DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 05/29/2024, 02/24/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 17, 27 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu (US 2015/0229032 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Liu teaches a metamaterial, comprising:
a plurality of films (Fig. 22, 11, [0178] a multi-layer structure by multiple lamellae; Fig. 46) arranged with main surfaces thereof facing each other ([0206] a reflection layer 2, an artificial structure layer) and configured to transmit a target electromagnetic wave that is an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength within a target wavelength range (Abstract, beam modulation on an incident electromagnetic wave and reflect an electromagnetic wave);
a plurality of micro-resonators ([0206] one or more artificial structure units M) each made of an electrically conductive material ([0032] the artificial structure unit is a structure that has a geometrical pattern and is constituted by a conductive material), included in the plurality of films (Figs. 22, 46), and configured to resonate with the target electromagnetic wave ([0221] generate an electromagnetic response to an incident electromagnetic wave); and
a stress relieving member disposed between two mutually-adjacent films of the plurality of films (Fig. 46, YL, [0206] stress buffer layer YL), configured to transmit the target electromagnetic wave (Fig. 46, placed between reflection layer 2 and artificial structure layer, thus transmit the incident/reflecting electromagnetic wave), and having a lower elastic modulus than the plurality of films ([0207] tensile strength less than substrate/artificial structure).
Regarding claim 17, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Liu.
Liu further teaches the metamaterial wherein the stress relieving member is in contact with each of the two mutually-adjacent films sandwiching the stress relieving member therebetween ([0065] at least one stress buffer layer is disposed between the substrate and the artificial structure layer and/or between the substrate and the reflection layer).
Regarding claim 27, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Liu.
Liu further teaches the metamaterial wherein the stress relieving member is made of a member adherent or pressure-sensitively adherent to the plurality of films ([0071] adhesive).
Regarding claim 28, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Liu.
Liu further teaches the metamaterial further comprising: an attachment material to cause the stress relieving member to adhere or pressure- sensitively adhere to the plurality of films. ([0071] adhesive).
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 of this title, 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 29 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 2015/0229032 A1) in view of Liu877 (US 2015/0255877 A1).
Regarding claim 29, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Liu.
Liu does not explicitly teach an antenna comprising: a plurality of antenna elements to transmit or receive an electromagnetic wave; a radome covering radiation surfaces of the plurality of antenna elements; and the metamaterial being disposed on the radome.
Liu877 teaches an antenna comprising: a plurality of antenna elements to transmit and receive an receive an electromagnetic wave ([205]); a radome covering radiation surfaces of the plurality of antenna elements; and the metamaterial being disposed on the radome ([0204]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to apply the teachings of Liu to the teachings of 877 in order to take advantage of a low processing cost and a simple craft precision in making radome for antenna applications (Liu877, Abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 13-16, and 18-26 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:
Regarding claim 2, the prior arts fail to teach or reasonably suggest a metamaterial, wherein the convex surfaces of at least two films of the plurality of films have a same curvature, in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 3, the prior arts fail to teach or reasonably suggest a metamaterial, wherein the concave surfaces of at least two films of the plurality of films have a same curvature, in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claims 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25, the claims 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25 are objected to due to their dependencies to claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 3, the prior arts fail to teach or reasonably suggest a metamaterial, wherein the concave surfaces of at least two films of the plurality of films have a same curvature, in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claim 14, the prior arts fail to teach or reasonably suggest a metamaterial, wherein the stress relieving member has different thicknesses at different positions of the stress relieving member in a sandwiching direction between the plurality of films, in a state in which the stress relieving member is not deformed by receiving force from the plurality of films in contact with the stress relieving member, in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claims 16, 21, the claims 16, 21 are objected to due to their dependencies to claim 3 above.
Regarding claim 19, the prior arts fail to teach or reasonably suggest a metamaterial, wherein a plurality of the stress relieving members are disposed between the two mutually- adjacent films, and the metamaterial further comprises a spacer disposed between the plurality of stress relieving members, configured to transmit the target electromagnetic wave, and having a higher elastic modulus than the plurality of stress relieving members, in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Regarding claims 22, 24, 26, the claims 22, 24, 26 are objected to due to their dependencies to claim 19 above.
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.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEOKJIN KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-1487. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:30am-5:00pm.
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/SEOKJIN KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844