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)(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.
(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 1-7 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Rahman et al. (Design of an Orthogonal Feed Circularly Polarized Microstrip Array Antenna Suitable for Large Scale Extensible Arrays [2016]), hereinafter Rahman.
Regarding claim 1, Rahman teaches an antenna, comprising:
a waveguide structure comprising a slot pair configured to output a first electromagnetic wave, wherein the slot pair comprises a first slot and a second slot, and wherein a length direction of the first slot is parallel to a length direction of the second slot (page 33 right-hand column, “The designed antenna is suitable for different X-band applications such as radar, amateur radio, various motion detectors etc.”; see page 30 left-hand column and Fig. 5 for evidence that electromagnetic waves are output by the slots of the circuits Feed [Circuit]-1 and Feed [Circuit]-2, hereinafter respectively referred to as Feed-1 and Feed-2 in accordance with Fig. 5; Fig. 1, pair of slot lines are parallel to each other along their length directions, where antenna slots function as waveguides, and where Examiner is construing the slot coupled to Feed-1 to be a first slot and the slot coupled to Feed-2 to be a second slot, and the entirety of the slots to constitute a waveguide structure),
a radiating element configured to transmit or receive the first electromagnetic wave (page 31 left-hand column, “The array antenna consists of two patch elements. Each of the patch elements is aligned at 45° with respect to the x axis.”; Fig. 5, either of the two patch elements shown, for simplicity Examiner will hereinafter refer to the left patch element), and
a microstrip structure (Fig. 5, layer comprising microstrips) comprising:
a first microstrip coupled to the first slot and comprising a first feeding part, wherein the first feeding part is coupled to the radiating element for feeding (Fig. 5, bottom microstrip line coupled to bottom slot construed as a first slot and comprising feeding part of Feed-1 coupled to patch element), and
a second microstrip coupled to the second slot and comprising a second feeding part arranged orthogonally to the first feeding part, wherein the second feeding part is coupled to the radiating element for feeding (Fig. 5, top microstrip line coupled to top slot construed as a second slot and comprising feeding part of Feed-2 arranged orthogonally to feeding part of Feed-1 and coupled to patch element),
wherein a phase difference between an electromagnetic wave of the first feeding part and an electromagnetic wave of the second feeding part is an odd multiple of 90° (page 32 left-hand column, “To generate circularly polarized waves, two orthogonal signals with 90° phase shift between them are required. The RF signal of Feed-1 is at an angle of +45° with respect to the x axis. On the other hand, when the RF signal is fed to Feed-2, the signal is -45° with the axis.”; 90° is an odd multiple of itself).
Regarding claim 2, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises a sub-waveguide, and wherein the sub-waveguide comprises the first slot and the second slot (Fig. 4, slot waveguide layer comprises two similarly arranged sets of two slots in addition to one longer slot, each set and the longer slot construed by Examiner to constitute three-sub waveguides total, as seen in the following annotated version of Fig. 4, where each red box delineates each construed sub-waveguide of slots:
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; note that a similar diagram that differently construes the sub-waveguides is used in rejecting claim 6, this is because the two claims are on separate branches of dependency and claim different definitions of sub-waveguide(s)).
Regarding claim 3, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises sub-waveguides arranged in parallel (see annotated version of Fig. 4 above in the rejection of claim 2, wherein the sub-waveguides by way of their slots are arranged parallel to each other along their length direction).
Regarding claim 4, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 3,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises a main waveguide, wherein the main waveguide comprises output ends, and wherein the sub-waveguides comprise input ends coupled to output ends in one-to-one correspondence (Figs. 4-5, based on the arrows showing the direction of wave propagation in Fig. 5, and construing the longer slot in Fig. 4 as a main waveguide, the long waveguide comprises two output ends and the remaining two sub-waveguides together comprise two respective input ends, as seen in the following annotated version of Figs. 4-5:
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).
Regarding claim 5, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 4,
wherein the output ends are distributed on two side of the main waveguide that face away from each other (see annotated version of Figs. 4-5 above in the rejection of claim 4, where the output ends are on opposite sides of the longer slot along its length direction).
Regarding claim 6, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises a sub-waveguide pair, and wherein the sub-waveguide pair comprises: a first sub-waveguide comprising the first slot, and a second sub-waveguide comprising the second slot (Fig. 4, Examiner is interpreting the sub-waveguides as seen in the following annotated version of Fig. 4, where each red box delineates each construed sub-waveguide of slots and the pair comprises the sub-waveguides containing the first and second slots:
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).
