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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pan (US 2015/0029064).
With regard to claim 8, Pan discloses:
A phase-array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna units arranged in an array (para 36), comprising: a substrate (cooper, aluminum, zinc…) ; a plurality of conductors (14, 18 Fig. 2) disposed on the substrate (12 Fig. 2); and a plurality of patch elements (conductive patches 102) disposed on the plurality of conductors respectively ( 102 Fig. 2A: para 18), wherein a distance between adjacent two of the plurality of patch elements (the spacing 205 between the patches 102 may be less than 500 um, and preferably much less than 500 um) is in a range from 0.1 mm to 300mm (para 21). ( Note 500 um=5mm is included in the range).
With regard to claim 9, Pan discloses
9. The phase-array antenna as claimed in claim 8, wherein a minimum distance between one of the plurality of conductors and one of the plurality of patch elements is in a range from 0.1 mm to 300 mm. (the spacing 205 between the patches 102 may be less than 500 um, and preferably much less than 500 um).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-7 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding independent claim 1, Chiu teaches phase-array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna units arranged in an array, wherein one of the plurality antenna units comprising: a substrate; a feeding line disposed on the substrate and having a signal transmitting end; a conductor disposed on the substrate and having a signal receiving end; and an active element disposed on the substrate and comprising an active layer; however, Chiu fails to teach the signal transmitting end of the feeding line is apart from the signal receiving end of the conductor by 0.05mm to 5mm, and the active layer is apart from the feeding line by 1 mm to 200 mm.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PEGUY JEAN PIERRE whose telephone number is (571) 272-1803. The examiner can normally be reached from 8:00-6:30 PM Monday-Thursday. The examiner’s fax phone number is (571) 273-1803. The Examiner email address is peguy.jeanpierre@uspto.gov. If attempts to reach the Examiner are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor Dameon E. Levi can be reached at (571) 272-2105.
/PEGUY JEAN PIERRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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