip lines; Column 2 Line 9-10);
a first ground conductor [8] on a second surface of the planar dielectric substrate [1] (In FIG. 1, the dielectric resonator 6 is mounted on the reverse side of the substrate from the microstrip line 3. In order to maintain the coupling between the dielectric resonator 6 and the microstrip line 3, on the reverse side from the microstrip line 3 there is also provided the ground conductor 8, as shown in the drawing; Column 2 Line 13-18),
wherein the first ground conductor [8] substantially overlaps with the first resonator [3/4/5] (Further, the other microstrip lines 4 and 5 are also provided on the first-mentioned side, and the ground conductor 8 extends so as to overlap the back of the microstrip lines 4 and 5; Column 2 Line 21-24);
a second resonator [6] (dielectric resonator as the second resonator) on the second surface of the planar dielectric substrate [1] (In FIG. 1, the dielectric resonator 6 is mounted on the reverse side of the substrate from the microstrip line 3; Column 2 Line 13-15),
wherein the first resonator [3/4/5] is to feed the second resonator [6] (FIGS. 2(A) and (B) are a plane view and a side view corresponding to the perspective view of FIG. 1. In these drawings, the dielectric resonator 6 is, as described hereinabove, provided on the reverse side of the dielectric substrate 1 from where the microstrip lines 3, 4 and 5 are provided, and is coupled to the microstrip line 3; Column 2 Line 31-37).
Tadachi fails to teach a second ground conductor on the first surface of the planar dielectric substrate, wherein the second ground conductor substantially overlaps with the second
resonator.
Kosaka teaches a split-ring resonator, a board and a connector (Paragraph [0001] Line 1), wherein
a second ground conductor [14] in Figure 6 on the first surface of the planar dielectric substrate [15’] (For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the split-ring 12, the ground terminal 14 and the feeding terminal 13 are provided on one of surfaces of the printed circuit board 15′), wherein the second ground conductor substantially overlaps with the second
resonator (For example, the board 101 may comprise a ground pattern 101g having a rectangular outline. For example, the board 101 may comprise a reception terminal 101r. For example, the reception terminal 101r may be a terminal configured to be connected to a ground terminal, which is separated from a ground pattern, of a split-ring resonator according to an aspect of the present disclosure. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the board 101 may comprise an opening 101a which corresponds to a shape and a size of a split-ring resonator according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7; Paragraph [0080] Line 1-8). The purpose of doing so is to electrically connectable with a ground pattern, to provide a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Tadachi in view of Kosaka, because Kosaka teaches to include a second ground conductor on the first surface of the planar dielectric substrate electrically connects with a ground pattern (Paragraph [0073]), provides a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device (Paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 10, Tadachi fails to teach an apparatus, wherein the first resonator is a microstrip T-resonator or a microstrip L-resonator, wherein the microstrip T-resonator or the microstrip L-resonator includes: a transmission line; and an open-ended stub substantially perpendicular to the transmission line, wherein the open-ended stub is connected to a middle or an end of the transmission line, and wherein an open end of the open-ended stub is to feed the second resonator.
Kosaka teaches a split-ring resonator, a board and a connector (Paragraph [0001] Line 1),
wherein the first resonator is a microstrip T-resonator or a microstrip L-resonator (Figure 33) (Moreover, for example, as shown in the lower right of FIG. 33, the split-ring resonator 61 may comprise L-like shaped radiation conductors 17 as radiation conductors, the radiation conductor 17 extending in the separation direction to an end and then extending from the end in a direction intersecting with the separation direction along a plane in which the split-ring resonator 61 extends; Paragraph [0155] Line 9-16),
wherein the microstrip T-resonator or the microstrip L- resonator includes:
a transmission line [16] in Figure 33; and
an open-ended stub [12g] substantially perpendicular to the transmission line [16] (Figure 33 shows an open-ended stub [12g] substantially perpendicular to the transmission line [16]),
wherein the open-ended stub [12g] is connected to a middle or an end of the transmission line [16], and wherein an open end of the open-ended stub [12g] is to feed the second resonator (Figure 33 shows the open-ended stub [12g] is connected to a middle or an end of the transmission line [16], and wherein an open end of the open-ended stub is to feed the second resonator). The purpose of doing so is to provide a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device and to provide improved radiation property.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Tadachi in view of Kosaka, because Kosaka teaches to include a microstrip T-resonator or a microstrip L-resonator electrically connects with a ground pattern (Paragraph [0073]), provides a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device (Paragraph [0002]) and provide improved radiation property (Paragraph [0155]).
Regarding claim 11, Tadachi fails to teach an apparatus, wherein the second resonator is a split-ring resonator comprising: one or more split rings, wherein each split ring of the one or more split rings includes one or more splits, and wherein each split ring of the one or more split rings has one of: polygonal shape; circular shape; or any combination thereof.