Regarding claim 7, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises sub-waveguide pairs arranged in parallel (see annotated version of Fig. 4 above in the rejection of claim 6, where sub-waveguides by way of their slots are arranged parallel to each other along their length direction).
Regarding claim 10, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises slot pairs, and wherein the first slot or the second slot is shared in two adjacent slot pairs (Examiner is interpreting the slot pairs as seen here in the following annotated version of Fig. 4, where the first slot is shared in two adjacent slot pairs:
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).
Regarding claim 11, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1,
wherein the waveguide structure, the radiating element, and the microstrip structure are stacked together (page 30, “In this antenna a ring plane cut by sector is used as a patch and an air layer is loaded between the patch and the ground plane.”; page 31 left-hand column, “Fig. 1 shows the configuration of the proposed array antenna. The array is designed on a Teflon substrate whose different parameters are dielectric permittivity [εr] = 2.15, thickness = 0.8 mm and loss tangent = 0.001.”; Fig. 1 shows the waveguide structure comprising the slots built into the glass fiber substrate, the patch antennas flush with the glass fiber substrate, and the microstrip structure extending above the glass fiber substrate, making up a layered or stacked structure).
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 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rahman in view of Di Nallo et al. (US 20200182964 A1), hereinafter Di Nallo.
Regarding claim 12, Rahman teaches the antenna of claim 1, but fails to teach further comprising
a phase shifter,
wherein the phase shifter is coupled to the first microstrip or the second microstrip, and is configured to adjust a phase of an electromagnetic wave fed into the radiating element.
However, Di Nallo teaches
a phase shifter, wherein the phase shifter is coupled to the first microstrip or the second microstrip, and is configured to adjust a phase of an electromagnetic wave fed into the radiating element (para. 44, “Radio-frequency transmission line 32 may include a coaxial cable, a coaxial probe realized by metalized vias, a microstrip transmission line, a stripline transmission line, an edge-coupled microstrip transmission line, an edge-coupled stripline transmission lines, a waveguide structure, combinations of these, etc. Multiple types of transmission lines may be used to form the transmission line path that couples millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 28 to antenna feed 34. Filter circuitry, switching circuitry, impedance matching circuitry, phase shifter circuitry, amplifier circuitry, and/or other circuitry may be interposed on radio-frequency transmission line 32, if desired.”; Fig. 4, transmission line 32 which may have phase shift circuitry interposed, feeds into antenna feed 34 which implicitly comprises a radiating element, where transmission line 32 comprises conducting lines 40 and 42 which may be microstrips).
Rahman and Di Nallo are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same technological field of circularly polarized microstrip antenna arrays. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Rahman with the teachings of Di Nallo with the motivation of being able to precisely control signal timing and direction through phase shifting.
Regarding claim 13, Rahman teaches a radar (page 33 right-hand column, “The designed antenna is suitable for different X-band applications such as radar, amateur radio, various motion detectors etc.”; Rahman’s antenna may be implemented into a radar system; see paras. 6, 30, and 44 of Di Nallo for a further example of a microstrip antenna implemented into a radar system) comprising:
an antenna (Fig. 1, array antenna) comprising:
a waveguide structure comprising a slot pair to output a first electromagnetic wave, wherein the slot pair comprises a first slot and a second slot, and wherein a length direction of the first slot is parallel to a length direction of the second slot (page 33 right-hand column, “The designed antenna is suitable for different X-band applications such as radar, amateur radio, various motion detectors etc.”; see page 30 left-hand column and Fig. 5 for evidence that electromagnetic waves are output by the slots of the circuits Feed-1 and Feed-2; Fig. 1, pair of slot lines are parallel to each other along their length directions, where antenna slots function as waveguides, and where Examiner is construing the slot coupled to Feed-1 to be a first slot and the slot coupled to Feed-2 to be a second slot, and the entirety of the slots to constitute a waveguide structure),
a radiating element configured to transmit or receive the first electromagnetic wave (page 31 left-hand column, “The array antenna consists of two patch elements. Each of the patch elements is aligned at 45° with respect to the x axis.”; Fig. 5, either of the two patch elements shown are construed to be a radiating element, for simplicity Examiner will hereinafter refer to the left patch element as the claimed radiating element), and
a microstrip structure (Fig. 5, layer comprising microstrips) comprising:
a first microstrip coupled to the first slot and comprising a first feeding part, wherein the first feeding part is coupled to the radiating element for feeding (Fig. 5, bottom microstrip line coupled to bottom slot and comprising feeding part of Feed-1 coupled to patch element), and
a second microstrip coupled to the second slot and comprising a second feeding part arranged orthogonally to the first feeding part, wherein the second feeding part is coupled to the radiating element for feeding (Fig. 5, top microstrip line coupled to top slot, comprising feeding part of Feed-2 arranged orthogonally to feeding part of Feed-1 and coupled to patch element), and
wherein a phase difference between an electromagnetic wave of the first feeding part and an electromagnetic wave of the second feeding part is an odd multiple of 90° (page 32 left-hand column, “To generate circularly polarized waves, two orthogonal signals with 90° phase shift between them are required. The RF signal of Feed-1 is at an angle of +45° with respect to the x axis. On the other hand, when the RF signal is fed to Feed-2, the signal is -45° with the axis.”; 90° is an odd multiple of itself), but fails to teach
a housing, and
an antenna disposed in the housing.
