DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-14 and 20 in the reply filed on 01/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/12/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-5, 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang (US 11,016,542 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches a system comprising:
a support structure (Fig. 8, temple arm 808);
an antenna feed including one or more antenna feed components (Fig. 8, radio 830);
a multi-layer capacitive touch sensor (Fig. 8, touch pad sensors 810, col. 2, lines 45-46, 130, capacitive touch sensors) that is secured to at least a portion of the support structure (808); and
a conductive element that electrically connects the antenna feed to the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor (Fig. 8, connection between 830 and 810, Fig. 2, 240, col. 3, lines 31-32, a conductive connection 240), such that at least a portion of the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor acts as a radiator (col. 2, lines 15-16, touch pad sensors operative as antennas, Fig. 8, wireless link 850) for the antenna feed.
Regarding claim 2, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, further comprising a choking component (Fig. 6, RF chokes 440) configured to block signals having a frequency above a specified threshold value (col. 5, lines 22-25).
Regarding claim 3, all the limitations of claim 2 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, further comprising a second antenna feed, wherein the antenna feed is configured to operate at a first specified frequency, and wherein the second antenna is configured to operate at a second, different frequency (col. 2, lines 65-67, one or more frequency band).
Regarding claim 4, all the limitations of claim 2 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, wherein the conductive element that electrically connects the antenna feed to the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor comprises a spring clip (col. 8, lines 9-15).
Regarding claim 5, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, wherein the antenna feed components comprise an impedance matching circuit configured to cause resonation at a specified frequency (Fig. 7, 460, col. 4, lines 39-45).
Regarding claim 7, all the limitations of claim 5 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, wherein the impedance matching circuit is positioned on a main logic board (Fig. 9, matching circuitry 942).
Regarding claim 8, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, further comprising at least one trace that electrically links the antenna feed to at least one processor on a main logic board (MLB) (Fig. 1, controller 120).
Regarding claim 9, all the limitations of claim 8 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, wherein the trace that electrically links the antenna feed to the processor on the MLB is shared by at least one additional electronic component (col. 5, lines 50-54, electronic circuitry and/or battery).
Regarding claim 10, all the limitations of claim 9 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang further teaches the system, wherein the at least one additional electronic component comprises at least one of: a sensor, a microphone, a battery, or a speaker (col. 5, lines 50-54, electronic circuitry and/or battery).
Regarding claim 20, this claim has substantially the same subject matter as that in claim 1. Therefore, claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 1 above.
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 of this title, 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 6, and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 11,016,542 B1) in view of Sebastian (US 2016/0188092 A1).
Regarding claim 6, all the limitations of claim 5 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang does not explicitly teach the system, wherein the impedance matching circuit is positioned on the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor.
Sebastian teaches a system, wherein the impedance matching circuit is positioned on the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor (Fig. 5A, [0050] adjust certain performance parameters including input impedance).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to apply the sensor of Sebastian to the teachings of Zhang in order to enhance the performance and increase the robustness of the overall antenna system while mitigating or eliminating undesired effects, by configuring the touchscreen element to function as a part of the touchscreen antenna system. In particular, a configuration may be designed to integrate an antenna element, a touchscreen element, a feeding mechanism and a corresponding transmission line in a single unit for additional advantages, such as more compactness, lower manufacturing costs, and potential higher signal integrity (Sebastian, [0008]).
Regarding claim 11, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Zhang.
Zhang does not explicitly teach the system, wherein the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor includes a capacitive touch surface layer, a ground flood layer, and a structural layer.
Sebastian teaches a system, wherein the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor includes a capacitive touch surface layer (Fig. 4A, [0050] touch sensing unit 48, and protective layer 49), a ground flood layer ([0050] the ground plane of display unit 47), and a structural layer (Fig. 4A, [0049] substrate layer 42).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to apply the sensor of Sebastian to the teachings of Zhang in order to enhance the performance and increase the robustness of the overall antenna system while mitigating or eliminating undesired effects, by configuring the touchscreen element to function as a part of the touchscreen antenna system. In particular, a configuration may be designed to integrate an antenna element, a touchscreen element, a feeding mechanism and a corresponding transmission line in a single unit for additional advantages, such as more compactness, lower manufacturing costs, and potential higher signal integrity (Sebastian, [0008]).
Regarding claim 12, all the limitations of claim 11 are taught by Zhang in view of Sebastian.
Sebastian further teaches, wherein the structural layer includes one or more traces of the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor (Fig. 4A, [0051] feeding mechanism 46).
Regarding claim 13, all the limitations of claim 12 are taught by Zhang in view of Sebastian.
Sebastian further teaches, wherein the antenna feed is electrically attached to the traces on the structural layer of the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor (Fig. 4A, [0051] feeding mechanism 46).
Regarding claim 14, all the limitations of claim 12 are taught by Zhang in view of Sebastian.
Sebastian further teaches, wherein the antenna feed is electrically attached to the capacitive touch surface layer of the multi-layer capacitive touch sensor (Fig. 4A, [0051] feeding mechanism 46).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEOKJIN KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-1487. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:30am-5:00pm.
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/SEOKJIN KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844
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