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.
Claim 19 is 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.
Regarding claim 19, the limitation “wherein the feed probe is formed by bending a material in the gap towards the substrate” renders the claimed indefinite. It is not clear how bending a material in the gap towards the substrate is formed the feed probe. Note that intervening claim 18, line 1-2, recites “the feed probe is of a long strip shape”. For examination purpose, it is interpreted as “wherein the feed probe is formed by bending the long strip shape in the gap towards the substrate”.
Clarification is required.
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.
Claims 1-14 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xue (CN 214203972, IDS 07/07/25, see description translation) in view of Lee et al (US 6,114,997).
Regarding claim 1, Xue discloses in Figure 1-4, a circularly polarized antenna, comprising:
a radiating plate (22) provided with a plurality of gaps (224, Fig. 4), each gap (224, Fig 4) penetrating through the radiating plate (22) along a thickness direction of the radiating plate (22), and the plurality of gaps (224) being arranged in a circular array;
a substrate (F4BM of feed network 40, see Fig. 3 and par. 0040) disposed opposite to and spaced apart from the radiating plate (22), and
the substrate (F4BM, PAR. 0040) being provided with a feed network (40); and
a plurality of feed probes (24) located between the radiating plate (22) and the substrate and arranged at intervals,
wherein each of the feed probes (24) has an end electrically connected to the feed network (40), and the other end electrically connected to the radiating plate (22).
Xue is silent on the antenna being a circularly polarized antenna.
Lee discloses in Figure 3, the antenna being a circularly polarized antenna.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to employ the teaching of Lee in the antenna of Xue by adding a hybrid to the antenna to obtain a circularly polarized antenna. Therefore, to employ having the circularly polarized antenna as claimed invention would have been obvious to person skill in the art.
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1, Xue discloses in Figures 1-3,
wherein the feed probes (24) and the radiating plate are of an integrally formed structure.
Regarding claims 3-4, as applied to claim 2, Xue discloses in Figures 1-3, wherein the feed probe (24) is of a long strip shape; wherein the gap (24) is formed by cutting a part of area in the radiating plate (22) and the cut part is bent towards the substrate to form the feed probe (24).
Xue is silent on and an area of the feed probe being less than or equal to an area of the gap. However, such difference is not patentable. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to select or set the area of the feed probe for impedance matching and optimize antenna gain and since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only ordinary skill in the art
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 1, Xue discloses in Figures 1-4,
wherein the plurality of feed probes (24) are configured to support the radiating plate (22).
Regarding claim 6, as applied to claim 1, Xue discloses in par. 0009, wherein a distance between the radiating plate (22) and the substrate (F4BM) is less than or equal to ʎ * 1/4, (see par. 0009) wherein ʎ is a wavelength at a center frequency of the circularly polarized antenna.
Regarding claim 7, as applied to claim 6, Xue discloses in Figures 1-4,
wherein an included angle exists between an extending direction of the feed probe (24) and a normal of the radiating plate (22).
Regarding claim 8, as applied to claim 1, Xue discloses in Figure 4,
wherein the plurality of gaps (four gaps 224, see Fig. 4) comprise a first gap (224), a second gap (224), a third gap (224) and a fourth gap (224), the first gap and the second gap are arranged at intervals along a first direction, the third gap and the fourth gap are arranged at intervals along a second direction, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other and the first direction and the second direction are parallel to the radiating plate.
Regarding claim 9, as applied to claim 8, Xue discloses in Figure 4,
wherein the radiating plate (22) is of a centrally symmetric shape, and a geometric center of the radiating plate (22) coincides with a center of the circular array.
Regarding claim 10, as applied to claim 9, Xue discloses in Figure 4,
wherein when the radiating plate (22) is a polygon, one of diagonal lines of the radiating plate (22) extends along the first direction, and the other diagonal line of the radiating plate extends along the second direction.
Regarding claim 11, as applied to claim 8, Xue discloses in Figures 1-4,
wherein all of an edge of the first gap close to the center of the circular array, an edge of the second gap close to the center of the circular array, an edge of the third gap close to the center of the circular array and an edge of the fourth gap close to the center of the circular array are connected to the feed probes (24).
Regarding claim 12, as applied to claim 11, Xue discloses in Figures 3 and 5,
wherein the feed network (40, Fig. 2) comprises a first feed point (444), a second feed point (444), a third feed point (444) and a fourth feed point (444), the first feed point (444) is electrically connected to the edge of the first gap through the feed probe, the second feed (444) point is electrically connected to the edge of the second gap through the feed probe, the third feed point is electrically connected to the edge of the third gap through the feed probe, and the fourth feed point is electrically connected to the edge of the fourth gap through the feed probe; and the first feed point and the second feed point are configured to output signals with opposite phases, and the third feed point and the fourth feed point are configured to output signals with opposite phases.
Regarding claim 13, as applied to claim 1, Lee discloses in Figure 3,
wherein the feed network comprises a power divider circuit (33), a first differential circuit (53) and a second differential circuit (53);
the power divider circuit comprises a combining port (LHCP or RHCP), a first branch port (900 port of 33) and a second branch port (00 port of 33);
the first differential circuit (53) is electrically connected to the first branch port, the first feed point (63) and the second feed point (63); and
the second differential circuit (53) is electrically connected to the second branch port, the third feed point and the fourth feed point.
Regarding claim 14, as applied to claim 1, Xue discloses in Figures 2-3 and 5 and par. 0040,
wherein the feed network (40) is disposed at a side of the substrate (F4BM of 40, Fig. 2) away from the radiating plate (22), a side of the substrate facing the radiating plate (22) is further provided with a reflection plane (10, Fig. 3), the reflection plane (10) is provided with an avoidance hole (12), and the feed probe (24) is electrically connected to the feed network by passing through the avoidance hole.
Regarding claim 16, Xue discloses in Figures 1-5, a communication system (see par. 0001), comprising the circularly polarized antenna according to 1.
Regarding claims 17-20, as applied to claim 16, Xue discloses in Figure 3,
wherein the feed probes (24) and the radiating plate (22) are of an integrally formed structure;
wherein the feed probe (24) is of a long strip shape, and an area of the feed probe is less than or equal to an area of the gap;
wherein the feed probe (24) is formed by bending a material in the gap towards the substrate;
wherein the plurality of feed probes (24) are configured to support the radiating plate.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xue (CN 214203972) in view of Rahm et al (US 5,216,430) and further in view of Su et al (US 2012/0038534).
Regarding claim 15, Xue discloses every feature of claimed invention as expressly recited in claim 1, except for an antenna radome, the antenna radome comprises a housing and a bottom plate, the bottom plate is sealed and connected to the housing to form a mounting cavity,
wherein the radiating plate, the substrate and the feed probes are located within the mounting cavity.
Su discloses in Figure 7, an antenna radome (72, 71), the antenna radome comprises a housing (72) and a bottom plate (71), the bottom plate (71) is sealed and connected to the housing (72) to form a mounting cavity, wherein the radiating plate, the substrate and the feed probes are located within the mounting cavity.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify the antenna of Xue with the antenna having an antenna radome as taught by Su to protect the antenna from environment. Therefore, to employ having the antenna radome as claimed invention would have been obvious to person skill in the art.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEU HIEN T DUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-8980. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DIMARY CRUZ 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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DIEU HIEN T DUONG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