However, Di Nallo teaches
a housing, and an antenna disposed in the housing (see paras. 6 and 26 for evidence of an antenna disposed in a housing 12 of an electronic radar device 10),
wherein the antenna comprises a slotted waveguide structure, a radiating element, and microstrip structure comprising two microstrips (see para. 30 for evidence of the antenna, which implicitly comprises a radiating element, also comprising a slotted waveguide structure; para. 44, “Radio-frequency transmission line 32 may include a coaxial cable, a coaxial probe realized by metalized vias, a microstrip transmission line, a stripline transmission line, an edge-coupled microstrip transmission line, an edge-coupled stripline transmission lines, a waveguide structure, combinations of these, etc. Multiple types of transmission lines may be used to form the transmission line path that couples millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 28 to antenna feed 34.”; see Fig. 4 for evidence that transmission line 32 which may be a microstrip structure, comprises conducting lines 40 and 42 which are thus two separate microstrip transmission lines).
Rahman and Di Nallo are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same technological field of circularly polarized microstrip antenna arrays. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Rahman with the teachings of Di Nallo with the motivation of protecting transmission/reception circuitry.
Regarding claim 14, Rahman teaches an antenna (Fig. 1, array antenna) comprising:
a waveguide structure comprising a slot pair to output a first electromagnetic wave, wherein the slot pair comprises a first slot and a second slot, and wherein a length direction of the first slot is parallel to a length direction of the second slot (page 33 right-hand column, “The designed antenna is suitable for different X-band applications such as radar, amateur radio, various motion detectors etc.”; see page 30 left-hand column and Fig. 5 for evidence that electromagnetic waves are output by the slots of the circuits Feed-1 and Feed-2; Fig. 1, pair of slot lines are parallel to each other along their length directions, where antenna slots function as waveguides, and where Examiner is construing the slot coupled to Feed-1 to be a first slot and the slot coupled to Feed-2 to be a second slot, and the entirety of the slots to constitute a waveguide structure),
a radiating element configured to transmit or receive the first electromagnetic wave (page 31 left-hand column, “The array antenna consists of two patch elements. Each of the patch elements is aligned at 45° with respect to the x axis.”; Fig. 5, either of the two patch elements shown are construed to be a radiating element, for simplicity Examiner will hereinafter refer to the left patch element as the claimed radiating element), and
a microstrip structure (Fig. 5, layer comprising microstrips) comprising:
a first microstrip coupled to the first slot and comprising a first feeding part, wherein the first feeding part is coupled to the radiating element for feeding (Fig. 5, bottom microstrip line coupled to bottom slot construed as a first slot and comprising feeding part of Feed-1 coupled to patch element), and
a second microstrip coupled to the second slot and comprising a second feeding part arranged orthogonally to the first feeding part, wherein the second feeding part is coupled to the radiating element for feeding (Fig. 5, top microstrip line coupled to top slot construed as a second slot and comprising feeding part of Feed-2 arranged orthogonally to feeding part of Feed-1 coupled to patch element), and
wherein a phase difference between an electromagnetic wave of the first feeding part an electromagnetic wave of the second feeding part is an odd multiple of 90° (page 32 left-hand column, “To generate circularly polarized waves, two orthogonal signals with 90° phase shift between them are required. The RF signal of Feed-1 is at an angle of +45° with respect to the x axis. On the other hand, when the RF signal is fed to Feed-2, the signal is -45° with the axis.”; 90° is an odd multiple of itself), but fails to teach
a terminal comprising:
a radar comprising:
a housing, and
an antenna coupled to the housing.
