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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/06/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-12 and 22-31 are currently pending. Claims 3, 7 and 13-21 have been cancelled. New claims 22 and 27 correspond to claims 11 and 12 rewritten in independent form.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chung et al. (NPL "Broadband Circularly Polarized Stacked Patch Antenna for UHF RFID Applications", published 2007; “Chung”).
Claim 1: Chung discloses (fig. 1 below) a patch antenna (stacked patch antenna, title), comprising:
a radiation element (patch 1); and
n metal bodies (patch 2 & patch 3) that are positioned above the radiation element, where n is a natural number of 2 or greater (n=2), wherein
an area of at least one of the n metal bodies is different from an area of any other metal body of the n metal bodies (see Table 1 below, where patch 3 is smaller than patch 2),
the n metal bodies include a first metal body (patch 2) and a second metal body (patch 3), respectively,
the first metal body (patch 2) is provided at a distance equal to or smaller than one-tenth of a wavelength in a desired frequency band of the patch antenna, from the radiation element (patch 1) in a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the radiation element (p. 1189, ¶2 of Introduction, “The antenna is designed to cover the whole range of 860-960 MHz (i.e., 348.6 mm to 312.3 mm)”. Distance, h2, between patch 1 and patch 2 is 5 mm (Table 1), which is less than one-tenth of 312.3 mm)
the second metal body (patch 3) is arranged at a position closer to the first metal body (patch 2) than the radiation element in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the radiation element (patch 1),
the first metal body (patch 2) is a parasitic element, and
an area of the second metal body (patch 3) is in a range of from 0.5 times to less than 1.0 times an area of the first metal body (patch 2) or a range of from more than 1.0 times to 1.5 times the area of the first metal body (patch 2) (see col. 2 of Table 1 - area of patch 3 is approx. 0.89 times less than the area of the patch 2. P. 1189, ¶2 of Introduction “The antenna is designed to cover the whole RFID UHF range of 860-960 MHz with desired specifications such as axial ratio”).
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Claim 2: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1, wherein n is 2 or 3 (n=2).
Claim 4: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1, wherein the second metal body (patch 3) is provided at a distance (h3) equal to or smaller than one-tenth of the wavelength in the desired frequency band of the patch antenna, from the first metal body (patch 2) (h3 = 5mm, which is less than one tenth of 312.3 mm).
Claim 5: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1, wherein an area of the first metal body (patch 2 area is 138x138mm) is equal to or greater than an area of a square having each side equal to one-tenth of the wavelength (tenth of 346.mm = 34.6mm) in the desired frequency band of the patch antenna (see col. 1 of Table 1).
Claim 8: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1, further comprising: a first holder (substrate 1) configured to hold the first metal body such that a center of the radiation element (patch 1) and a center of the first metal body (patch 2) coincide (see fig. 1a).
Claim 10: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1, wherein each of the radiation element (patch 1), the first metal body (patch 2), and the second metal body (patch 3) is substantially in a shape of a square (fig. 1a).
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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung et al. (NPL "Broadband Circularly Polarized Stacked Patch Antenna for UHF RFID Applications", published 2007; “Chung”) in view of Schadler (US 2008/0036665).
Claim 6: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 5.
Chung does not disclose wherein the area of the first metal body is equal to or smaller than an area of a square having each side equal to a quarter of the wavelength in the desired frequency band of the patch antenna.
Schadler teaches a circularly polarized stacked patch antenna. Schadler also teaches (claim 6) that the axial ratio of the stacked patch antenna is determined by the overall dimensions of the patch radiator and the parasitic radiator and by the distances therebetween. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the dimensions of the first metal body could be changed to change the axial ratio of the patch antenna.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the patch antenna of Chung wherein the area of the first metal body is equal to or smaller than an area of a square having each side equal to a quarter of the wavelength in the desired frequency band of the patch antenna, as taught by Schadler. Doing so allows for a patch antenna which has a lower polarization mismatch, enhanced signal reception reduced signal loss.
