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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on February 04, 20265 has been entered. Claims 1-23 are now pending in the present application. Claims 8-23 have been withdrawn from consideration.
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.
(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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rappoport et al. (US 2013/0076573, “Rappoport”.
Regarding claim 1, Rappoport teaches an electronic device (FIG. 5), comprising:
a housing defining an internal volume and an opening (FIG. 5, housing 12 includes internal volume 64 and an opening where display cover layer 60 is located );
a grounding component disposed in the internal volume ([0037], [0038]);
a rear cover disposed in the opening, an inner surface of the rear cover defining the internal volume (FIG. 5 housing wall 66 covers the internal volume 64); and
a conductive antenna component embedded within the rear cover (FIG. 5, [0036] “antenna structures 24 can be embedded within housing wall 66” ), the conductive antenna is electrically connected to the grounding component (FIG. 5, [0037] “conductive structures such as portions 70 and 72 of antenna structures 24 may be configured to protrude through the surface of housing wall 66 and may serve as one or more antenna terminals (e.g., antenna feed terminals such as feed terminals 42 and/or 44 of FIG. 3)”. [0038] “Antenna structures 24 may include antenna resonating element structures such as antenna resonating element 34 of FIG. 3 and/or ground plane structures such as ground structures 32”) defines a first opening (FIG. 5, [0037] “conductive structures such as portions 70 and 72 of antenna structures 24 may be configured to protrude through the surface of housing wall 66”); and is disposed peripherally around an electromagnetically transparent component ([0040] “The antenna structures that are formed by fabrication equipment 79 may include conductive antenna structures such as ground plane 32 and antenna resonating element 34 of FIG. 3 and optional dielectric substrate structures such as structure 24SUB. Dielectric structures 24SUB may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit ("flex circuit") substrate formed from a sheet of flexible polymer such as polyimide, a rigid printed circuit substrate such as a layer of fiberglass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4), a plastic carrier, or other dielectric substrate on which patterned metal traces have been formed to form conductive antenna structures 24. [0051] “the material of wall 66 may allow radio-frequency antenna signals from antenna structures 24 to pass in and out of device 10”).
Regarding claim 2, Rappoport teaches claim 1 and further teaches wherein the conductive antenna component is disposed outside the internal volume (FIG. 5, antenna structure 24 is located outside internal volume 64).
Regarding claim 3, Rappoport teaches claim 1 and further teaches wherein the antenna component is entirely embedded within the rear cover (FIG. 5, [0036] “antenna structures 24 can be embedded within housing wall 66” ).
Regarding claim 4, Rappoport teaches claim 1 and further teaches wherein an outer surface of the rear cover defines an external surface of the electronic device (FIG. 6, wall 66 has outer surface).
Regarding claim 5, Rappoport teaches claim 1 and further teaches wherein: the rear cover extends across a thickness defined between the outer surface and the inner surface; and the antenna component is disposed within the thickness (FIG. 5).
Regarding claim 6, Rappoport teaches claim 1 and further teaches wherein the rear cover comprises a plastic ([0057] “… antenna structures are located under an exterior housing structure such as housing wall 66 of FIG. 5, a housing wall formed by plastic 82 of FIG. 6, or a housing wall formed by overmolded plastic 66 of FIG. 9).”)
Regarding claim 7, Rappoport teaches claim 1 and further teaches wherein: the rear cover defines a second opening; and the first opening of the antenna component corresponds in position with the second opening (FIG. 5, [0037] “conductive structures such as portions 70 and 72 of antenna structures 24 may be configured to protrude through the surface of housing wall 66”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUOC THAI NGOC VU whose telephone number is (571)270-5901. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9:30AM-6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rafael Perez-Gutierrez can be reached at 571-272-7915. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QUOC THAI N VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642