However, Di Nallo teaches
a terminal (para. 20, “An electronic device such as electronic device 10 of FIG. 1 may contain wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may include phased antenna arrays that are used for performing wireless communications and/or spatial ranging operations using millimeter and centimeter wave signals.”; Examiner is construing the electronic device 10 to be a terminal) comprising:
a radar (para. 6, “An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry and wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry and the control circuitry may perform spatial ranging operations using a multiple-input and multiple-output [MIMO] radio detection and ranging [RADAR] scheme.”; Examiner is construing the electronic device 10 to function as a radar device) comprising:
a housing, and an antenna coupled to the housing (see para. 26 for evidence of an antenna disposed in and therefore coupled to a housing 12 of device 10),
wherein the antenna comprises a slotted waveguide structure, a radiating element, and microstrip structure comprising two microstrips (see para. 30 for evidence of the antenna, which implicitly comprises a radiating element, also comprising a slotted waveguide structure; para. 44, “Radio-frequency transmission line 32 may include a coaxial cable, a coaxial probe realized by metalized vias, a microstrip transmission line, a stripline transmission line, an edge-coupled microstrip transmission line, an edge-coupled stripline transmission lines, a waveguide structure, combinations of these, etc. Multiple types of transmission lines may be used to form the transmission line path that couples millimeter/centimeter wave transceiver circuitry 28 to antenna feed 34.”; see Fig. 4 for evidence that transmission line 32 which may be a microstrip structure, comprises conducting lines 40 and 42 which are thus two separate microstrip transmission lines).
Rahman and Di Nallo are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same technological field of circularly polarized microstrip antenna arrays. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Rahman with the teachings of Di Nallo with the motivation of integrating Rahman’s circularly polarized antenna array into a physically protected user device.
Regarding claim 15, Rahman in view of Di Nallo teaches the terminal of claim 14,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises a sub-waveguide, and wherein the sub-waveguide comprises the first slot and the second slot (Rahman; Fig. 4, slot waveguide layer comprises two similarly arranged sets of two slots in addition to one longer slot, each set and the longer slot construed by Examiner to constitute three-sub waveguides total, as seen in the following annotated version of Fig. 4, where each red box delineates each construed sub-waveguide of slots:
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; note that a similar diagram that differently construes the sub-waveguides is used in rejecting claim 19, this is because the two claims are on separate branches of dependency and claim different definitions of sub-waveguide(s)).
Regarding claim 16, Rahman in view of Di Nallo teaches the terminal of claim 14,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises sub-waveguides arranged in parallel (Rahman; see annotated version of Fig. 4 above in the rejection of claim 15, wherein the sub-waveguides by way of their slots are arranged parallel to each other along their length direction).
Regarding claim 17, Rahman in view of Di Nallo teaches the terminal of claim 16,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises a main waveguide, wherein the main waveguide comprises output ends, and wherein the sub-waveguides comprise input ends coupled to output ends in one-to-one correspondence (Rahman; Figs. 4-5, based on the arrows showing the direction of wave propagation in Fig. 5, and construing the longer slot in Fig. 4 as a main waveguide, the long waveguide comprises two output ends and the remaining two sub-waveguides together comprise two respective input ends, as seen in the following annotated version of Figs. 4-5:
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Regarding claim 18, Rahman in view of Di Nallo teaches the terminal of claim 17,
wherein the output ends are distributed on two side of the main waveguide that face away from each other (Rahman; see annotated version of Figs. 4-5 above in the rejection of claim 17, where the output ends are on opposite sides of the longer slot along its length direction).
Regarding claim 19, Rahman in view of Di Nallo teaches the terminal of claim 14,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises a sub-waveguide pair, and wherein the sub-waveguide pair comprises: a first sub-waveguide comprising the first slot, and a second sub-waveguide comprising the second slot (Rahman; Fig. 4, Examiner is interpreting the sub-waveguides as seen in the following annotated version of Fig. 4, where each red box delineates each construed sub-waveguide of slots and the pair comprises the sub-waveguides containing the first and second slots:
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).
Regarding claim 20, Rahman in view of Di Nallo teaches the terminal of claim 14,
wherein the waveguide structure further comprises sub-waveguide pairs arranged in parallel (Rahman; see annotated version of Fig. 4 above in the rejection of claim 19, where sub-waveguides by way of their slots are arranged parallel to each other along their length direction).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 9 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC K HODAC whose telephone number is (571) 270-0123. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-6.
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, VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE can be reached at (571) 270-5144. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC K HODAC/ Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
Prosecution Insights