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 § 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 1-4 and 9-10 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.
With regard to claims 1 and 10, applicant recites “an air cavity” in line 11 of claim 1 and line 10 of claim 10. How do these air cavities relate to the air-filled hollow cavities recited in line 7 of claim 1 and 10.
Regarding claims 10 and 11, the phrase "coaxial like" renders the claim(s) indefinite because the claim(s) include(s) elements not actually disclosed (those encompassed by " like"), thereby rendering the scope of the claim(s) unascertainable. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
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.
Claims 1-4 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Wang et al CN117320272A in view of Wang et al CN 117998733A.
The applied reference has a common inventor with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2).
This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C.102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B); or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement. See generally MPEP § 717.02.
Wang et al CN117320272A discloses a metal-integrated suspended line, comprising: a plurality of metal substrates 1-5 stacked from top to bottom and connected by rivets or screws (the two metal plates are fastened by applying pressure externally with screws/rivets or by applying force internally with a contraction spring) to form a self-encapsulating structure; wherein the plurality of metal substrates comprise a top metal substrate 1 located at a top of the plurality of metal substrates and a bottom metal substrate 5 located at a bottom of the plurality of metal substrates; at least two metal substrates 2 and 4 of the plurality of metal substrates except the top metal substrate and the bottom metal substrate are spaced apart from each other, and each of the at least two medal substrates defines an air-filled hollow cavity; and one of the plurality of metal substrates 3 disposed between two hollow cavities of two of the at least two metal substrates is provided with a circuit structure and wherein the circuit structure comprises a suspended transmission line 31 the suspended transmission line is located in the air cavity defined on the one metal substrate.
Thus, Wang et al is shown to teach all the limitations of the claim with the exception of a coaxial feeder connector the suspended transmission line and the coaxial feeder is disposed on two ends or a side of the air cavity.
Wang et al CN 117998733a discloses a suspended metal radio frequency circuit, three-dimensional as shown in fig. 19, has a shielding cage 3 of metal material of rectangular parallelepiped structure, which is a closed housing, shielding electromagnetic radiation from the external circuit from interference with the internal circuit. An all-metal sheet is placed in the middle of a shield case of a metal material as an all-metal main circuit 1 for connecting and mounting various components, chips, and the like. The support 15 may be selected from insulating materials or metal itself or supported by port connectors. The two sides of the shielding cover made of metal materials are respectively connected with a coaxial insulator 10 through a contact pin 9 to serve as an input interface and an output interface, and the coaxial insulator 10 is a standard interface for electromagnetic wave transmission, so that the electromagnetic wave conduction performance and the shielding performance are maintained. The input and output signals are connected to the radio frequency circuit on the metal sheet of the all-metal main circuit 1 via a coaxial insulator 10. (example 1)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have provide the metal integrated suspended line of Wang et al CN117320272A with the coaxial feed (coaxial insulator) as taught by Wang et al CN 117998733A.
The motivation for this modification would have been to provide a standard interface for electromagnetic wave transmission.
With regards to claim 2, the plurality of metal substrates are connected riveting to form the self-encapsulating structure.
With regard to claim 3, the at least two hollow cavities of the at least two metal substrates are rectangular cavities, with either same or different areas.
With regards to claim 4, each metal substrate would inherently be provided with a plurality of through holes in to facilitate riveting or screwing the metal substrates together.
With regards to claim 9, the plurality of metal substrates have same or different thicknesses.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLY E GLENN whose telephone number is (571)272-1761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.
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December 31, 2025
/K.E.G/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843