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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/08/2024 was filed. The submission 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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Applicant recites “…AM broadcast band are receivable from a feeding point electrically connected to the conductive film.”
The limitation renders the claim indefinite. It is nebulous to the Examiner if the conductive film is an AM antenna or the AM antenna is another element. Paragraph [0060] of the printed publication recites that the conductive film functions as an AM antenna. However, the claimed limitation recites that the AM broadcast band connected to the conductive film. It is unclear if we have one AM antenna and a conductive film or we have one element of a conductive film and functioning as an AM antenna. The Examiner interprets the claimed language as having a vehicle antenna with an AM antenna and a conductive film for the purpose of examining.
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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinnai et al. (JP 294904, hereby referred as Shinnai) in view of Aikawa et al. (JP 640746, hereby referred as Aikawa).
Regarding claim 1,
As best understood, Shinnai discloses,
A vehicle antenna device comprising (figures 1-3):
a dielectric substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface (dielectric substrate 1 with upper and bottom surfaces); and
a conductive film provided on a side of the second main surface and having an area of 0.025 m2 or more in a plan view of the dielectric substrate (conductive film 3 and the ratio of height H1 and height B. See a highlighted/underlined teaching in the Espacenet translation document), and
AM broadcast band are receivable from a feeding point electrically connected to the conductive film (the transparent antenna is formed over a wide area from the top of the window glass. See a highlighted/underlined teaching in the Espacenet translation document).
Shinnai does not disclose,
wherein the conductive film has a sheet resistance value of 1.5x103 Ω/□ or lower.
However, Aikawa teaches,
wherein the conductive film has a sheet resistance value of 1.5x103 Ω/□ or lower (see a highlighted and underlined teaching in the Espacenet translation document).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to incorporate wherein the conductive film has a sheet resistance value of 1.5x103 Ω/□ or lower, as taught by Aikawa, into Shinnai in order to provide an improved antenna for the vehicle.
Regarding claim 2,
Shinnai discloses,
wherein the feeding point is disposed at a center portion of the conductive film at a distance of 150 mm or more from an end side of the dielectric substrate in a plan view of the dielectric substrate (figures 1-3, feeding for the antenna for the glass of the vehicle).
Regarding claim 3,
Shinnai discloses,
wherein an outer edge of the conductive film is substantially quadrangular in a plan view of the dielectric substrate (figures 1-3, conductive film 3 and substrate 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Funatsu et al. US Pub. No. 2020/0023718, Kagaya US Pub. No. 2018/0090811, Kagaya et al. US Pub. No. 2012/0154229, Noro US Pub. No. 2008/0055161, Dai US Patent No. 9837699, Funatsu US Pub. No. 2019/0252758, Dai US Patent No. 8576130.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AWAT M SALIH whose telephone number is (571)270-5601. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:30AM-5:00PM.
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/AWAT M SALIH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845