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 § 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)(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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Barrick et al. (US 2005/0007276).
Figure 2 of Barrick discloses:
(1) regarding Claim 1:
An antenna array ([0014]), comprising:
a plurality of at least four antennas arranged around a circle ([0014], [0018]),
wherein each antenna in the plurality of antennas has a radiating element having a length of less than half of a wavelength of an operating frequency of the array ([0005], [0014], [0043]-[0045], [0047], [0062]).
(2) regarding Claim 2:
wherein one or more of the plurality of antennas are of a type from the group consisting of a monopole antenna, a half-loop antenna, a spiral-loaded antenna, a magnetic loop antenna, a parasitic wideband Yagi antenna, a dipole antenna, a log-periodic antenna, and an inverted V dipole antenna ([0007]).
(3) regarding Claim 3:
wherein the plurality of antennas are crossed dipole antennas ([0071]).
(4) regarding Claim 4:
wherein each of the plurality of antennas is the same type of antenna (See Fig 2).
(5) regarding Claim 5:
wherein the array is configured to provide at least as much gain as a single antenna of the same type as the plurality of antennas with a radiating element having a length of at least half the wavelength of the operating frequency ([0074]).
(6) regarding Claim 6:
wherein the array has a diameter of at least five meters ([0074]).
(7) regarding Claim 7:
wherein the plurality of antennas are equally spaced about the circle and the plurality of antennas are each separated by a distance of at least half of the wavelength of the operating frequency ([0074]).
(8) regarding Claim 8:
wherein adjacent antennas are separated by at least 10 meters ([0074]).
(9) regarding Claim 9:
a hub, wherein the plurality of antennas are connected to the hub and the hub controls the transmission and reception of signals by the plurality of antennas ([0053]).
(10) regarding Claim 10:
wherein the hub selects, for each of the plurality of antennas, a value by which to increase or decrease a signal received each antenna to change the directivity of the array ([0043]-[0045], [0047], [0062], [0074]).
(11) regarding Claim 11:
wherein the radiation pattern of the array does not change based on adding or removing antennas around the circle ([0025]).
(12) regarding Claim 12:
wherein the array comprises at least 12 antennas ([0025]).
(13) regarding Claim 13:
wherein one or more of the plurality of antennas has a radiating element having a length of 10 meters or less ([0043]-[0045], [0047]).
(14) regarding Claim 14:
wherein the array is configured to operate between 3 MHz and 30 MHz ([0043]-[0045], [0047]).
(15) regarding Claim 15:
wherein the system is configured to operate between 3 MHz and 8 MHz ([0043]-[0045], [0047]).
(16) regarding Claim 16:
wherein the array is configured to receive left-hand elliptically polarized signals and right-hand elliptically polarized signals ([0066]).
(17) regarding Claim 17:
wherein the array is configured to operate as a transmit array and a receive array (abstract text).
(18) regarding Claim 18:
wherein the array is configured to be transportable ([0009]).
(19) regarding Claim 19:
wherein each of the plurality of antennas is configured to be mounted on one or more vehicles ([0009]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRYSTAL L HAMMOND whose telephone number is (571)270-1682. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12pm-4pm Alt Fridays.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached at (571)270-7893. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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