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.
Response to Remarks/Arguments
With respect to the rejection of claims 1-15 under 35 USC 102, Applicant's arguments filed 10/23/2025 have been fully considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection set forth herein as necessitated by Applicant's amendments.
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 1-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yang (CN 114374085 A, see attached EPO translation also).
Regarding claim 1, Yang teaches a component carrier, comprising:
a stack (Fig. 1) comprising at least one electrically insulating layer structure (page 4, first para. a first substrate 3) and/or at least one electrically conductive layer structure (page 4, second para. the first feeding microstrip line 10);
at least one signal element (Fig. 1, 2, page 4, first para. a dielectric sheet 2; a laminated dielectric resonator), wherein the signal element protrudes from the outermost layer structure of the stack (page 4, first para. the second substrate 5); and
a surrounding material arranged on said the outermost layer structure of the stack and at least partially surrounding the at least one signal element (Fig. 1, page 5, first para. the metal strip 1 located on the upper surface of the first substrate 3, page 4, para. 3, metalized through holes provided around the metal strip 1 to form a waveguide back cavity 4);
wherein the at least one signal element comprises a dielectric material and a permittivity that is different than a permittivity of a medium that directly surrounds the at least one signal element (page 4, first para. The dielectric constant of the dielectric sheet 2 is higher than that of the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 5), wherein the signal element is laminated onto the stack (page 4, first para. The dielectric constant of the dielectric sheet 2 is higher than that of the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 5 , so that the dielectric sheet 2 and the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 5 constitute a laminated dielectric resonator.).
Regarding claim 2, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier, wherein the surrounding material is formed as a layer portion arranged laterally to the at least one signal element, such that a space between the at least one signal element and the layer portion is provided, wherein the layer portion is arranged to provide a cavity delimited by sidewalls formed by the layer portion, wherein the at least one signal element is arranged in the cavity, and wherein the cavity is at least partially filled with the medium (page 4, para. 3).
Regarding claim 3, all the limitations of claim 2 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier, wherein the at least one sidewall of the layer portion comprises a metal layer structure and/or a shielding layer structure (page 4, para. 3).
Regarding claim 4, all the limitations of claim 2 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier, wherein the height of at least a portion of the layer portion corresponds to the height of the at least one signal element (Fig. 1, 4, 5).
Regarding claim 5, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier, wherein the at least one signal element and the stack are electromagnetically coupleable; wherein the electromagnetic coupling is directly through an electrically conductive material; and/or wherein the electromagnetic coupling is via an electrically insulating material that is free of electrically conductive material; wherein the electromagnetic coupling comprises a transmission of an electromagnetic wave by capacitive coupling and/or inductive coupling (pages 2~3, invention characteristics 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 6, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier, further comprising: a transmission structure arranged below the at least one signal element, such that the at least one signal element and the transmission structure are electromagnetically coupleable by capacitive coupling and/or inductive coupling (page 2, para. 6, the slit coupling structure).
Regarding claim 7, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier, comprising a plurality of the signal elements in an array (page 2, para. 6, expanded into a beam scanning antenna array).
Regarding claim 8, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier wherein the medium comprises a fluid; and/or wherein the medium comprises an embedding material configured to encapsulate the at least one signal element (page 4, first para. The center of the first substrate 3 is embedded with a dielectric sheet 2); and/or wherein the medium at least partially fills a space between the at least one signal element and the layer portion and/or between the plurality of signal elements.
Regarding claim 9, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the component carrier wherein the permittivity of the at least one signal element, given as the dielectric constant Dk, is in the range 1 to 100 (page 4, para. 4, 45); and/or wherein the permittivity of the medium, given as the dielectric constant Dk, is in the range 1 to 5 (page 4, para. 4, 3.55).
Regarding claim 10, Yang teaches an electronic device, comprising:
a stack (Fig. 1) comprising at least one electrically insulating layer structure (page 4, first para. a first substrate 3) and/or at least one electrically conductive layer structure (page 4, second para. the first feeding microstrip line 10);
at least one signal element (Fig. 1, 2, page 4, first para. a dielectric sheet 2; a laminated dielectric resonator), wherein the signal element protrudes from the outermost layer structure of the stack (page 4, first para. the second substrate 5); and
a material arranged on said the outermost layer structure of the stack and at least partially surrounding the at least one signal element (Fig. 1, page 5, first para. the metal strip 1 located on the upper surface of the first substrate 3, page 4, para. 3, metalized through holes provided around the metal strip 1 to form a waveguide back cavity 4);
wherein the material has a permittivity that is different than a permittivity of the dielectric material (page 4, first para. The dielectric constant of the dielectric sheet 2 is higher than that of the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 5); and
at least one functionality of the group which consists of: a 4G functionality, a 5G functionality, a 6G functionality, a microwave functionality, a mm-wave guide functionality, a WiFi functionality, an antenna functionality, a transmitter and/or receiver functionality, a radar functionality, a filter functionality, an RF/HF coupling functionality (page 1, technical field).
Regarding claim 11, this claim has substantially the same subject matter as that in claim 1. Therefore, claim 11 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 12, all the limitations of claim 11 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the method, wherein forming the at least one signal element further comprises:
forming a layer portion preform on the outermost layer structure of the stack; and
removing a part of the layer portion preform to thereby expose the at least one signal element (Figs. 1 and 2, 2, 3, 5).
Regarding claim 13, all the limitations of claim 12 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the method, wherein removing the part of the layer portion preform further comprises: exposing a layer portion that is arranged laterally to, at least partially surround, the at least one signal element, wherein the height of at least a portion of the layer portion corresponds to the height of the at least one signal element (Figs. 1 and 2, 2 and 3).
Regarding claim 15, all the limitations of claim 12 are taught by Yang.
Yang further teaches the method, wherein forming the stack and forming the at least one signal element is done within the same component carrier manufacturing process (Fig. 1, layers 1-16 including the one signal element 2).
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.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (CN 114374085 A, see attached EPO translation also) in view of Lenhardt (US 2021/0307173 A1)
Regarding claim 14, all the limitations of claim 11 are taught by Yang.
Yang does not explicitly teach the method, wherein removing comprises at least one of laser drilling, mechanical drilling, photolithography, X-ray lithography, milling, routing, 2.5D manufacturing.
Lenhardt teaches a method wherein removing comprises at least one of laser drilling, mechanical drilling, photolithography, X-ray lithography, milling, routing, 2.5D manufacturing ([0084]).
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 lithography of Lenhardt to the teachings of Yang so that a plurality of dielectric elements can be efficiently manufactured (Lenhardt, [0084]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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