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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McCorkle US Patent Application Publication 2016/0146923.
Regarding Claim 1, McCorkle teaches an antenna (Figs. 6-11) comprising:
a first piece of conductive material (605 Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044); and
a second piece of conductive material (610 Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044) having a substantially planar portion spaced away from and arranged to face at least a portion of the first piece of conductive material (Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044, also better seen in Figs. 8-10 with equivalent 305 & 310 respectively),
the first piece of conductive material and the second piece of conductive material together defining a plurality of three or more ports (port-1 to port-4 Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044) at locations where the first piece of conductive material and the second piece of conductive material come into proximity with each other (Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044), each of the plurality of ports having a first terminal in electrical connection with the first piece of conductive material and a second terminal in electrical connection with the second piece of conductive material (Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044).
Regarding Claim 2, McCorkle teaches wherein first piece of conductive material is shaped as a substantially planar polygonal surface with a plurality of triangular sides, at least one side for each port in the plurality of ports, a triangular side tapering to a tip at a point of proximity (Figs. 6, 7 Par. 0044).
Regarding Claim 3, McCorkle teaches where the polygonal surface has asymmetrically positioned vertices and in which the points of proximity are positioned at unequal distances from a common point and angularly unequally around the common point (Figs. 8-11).
Regarding Claim 4, McCorkle teaches where the number of ports is four (Par. 0044).
Regarding Claim 5, McCorkle teaches wherein the number of ports is five (Par. 0045).
Regarding Claim 6, McCorkle teaches wherein the substantially planar portion spaced away from and arranged to face at least a portion of the first piece of conductive material is substantially parallel to at least a portion of the first piece of conductive material (Figs. 6-11).
Regarding Claim 7, McCorkle teaches wherein at least one of the first piece of conductive material and the second piece of conductive material comprises structure defining at least one slit positioned to control current flow (slits Par. 0045).
Regarding Claim 8, McCorkle teaches wherein the first piece of conductive material and the second piece of conductive material are arranged in a combination having rotational symmetry about an axis of symmetry and wherein the ports are arranged with respect to one another to be at positions that are rotationally symmetric with respect to the axis of symmetry (Figs. 6-11).
Regarding Claim 9, McCorkle teaches wherein each port in the plurality of ports is coaxial (coaxial Par. 0118).
Regarding Claim 10, McCorkle teaches further comprising a coaxial connector with the first terminal being connected to a center conductor of the coaxial connector and the second terminal being connected to a sheath of the coaxial connector (implicit from coaxial Par. 0118).
Regarding Claim 11, McCorkle teaches comprising a first port, a second port, and a third port, and further comprising a first coaxial connector connected to the first port with the first terminal of the first port being connected to a center conductor of the first coaxial connector and the second terminal of the first port being connected to a sheath of the first coaxial connector (implicit from coaxial Par. 0045, 0118 Figs. 6, 7), a second coaxial connector connected to the second port with the first terminal of the second port being connected to a center conductor of the second coaxial connector and the second terminal of the second port being connected to a sheath of the second coaxial connector (implicit from coaxial Par. 0045, 0118 Figs. 6, 7), and a third coaxial connector connected to the third port with the first terminal of the third port being connected to a center conductor of the third coaxial connector and the second terminal of the third port being connected to a sheath of the third coaxial connector (implicit from coaxial Par. 0045, 0118 Figs. 6, 7).
Regarding Claim 12, McCorkle teaches wherein each port in the plurality of ports is electrically connected to a switch configured to selectably connect to one a plurality of different terminations (Par. 0036).
Conclusion
The cited art in PTO-892 was found during the examiner's search, but was not relied upon for this office action. However it is still considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL M BOUIZZA whose telephone number is (571)272-6124. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary 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.
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/MICHAEL M BOUIZZA/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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