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 .
The information disclosure statement filed 3/26/2024 has been entered. Claims 1-9 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claims 1-3, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2008-271271 A (YOKOWO CO. LTD.; 11/06/2008, paragraphs 0026-0035, fig. 1-9 – cited by applicant) over WO 2020/036148 A1 (KEIO UNIVERSITY; 2/20/2020, paragraphs 0041, 0050-0052, fig. 2 – cited by applicant).
Regarding claims 1-2 and 9, Yokowo discloses an antenna device (Yokowo; antenna device), comprising:
a case (Yokowo; case 10);
a first antenna (Yokowo; patch antenna 12b) accommodated in the case;
a first antenna substrate (Yokowo; GPS substrate 12a) to which the first antenna is provided; and a first cable (Yokowo; GPS cable 16)
connected to the first antenna substrate, wherein first insertion holes (Yokowo; cable insertion holes 10a) which allow drawing out of the first cable are provided to each among a plurality of first side surfaces of the case, and it is made possible to change the drawing-out direction of the first cable with respect to the plurality of first insertion through-holes in each among the plurality of first side surfaces (Yokow, see paragraph 0033).
Keio discloses (Keio; paragraphs 0050-0052, and fig. 2) indicates that the orientation of a substrate (Keio, a substrate 101 of an electronic circuit 100) is changed to change the drawing-out direction of a cable (Keio; input/output wiring 103).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective date of the invention to apply the feature disclosed in Keio to the antenna device as disclosed in Yokowo to modify the orientation of the first antenna substrate, thereby changing the drawing-out direction of the first cable. The modification is well within the skill level and expectation of an ordinary skilled in the art in light of Keio’s teachings.
Regarding claim 3, see the discussions to claim 1 in view of Yokowo/Keio. Further, Yokowo disclose:
a second antenna accommodated in the case (Yokowo; planar antenna element 14b, case 10);
second antenna substrate provided with the second antenna planar antenna (Yokowo; planar antenna element 14b, case 10; ETC substrate 14a);
a second cable connected to the second antenna substrate (Yokowo; planar antenna element 14b, case 10; ETC substrate 14a; ETC cable 18); and
a base member provided with a guide groove for guiding the second cable, wherein each of a plurality of second side surfaces of the base member is provided with a second insertion hole allowing withdrawal of the second cable from the guide groove, and each of the plurality of second side surfaces is provided on the same side as each of the plurality of first side surfaces (Yokowo; planar antenna element 14b, case 10; ETC substrate 14a; ETC cable 18; see fig. 4, 9 – base member 20, guide grooves 20b, par. 0032 - 0035).
Regarding claim 8, see the discussions to claim 1 in view of Yokowo/Keio. Further, Yokowo discloses the antenna device according to 3 wherein the first cable is withdrawable from the first insertion hole through a region on a side opposite to a side of the base member where the guide groove is positioned (Yokowo; planar antenna element 14b, case 10; ETC substrate 14a; ETC cable 18; see fig. 4, 9 – base member 20, guide grooves 20b, par. 0032 – 0035; ).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 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.
i. the antenna device according to . (Original) The antenna device according to wherein each of the plurality of first side surfaces has a notch communicating with the first insertion hole, and each of the plurality of second side surfaces fitting into the notch positions the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole on the same first side surface side (claim 4 differs in calling for the notch positions on the side surfaces).
ii. The antenna device according to claim 3 [[or 4]],wherein a height at which the first insertion hole is positioned in a height direction of the case is different from a height at which the second insertion hole is positioned in the height direction of the case (claim 5; the claim differ in calling the different height of the first and second insertion holes; claims 6-7 depend on claim 5).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN MINH LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2396. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30-5:00 PM M-Th..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Paik can be reached at 571-272-2404. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/THIEN M LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876