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.
Claim(s) 1, 12, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Rusch et al (US 2018/0301782).
Re claim 1, Rusch et al disclose a shielding portion including a shielding (114) [0030] having a hollow tubular shape (hollow cylinder) [0031] (Fig 1);
a core portion (110) including a dielectric core (106) [0034] that is located inside the shielding portion and extends in a longitudinal direction (Fig 1); and
a rib (108) that is located between the shielding portion (Fig 1),
wherein the rib is configured such that the shielding portion and the core portion are spaced apart from each other in a normal state (Fig 1) and are brought into contact with each other in response to physical deformation of the communication line (Rusch et al recite “the shield 114 may conform to the shape of the cladding 110 . . . high pressure”) [0031].
Re claim 12, wherein the shielding portion [0036], the core portion, and the rib [0034] are made of a dielectric material, and formed integrally (Fig 1).
Re claim 13, wherein the dielectric core has a hollow (gases, air) [0027] tubular shape (112) [0033], and an electromagnetic wave signal received at one end (102) of the dielectric core is transmitted (propagating electromagnetic signals) [0023] to the other end (104) of the dielectric core in the longitudinal direction [0026].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 are 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues (1) that Rusch et al does not disclose or suggest the feature of “a rib disposed between the shielding portion and the core portion, wherein the rib is configured such that the shielding portion and the core portion are spaced apart from each other in a normal state and are brought into contact with each other in response to physical deformation of the communication line”.
With respect to (1), it has been addressed in previous paragraphs.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG V NGO whose telephone number is (571)272-1979. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30 M-F.
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/HUNG V NGO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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