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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 07/16/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive for the following reasons.
With respect to the arguments that McDowell fails to teach or disclose the limitations, i.e., “a housing that includes an electrically conductive lower housing member and an electrically non-conductive sidewall housing member, and at least one electrical module including a shielded enclosure that is electrically coupled to the lower housing member.”
The examiner respectfully disagrees because McDowell in fact teaches “a housing that includes an electrically conductive lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]: a housing system includes top part 202, bottom parts 206 and 214, an electrically conductive lower member shown as antennas 2018 and 220), and an electrically non-conductive sidewall housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]: side housing 202 is non conductive cover or housing), and at least one electrical module including a shielded enclosure that is electrically coupled to the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]: the electrical module 300 as a colling system that is shielded enclosed inside the cover or a housing 202, and the colling system is electrically coupled to the antennas 218 and 220 as the lower housing member).”
Therefore, McDowell teaches and discloses the argued limitations above.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by McDowell et al. (Pub. No. US 2018/0045388).
Regarding claim 1. (Original) McDowell teaches a small cell access node (McDowell, the Abstract), comprising:
a housing (McDowell, Fig. 2C), including:
an electrically conductive lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [40]: electronic equipment included with the modular lighting system 200 derives power from an external source, e.g., power module 216 can convert AC (mains) power to DC power; Fig. 3, pp [46]: electronic components); and
an electrically non-conductive sidewall housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [27]-[28]: fixture 202; Fig. 3, pp [46]: fixture 202); and
at least one electrical module positioned in a volume defined by the housing, the at least one electrical module including a shielded enclosure that is electrically coupled to the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]-[47]: electrical module 300).
Regarding claim 9. (Original) McDowell teaches a small cell access node (McDowell, the Abstract), comprising:
an electrically conductive lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [40]: electronic equipment included with the modular lighting system 200 derives power from an external source, e.g., power module 216 can convert AC (mains) power to DC power; Fig. 3, pp [46]: electronic components);
an electrically non-conductive sidewall housing member secured to the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [27]-[28]: fixture 202; Fig. 3, pp [46]: fixture 202);
at least one electrical module positioned over at least part of the lower housing member, the at least one electrical module being housed in at least one shielded enclosure that is electrically coupled to the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]-[47]: electrical module 300); and
an electrically non-conductive cover secured to at least the sidewall housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [27]-[28]: fixture 202; Fig. 3, pp [46]: fixture 202).
Regarding claim 17. (Original) McDowell teaches a small cell access node (McDowell, the Abstract), comprising:
an electrically conductive lower housing member having a floor portion and a sidewall portion (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [40]: electronic equipment included with the modular lighting system 200 derives power from an external source, e.g., power module 216 can convert AC (mains) power to DC power; Fig. 3, pp [46]: electronic components), the sidewall portion being connected to the floor portion at one lengthwise end of the floor portion;
an electrically non-conductive sidewall housing member secured to the floor portion and the sidewall portion of the lower housing member, wherein the sidewall housing member and the lower housing member at least partially define a volume (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [27]-[28]: fixture 202; Fig. 3, pp [46]: fixture 202);
at least one electrical module positioned within the volume and over the floor portion of the lower housing member, the at least one electrical module being housed in at least one shielded enclosure that is electrically coupled to the floor portion of the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]-[47]: electrical module 300); and
at least one antenna mounted within the volume and coupled to the at least one electrical module via an antenna cable (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218);
Regarding claim 2. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 1, further comprising:
an electrical interface connector operable to receive electrical power from an external power source and provide the electrical power into the housing for use by the at least one electrical module (McDowell, Fig. 2B, pp [40]: power module 216).
Regarding claim 3. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 1, further comprising:
an electrically non-conductive cover secured to at least the sidewall housing member (McDowell, Fig. 3, pp [46]: fixture 202).
Regarding claim 4. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical module includes:
a radio module positioned over a first section of a floor portion of the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218);
a power supply module (McDowell, Fig. 2B, pp [40]: power module 216); and
a control module (McDowell, pp [45]: the power module 216 for controlling the lighting module 210; pp [49]: LED controller; Fig. 7, pp [66]-[67]: central control for controlling lighting module); wherein the control module and the power supply module are configured in a stacked arrangement and positioned over a second section of the floor portion of the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 7, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 5. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one antenna mounted between the sidewall housing member and the at least one electrical module, wherein a transceiver of the radio module is electrically coupled to the at least one antenna (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218).
