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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/03/2025, 12/29/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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.
Drawings
Figures 17-18 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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, 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated by Tiwari et al., "High Sensitivity Resonant X-band Thin Film Magneto-dielectric SIW Sensor," 2019 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and RF Conference (IMaRC), Dec. 13, 2019, pp. 250-253 ("Tiwari").
Regarding claim 1, Tiwari discloses a probe for measuring a magnetic permeability of a magnetic material, the probe comprising (Tiwari teaches a thin film magneto dielectric X band sensor employing a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) and CSRR for characterization of magnetic/dielectric composites. Tiwari explains that microwave resonant techniques estimate the dielectric and magnetic property of test specimens and that the proposed structure is used to characterize magneto dielectric samples. See Abstract; Sec. I; Figs. 1-3 and 8. More specifically, Tiwari states that a change in resonant frequency can be used to estimate the dielectric and magnetic property of the test specimen and that magneto dielectric samples are characterized using the sensor of Fig. 1).
a transmission line body comprising a strip-shaped strip conductor formed on a front surface of a dielectric substrate and a ground conductor formed on the front surface or a back surface of the dielectric substrate (the planar SIW sensor structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 8, including the top metal film/conductive layer forming the conductive transmission structure on the dielectric substrate and the associated SIW ground conductor. Section Ill expressly states that the fabricated SIW sensor structure is formed on a 0.8 mm thick dielectric Rogers RT-5880
sheet, as shown in Fig. 8. The ground conductor is necessarily present as part of the SIW
transmission structure. See Figs. 1 and 8).
a first connector connected to one end of each of the strip conductor and
the ground conductor; and (the left hand connector shown in Fig. 8, connected at the first end of the fabricated SIW transmission structure, thereby providing electrical connection to the conductive transmission structure and ground. See Fig. 8 and Sec. Ill. Section Ill identifies Fig. 8(a) as the experimental setup and sensor used with the VNA after SOLT calibration. See particularly Fig. 8(a), left connector),
a second connector connected to the other end of each of the strip
conductor and the ground conductor, wherein (Tiwari teaches the corresponding right-hand connector shown in Fig. 8, connected at the opposite end of the fabricated SIW transmission structure, thereby providing the second electrical connection to the conductive transmission structure and ground. See Fig. 8(a); Sec. Ill.),
the strip conductor comprises a first length portion comprising a portion
connected to the first connector on one end side (the small width conductive feed portion extending from and connected to the left hand connector toward the enlarged SIW/CSRR region, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. Tiwari expressly explains that the dimensions of the feed section and SIW sections are optimized to obtain the desired X band performance. Thus, the small width left conductive feed section shown in Fig. 8 constitutes the recited first length portion),
a second length portion comprising a portion connected to the second
connector at the other end (the corresponding small width conductive feed portion extending from the enlarged SIW/CSRR region to the right hand connector, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. This constitutes the recited second length portion because it forms the opposite conductive feed section connected to the second connector. See Figs. 1 and 8; Sec. II. Tiwari expressly
identifies and optimizes the feed sections and SIW sections of the structure),
and a third length portion extending between the first length portion and the
second length portion (the enlarged central SIW conductive portion located between the first and second small width feed portions, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 8. The central portion contains the CSRR and lies between the opposed feed/connector portions. See Figs. 1, 2 and 8),
and the third length portion comprises a current deviation prevention unit (a complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) etched at the center of the SIW waveguide E plane, i.e., within the enlarged middle/third length portion. See Abstract; Figs. 1-3 and 8. The CSRR modifies and confines the electromagnetic distribution in this intermediate conductive region. In particular, Tiwari's Fig. 2 shows the magnetic and electric field distributions of the E plane SIW CSRR, and Tiwari expressly teaches that "the magnetic field remains localized only at the metallic slot of the CSRR structure," while the electric field is distributed along the etched ring with maximum concentration at positions opposite the metallic slot.
Regarding claim 2, Tiwari further discloses wherein the transmission line body is a microstrip line or a coplanar line (fig. 1 split/gap “g” of the split ring structure).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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 of this title, 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 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tiwari et al., "High Sensitivity Resonant X-band Thin Film Magneto-dielectric SIW Sensor," 2019 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and RF Conference (IMaRC), Dec. 13, 2019, pp. 250-253 ("Tiwari") in view of Li (U.S. Publication 20120323297).
Regarding claim 15, Tiwari does not explicitly teach the current deviation prevention unit is configured to reduce an electric resistance from an end to an inner side in a width direction of the third length portion perpendicular to a length direction of the strip conductor.
