DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
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 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
In claim 14, line 10, the language, “the plurality of dual band patch elements” lacks an antecedent basis.
In claim 14, line 11, the language, “the second RF band unit cell” lacks an antecedent basis.
In claim 14, line 12, the language, “the plurality of dual band patch elements” lacks an antecedent basis.
In claim 14, line 16, the language, “the first and second RF band unit cells of each dual band patch element” lacks an antecedent basis.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 3-4, 8, 10, 14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the publication of Reza et al “Design of a Multilayer … satellite applications” [cited by applicant].
The publication of Reza et al disclose a unit cell for use in a reflect array (fig3, p1256), the unit cell for receiving or transmitting RF signals in first and second non-overlapping frequency bands (MKa band and X-band, fig3, p1256), the unit cell comprising: a first element configured to address both the first and second frequency bands (MKa band and X-band, fig3, p1256); a second element configured to address the second frequency band and compensate for phase errors induced by the first element (MKa band and X-band, fig3, p1256, section II, the second element X-band dipole addresses the second X-band and implicitly is configured to compensate for phase errors induced by the first element); and a frequency selective surface ("FSS") layer disposed between the first element and the second element and configured to reflect the first frequency band and allow passthrough of the second frequency band (MKa band and X-band, fig3, p1256-1257, section II); wherein the first element, second element, and FSS layer are arranged in a stack with the first element at the top and the second element at the bottom (fig3).
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.
Claims 2, 5-7, 9, 11-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over the publication of Reza et al “Design of a Multilayer … satellite applications” in view of the publication of Pablo et al “Large, Multi-faceted … V-band” [both cited by applicant].
The publication of Reza et al “Design of a Multilayer … satellite applications” had been discussed but fails to teach the reflect array and the reflector shell form a reflector, and wherein the reflector is a sectioned reflector including an internal section and a plurality of external sections arranged around the perimeter of the internal section, wherein the internal section is hexagonal with six sides of equal length and the number of external sections is six, wherein the plurality of external sections are arranged such that each external section includes a first side that forms a common edge with one side of the internal section, a second side that forms a common edge with a first adjacent external section, and a third side that forms a common edge with a second adjacent external section and the external sections are equally sized trapezoids, and wherein an outer perimeter of the reflector is hexagonal with six equal length sides. However, the publication of Pablo et al “Large, Multi-faceted … V-band” teach a sectioned reflector comprising a hexagonal internal section with six sides of equal length and six equally sized trapezoidal external sections (fig1, p1, section II). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide the publication of Reza et al “Design of a Multilayer … satellite applications” with the reflect array and the reflector shell form a reflector, and wherein the reflector is a sectioned reflector including an internal section and a plurality of external sections arranged around the perimeter of the internal section, wherein the internal section is hexagonal with six sides of equal length and the number of external sections is six, wherein the plurality of external sections are arranged such that each external section includes a first side that forms a common edge with one side of the internal section, a second side that forms a common edge with a first adjacent external section, and a third side that forms a common edge with a second adjacent external section and the external sections are equally sized trapezoids, and wherein an outer perimeter of the reflector is hexagonal with six equal length sides for the purpose of facilitating space deployment.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to have the first frequency band is V band and the second frequency band is Q band, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known frequency band as desired for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The patents to Li, Cao, Legay, Jiang, Itami and Toyao are cited as of interested and illustrated a similar structure to a unit cell for use in a reflect array.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO GIA PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1826. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8-430).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached on (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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/THO G PHAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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