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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-8 in the reply filed on 10/09/25 is acknowledged. Claims 9-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II.
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.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated Chen (CN 105305037).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses in Figure 1, an antenna assembly comprising:
a conductive ground plane (22);
a lower layer (3) of dielectric material above the conductive ground plane (22);
an upper layer (4) of dielectric material above the lower layer (3) of dielectric material, wherein at least one of the lower or upper (4) layers of dielectric material comprise dielectric foam (foam layer 4, see Preferred Embodiment, page 2 of translation);
a conductive feed line (31) between at least a section of the lower layer (3) of dielectric material and the upper layer (4) of dielectric material; and
a conductive patch (41) above the upper layer (4) of dielectric material, wherein the conductive patch (41) is configured for electromagnetic coupling with the conductive feed line (31).
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 1, Chen discloses in Figure 1, wherein the upper layer (4) of dielectric material comprise dielectric foam (foam layer 4, see Preferred Embodiment, page 2 of translation).
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, 4-5 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 105305037) in view of Shibata (US 2019/0165475).
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1, Chen discloses every feature of claimed invention as expressly recited in claim 1, except for wherein a dielectric constant of the lower layer of dielectric material is at least 25% more than a dielectric constant of the upper layer of dielectric material.
Shibata discloses in Figures 3, 4A-4B and pars. 0041-0042, wherein a dielectric constant (“6 or higher”, see par. 0042) of the lower layer (D2) of dielectric material is at least 25% more than a dielectric constant (“2 or lower”, see par. 0041) of the upper layer (D1) of dielectric material.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the dielectric constants of Chen with the dielectric constants as taught by Shibata to minimize the signal line while ensuring high antenna characteristics. Therefore, to employ having the dielectric constants as claimed invention would have been obvious to person skill in the art.
Regarding claim 4, as applied to claim 1, Shibata discloses in Figure 3,
wherein the lower layer (D2) of dielectric material is a first lower layer (layer of D2 below feed line 30) of dielectric material, and a second lower layer (layer of D2 above feed line 30) of dielectric material above the first lower layer of dielectric material, such that the conductive feed line (30) is between the first and second lower layers of dielectric material, and the upper layer (D1) of dielectric material is above the second lower layer of dielectric material.
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 4, Shibata discloses in Figure 3 pars. 0041-0042,
wherein dielectric constants (“6 or higher”, see par. 0042) of each of the first and second lower layers of dielectric material (D2) are at least 25% more than a dielectric constant (“2 or lower”, see par. 0041) of the upper layer of dielectric material (D1).
Regarding claim 7, as applied to claim 1, Shibata discloses in Figure 11,
wherein the conductive feed line (30) is a first conductive feed line (30), and a second conductive feed line (31) between at least another section of the lower layer (D2) of dielectric material and the upper layer (D1) of dielectric material.
Regarding claim 8, as applied to claim 1, Shibata discloses in Figure 3,
wherein the conductive feed line (30) is within the lower layer (D2) of dielectric material.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 105305037) in view of Komura (US 2025/0260169).
Regarding claim 6, Chen discloses every feature of claimed invention as expressly recited in claim 1, except for a shorting structure between the conductive ground plane and the conductive patch, wherein the shorting structure is monolithic and continuous with each of the conductive ground plane and the conductive patch.
Komura discloses in Figure 4, a shorting structure (VG, see par. 0047) between the conductive ground plane (GND) and the conductive patch (121), wherein the shorting structure (VG) is monolithic and continuous with each of the conductive ground plane (GND) and the conductive patch (121).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify the antenna assembly of Chen with the antenna assembly having a shorting structure as taught by Komura to improve isolation between feed lines. Therefore, to employ having the shorting structure as claimed invention would have been obvious to person skill in the art.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEU HIEN T DUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-8980. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm.
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/DIEU HIEN T DUONG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845