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.
Claims 1, 5-7, 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pu et al. (US 20150085459, hereinafter “Pu”).
Regarding claim 1, Pu discloses,
An electronic device (Fig. 1; 100) comprising:
a casing (an electronic device 100 of the present embodiment includes an outer shell 110; Fig. 1 and [0053]); and
a signal transceiving module (the circuit board 120 includes a signal transceiver module 122 configured to receive a signal from the mode-converting unit 134, or transmit a signal to the mode-converting unit 134 [0055]) disposed in the casing (The circuit board 120 and the connector 130 are disposed in the outer shell 110 [0053]), the signal transceiving module comprising:
a connector (the connector 130 includes a first connector body 132 [0054]) having a connecting hole (a section of an opening 1321b of the shell (which is equivalent to the waveguide tube) 132b is related to a cut-off frequency of the shell 132b, so that the shell 132b may transceive a millimeter-wave signal [0057]-[0058]) and a signal feed-in hole (The shell 132b has a slot to constitute the mode-converting structure 134b, the slot is, for example, a rectangular slot or other slot with appropriate shapes [0055]), the connecting hole being formed on a first side of the connector and exposed from a side of the casing (opening 1321b is located at the mating end of connector body 132. Connector 130 is aligned with casing opening 112, through which an external connector is inserted. Thus, connector opening 1321b is exposed through the side of the outer shell 112, [0053]-[0054] and Figs. 1-3), the signal feed-in hole being formed on a second side of the connector (slot 134b is formed in another wall of connector shell 132b. Figures 2 and 3 and show slot 134b on the wall facing substrate 134a rather that on the front mating side, [0055] and figures 2-3), the first side being adjacent to the second side (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, which show the wall containing slot 134b is adjacent to the front wall containing opening 1321b);
a circuit board disposed at a side of the connector (circuit board 120 is positioned beside connector 130. Substrate 134a is part of circuit board 120 and is fixed to connector body 132, [0053]-[0055] and Figs. 2-3); and
a signal transceiver connected to the circuit board ( the circuit board 120 includes a signal transceiver module 122 configured to receive a signal from the mode-converting unit 134, or transmit a signal to the mode-converting unit 134. The signal transceiver module 122 is, for example, located on the circuit board 120 [0055]) and aligned with the signal feed-in hole (slot 134b is alighted with the end of circuit 1341. The signal passes through mode-converting slot 134b and enters connector shell 132b, which operates as waveguide [0055]);
wherein the signal transceiver feeds signals into the connector through the signal feed-in hole (signal transceiver module 122 supplies the signal through circuit 1341. The signal passes through mode-converting slot 134b and enters connector shell 132b, which operates as a waveguide [0055] ) and the signals are radiated out of the connector through the connecting hole (the signal transferred from circuit 1341 into shell 132b and emitted outward [0055] and [0058]).
Regarding claim 5, Pu discloses,
wherein the signal transceiver is an antenna or radar (The connector 130 of the present embodiment is capable of transceiving the signal as described above, so that connector 130 integrated with the mode-converting unit 134 is equivalent to an antenna integrated with connector functions [0056]).
Regarding claim 6, Pu discloses,
wherein the connector is a USB female connector (in the present embodiment, the first connector body 132 and the second connector body 50 are, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) connecting interface, [0054]).
