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 Objections
Claim 19 objected to because of the following informalities: “an MIMO”. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-4, 6, 10, 13-15, 17, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20200251804 A1 (hereinafter “Takeuchi”).
Claim 1: Takeuchi teaches a planar antenna comprising: a slot formed in a flat conductor (e.g., see 20 in FIGS. 1-5, Para. 47; see 25 in FIG. 4-5), wherein the slot includes a first slot (e.g., see 11 in FIG. 3, Para. 57; see 31 in FIG. 5) extending in a first direction between a first feeding point (e.g., see 7a in FIG. 3, Para. 57; e.g., see 4a in FIG. 5, Para. 90) and a second feeding point (e.g., see 7b in FIG. 3; see 4b in FIG. 5), a second slot (e.g., see 12 in FIG. 3; see 32 in FIG. 5) extending in a second direction different from the first direction from an end portion of the first slot in the first direction (e.g., as shown), a third slot (e.g., see 14 in FIG. 3; see 34 in FIG. 5) extending in a fourth direction opposite to the second direction from an end portion of the first slot in a third direction opposite to the first direction (e.g., as shown), reaching an open end open in the fourth direction (e.g., at 14a in FIG. 3; at 34a in FIG. 5), and a J-shaped slot (e.g., see 15 and 131-134 in FIG. 3 showing a backward J-shape1, or wherein the J-shape is on the opposite side of 20; see 35 and 141-144 in FIG. 5) extending in a J-shape from an end portion of the second slot in the second direction to an open end open in the first direction (e.g., as shown), and wherein a slot width at an open end of the J-shaped slot is wider than a slot width at the end portion of the second slot in the second direction (e.g., slot with at 134 in FIG. 3, 144 in FIG. 5 wider than width at 12e in FIG. 3, 32e in FIG. 5).
Claim 2: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein the J-shaped slot includes a portion (e.g., see slot portion 134, 144) that extends in the first direction while maintaining an approximately uniform slot width (134, 144 having uniform width).
Claim 3: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein the J-shaped slot has a curved outline (e.g., see curved outline between and of edges of 137, 136, 135, 131 and/or 139, 138 in FIG. 3; see curved outline between and of edges of 146, 145 and/or 149, 148 in FIG. 5).
Claim 4: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 3, wherein the J-shaped slot includes a portion where a slot width gradually increases (e.g., see 133 increasing width gradually from 132, 131).
Claim 6: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein the J-shaped slot is a slot bent in a J-shape (e.g., being a J-shape and bending).
Claim 10: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein the conductor has a first outer edge (e.g., see 92 in FIG. 3; see 97 in FIG. 5) where an open end of the J- shaped slot is located and a second outer edge (e.g., see 91 in FIG. 3, 96 in FIG. 5) opposite to the first outer edge, and wherein the second outer edge includes a curved portion (e.g., see curve of 117 and 115 in FIG. 3 and/or end curved corners thereof; see curve of 125, 127 in FIG. 5 and/or end corner curves thereof).
Claim 13: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein an outer edge (e.g., see 113 in FIG. 3; see 123 in FIG. 5) where an open end (e.g., see 14a in FIG. 3; see 34a in FIG. 5) of the third slot is located includes a portion parallel to an imaginary line (e.g., see 14b in FIG. 3; see 34b in FIG. 5) that passes through the open end of the third slot and that extends at right angles to a direction in which the third slot extends (e.g., as show).
Claim 14: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein an outer edge (e.g., see 94, 114 in FIG. 3; see 99, 124 in FIG. 5) where an open end (e.g., see 14a in FIG. 3; see 34a in FIG. 5) of the third slot is located includes a portion inclined with respect to an imaginary line (e.g., see 14b in FIG. 3; see 34b in FIG. 5) that passes through the open end of the third slot and that extends at right angles to a direction in which the third slot extends (e.g., as shown).
Claim 15: Takeuchi teaches the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein the third slot includes a portion where a slot width is wider than the first slot (e.g.., wherein the width of the third slot is wider than the first slot, Id.).