Regarding claim 6. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 5, wherein the at least one antenna includes a first antenna positioned proximate a first side of the at least one electrical module and a second antenna positioned proximate a second side of the at least one electrical module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218).
Regarding claim 7. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 1, wherein the volume defined by the housing is in a range of about 5000 cubic centimeters to about 9000 cubic centimeters (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [29]-[31]; Fig. 3, pp [46]-[48]).
Regarding claim 8. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 1, wherein the lower housing member and the shielded enclosure are electrically grounded (McDowell, Fig. 6, pp [56]).
Regarding claim 10. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 9, further comprising:
an electrical interface connector operable to receive electrical power from an external power source and provide the electrical power for use by the at least one electrical module (McDowell, Fig. 2B, pp [40]: power module 216).
Regarding claim 11. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 9, wherein the at least one electrical module includes:
a radio module housed in a first shielded enclosure of the at least one shielded enclosure and positioned over a first section of a floor portion of the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]; Fig. 3, pp [42]; Fig. 7, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 12. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 11, wherein the at least one electrical module further:
a power supply module (McDowell, Fig. 2B, pp [40]: power module 216); and a control module configured in a stacked arrangement with the power supply module and positioned over a second section of the floor portion of the lower housing member McDowell, pp [45]: the power module 216 for controlling the lighting module 210; pp [49]: LED controller; Fig. 7, pp [66]-[67]: central control for controlling lighting module); the stacked arrangement of the power supply module and the control module being housed in a second shielded enclosure of the at least one shielded enclosure (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]; Fig. 3, pp [42]).
Regarding claim 13. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 11, further comprising:
at least two antenna elements separately coupled to the radio module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218), the at least two antenna elements including:
a first antenna element positioned between the radio module and the sidewall housing member proximate a first side of the radio module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218); and
a second antenna element positioned between the radio module and the sidewall housing member proximate a second side of the radio module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218).
Regarding claim 14. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 9, wherein the at least one electrical module is coupled to the lower housing member at a plurality of interface points (McDowell, Figs. 2C and 3, pp [30], [40], [42]).
Regarding claim 15. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 9, wherein electrical coupling of the at least one shielded enclosure to the lower housing member is direct or capacitive (McDowell, Figs. 2C and 3, pp [30], [40], [42]).
Regarding claim 16. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 9, wherein the lower housing member and the at least one shielded enclosure are electrically grounded (McDowell, Fig. 6, pp [56]).
Regarding claim 18. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 17, wherein the at least one electrical module comprises:
a radio module housed in a first shielded enclosure of the at least one shielded enclosure and positioned over a first section of the floor portion of the lower housing member (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218);
a power supply module (McDowell, Fig. 2B, pp [40]: power module 216); and
a control module configured in a stacked arrangement with the power supply module and positioned over a second section of the floor portion of the lower housing member (McDowell, pp [45]: the power module 216 for controlling the lighting module 210; pp [49]: LED controller; Fig. 7, pp [66]-[67]: central control for controlling lighting module), the stacked arrangement of the power supply module and the control module being housed in a second shielded enclosure of the at least one shielded enclosure (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]; Fig. 3, pp [42]).
Regarding claim 19. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 18, wherein the at least one antenna includes:
at least two antenna elements separately coupled to the radio module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218), the at least two antenna elements including:
a first antenna element positioned between the radio module and the sidewall housing member proximate a first side of the radio module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218); and
a second antenna element positioned between the radio module and the sidewall housing member proximate a second side of the radio module (McDowell, Fig. 2C, pp [30]: antenna 218; Fig. 3, pp [42]: antenna 218).
Regarding claim 20. (Original) McDowell teaches the small cell access node of claim 17, wherein the at least one electrical module is coupled to the lower housing member at a plurality of interface points (McDowell, Fig. 4, pp [50]-[51]; Fig. 5, pp [52-[53]).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUY C HO whose telephone number is (571)270-1108. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, KATHY WANG-HURST can be reached at (571)270-5371. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/HUY C HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
