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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05 May 2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1,3,5-7,9-10,12-13,15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gee et al. (U.S. Patent No. 4529277, made of record in IDS dated 05 May 2026), hereinafter known as Gee.
Regarding claims 1, 10, and 16, Gee discloses (Figs. 1-4) an antenna reflector for reflecting a radio frequency (RF) signal (Figs. 1-4),
the antenna reflector having a smaller footprint when stowed than when deployed (see Figs. 1-4), the antenna reflector comprising:
a hexagonal central reflecting portion (10) having a first face and an opposed second face, the first face for reflecting the RF signal, and six central edges of equal length; and six trapezoidal petals (11) disposed about the hexagonal central reflecting portion and having first faces and opposed second faces, the first faces for reflecting the RF signal, each two opposing petals forming a petal pair(see Figs. 1-4) each petal comprising:
a first edge equal in length to a respective central edge (12, see Figs. 1-4), wherein each first edge is disposed adjacent to the respective central edge; a second edge greater in length than the first edge and parallel to the first edge; (15) third and fourth edges connecting the first and second edges (17); wherein in a stowed configuration each petal pair is folded and has a cross-sectional footprint substantially identical to a cross-sectional footprint of the central reflecting portion (see Fig. 3), and each of the second edges of each petal pair are mutually adjacent (Abstract); wherein in a deployed configuration each petal is not folded, the petals and the central reflecting portion together form a hexagon with a cross-sectional footprint larger than the cross-sectional footprint of the central reflecting portion (see Fig. 1), each third edge of each petal is disposed adjacent a respective fourth edge of an adjacent petal, and each fourth edge of each petal is disposed adjacent a respective third edge of an adjacent petal (see Figs. 1-4), wherein each petal is configured to fold along the first edge from the deployed configuration to the stowed configuration and each petal is configured to unfold along the first edge from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claims 4 and 12, wherein the petals and the central reflecting portion are flat (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claims 5 and 13, further comprising three primary release mechanisms (13), each primary release mechanism for releasably fastening at least some of the petals to the central reflecting portion (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claims 9 and 20, wherein all petal pairs are configured to fold towards the same face of the central reflecting portion (see Figs. 1-4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 6-8, 11, 14-15, and 17-19 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 DANIEL MUNOZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1957. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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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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/DANIEL MUNOZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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