However, Li in a relevant art teaches an electrical conductor in which resistivity varies across the width of the conductor such that "an outer portion of the conductor has a greater resistivity than the resistivity at a center portion of the conductor.", further teaches embodiments in which the resistivity varies continuously across the width between the center portion and the outer portion. See Li [0007]. Thus, proceeding from the outer/end portion toward the inner/center portion of Li's conductor, the electrical resistivity, and correspondingly the electrical resistance for corresponding conductor geometry, is reduced, as required by claim 15. Li expressly identifies Fig. 8 as illustrating a conductor having "a gradual change in
resistance across its width." See Li [0014].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the current-deviation/conductive portion of Tiwari according to Li by providing a greater electrical resistance at an outer/end portion and a reduced electrical resistance toward an inner/center portion in the width direction. Li provides an express reason for employing such resistance characteristics, namely, controlling the interaction of the conductor with RF electromagnetic energy. Li teaches conductors having resistance/impedance characteristics adapted to dissipate RF electromagnetic energy and explains that conductor resistance/impedance affects RF energy behavior.
One of ordinary skill in the art therefore would have been motivated to employ Li's known width wise resistance arrangement in Tiwari 's RF conductive sensing structure to control RF current/electromagnetic energy distribution in the conductor, thereby obtaining the
predictable result of directing the high frequency current distribution according to the selected
transverse resistance profile. Such modification would have amounted to the predictable use of
Li's known transverse resistance arrangement in Tiwari 's RF conductive structure for its known
purpose.
Regarding claim 16, Tiwari does not explicitly teach wherein in the current deviation prevention unit, the strip conductor is made of a plurality of materials having different electric resistances.
However, Li in a relevant art teaches Fig. 9 having multiple layers of conductors, each having a different resistivity. See Li, Fig. 9 and [0015], further teaches that the conductor can comprise an inner conductor surrounded by additional conductive portions having different resistivities, thereby providing a transverse variation in resistance across the conductor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to implement the width wise resistance variation of the Tiwari/Li combination using Li's expressly disclosed plurality of conductive materials/layers having different electrical resistivities. One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to do so because Li teaches the use of different-resistivity conductive portions as a known structural implementation for establishing the desired transverse resistance distribution and thereby controlling the conductor's interaction with RF electromagnetic energy. Li expressly teaches conductors having resistance/impedance characteristics adapted to dissipate RF electromagnetic energy.
Regarding claim 17, Tiwari does not explicitly teach wherein in the current deviation prevention unit, a material having a conductivity different from a conductivity of the strip conductor is provided on the strip conductor.
However, Li in a relevant art teaches conductor structure in which conductive portions having different electrical resistivities are arranged relative to one another. In particular, Li teaches embodiments in which an inner conductor is surrounded by additional conductive portions/layers having different resistivities, and Fig. 9 is expressly described as including multiple layers of conductors having different resistivities. See Li, Fig. 9 and [0015]. Because electrical conductivity is inversely related to electrical resistivity, Li's conductive layers having different resistivities necessarily have different conductivities. Thus, Li teaches or suggests the additional limitation that "in the current deviation prevention unit, a material having a conductivity different from a conductivity of the strip conductor is provided on the strip conductor," insofar as a conductive material/layer having a different resistivity, and therefore a different conductivity, is provided over/around an underlying conductive portion.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the conductive sensing portion of Tiwari by providing thereon a conductive material having a conductivity different from that of the underlying strip conductor, as taught by Li, to establish the desired transverse resistance/conductivity distribution and thereby control the RF current distribution and interaction with RF electromagnetic energy.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tiwari et al., "High Sensitivity Resonant X-band Thin Film Magneto-dielectric SIW Sensor," 2019 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and RF Conference (IMaRC), Dec. 13, 2019, pp. 250-253 ("Tiwari") in Li (U.S. Publication 20120323297) as applied to the rejection of claim 15 above and further in view of Robertson (U.S. Patent 4703392).
Regarding claim 18, Tiwari as modified by Li does not explicitly teach wherein in the current deviation prevention unit, a film thickness of the strip conductor is larger on the inner side than on the end.
