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 claim 1 under 35 USC 103(a), Applicant's arguments filed 09/09/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues Woolrich and other prior arts of the record do not teach prepreg buildup layers, and do not teach providing an antenna element on one side of a PCB and providing a beamforming IC on an opposite side of the PCB.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Regarding the prepreg buildup layers, Seler teaches prepreg materials are typical to manufacture PCBs (paragraph [0037]). It is well-known that a typical PCB includes a plurality of layers in order to route signals between components mounted on the PCB and Applicant also acknowledged (Remarks submitted 09/09/2025). Another prior art, US 2020/0067198 A1, further teaches prepreg material is a preferred material for PCB technology (paragraph [0077], Fig. 1a). Therefore, a PCB with a plurality of prepreg layers is structurally and patentably not different from a typical multilayer PCB. This leads to conclude that Woolrich in view of Seler teaches the limitation “a PCB with prepreg buildup layers”.
Regarding providing an antenna element on one side and a beamforming IC on an opposite side, Woolrich teaches arrays of horn antennas placed on one side of the PCB (e.g. Fig. 5) and are coupled to radio transmitter and receivers (Fig. 1B). Seler teaches a microwave device semiconductor chip mounted on PCB (Figs. 6, 10). Therefore, combined teachings of Woolrich and Seler teach the limitation.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Woolrich (US 2020/0067199 A1) in view of Seler (US 2016/0043455 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Woolrich teaches an antenna comprising:
a printed circuit board (PCB) structure (Figs. 1A, 1B, [0030] printed circuit board 110)
at least one beamforming integrated circuit (IC) ([0036] transmitter 198, receiver 199); and
at least one horn antenna radiating element (Fig. 5, [0044] horn antenna array 503) formed on the PCB structure (110), wherein the at least one horn antenna radiating element includes a feed structure formed in the PCB layer (Figs. 9A-9C, [0041] launchers 610, 611, 612) and a horn aperture extending from the feed structure outside of the PCB layer (Fig. 9, 230, 240).
However, Woolrich does not explicitly teach the antenna, wherein:
the PCB structure includes a plurality of prepreg buildup layers; and
the at least one beamforming integrated circuit (IC) is formed on one side the PCB structure.
Seler teaches an antenna wherein:
a PCB structure includes a plurality of prepreg buildup layers ([0037] prepreg materials are typically used to manufacture PCBs); and
at least one beamforming integrated circuit (IC) is formed on one side the PCB structure (Fig. 6, 10, [0044] a semiconductor package 10 configured to transmit a microwave waveguide signal).
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 teachings of Seler to the teachings of Woolrich as it is typical (Woolrich, [0037] prepreg materials are typically used to manufacture PCBs).
Regarding claim 2, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich in view of Seler further teaches the antenna, wherein the horn aperture is formed in a metal layer (Woolrich [0038] a waveguide horn element, Seler [0047] waveguide part 60, metallization for microwave transmission).
Regarding claim 3, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich further teaches the antenna, wherein the horn aperture is tapered (Fig. 9A, 120).
Regarding claim 4, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich further teaches the antenna, wherein the horn aperture includes opposing ridges extending into an aperture waveguide (Fig. 9A, [0040] 400).
Regarding claim 6, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich further teaches the antenna, wherein the antenna is a phased array antenna ([0002] phased array antennas), the at least one beamforming IC is a plurality of beamforming ICs (Fig. 1, 198, 199) and the at least one horn radiating element is a plurality of horn radiating elements (Fig. 9A).
Regarding claim 8, this claim has substantially the same subject matter as that in claim 2. Therefore, claim 8 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 9, this claim has substantially the same subject matter as that in claim 3. Therefore, claim 9 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 3 above.
Regarding claim 10, this claim has substantially the same subject matter as that in claim 4. Therefore, claim 10 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 4 above.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Woolrich (US 2020/0067199 A1) in view of Seler (US 2016/0043455 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hunziker (US 2020/0067198 A1).
Regarding claim 5, all the limitations of claim 1 are taught by Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich in view of Seler does not explicitly teach the antenna, wherein the prepreg buildup layers include microvias.
Hunziker teaches an antenna comprising a printed circuit board made of prepreg buildup layers including vias ([0077], [0078]).
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 teachings of Hunziker to the teachings of Woolrich in view of Seler as the forming vias as through-hole connection is a desired way to connect conductive layers through laminate as taught by Hunziker (Hunziker, [0078]).
Claims 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Woolrich (US 2020/0067199 A1) in view of Seler (US 2016/0043455 A1) as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Shams (US 2021/0296764 A1).
Regarding claim 7, all the limitations of claim 6 are taught by Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich in view of Seler.
Woolrich in view of Seler does not explicitly teach the antenna, wherein the antenna is part of a 5G radio.
Shams teaches a phased array horn antenna ([0129]), wherein the antenna is part of a 5G radio ([0045], [0127]).
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 teachings of Woolrich in view of Seler to implement Shams’s phase array horn antenna in order for high density phased array without increasing the cost (Woolrich, [0002]).
Regarding claim 11, this claim has substantially the same subject matter as that in claim 7. Therefore, claim 11 is rejected under the same rationale as claim 7 above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander H. Taningco can be reached at 571-272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SEOKJIN KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844
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