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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in France on 4/29/2024 (FR2404450). It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the FR2404450 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55 (Priority Document Exchange failed on 9/29/2025).
Claim Objections
Claims 1-8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, lines 11-12, the examiner suggests rewriting “the lateral metallized vias” to --the plurality of lateral metallized vias-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 1, lines 12-13, the examiner suggests rewriting “said upper and lower ground planes” to --said at least one upper ground plane and said lower ground plane-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 1, lines 16 and 17, at both instances, the examiner suggests rewriting “the component” to --the power divider/combiner component-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 1, lines 25 and 32, the examiner suggests rewriting “the intermediate section” to --the intermediate subdivision section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 1, line 32, the examiner suggests rewriting “said output section” to --said output path separation section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claims 2-8, line 1 of each claim, the examiner suggests rewriting “The component according to claim” to --The power divider/combiner component according to claim-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 2, line 2, the examiner suggests rewriting “the width” to --a width-- to avoid an antecedent issue.
Claim 2, lines 3-4, the examiner suggests removing the recitation of “the” before the recitation of “two ends of an impedance transformation stage” to avoid an antecedent issue.
Claim 4, lines 1-2, the examiner suggests inserting --of the plurality of branched tracks-- after the recitation of “each branched track” to provide a more proper description.
Claim 4, line 3, the examiner suggests rewriting “said output section” to --said output path separation section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 5, lines 1-2, the examiner suggests rewriting “said intermediate section” to --the intermediate subdivision section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 5, line 6, the examiner suggests rewriting “said output section” to --said output path separation section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 6, lines 1-2, the examiner suggests rewriting “said intermediate section” to --the intermediate subdivision section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
Claim 7, lines 1-2, the examiner suggests rewriting “said output section” to --said output path separation section-- to provide consistency in the claim language.
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.
Claims 3 and 4 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.
Claim 3, line 1, note that the recitation of “the central track” lacks proper antecedent basis, since no “central track” has been previously defined in the chain of dependency. Correction is required.
Claim 3, line 2, note that the nexus/relationship is unclear between the recited “first and second impedance transformation stages” and the previous recited “one or more impedance transformation stages” recited in claim 2, from which this claim directly depends from (i.e. is the recited “first” and “second” impedance transformation stages part of the previous recited “one or more impedance transformation stages” or are these separate and distinct features from each other). Clarification is required.
Claim 4, line 3, note that the recitation of “the waveguide” lacks proper antecedent basis, since no “waveguide” has been previously defined in the chain of dependency. Correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 2 and 5-8 are allowed.
Claims 3 and 4 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The most relevant prior art reference is Wei et al. (CN109462000A, Machine English Translation Provided by Examiner). Wei et al. teaches in Fig. 1 a power divider/combiner component comprising:
A multilayer integrated circuit board, comprising a stack of a plurality of conductive layers separated from each other by insulating layers;
A coaxial guide fabricated using a substrate integrated waveguide technology, comprising:
An external conductor (1 and 3) that is grounded, comprising:
At least one upper ground plane (1), defined in an upper conductive layer of said multilayer integrated circuit;
A lower ground plane (3), defined in a lower conductive layer of said multilayer integrated circuit; and a plurality of lateral metallized vias (present but not labeled), the lateral metallized vias being electrically connecting said upper and lower ground planes; and
An internal conductor section (11) running inside said external conductor and connecting a first port of the component to each second port of a plurality of second ports (12 and 13) of the component.
Wei et al. does not teach: in regards to claim 1, wherein the internal conductor section successively, along a longitudinal axis, an input impedance transformation section, on which said internal conductor comprises a common track connected to the first port; an output path separation section, on which said internal conductor comprises a plurality of branched tracks; and an intermediate subdivision section into several paths, wherein, on the intermediate section, said internal conductor comprises a plurality of intermediate tracks, which are superimposed according to a thickness of said multilayer integrated circuit and connected to each other by vias. Therefore, the applicants’ claimed invention has been determined to be novel and non-obvious. By virtue of dependency from claim 1, claims 2-8 have also been determined to be novel and non-obvious.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Quan et al. (US2007/0046393 A1) teaches in Fig. 2 an RF power divider comprising a common track (18) comprising an impedance transformation section (21), in which the common track is divided into two output ports (22 and 23).
Zhai et al. (USPAT 9,660,316 B2) teaches in Fig. 1 a diplexer using a substrate integrated waveguide (160).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORGE L SALAZAR JR whose telephone number is (571)-272-9326. The examiner can normally be reached between 9am - 6pm Monday-Friday.
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/JORGE L SALAZAR JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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