Robertson in a relevant art teaches a microstrip line formed from conductive film layers having a nonuniform thickness across the width of the conductor, teaches a first conductive layer having a predetermined width and one or more additional conductive layers printed thereon to build up the thickness of the microstrip line, wherein each additional layer has a width smaller than the first conductive layer. In particular, Robertson's Fig. 2 shows second conductive layer 20 positioned over first conductive layer 12, with the width 22 of layer 20 being less than width 18 of layer 12. Consequently, the resulting microstrip conductor is thicker at its inner/central portion than at its width direction end portions, further expressly teaches that RF current flowing through a film conductor experiences skin effect, and that at microwave frequencies the conduction characteristics of the film line are a function of line width, edge definition, and line thickness, further explains that the additional conductive layer is provided to build the conductor thickness to a desired number of skin depths and thereby achieve low loss and high Q characteristics.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to implement the width wise resistance arrangement of Tiwari as modified by Li probe using the nonuniform film thickness configuration taught by Robertson, by providing a greater film thickness at the inner portion of the strip conductor than at its width-direction end portions. One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to do so because Robertson expressly teaches that film thickness is a parameter affecting the conduction characteristics of an RF/microwave microstrip conductor and teaches increasing the thickness of the inner portion by applying a narrower conductive layer over a wider underlying conductive layer to obtain desired high frequency conduction characteristics, including the desired skin depth thickness and reduced loss.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tiwari et al., "High Sensitivity Resonant X-band Thin Film Magneto-dielectric SIW Sensor," 2019 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and RF Conference (IMaRC), Dec. 13, 2019, pp. 250-253 ("Tiwari") in Li (U.S. Publication 20120323297) as applied to the rejection of claim 15 above and further in view of Seymour (U.S. Patent 5047829).
Regarding claim 19, Tiwari as modified by Li does not explicitly teach wherein the current deviation prevention unit is doped with a substance that changes a conductivity of the strip conductor.
Seymour teaches the use of doping in an RF/microwave transmission line structure to selectively establish regions having different conductivity characteristics. More particularly, discloses a center conductor 40 of a coplanar waveguide, together with grounded coplanar conductors 42 and 44, disposed on semiconductor substrate 50, further discloses implanted p+ region 52 and n+ region 54 associated with the center conductor and adjacent conductor structure. See, Figs. 4A-4B and corresponding description. Seymour expressly teaches that the coplanar waveguide center conductor may be incorporated into a microstrip transmission line, explaining that conductor 40 over backside ground 72 forms a microstrip transmission line having an approximately 50 ohm characteristic impedance. See, Fig. 4A and corresponding description. Seymour further teaches that its coplanar waveguide sections operate at microwave frequencies and may be connected through a quarter-wavelength section of microstrip transmission line. Regarding the claimed doping, Seymour expressly teaches that the semiconductor regions associated with the transmission line conductors are doped. For example, Seymour's claim 1 recites a first semiconductor region extending along and electrically contacting the first conductor and "doped a first conductivity type," and a second semiconductor region extending along and electrically contacting the second conductor and "doped a second conductivity type." For the coplanar waveguide embodiment, Seymour similarly recites additional doped regions extending along and electrically contacting the center and ground conductors, additionally expressly teaches that the materials and doping levels may be varied, including use of zinc and sulfur dopants, and that very light doping may alternatively be employed. Seymour further identifies the resulting structure as being compatible with coplanar waveguide and microstrip formats.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to implement the conductivity variation of the Tiwari as modified by Li current deviation structure using selective doping as taught by Seymour. Li teaches deliberately varying resistivity/conductivity to obtain the desired RF current behavior, while Seymour teaches, in an RF/microwave transmission line environment, selectively introducing dopants of different conductivity types and varying the doping levels of regions electrically associated with the transmission line conductor. One of ordinary skill would therefore have had reason to employ Seymour's known doping technique in the Tiwari/Li structure to modify local electrical conductivity and thereby obtain the desired resistance/current distribution and corresponding electromagnetic field characteristics.
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claim 3-14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
None of the prior art of record discloses or teaches the claimed combinations, or feature the following:
Re-claim 3, The probe according to claim 1, wherein the current deviation prevention unit comprises at least one slit extending in a length direction of the strip conductor
Claims 4-14 are allowable over the prior art because of their dependencies.
Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
TIWARI NILESH K ET AL: "Estimation of Broadband Complex Permeability Using SIW Cavity-Based Multimodal Approach", IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND
MEASUREMENT, IEEE, USA, vol. 69, no. 9, 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24), pages 6571-6581, XP011803582, ISSN: 0018-9456, DOI: 10.1109/TIM.2020.2969590.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAQI R NASIR whose telephone number is (571)270-1425. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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/TAQI R NASIR/ Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/LEE E RODAK/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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