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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of Application
This Office Action is a response to Applicant’s communication (or preliminary’s amendment) filed on 06/13/2024. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-10 are currently presented in the instant application.
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). A certified copy of the priority documents received on 07/08/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 06/13/2024 in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is considered by the examiner.
If applicant is aware of any prior art or any other co-pending application not already of record, he/she is reminded of his/her duty under 37 CFR 1.97 to disclose the same.
Drawings
The drawing submitted on 06/13/2024 is accepted as part of the formal application.
Claim Objection(s)
Claim 10 objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 10,
The recitation “one of the top of the housing assembly” in lines 1-2 should be “the one of the top of the housing assembly”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-10 are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1,
The recitation “the antenna cable” in line 7 is considered indefinite because it does not have an antecedent basis. Clarification is required.
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 and 8, as best understood, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sieber et al (US 20180220550), hereinafter Sieber, in view of Zheng et al (US 20170223868), hereinafter Zheng.
Regarding claim 1,
Sieber discloses an external connection device (an antenna arrangement 10, Fig 1) comprising:
a ventilation mechanism (a fan unit 30, Fig 1), comprising a housing assembly (a housing 40, Fig 1) and a fan (a fan 50, Fig 3) arranged inside the housing assembly; wherein the housing assembly is provided with a first through hole (an opening 76, Fig 2; paragraph [0076]) and a second through hole (opening 61, Fig 2), and the fan is connected with a fan cable (a fan unit cable 80, Fig 3; paragraph [0076]) extending out of the housing assembly from the first through hole; and
an antenna (an antenna 14, Fig 1), arranged on an outer wall of the housing assembly (Fig 1).
Sieber does not teach the antenna is connected with the antenna cable, and the antenna cable extends into the housing assembly from the second through hole and extends out of the housing assembly from the first through hole.
However, Zheng teaches an external connection device (a remote radio unit 3, Fig 1; paragraph [0027]), comprising a ventilation mechanism (a ventilation air channel 32, Fig 1) comprising a housing assembly (a housing 31, Fig 1; paragraph [0027]) and a fan (a fan 35, Fig 5), and an antenna (an antenna element; paragraph [0037]), wherein the antenna is connected with an antenna cable (a second cable connector; paragraph [0037]), and the antenna cable extends into the housing assembly from a second through hole (a hole in top end surface 313, Fig 1; paragraph [0037]) and extends out of the housing assembly from the first through hole (a hole in a bottom end surface 312, Fig 2; paragraph [0037]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an antenna being connected with an antenna cable, and the antenna cable extending into a housing assembly from a second through hole and extending out of the housing assembly from a first through hole in Sieber, as taught by Zheng, in order to increase a heat dissipation capability of communication device.
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Regarding claim 8,
Sieber in view of Zheng discloses the claimed invention, as discussed in claim 1.
Sieber teaches a top of the housing assembly is provided with a positioning groove (a groove GV, Fig 1), and the antenna is at least partially mounted in the positioning groove (Fig 1).
Claim 5, as best understood, is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sieber et al (US 20180220550), hereinafter Sieber, in view of Zheng et al (US 20170223868), hereinafter Zheng, and Wang (US 20220008601), hereinafter Wang.
Regarding claim 5,
Sieber in view of Zheng discloses the claimed invention, as discussed in claim 1.
Sieber as modified does not teach the housing assembly is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; the ventilation mechanism further comprises a first stage filtering unit and a second stage filtering unit, the first stage filtering unit is arranged inside the air inlet, and the second stage filtering unit is arranged inside the air outlet.
However, Wang teaches a ventilation mechanism (an air purifier, Fig 2) comprises a housing assembly (a housing 1, Fig 2) is provided with an air inlet (an air inlet 11, Fig 2) and an air outlet (an air outlet 10, Fig 2); the ventilation mechanism further comprises a first stage filtering unit (a filter unit 2, Fig 4) and a second stage filtering unit (a sterilization layer 32, Fig 4), the first stage filtering unit is arranged inside the air inlet (Fig 4), and the second stage filtering unit is arranged inside the air outlet (Fig 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a housing assembly being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; a ventilation mechanism comprising a first stage filtering unit and a second stage filtering unit, the first stage filtering unit being arranged inside the air inlet, and the second stage filtering unit being arranged inside the air outlet in Sieber as modified, as taught by Wang, in order to provide a ventilation device having an improved air quality.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 6-7 and 9-10 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.
Regarding claim 2, prior art of record or most closely prior art fails to disclose, “the housing assembly comprises a fan bracket, an outer cover body, and an air inlet pipe; the fan bracket is provided with a mounting port, the fan is arranged inside the mounting port, the first through hole is arranged at the fan bracket, the outer cover body is arranged at the fan bracket, the second through hole is arranged at an outer wall of the outer cover body, the air inlet pipe is arranged between the outer cover body and the fan bracket, an end of the air inlet pipe is connected with the mounting port, and another end of the air inlet pipe is exposed out of the outer cover body”.
Dependent claims 3-4 are considered to be allowable by virtue of its/their dependency/dependencies on claim 2.
Regarding claim 6, prior art of record or most closely prior art fails to disclose, “the ventilation mechanism further comprises an air outlet grille, the air outlet grille is detachably covered onto the air outlet, and the second stage filtering unit is placed on the air outlet grille”.
Dependent claim 7 is considered to be allowable by virtue of its/their dependency/dependencies on claim 6.
Regarding claim 9, prior art of record or most closely prior art fails to disclose, “one of a top of the housing assembly and a bottom of the antenna is provided with a plurality of fixing columns, another one of the top of the housing assembly and the bottom of the antenna is provided with a plurality of fixing holes, and the plurality of fixing columns are inserted in the plurality of fixing holes in one-to-one correspondence”.
Dependent claim 10 is considered to be allowable by virtue of its/their dependency/dependencies on claim 9.
Conclusion
The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply.
Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference aspotentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of thepassage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hai Tran whose telephone number is (571)270-7893. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.
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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/HAI V TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845