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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 7/26/2024, 1/28/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al., (CN 210379423) – of record, hereinafter Liu, in view of Xian (CN 106611898) – of record, hereinafter Xian.
Regarding claim 1 Liu discloses an antenna, comprising: a plurality of radiating elements that are sequentially connected (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72); and the plurality of radiating elements comprise a first radiating element; and in a first direction, along a first side of the first radiating element, widths of radiating elements in the plurality of radiating elements gradually decrease (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72).
Liu does not disclose and an angle between adjacent radiating elements is greater than 0° and less than 180°.
Xian discloses and an angle between adjacent radiating elements is greater than 0° and less than 180° (e.g., Fig. 1A, at 100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the antenna disclosed by Liu in accordance with the teaching of Xian regarding wherein having antenna elements at an angle between adjacent radiating elements is greater than 0° and less than 180°in order to keep the whole vector of the current size of the radar system is small while the flows in each patch element realized by the structure of horizontally polarized wave of high resolution (Xian, Abstract).
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Regarding claim 2 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 1, wherein in the first direction, along a second side of the first radiating element, widths of radiating elements in the plurality of radiating elements gradually decrease (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72).
Regarding claim 3 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 1, wherein the first radiating element is a radiating element with a largest width in the plurality of radiating elements (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72).
Regarding claim 4 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of radiating elements further comprise a second radiating element, and the second radiating element is a radiating element with a smallest width in the radiating elements on the first side of the first radiating element; or the plurality of radiating elements further comprise a third radiating element, and the third radiating element is a radiating element with a smallest width in the radiating elements on the second side of the first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 5 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of radiating elements further comprise: at least one radiating element between the first radiating element and the second radiating element; or at least one radiating element between the first radiating element and the third radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 6 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 5, wherein a fourth radiating element is comprised between the first radiating element and the second radiating element or between the first radiating element and the third radiating element, and a width of the fourth radiating element is the same as a width of the first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 7 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 6, wherein in addition to the fourth radiating element, a first quantity of radiating elements comprised between the second radiating element and the first radiating element is the same as a second quantity of radiating elements comprised between the first radiating element and the third radiating element or a difference between the first quantity of radiating elements comprised between the second radiating element and the first radiating element and the second quantity of radiating elements comprised between the first radiating element and the third radiating element is 1 (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 8 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 6, wherein in addition to the fourth radiating element, a width of a radiating element between the first radiating element and the second radiating element is greater than or equal to a width of the second radiating element and is less than the width of the first radiating element; or a width of a radiating element between the first radiating element and the third radiating element is greater than or equal to a width of the third radiating element and is less than the width of the first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 9 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 1, wherein a width of the first radiating element is non-uniform (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 10 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 1, wherein a width of each of the plurality of radiating elements is non-uniform (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 11 Liu further discloses the antenna according to claim 1, wherein a width of a radiating element in the plurality of radiating elements is a maximum width or an average width of a corresponding radiating element; or a width of a radiating element in the plurality of radiating elements is a width at a same reference position (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 12 Liu does not explicitly disclose the antenna according to claim 1, wherein a maximum width of a radiating element in the plurality of radiating elements is less than or equal to 0.5 times an operating wavelength.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to wherein a maximum width of a radiating element in the plurality of radiating elements is less than or equal to 0.5 times an operating wavelength, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 13 Liu discloses an antenna array, wherein the antenna array comprises a plurality of antennas (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72), wherein an antenna comprises a plurality of radiating elements that are sequentially connected (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72); and the plurality of radiating elements comprise a first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 70 and 72); and in a first direction, along a first side of the first radiating element, widths of radiating elements in the plurality of radiating elements gradually decrease (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1, 70 and 72).
Liu does not disclose an angle between adjacent radiating elements is greater than 0° and less than 180°.
Xian discloses an angle between adjacent radiating elements is greater than 0° and less than 180° (e.g., Fig. 1A, at 100).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the antenna disclosed by Liu in accordance with the teaching of Xian regarding wherein having antenna elements at an angle between adjacent radiating elements is greater than 0° and less than 180°in order to keep the whole vector of the current size of the radar system is small while the flows in each patch element realized by the structure of horizontally polarized wave of high resolution (Xian, Abstract).
Regarding claim 14 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 13, wherein the antenna array further comprises a power dividing and combining circuit (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1, 3, 5, 50), wherein the power dividing and combining circuit comprises a first power-dividing end and a second power-dividing end that are respectively electrically connected to a first antenna and a second antenna in the plurality of antennas (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1, 3, 5, 50).
Regarding claim 15 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 13, wherein in the first direction, along a second side of the first radiating element, widths of radiating elements in the plurality of radiating elements gradually decrease (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 16 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 13, wherein the first radiating element is a radiating element with a largest width in the plurality of radiating elements (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 17 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of radiating elements further comprise a second radiating element, and the second radiating element is a radiating element with a smallest width in the radiating elements on the first side of the first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72); or the plurality of radiating elements further comprise a third radiating element, and the third radiating element is a radiating element with a smallest width in the radiating elements on the second side of the first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 18 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of radiating elements further comprise: at least one radiating element between the first radiating element and the second radiating element; or at least one radiating element between the first radiating element and the third radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 19 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 18, wherein a fourth radiating element is comprised between the first radiating element and the second radiating element or between the first radiating element and the third radiating element, and a width of the fourth radiating element is the same as a width of the first radiating element (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Regarding claim 20 Liu further discloses the antenna array according to claim 19, wherein in addition to the fourth radiating element, a first quantity of radiating elements comprised between the second radiating element and the first radiating element is the same as a second quantity of radiating elements comprised between the first radiating element and the third radiating element or a difference between the first quantity of radiating elements comprised between the second radiating element and the first radiating element and the second quantity of radiating elements comprised between the first radiating element and the third radiating element is 1 (e.g., Fig. 2, at 1 is visually shown, 70, 72).
Conclusion
The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply.
Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference aspotentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of thepassage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID E LOTTER whose telephone number is (571)270-7422. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am-6pm.
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DAVID E. LOTTER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2845
/DAVID E LOTTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845