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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al (CN 105680133B), hereinafter Zhang.
Regarding claim 10, Zhang (Figures 1 and 2) teaches an apparatus comprising a ridge waveguide 3 comprising a waveguide input (bottom of waveguide) configured to receive a signal from an external source (stripline 8 connecting to external source), wherein the ridge waveguide configured to propagate the signal upward and out of the apparatus, and the ridge waveguide is located below a ground plane 1 (para [0017], surface 1 being metallized ground layer).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang.
Regarding claims 13 and 14, Zhang fails to further teach a balun proximate to the waveguide input is configured to convert an un-balanced transmission line into a balanced transmission line, wherein the balun is formed by a combination of the waveguide input and the ridge waveguide. The use of a balun to convert an un-balanced transmission line into a balanced transmission line is well known in the antenna art. Thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a balun proximate to the waveguide input for impedance matching purposes which reduces noise and interference to exhibit optimum antenna performance.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 12 and 15-17 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.
Claims 1-9 and 18-21 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 11, Zhang fails to further teach a pair of ridges placed above the ground plane and below a pair of corresponding spherical elements.
Claim 12 would have been found allowable for at least the reason for depending on claim 11.
Regarding claim 15, Zhang fails to further teach that the pair of ridges form a gap, allowing a conductor to cross over the one of the pair of ridges into another one of the pair of ridges.
Regarding claim 16, Zhang fails to further teach a pair of spherical elements and the pair of ridges transform 50 Ohm impedance of the apparatus to 377 Ohm impedance of free space.
Claim 17 would have been found allowable for at least the reason for depending on claim 16.
Reasons for indicating allowable subject matter for claims 1-9 and 18-21 were provided in the previous Office action.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOANG V NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1825. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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/HOANG V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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