DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
What is a difference between “a parasitic fin” in claim 12, line 6 and claim 14, line 1.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Rodriquez-Garcia et al (12,401,129) in view of Gustafson et al (11,450,962).
Regarding claim 1, Rodriquez-Garcia et al disclose a first fin 110 arranged in the first side 107 and defining a first (middle portion) long curve and a first (end portions) short curve and disposed on the first side of the PCB 105 (col3, lines 45-58); a microstrip feed line 112,141 connected to the first fin.
Regarding claims 2-4, Rodriquez-Garcia et al disclose the first long curve is defined by a first exponential function; and the first short curve is defined by a second exponential function different than the first exponential function (figs1-3), further comprising a second fin 111 arranged in the second side and defining a second long curve and a second short curve and disposed on the second side of the PCB 105, the second long curve matches the first long curve; and the second short curve matches the first short curve (figs4-5). Rodriquez-Garcia et al had been discussed but fail to teach a PCB including a first side and a second side, the first side including a first plurality of components arranged in a first circuit, the second side opposing the first side and including a second plurality of components arranged in a second circuit and a matching section disposed between the first fin and the microstrip feed line. However, Gustafson et al in figure 1 teach a PCB (micro-PCB) including a first side and a second side, the first side including a first plurality of components 106 arranged in a first circuit, the second side opposing the first side and including a second plurality of components 108 arranged in a second circuit and a matching section 134-1,134-2. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Rodriquez-Garcia et al with a PCB including a first side and a second side, the first side including a first plurality of components arranged in a first circuit, the second side opposing the first side and including a second plurality of components arranged in a second circuit and a matching section disposed between the first fin and the microstrip feed line for the purpose of impedance matching so as to improve the antenna gain.
Claims 8, 12-15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Rodriquez-Garcia et al (12,401,129) in view of Gustafson et al (11,450,962) and further in view of Morimoto et al (12,355,140).
Rodriquez-Garcia et al had been discussed and also teach an additional PCB 117,118 coupled to the second side of the PCB 105 (fig1). However, Rodriquez-Garcia et al in view of Gustafson et al fail to teach a parasitic fin disposed on the first or second side of the PCB and wherein the parasitic fin is spaced apart from the first fin. However, Morimoto et al disclose a parasitic element 115 disposed on the first side of the PCB and wherein the parasitic is spaced apart from the first driven element 110 (fig.16). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Rodriquez-Garcia et al with a parasitic fin disposed on the first or second side of the PCB and wherein the parasitic fin is spaced apart from the first fin so that directivity oriented toward the outside of the electronic device is achieved by the antenna element.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6, 9-11 and 16-19 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The patents to Hasegawa, Samardzija, Wunsch, Meharry and Benzel are cited as of interested and illustrated a similar structure to a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO GIA PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1826. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8-430).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached on (571) 270-7893. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THO G PHAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845