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 .
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) 1-6, 8-10 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (Li, US PGPub 2021/0028871).
Referring to Claim 1, Li teaches a reflector (Fig. 4 #302; [0050]); a plurality of radiating elements (Fig. 4 #320; [0050]) that are in a plurality of rows and columns on the reflector, each of the radiating elements extending forwardly from a first side of the reflector ([0049]); a calibration port (Abstract and [0034]); and a calibration board (Fig. 14 #850; [0095]) on a second side of the reflector that is opposite the first side, wherein the calibration board comprises a plurality of power dividers that are each coupled to the calibration port, a first of the power dividers being coupled to a pair of the columns; [0013], [0031] and [0035].
Referring to Claim 2, Li teaches wherein the calibration board further comprises a plurality of directional couplers that are coupled to the power dividers without any cables therebetween; [0013], [0052] and [0097-0098].
Referring to Claim 3, Li teaches wherein a first of the directional couplers is coupled to an input of the first of the power dividers; [0013].
Referring to Claim 4, Li teaches wherein the directional couplers and the power dividers comprise traces of the calibration board; [0034].
Referring to Claim 5, Li teaches wherein the pair of the columns comprises a non-adjacent pair of the columns; See Fig. 2 and associated text.
Referring to Claim 6, Li teaches a plurality of phase shifters on the second side of the reflector (Fig. 10 #670; [0090]), wherein the first of the power dividers is coupled to the pair of the columns via a pair of the phase shifters; [0011], [0013] and [0052].
Referring to Claim 8, Li teaches a first-polarization RF port that is coupled to the pair of the columns via the first of the power dividers; and a second-polarization RF port that is coupled to the pair of the columns via a second of the power dividers; [0013] and [0039].
Referring to Claim 9, Li teaches a reflector; a plurality of radiating elements that are in a plurality of rows and columns on the reflector, each of the radiating elements extending forwardly from a first side of the reflector; a plurality of phase shifters (Fig. 4 #370; [0060]); and a printed circuit board (PCB) ([0092] and [0095]) on a second side of the reflector that is opposite the first side, wherein the PCB comprises a plurality of power dividers that are coupled between the phase shifters and the columns, a first of the power dividers being coupled between a first of the phase shifters and a pair of the columns; [0011], [0013], [0034], [0052] and all citations of Claim 1 above.
Referring to Claim 10, Li teaches a first PCB that is coupled to a first of the rows, and wherein the base station antenna further comprises a second PCB on the second side of the reflector, the second PCB comprising a plurality of power dividers that are coupled to a second of the rows; [0013], [0090], [0098] and Claim 13.
Referring to Claim 17, Li teaches a reflector; a printed circuit board (PCB) on a first side of the reflector; a plurality of radiating elements that are in a plurality of rows and columns on the PCB, each of the radiating elements extending forwardly from the PCB; and a plurality of phase shifters, wherein the PCB comprises a plurality of power dividers that are coupled between the phase shifters and the columns, a first of the power dividers being coupled between a first of the phase shifters and a pair of the columns; see citations of Claim 9.
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(s) 7 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li in view of Quan et al. (Quan, US PGPub 2007/0046393).
Referring to Claim 7, Li teaches the first of the power dividers, but does not explicitly disclose nor limit it is configured to provide a plurality of unequal power outputs.
However, Quan teaches wherein the first of the power dividers is configured to provide a plurality of unequal power outputs; [0001-0002] and [0035].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Li with the power divider operation as taught by Quan so as to improve circuit performance with unequal power split ratios.
Referring to Claim 14, Li teaches a plurality of feed-board PCBs, each of the feed-board PCBs having one or more of the radiating elements thereon, and the first of the power dividers, but does not explicitly disclose nor limit the power divider is configured to provide a plurality of unequal power outputs.
However, Quan teaches wherein the first of the power dividers is configured to provide a plurality of unequal power outputs; [0001-0002] and [0035].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Li with the power divider operation as taught by Quan so as to improve circuit performance with unequal power split ratios.
Claim(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li.
Referring to Claims 11-13, Li teaches the base station, but does not explicitly disclose a third PCB on the second side of the reflector, the third PCB comprising a plurality of power dividers that are coupled to a third of the rows, or fourth or fifth as in Claim 12 and 13.
However, Li teaches a plurality of PCBs and power dividers as well the possibility and motivation for adding additional calibration citcuits; [0031].
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Li with the addition components as an obvious design choice to optimize the antenna performance as desired; [0031].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15, 16 and 18-20 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 29 December 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the prior art reference Li dose not disclose all the elements of the independent claims, much less all of the elements arranged or combined in the same manner as set forth in the claims. The Examiner respectfully disagrees as the Applicant’s arguments appear to interpret the claims in a narrower manner than how the limitations are actually claimed. With respect to Claim 1, Applicant states “The Office contends that Li discloses the claimed "calibration board" including the plurality of power dividers in paragraphs [0013], [0031] and [0035].” This assertion is not completely correct as can be seen above and in the Non-Final Rejection, the calibration board is identified using Fig. 14 #850; [0095] and the other paragraphs are being used to teach the elements that are described as being arranged/formed on the circuit board itself. As [0035] states the calibration circuit may be implemented on other printed circuit boards. Applicant further argues that there is no explicit disclosure in Li regarding the location of the power dividers being on the calibration board on the back side (i.e. second side) of the reflector. The Examiner disagrees with this statement as well. Fig. 14 shows the base station antenna #800 that includes a calibration circuit board #850, a backplane #802 (corresponds to #302 identified as the reflector above) and feed board #813. As can be seen in Fig. 14 #813 is on the a top/upper/first side of the #802, and #850 will be on the bottom/lower/second side of #802. While the words are not explicitly used, the examination of the figures and [0095-0096] clearly teach the claimed arrangement of layers. Applicant further argues limitations that are not present in the claim. Applicant argues that Li does not disclose each of the plurality of power dividers is couple to a single calibration port, this limitation is not in the claim, there is nothing in the claim limiting the calibration port to being a single port. A similar argument is made with respect to the power divides as the Applicant argues Li does not appear to disclose an arrangement in which an individual power divider is connected to a pair of columns (i.e. group columns) of radiating elements, as explicitly recited in Claim 1. [0013] and [0031-0033] teach the arrangement and design that allows an individual power divider to be coupled to a pair of columns, using 2x1 directional couplers. The Examiner maintains the rejection of Claim 1 is proper.
With respect to Claim 9 and 17, the Applicant argues similar elements with respect to Claim 1, and the same arguments apply to these arguments as well. The arrangement of the phase shifters and power dividers can be derived from the citations provided in the rejection of the claims, as well as the arguments shown with respect to Claim 1, and [0052] states the shifter 370 is configured to split (using one or more power dividers such as direction couplers)an RF signal that is provided to an input port. The Examiner maintains the rejection of these claims is proper.
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 WHITNEY T MOORE whose telephone number is (571)270-3338. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 7am-4pm.
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/WHITNEY MOORE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3646