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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the nature of “line-symmetrical” orientation, as per Claim 1, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Note that the orientation characterizing “Line-symmetrical” (Claim 1) is not clearly defined in the specification.
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 1-15 and 18-20 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claims 2-15 depend upon rejected claim 1 and inherit the deficiency thereby.
Claim 1, Line 4, note that the recitation of “line-symmetrical with the plurality of first conductive segments” is unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art as to what the terminology “line-symmetrical” is intended to convey and what “line” is intended to be symmetrically oriented about, and the specification offers no further understanding or clarification for one of ordinary skill in the art to be able to ascertain the intended meaning of this terminology, thereby leaving the boundaries and the scope of the claim unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claim 18, Line 1; and Claim 19, Line 1, “the first conductive segment” is unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art as to how this recitation is related to the “plurality of first conductive segments” as previously defined in claim 16, from which this claim depends, thereby leaving the boundaries of the claim unclear.
Claim 18, Lines 1-2; and Claim 19, Line 1, recites the limitation "the first portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 2 and all further recitations; and Claim 20, Line 2, recites the limitation "the first direction". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 2; and Claim 19, Line 2, recites the limitation "the second portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 3; and Claim 19, Line 4, recites the limitation "the third portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 4; and Claim 19, Line 5, recites the limitation "the fourth portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 6; and Claim 19, Line 2, “the second conductive segment” is unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art as to how this recitation is related to the “plurality of second conductive segments” as previously defined in claim 16, from which this claim depends, thereby leaving the boundaries of the claim unclear.
Claim 18, Line 6; and Claim 19, Lines 5-6, recites the limitation "the fifth portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 7; and Claim 19, Line 4, recites the limitation "the sixth portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 8; and Claim 19, Line 3, recites the limitation "the seventh portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 18, Line 9; and Claim 19, Line 2, recites the limitation "the eighth portion". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 20, Line 1, “the third conductive segment” is unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art as to how this recitation is related to the “plurality of third conductive segments” as previously defined in claim 16, from which this claim depends, thereby leaving the boundaries of the claim unclear.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "the ninth portions" in Lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "the tenth portions" in Line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Given the significant issues raised above by the paragraph 112 (b) rejections, the examiner is unable to sufficiently comprehend the invention to be able to make any meaningful prior art rejection regarding Claim 1 and all claims that depend therefrom, specifically regarding the “line-symmetrical” limitation within claim 1 which is unclear to one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the absence of any prior art rejection should not be interpreted as an indication that the claims are distinct from or patentable over any existing prior art. It should be noted that upon a satisfactory resolution of the paragraph 112 (b) issues by the applicants’, the examiner may apply any relevant and appropriate prior art rejections deemed necessary.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
Claims 16-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kang (US 20050062557), a reference as cited by the applicant.
As Per Claim 16: Kang discloses in Figure 4:
A coupler (“laminated ceramic coupler”, [0025]) comprising a plurality a first conductive segments (“inner conducting patterns”, 441 and 442) connected by a first conductive via (“via hole”, 443) to a plurality of second conductive segments (“inner conducting patterns”, 431 and 432 on sheet S1, as shown in annotated Image 1 below and connected to “via hole” 433) which are at least partially overlapping with the plurality of first conductive segments (as is evident by the overlapping portions of 441, 442 with respect to portions 431, 432 on sheet S2 in annotated Figure 4 below), a plurality of third conductive segments (“inner conducting patterns”, 431 and 432 on sheet S2, as shown in annotated Image 1 below) connected by a second conductive via (“via hole”, 434 on sheet S2) to the plurality of second conductive segments (by “via hole” 434 on sheet S1) and overlapping with two different second conductive segments of the plurality of second conductive segments (as is evident by the overlapping portions of 431,432 on sheet S1 with respect to portions 431, 432 on sheet S2 in annotated Figure 4 below), and a plurality of fourth conductive segments (“inner conducting patterns”, 421 and 422) connected by a third conductive via (“via hole”, 423) to the plurality of third conductive segments (by “via hole” 433) and at least partially overlapping with the plurality of third conductive segments (as is evident by the overlapping portions of portions 431,432 on S2 to 421,422 in Figure 4).
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As per Claims 17 and 20:
Kang discloses in Figure 4:
The plurality of first conductive segments (as per claim 17, “inner conducting patterns”, 441 and 442), the plurality of second conductive segments(“inner conducting patterns”, 431 and 432 on sheet S1, as shown in annotated Image 1 above) , and the first conductive via (“via hole”, 443) are line-symmetrical with respect to an imaginary line penetrating the coupler in a first direction (as shown below in annotated Image 2, the 441 and 442 are line-symmetrical with the imaginary horizontal line as depicted, 431 and 432 are line-symmetrical with the imaginary horizontal line as depicted, and the “via hole” 443 is line-symmetrical, as all of these are evidently formed similarly on each opposing portion of the corresponding line), and the third conductive segment (as per claim 20, “inner conducting patterns”, 431 and 432 on sheet S2, as shown in annotated Image 1 above) includes the ninth portions (P9 of 432, as shown in Image 2 below) extending in a second direction (the vertical direction) perpendicular to the first direction (the horizontal direction) and the tenth portions (P10 of 432, as shown in annotated Image 2 below) extending in the first direction (the horizontal direction) and having a “L” shape (as is evident by the boxed in portion showing the “L” shape formed by P9 and P10).
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABIGAIL YALDO whose telephone number is (703)756-1784. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7 AM - 4 PM.
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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.
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/ABIGAIL AMIR YALDO/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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