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 10-17 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 10 recites the limitation "the waveguide" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Does the waveguide refer to the waveguide input or a waveguide connected to the waveguide input? For examination purposes, examiner assumes “the waveguide” to be a different element than the waveguide input. Clarification/correction required.
Claims 11-17 are rejected for depending on the rejected claim 10.
Claim 15 recites the limitation “the pair of ridges” in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Should claim 15 depend on claim 11 instead? Clarification/correction required.
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.
Claims 10, 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhu et al (CN 115603054A), hereinafter Zhu.
Regarding claim 10, Zhu (Figures 1-3) teaches an apparatus comprising a waveguide input P1 configured to receive a signal from an external source, wherein “a waveguide” 5 configured to propagate the signal upward and out of the apparatus, wherein the waveguide is located below a ground plane 1.
Regarding claim 13, as applied to claim 10, Zhu (para [0024]) further teaches a balun proximate to the waveguide input is configured to convert an un-balanced transmission line into a balanced transmission line.
Regarding claim 14, as applied to claim 13, Zhu (abstract, para [0024]) teaches that the balun is formed by a combination of the waveguide input P1 and the waveguide 5.
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 to overcome 112 issues and/or 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 1, Eason et al (US 3,170,128), hereinafter Eason, teaches an apparatus comprising:
a connector 12 with a distal end protruding out of the apparatus and a proximal end encroaching or extending across at least one pair of ridges 24 and 25; and a ridge waveguide 23 configured to receive a signal from a balun 11 and propagate the signal upward and out of the apparatus, wherein the ridge waveguide comprises the at least one pair of ridges.
Eason, however, fails to further teach that the at least one pair of ridges protruding out of the ridge waveguide and terminating at or merging with a pair of spherical elements.
Claims 2-9 are allowed for at least the reason for depending on claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, Eason teaches an apparatus comprising:
a connector 12 with a distal end protruding out of the apparatus and a proximal end terminating at or on a front surface of an opposite ridge forming a short circuit; and a waveguide 23 is configured to receive a signal from a balun 11 and propagate the signal upward and out of the apparatus, and the waveguide comprising a pair of ridges 23 and 24.
Eason, however, fails to further teach that the pair of ridges protruding out and terminating at or merging with a pair of spherical elements.
Claims 19-21 are allowed for at least the reason for depending on claim 18.
Regarding claim 11, Zhu 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 depending on claim 11.
Regarding claim 16, Zhu 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 fee space.
Claim 17 would have been found allowable for depending on claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Quan (US 5,264,860) discloses an apparatus comprising a ridge waveguide and a balun.
Massman et al (US 2023/0378662) discloses a multi-octave antenna.
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/HOANG V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845