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 .
Preliminary Amendment
The amendment filed 1/16/2025 pursuant to 37 CFR 1.115 and 37 CFR 1.125 was entered.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted 1/16/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor, or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
Claim 1, line 6; claim 2, line 6; claim 4, line 2; claim 9, line 2: there is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitation “the digital shift circuit.” It is unclear as to which digital phase circuit, a first digital phase circuit or a second digital phase circuit, it is referring to, rendering the claims vague and indefinite.
Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art reference of Ding (PGPUB 2012/0102444) discloses a digital phase shift circuit including a signal line, a pair of outer and inner side lines, ground conductors, a pair of switches and a capacitor (Figs. 1a, 5-6) but does not disclose or render obvious the feature of “a plurality of digital phase shift circuit groups” recited in claims 1 and 2, the feature of “a first element that is connected in series between the signal line of the first digital phase shift circuit and the signal line of the second digital phase shift circuit, and a pair of second elements that are connected in parallel on both sides of the first element, and one element of the first element and the second elements is a coil, and the other element is a capacitor” recited in claim 1, and the feature of “a third element that is connected in parallel between the signal line of the first digital phase shift circuit and the signal line of the second digital phase shift circuit, and a pair of fourth elements that are connected in series on both sides of the third element, and one element of the third element and the fourth elements is a coil, and the other element is a capacitor” recited in claim 2, in combination with the remaining limitations of the respective claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR COLE, telephone number (571) 272-4686. The examiner can be reached Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM ET.
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 www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL, can be reached at (571) 272-5918. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at (866) 217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call (800) 786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or (571) 272-1000.
/VICTOR COLE/
Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Prosecution Insights