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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-12, 17-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishibori et al. (JP 2020007573, cited by the applicant).
Re claims 1, 17: Nishibori teaches a radio frequency reflector (100) comprising a base material layer (10, 110) serving as a non-metallic substrate shaped to reflect radio frequency energy in a specific direction; and an aluminum reflected layer (40A, 140A) serving as a cold spray layer serving as a cold-sprayed radio frequency-reflective layer on the non-metallic substrate (see figs. 2, 3; pages 2-5 of specification of the submitted English translation).
Re claims 3, 4: The base material is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).
Re claims 5, 6: Wherein the aluminum reflected layer (40A, 140A) serving as the cold-sprayed radio frequency-reflective layer (40A, 140A) comprises aluminum
Re claim 7: Wherein the cold-sprayed radio frequency-reflective layer comprises a plurality of cold-sprayed grains, each cold-sprayed grain mechanically bonded to adjacent cold-sprayed grains (i.e., a cold spray method including a first cold spraying step (S30) and a second cold spraying step (S40) implicitly disclose mechanically bonding of particles.
Re claims 8-10: Wherein a reflective layer the cold-sprayed radio frequency-reflective layer (40A) has a thickness about 30 µm.
Re claims 11, 12, 18: The radio frequency reflector (100) comprising further comprising an undercoat layer (20) serving as an electrically insulating layer positioned between the non-metallic substrate and the cold-sprayed radio frequency-reflective layer, wherein the undercoat layer can be an epoxy resin which is a thermosetting polymer.
Re claim 20: Nishibori teaches a radio frequency reflector (100) which can be applied to an antenna wherein the antenna implicitly teach for transmitting and a receiving radio frequency energy; and a radio frequency reflector positioned to direct radio frequency energy towards or away from the antenna, wherein the radio frequency reflector (100) comprises a base material layer (10, 110) serving as a non-metallic substrate and an aluminum reflected layer (40A, 140A) serving as a cold-sprayed radio frequency-reflective layer formed on the non-metallic substrate (see figs. 2, 3; pages 2-5 of specification of the submitted English translation).
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.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishibori in view of Nakamura et al. (JP 2023059349).
The teachings of Nishibori have been discussed above.
Although, Nishibori teaches the radio frequency reflector comprising the base material layer, he fails to teach that the shape of the base material layer.
However, Nakamura teaches an antenna (100) comprising a reflection member (10) wherein the reflection member (10) comprising a second skin (13) having a curved surface or planar (see figs. 1-4; Descriptions of Embodiments of English translation).
It would have been an obvious design variation well within the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to adapt the teachings of Nakamura (i.e., the second skin (13) can be curved surface or planar surface) to the teachings of Nishibori for supporting layers placed on the top of the base layer or the second skin. Also, such modification (i.e., having various shape of the base layer) would have been an obvious design variation well within the ordinary skill in the art failing to provide any unexpected results for supporting layers placed on the top of the base layer, and therefore an obvious expedient.
Claim(s) 13-16, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishibori in view of Long et al. (US 2004/0178967, cited by the applicant).
The teachings of Nishibori have been discussed above.
Although, Nishibori teaches the radio frequency reflector comprising the base material layer, he fails to teach that the radio frequency reflector comprising an electrostatic discharge paint layer.
Long teaches an antenna reflector (22) comprising a white paint layer (40) serving as electrostatic discharge paint layer applied on top of electrically conductive layer (38), the white paint layer comprises a pigment that imparts electrostatic discharge properties and a binder (paragraph 0021), wherein the pigment comprises at least one of a zinc, cadmium, and magnesium (paragraph 0021), wherein the binder comprises at least one of a organic polymer (paragraph 0021)(see figs. 1-3; paragraphs 0018-0027).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Long to the teachings of Nishibori in order to prevent overheating of the substrate.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chao et al. (US 2022/0234071) teaches a substrate structure having a cold sprayed layer.
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/SEUNG H LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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