Ex Parte Malone

Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences

Jul 14, 2011

11231484 (B.P.A.I. Jul. 14, 2011)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARKOFFICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www.uspto.gov
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
11/231,484 09/21/2005 Bernard Louis Malone III 67108-138; Malone 4 7535
46368 7590 07/15/2011
CARLSON, GASKEY & OLDS, P.C./Alcatel-Lucent
400 W MAPLE RD
SUITE 350
BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009
EXAMINER
WIMER, MICHAEL C
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2821
MAIL DATE DELIVERY MODE
07/15/2011 PAPER
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
____________________

BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS
AND INTERFERENCES
____________________

Ex parte BERNARD LOUIS MALONE III
____________________

Appeal 2009-009684
Application 11/231,484
Technology Center 2800
____________________

Before MAHSHID D. SAADAT, ALLEN R. MacDONALD, and
CARLA M. KRIVAK, Administrative Patent Judges.

KRIVAK, Administrative Patent Judge.

DECISION ON APPEAL
Appellant appeals under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from a final rejection of
claims 1-18. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
We reverse.

Appeal 2009-009684
Application 11/231,484

2
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
Appellant’s claimed invention relates to an antenna assembly (Spec.
3:25-26).
Independent claim 1, the only independent claim on appeal, is
reproduced below:
1. An antenna assembly, comprising:

a substantially rigid shell over at least a portion of an exterior of
an antenna that detects a selected type of radiation; and

an elongated probe supporting the antenna near one end of the
probe for selectively moving the antenna into an area for at
least detecting the selected type of radiation and subsequently
removing the antenna from the area.

REJECTIONS
The Examiner rejected claims 1-14 and 16 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
based upon the teachings of Bengeult (US 4,743,916) and Hafner (US
3,566,317).
The Examiner rejected claim 15 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) based upon
the teachings of Bengeult, Hafner, and Williams (US 6,281,970 B1).
The Examiner rejected claim 17 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) based upon
the teachings of Bengeult, Hafner, and Tharp (US 4,730,194).
The Examiner rejected claim 18 under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) based upon
the teachings of Bengeult, Hafner, and Layer (US 3,747,873).

ANALYSIS
The Examiner finds it would have been obvious to use Bengeult’s
radiators 12a to 12c as receiving antennas, based on Hafner’s disclosure of a
Appeal 2009-009684
Application 11/231,484

3
transmitting and receiving antenna 18 (Ans. 3-4, 7-9). Appellant contends
the Examiner has not explained how Bengeult’s radiators could be used for
capturing radiation and operating as receiving antennas (Reply Br. 2). We
agree.
Although the Examiner relies on Hafner for disclosing the reciprocal
nature of a traditional antenna (Ans. 8, 10), the Examiner has not sufficiently
explained how Hafner’s disclosure applies to Bengeult’s radiators, which are
designed to disperse RF energy from a Goubau line (Reply Br. 4; Bengeult
col. 3, l. 24 – col. 4, l. 34). Accordingly, the Examiner has not shown why
Bengeult’s radiators would operate as receiving antennas, such as, for
example, the antenna disclosed in Grabowski (EP 1163933) (abstract
attached). Thus, claim 1 has been shown to be not obvious over the
combination of Bengeult and Hafner. With respect to the dependent claims,
the remaining references also do not cure the deficiencies of Bengeult.

DECISION
The Examiner’s decision rejecting claims 1-18 is reversed.

REVERSED

rwk
Bibliographic data: EP 1163933 (A2)

Avalanche victim locating system
Publication date: 2001-12-19
Inventor(s): GRABOWSKI ERIKA [DE]; GRABOWSKI MICHAEL [DE]; GRABOWSKI THOMAS [DE] +
Applicant(s): GRABOWSKI ERIKA [DE]; GRABOWSKI MICHAEL [DE]; GRABOWSKI THOMAS [DE] +
Classification:
- international: A63B29/02; A63B29/00; (IPC1-7): A63B29/02
- European:
Application number: EP20010114112 20010611
Priority number(s): DE20001030719 20000616
Also published as: EP 1163933 (A3) •

Abstract of EP 1163933 (A2)
The system has an avalanche search rod or probe, a receiver at the top of the rod or probe tuned to the frequency of a
transmitter carried by the person with at least one demodulation circuit, a high frequency cable through or along the rod and
an antenna at the lower end of the rod. The antenna is connected to the receiver via the cable and is electrically insulated
from the rod and the snow.
Last updated: 26.04.2011 EP Database 5.7.22; ult
Espacenet
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