Kosaka teaches a split-ring resonator, a board and a connector (Paragraph [0001] Line 1), wherein
the resonator is a split-ring resonator [11] comprising: one or more split rings, wherein each split ring of the one or more split rings includes one or more splits [12g] (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are figures showing examples of the split-ring resonator 11 according to an aspect of the present disclosure; Paragraph [0070] Line 1-3), and
wherein each split ring of the one or more split rings has one of: polygonal shape; circular shape; or any combination thereof (For example, a center of a ring of the split-ring resonator 11 will be referred to as a point C; Paragraph [0071] Line 1-3; For example, the split-ring resonator 11 may comprise a split-ring 12. For example, the split-ring 12 may be shaped into a C-like shape extending along a rectangular ring, the C-like shape being formed of: a split portion 12g; Paragraph [0072] Line 1-4; Figure 1, 2, 3 shows split ring resonator has polygonal shape as it has rectangular shape). The purpose of doing so is to electrically connectable with a ground pattern, to provide a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the resonator of Tadachi by the resonator disclosed by Kosaka, because Kosaka teaches to include a split-ring resonator includes polygonal shape; circular shape; or any combination thereof electrically connects with a ground pattern (Paragraph [0073]), provides a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device (Paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 12, Tadachi fails to teach an apparatus, wherein the first resonator and the second resonator are configured to resonate at a same frequency.
Kosaka teaches a split-ring resonator, a board and a connector (Paragraph [0001] Line 1),
wherein the first resonator and the second resonator are configured to resonate at a same frequency (For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the split-ring resonator 11 may comprise the split-ring 12, the ground terminal 14 and a feeding terminal 13. For example, the feeding terminal 13 may be formed of a wire and a metal plate. For example, the feeding terminal 13 may be a terminal for supplying radio frequency (RF) signals to the split-ring 12; Paragraph [0075] Line 1-7; Same frequency is applied to everywhere on the substrate surface and therefore the first resonator and the second resonator are configured to resonate at a same frequency). The purpose of doing so is to electrically connectable with a ground pattern, to provide a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the resonator of Tadachi by the resonator disclosed by Kosaka, because Kosaka teaches to resonate the first resonator and the second resonator at a same frequency provides a compact antenna used in a wireless communication device (Paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claim 13, Tadachi teaches an apparatus,
wherein the planar dielectric substrate [1] constitutes one or more dielectric materials (In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 indicates a dielectric substrate; Column 2 Line 9).
.
Regarding claim 14, Tadachi in view of Kosaka teaches an apparatus,
wherein one or more surfaces of the first ground conductor substantially overlap with one or more surfaces of the second ground conductor (In FIG. 1, the dielectric resonator 6 is mounted on the reverse side of the substrate from the microstrip line 3. In order to maintain the coupling between the dielectric resonator 6 and the microstrip line 3, on the reverse side from the microstrip line 3 there is also provided the ground conductor 8, as shown in the drawing; Column 2 Line 13-18; Tadachi discloses first ground conductor which covers the entire reverse side of the dielectric substrate and in combination of Kosaka discloses the second conductor in the first side of the dielectric substrate and therefore one or more surfaces of the first ground conductor substantially overlap with one or more surfaces of the second ground conductor).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 2-8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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:
ISHII (US 20090315647 A1) discloses, “DUAL MODE FILTER INCLUDING RING-SHADED TRANSMISSION LINE- [0002] The embodiments discussed herein are related to a dual mode filter including a ring-shaped transmission line. [0064] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view illustrating a main portion of a dual mode filter according to the third embodiment. Although the first and second embodiments adopt the microstrip line structure disposing the ground film 27 only on one side of the ring resonator 21 and the like, the third embodiment adopts a strip line structure disposing the ground film on both sides of the ring resonator 21 and the like. [0065] The structure of a dielectric substrate 20, the structures of a ring resonator 21 and the like on the principal surface of the substrate 20, and the structure of the ground film 27 on the bottom surface are the same as those of the first embodiment. A dielectric film 60 is disposed on the principal surface of the dielectric substrate 20, covering the ring resonator 21 and the like. The upper ground film 61 is disposed on the surface of the dielectric film 60-However Ishii does not disclose an L-ground conductor on a second surface of the planar dielectric substrate, wherein the L-ground conductor substantially overlaps with the microstrip L-resonator;…………..an S-ground conductor on the first surface of the planar dielectric substrate, wherein the S-ground conductor substantially overlaps with the split-ring resonator; and a rectifying block to rectify AC signals from the microstrip L-resonator into DC output signals.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NASIMA MONSUR whose telephone number is (571)272-8497. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am-6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eman Alkafawi can be reached at (571) 272-4448. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NASIMA MONSUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858