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 .
Non-Final communication in response to communication filed 2/18/25.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
With respect to claim 1, the recitation “a transmission line” in line 4, is indefinite because it’s unclear if it’s the same as or in addition to transmission line of line 3.
Claims 2-18 contain the indefiniteness of claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 1-3, 8-11, 13, 14, 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al [nonpatent literature] in view of Nwokoye et al. [11971464].
With respect to claim 1, figure 1 of Li et al. discloses a superconducting quantum circuit system, comprising:
a magnon in a transmission line; [Magnon waveguide]
a transmission line configured to propagate the generated magnon; and
a superconducting quantum device [Qubit] configured to be excited by the propagated magnon.
Figure 1 of Li et al. does not disclose a first transducer configured to flow a current pulse and generate a magnon in a transmission line based on the current pulse.
However, figure 1 Nwokoye et al. discloses a transducer coil to excite magnon to a transmission line [col. 4, lines 63- col. 5, line 2]
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to use a coil transducer to excite magnons on the transmission line of Li et al. since it was a known technique in the art.
With respect to claim 2, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein the first transducer is configured to generate a magnetic field corresponding to the current pulse and generate the magnon in the transmission line based on the magnetic field. [currents in a coil create magnetic fields]
With respect to claim 3, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 2, wherein the first transducer is configured to generate the magnon of a transverse spin wave in the transmission line. [ Nwokoye Background of the invention, Magnetic field applied transversely]
With respect to claim 8, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein a current pulse frequency of the current pulse is a microwave band frequency. [Li et al. section I; col. 7, line 53-67]
With respect to claim 9, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein the transmission line is configured to propagate the magnon of a transverse spin wave. [the waveguide propagates magnon]
With respect to claim 10, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein the transmission line comprises a magnetic material. [Li section I]
With respect to claim 11, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein the transmission line comprises an insulating material. [Li et al yttrium iron garnet (Y3 Fe5 O12, YIG) has insulating properties]
With respect to claim 12, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein the transmission line is configured to be spaced apart from the superconducting quantum device to not contact the superconducting quantum device.
With respect to claim 13, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein a magnon frequency of the magnon matches a resonant frequency of the superconducting quantum device. [frequencies of the magnons match resonators for efficient propagation]
With respect to claim 14, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, wherein the superconducting quantum device is configured to be excited by an energy exchange with the magnon. [Li et al. Qubit fig. 1]
With respect to claim 15, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 1, further comprising a second transducer configured to convert the propagated magnon into an electromagnetic wave. [Nwokoye et al. resonantor 210 coil 230]
With respect to claim 17, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 15, wherein the second transducer is disposed between the transmission line and the superconducting quantum device.
With respect to claim 18, the above combination discloses the superconducting quantum circuit system of claim 15, wherein the superconducting quantum device is configured to be excited by an energy exchange with the electromagnetic wave.
With respect to claim 19, the above combination discloses a method, the method comprising:
flowing a current pulse through a first transducer [100 Nwokoye] of a superconducting quantum
circuit system [Qubits], the superconducting quantum circuit system comprising:
the first transducer;
a transmission line [Le et al. fig. 1]; and
a superconducting quantum device [Qubits];
generating a magnon [100 Nwokoye] in the transmission line based on the current pulse of the
first transducer;
propagating the generated magnon along the transmission line; and
exciting the superconducting quantum device by the propagated magnon.
With respect to claim 20, the above combination discloses a method, the method comprising:
flowing a current pulse through a first transducer of a superconducting quantum circuit system, the superconducting quantum circuit system comprising:
the first transducer; [Nwokoye 100]
a transmission line; [Li et al. fig. 1 waveguide]
a second transducer; [Nwokoye 210, 230] and
a superconducting quantum device [Li et al. fig. 1 Qubits];
generating a magnon in the transmission line based on the current pulse of the first transducer;
propagating the generated magnon along the transmission line;
converting, by the second transducer, the propagated magnon into an electromagnetic wave; [RF resonator210 / solenoid 230] and
exciting the superconducting quantum device based on the electromagnetic wave.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4-7and 16 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 and 112 rejections are overcome.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYAN C JAGER whose telephone number is (571)272-7016. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 - 5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Taelor Kim can be reached on 571-270-7166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RYAN JAGER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842
7/8/26
Prosecution Insights