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 Objections
Claim 9-11 objected to because of the following informalities: “A composite resonator according to…” should be “The composite resonator according to…” Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 12 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the first surface". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 7 and 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP2007201764A (English translation attached and referred to herein) (hereinafter “Funkunaga”).
Claim 7: Funkunaga teaches a composite resonator comprising: a first resonator (e.g., see 1, 11, 12 in FIGS. 15-17, see abstract) expanding in a first plane direction (e.g., YZ plane direction); a second resonator (e.g., see 2, 21, 22) disposed below the first resonator in the first direction (Y direction) and expanding in the first plane direction; a connector (e.g., see 71, e.g., see middle of Pg. 10 of translation to end) disposed between the first resonator and the second resonator in the first direction and configured to magnetically or capacitively connect the first resonator and the second resonator (e.g., providing a coupling window 71A control between the two resonators, Id.); and a reference conductor (e.g., see 70) disposed below the second resonator in the first direction.
Claim 9: Funkunaga teaches a composite resonator according to claim 7, wherein the connector includes a hole portion (e.g., having coupling hole 71A).
Claim 10: Funkunaga teaches a composite resonator according to claim 9, wherein the connector includes four of the hole portion (e.g., wherein the coupling window 71A is further divided into four ‘portions’ thereby including four of the hole portions).
Claim 11: Funkunaga teaches a composite resonator according to claim 7, wherein the hole portion is formed so that the connecter has four-fold rotational symmetry (e.g., wherein the hole portion has symmetry if folded in four).
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) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Funkunaga
Claim 12: Funkunaga does not explicitly teach a radio wave reflective plate comprising: plurality of composite resonators according claim 7 are arranged on the first surface.
However Examiner takes Official / Judicial Notice that a plurality of composite resonators are arranged on a first surface is ‘old and well-known’ in the art.
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to form the plurality of composite resonators of Funkunaga are arranged on a first surface as is well-known in order to form an array of composite resonators to utilize the properties of the resonators in a surface for application to a wider area and/or to utilize beamforming or phase shifting of the resonators on a surface.
Conclusion
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/AMAL PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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