Furthermore, it has been held that discovering the optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung et al. (NPL "Broadband Circularly Polarized Stacked Patch Antenna for UHF RFID Applications", published 2007; “Chung”) in view of IDS document Aikawa et al. (WO 2003/041222; “Aikawa”).
Claim 9: Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1, and a center of a shape of the first metal body (patch 2) and a center of the second metal body (patch 3) coincide.
Chung does not explicitly disclose a second holder.
Aikawa teaches (fig. 19 below) a second holder (¶42, dielectric spacer 11 between 3 and 4) configured to hold the second metal body (4) such that a center of a shape of the first metal body (3) and a center of the second metal body (4) coincide.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide a second holder in the patch antenna of Chung, as taught by Aikawa. Doing so provides structural support to the metal bodies and integrated the layered structure (¶15 of Aikawa).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims 1-2, 4-6, and 8-10 have been fully considered, but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22-31 are allowed.
Claims 11 and 12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The pertinent prior art, as a whole, or in combination, cannot be reasonably construed as adequately teaching or suggesting the elements and features of the claimed invention(s) as arranged, disposed, or provided in the manner as claimed by the Applicant.
For example, regarding claim 11, Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1.
Chung does not teach, or suggest, a vehicular antenna device comprising: an antenna configured to operate in a frequency band different from the desired frequency band of the patch antenna, wherein the antenna includes an antenna element, and a part of the antenna element is the second metal body.
Regarding claim 12, Chung discloses the patch antenna according to claim 1.
Chung does not teach, or suggest, a vehicular antenna device comprising: an antenna configured to operate in a frequency band different from the desired frequency band of the patch antenna, wherein the antenna includes an antenna element, at least three of the n metal bodies are the first metal body, the second metal body, and a third metal body, respectively, and a part of the antenna element is the third metal body.
Regarding independent claim 22, Chung discloses: a patch antenna including a radiation element (patch 1), and n metal bodies that are positioned above the radiation element, the n being a natural number of 2 or greater (n=2), wherein an area of at least one of the n metal bodies is different from an area of any other metal body of the n metal bodies (see Table 1), the n metal bodies include a first metal body (patch 2) and a second metal body (patch 3), respectively, the first metal body (patch 2) is provided at a distance equal to or smaller than one-tenth of a wavelength in a desired frequency band of the patch antenna (see Table 1), from the radiation element (patch 1) in a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the radiation element, the second metal body (patch 3) is arranged at a position closer to the first metal body (patch 2) than the radiation element (patch 1) in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the radiation element, the first metal body (patch 2) is a parasitic element.
Chung does not teach, or suggest, a vehicular antenna device comprising an antenna configured to operate in a frequency band different from the desired frequency band of the patch antenna, the antenna includes an antenna element, and a part of the antenna element is the second metal body.
Claims 23-26 are allowed due to their dependency on claim 22.
Regarding independent claim 27, Chung discloses: a patch antenna including a radiation element (patch 1), and n metal bodies that are positioned above the radiation element, the n being a natural number of 2 or greater (n=2), wherein an area of at least one of the n metal bodies is different from an area of any other metal body of the n metal bodies (see Table 1), the n metal bodies include a first metal body (patch 2) and a second metal body (patch 3), respectively, the first metal body (patch 2) is provided at a distance equal to or smaller than one-tenth of a wavelength in a desired frequency band of the patch antenna (see Table 1), from the radiation element (patch 1) in a direction perpendicular to an upper surface of the radiation element, the second metal body (patch 3) is arranged at a position closer to the first metal body (patch 2) than the radiation element (patch 1) in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the radiation element, the first metal body (patch 2) is a parasitic element.
Chung does not teach, or suggest, the n metal bodies include a third metal body, a vehicular antenna device comprising an antenna configured to operate in a frequency band different from the desired frequency band of the patch antenna, the antenna includes an antenna element, and a part of the antenna element corresponds to the second metal body.
Claims 28-31 are allowed due to their dependency on claim 27.
Conclusion
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/ANNA N HAMADYK/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/DIMARY S LOPEZ CRUZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845