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 .
Preliminary Amendment
The amendment filed 9/23/2024 pursuant to 37 CFR 1.115 and 37 CFR 1.125 was entered.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/23/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Post-Wall Waveguide Dielectric Filter.
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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0159582 A1, published May 27, 2021 (“Ogawa”), cited by the applicant.
Ogawa discloses in Figs. 11A-B, 30-32 and the corresponding description:
Claim 1
A filter (Figs. 30-32, dielectric filter 30, ¶¶91-114) comprising:
a dielectric substrate (14) including a first main surface (14a), a second main surface (14b) positioned on an opposite side of the first main surface, and a plurality of side surfaces (14c, 14d);
a first shielding conductor (12A) formed in vicinity of the first main surface of the dielectric substrate;
a second shielding conductor (12B) formed in vicinity of the second main surface of the dielectric substrate;
a third shielding conductor (12Ca) formed on a first side surface from among the plurality of side surfaces;
a fourth shielding conductor (12Cb) formed on a second side surface from among the plurality of side surfaces; and
a plurality of resonators (10) each including a via electrode portion (20) that is formed inside the dielectric substrate and constituted by a plurality of via electrodes (24), and a capacitor electrode (18A) that faces toward the first shielding conductor and is connected to one end of the via electrode portion (¶93),
wherein the first side surface and the second side surface are the side surfaces extending in a first direction which is a longitudinal direction of the dielectric substrate (Fig. 30),
a first resonator from among the plurality of resonators is positioned at a center of the dielectric substrate as viewed in plan (Fig. 32, middle resonator);
the first resonator is provided with a first via electrode portion (Fig. 11A-B, 20A) that is one of the via electrode portions and that is divided into a first partial electrode portion and a second partial electrode portion (20B) (¶¶60-66; 110-112),
the first partial electrode portion and the second partial electrode portion are spaced from each other in a second direction which is a direction along a normal direction of the first side surface (Figs. 11A-B, ¶¶60-66; 110-112), and
each of the plurality of resonators excluding the first resonator is provided with one of the via electrode portions each of which is undivided (Figs. 30-32, side resonators 10).
Claim 2
wherein the plurality of via electrodes constituting the first partial electrode portion are arranged along a first imaginary arc which is a portion of a first imaginary circle as viewed in plan (Fig. 11B, ¶¶60-66; 110-112), and
the plurality of via electrodes constituting the second partial electrode portion are arranged along a second imaginary arc which is a portion of a second imaginary circle as viewed in plan (Fig. 11B, ¶¶60-66; 110-112).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0131249 A1, published Apr. 28, 2022 (“Uemichi”) discloses a dielectric post-wall waveguide filter including a plurality of resonators with a center-to-center distance between the cavities greater than the sum of the radii of the cavities (Fig. 4, ¶¶126-128).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR COLE, telephone number (571) 272-4686. The examiner can be reached Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM ET.
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/VICTOR COLE/
Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843