Regarding claim 7, Pu discloses,
A signal transceiving module (the circuit board 120 includes a signal transceiver module 122 configured to receive a signal from the mode-converting unit 134, or transmit a signal to the mode-converting unit 134 [0055]) disposed in the casing (The circuit board 120 and the connector 130 are disposed in the outer shell 110 [0053]), the signal transceiving module comprising:
a connector (the connector 130 includes a first connector body 132 [0054]) having a connecting hole (a section of an opening 1321b of the shell (which is equivalent to the waveguide tube) 132b is related to a cut-off frequency of the shell 132b, so that the shell 132b may transceive a millimeter-wave signal [0057]-[0058]) and a signal feed-in hole (The shell 132b has a slot to constitute the mode-converting structure 134b, the slot is, for example, a rectangular slot or other slot with appropriate shapes [0055]), the connecting hole being formed on a first side of the connector (opening 1321b is located at the mating end of connector body 132. Connector 130 is aligned with casing opening 112, through which an external connector is inserted. Thus, connector opening 1321b is exposed through the side of the outer shell 112, [0053]-[0054] and Figs. 1-3), the signal feed-in hole being formed on a second side of the connector (slot 134b is formed in another wall of connector shell 132b. Figures 2 and 3 and show slot 134b on the wall facing substrate 134a rather that on the front mating side, [0055] and figures 2-3), the first side being adjacent to the second side (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, which show the wall containing slot 134b is adjacent to the front wall containing opening 1321b);
a circuit board disposed at a side of the connector (circuit board 120 is positioned beside connector 130. Substrate 134a is part of circuit board 120 and is fixed to connector body 132, [0053]-[0055] and Figs. 2-3); and
a signal transceiver connected to the circuit board ( the circuit board 120 includes a signal transceiver module 122 configured to receive a signal from the mode-converting unit 134, or transmit a signal to the mode-converting unit 134. The signal transceiver module 122 is, for example, located on the circuit board 120 [0055]) and aligned with the signal feed-in hole (slot 134b is alighted with the end of circuit 1341. The signal passes through mode-converting slot 134b and enters connector shell 132b, which operates as waveguide [0055]);
wherein the signal transceiver feeds signals into the connector through the signal feed-in hole (signal transceiver module 122 supplies the signal through circuit 1341. The signal passes through mode-converting slot 134b and enters connector shell 132b, which operates as a waveguide [0055] ) and the signals are radiated out of the connector through the connecting hole (the signal transferred from circuit 1341 into shell 132b and emitted outward [0055] and [0058]).
Regarding claim 11, Pu discloses,
wherein the signal transceiver is an antenna or radar (The connector 130 of the present embodiment is capable of transceiving the signal as described above, so that connector 130 integrated with the mode-converting unit 134 is equivalent to an antenna integrated with connector functions [0056]).
Regarding claim 12, Pu discloses,
wherein the connector is a USB female connector (in the present embodiment, the first connector body 132 and the second connector body 50 are, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) connecting interface, [0054]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 and 8-10 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.
Regarding claim 2, The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art, Pu, does not disclose “wherein the connector further has a metal wall protruding from a side of the signal feed-in hole, and the signal transceiver is disposed with respect to the metal wall”, in combination with the other limitations in claim 1.
Claim 3 is allowed as those inherit the allowable subject matter from claim 1.
Regarding claim 4, The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art, Pu, does not disclose “wherein the signal transceiver feeds signals into the connector through the signal feed-in hole in a first direction, the signals are radiated out of the connector through the connecting hole in a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction”, in combination with the other limitations in claim 1.
Regarding claim 8, The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art, Pu, does not disclose “wherein the connector further has a metal wall protruding from a side of the signal feed-in hole, and the signal transceiver is disposed with respect to the metal wall”, in combination with the other limitations in claim 7.
Claim 9 is allowed as those inherit the allowable subject matter from claim 8.
Regarding claim 10, The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art, Pu, does not disclose “wherein the signal transceiver feeds signals into the connector through the signal feed-in hole in a first direction, the signals are radiated out of the connector through the connecting hole in a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction”, in combination with the other limitations in claim 7.
Prior Art of the Record:
The prior art made of record not relied upon and considered pertinent to
Applicant’s disclosure:
US 20250316897: A signal transceiver includes a circuit board, an electrical connector, and an antenna radiator. The circuit board has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The electrical connector is disposed on the second surface of the circuit board. The antenna radiator includes a radiating body and at least one connecting section. The radiating body is connected to the first surface of the circuit board through the at least one connecting section.
US 20230051848: A multi-input multi-output antenna system capable of being disposed in an electronic device and the electronic device including the antenna system have a low-frequency antenna assembly and a high-frequency antenna assembly. The low-frequency antenna assembly includes multiple low-frequency antennas that are spaced apart from each other by a distance.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GOLAM SOROWAR whose telephone number is (571)270-3761. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 8:30AM-5PM.
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/GOLAM SOROWAR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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