Claim 17: Takeuchi teaches a vehicle window glass (e.g., see 60, 100 FIG. 1) comprising: the planar antenna as defined in Claim 1.
Claim 19: Takeuchi teaches the vehicle window glass according Claim 17, wherein the planar antenna is part or all of a plurality of antennas (e.g., see 1 and 2 in FIG. 1) that are included in a diversity antenna or an MIMO antenna (e.g., see Paras. 141-142).
Claim 20: Takeuchi teaches the vehicle window glass according to Claim 17 that is used for a windshield, a side glass, a rear glass, or a roof glass (e.g., see FIG. 1, Paras. 35-36).
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) 12, 16, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeuchi.
Claim 12: Takeuchi does not explicitly teach the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein a slot length of the second slot is shorter than a slot length of the first slot.
However Takeuchi teaches the width of the inner area (22b) of the ground-side conductor (22) is a result effective variable for the return loss characteristic of the antenna in the low band (e.g., see Para. 133) and frequency characteristics of the average antenna gain of the antenna in the low band. Takeuchi further teaches a longer width W2 improves both results.
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to optimize a width of the inner area of the ground-side conductor of Takeuchi to achieve the second slot is shorter than the first slot through routine experimentation since Takeuchi teaches the width is a result effective variable and a skilled artisan would be motivated to length W2 to improve both results for the return loss characteristic of the antenna in the low band (e.g., see Para. 133) and frequency characteristics of the average antenna gain of the antenna in the low band while still maintaining the size of the antenna to a fixed or the same length.
Claim 16: Takeuchi does not teach the planar antenna according to Claim 1, wherein matching circuit connected to the first feeding point and the second feeding point is mounted on the planar antenna.
However the Examiner takes Official / Judicial Notice that a matching circuit connected to the feeding point of an antenna is ‘old and well-known’ in the art. Furthermore Takeuchi teaches a circuit board may be formed with the antenna elements provided on the window glass (e.g., see Para. 140).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to utilize a matching circuit connected to the first feeding point of Takeuchi and the second feeding point, based on what is well-known, is mounted on the planar antenna based on the suggestion of Takeuchi, in order to improve the impedance matching of the antenna from the feed source to optimize input impedance and/or to tune or change the resonance of the antenna through the matching circuit, i.e., to utilize the same antenna for different frequencies.
Claim 18: Takeuchi teaches the vehicle window glass according to Claim 17, wherein the planar antenna is disposed on a first glass plate (e.g., see Paras. 43-44). Takeuchi does not teach the planar antenna is disposed between the first glass plate and the second glass plate facing the first glass plate.
However the Examiner takes Official / Judicial Notice that forming an antenna between two glass plates facing each other is ‘old and well-known’ in the art.
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to form the planar antenna between the first glass plate and a second glass plate facing the first glass plate, based on what is well-known, in order to increase the protection of the antenna against environmental conditions or damage from the inside or the outside of the window glass or to improve dielectric stability of the dielectric region between the glass plates in which the antenna is placed for antenna dielectric influence.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeuchi in view of US 20150145743 A1 (hereinafter “Du”).
Claim 11: Takeuchi does not explicitly teach the planar antenna according to Claim 10, wherein an end portion of the second outer edge has an outline resembling ¼ or less of an ellipse with a long axis approximately parallel to the second radiation direction.
However Du teaches an antenna having an edge portion (e.g., see edge of 101 or 102 in FIG. 1) that has an outline resembling ¼ or less of an ellipse (e.g., see Para. 24, 28, 31).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to form the edge portion of the second outer edge of Takeuchi has an outline resembling ¼ or less of an ellipse as taught by Du such that the long axis is approximately parallel to the second direction in order to improve impedance matching so as to reduce signal reflections and power loss, broadening an antennas operational frequency range via curved elliptical edge, and/or to generate circular polarization.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 and 7-9 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.
Conclusion
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/AMAL PATEL/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
1 “J-shape” is construed as including backward J-shape as disclosed in FIG. 7 of the disclosed instant invention and slanted J-shape as in FIG. 8 of the disclosed invention