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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 3/15/25 is considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A in the reply filed on 12/10/25 is acknowledged.
Accordingly, claims 8-10 and 14-15 are withdrawn from consideration in this action.
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)(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 1-3, 5, and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ogawa et al. (US PG Pub. No. 2002/0011958).
Regarding claim 1, Ogawa et al. teaches (Figs. 3-12) an antenna device with a swinging mechanism, comprising: at least one antenna module (18, 19) configured to transmit at least one active radio-frequency (RF) signal outward and receive at least one external RF signal from the outside (see ¶3); at least one active RF module electrically connected to the at least one antenna module (53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59; see ¶48) and configured to control a phase and an amplitude of the at least one active RF signal transmitted from the at least one antenna module so that the at least one antenna module forms a focused radiation beam of the at least one active RF signal, and control a generation by the at least one antenna module of a radiation pattern for receiving the at least one external RF signal (antenna device produces a focused radiation beam and is controlled to receive at least one signal, see ¶80, ¶82, and ¶9); and at least one swinging portion connected to the at least one antenna module (structure of antenna module 18 is mounted on swinging portion 61 around axis formed by shaft 16) and configured to swing the at least one antenna module along a circular arc around a center of a circle defined by a central support point to supplement an ability of the at least one antenna module in scanning in a one-dimensional direction (see ¶38; central support point defined by 16).
Regarding claim 2, Ogawa teaches the antenna device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating portion connected to the at least one swinging portion and configured to drive the at least one swinging portion to rotate such that the at least one antenna module spins on or revolves around a vertical axis to supplement an ability of the at least one antenna module in scanning another dimensional direction, wherein the vertical axis crosses an extension line of the central support point (see Figs. 4, 6; vertical axis defined by shaft 15, antenna device rotates around vertical axis driven by motor 23; see also ¶38; portion 14 rotates around axis defined by 15, and is connected to the at least one swinging portion that forms the body of 18).
Regarding claim 3, Ogawa teaches the antenna device according to claim 2, wherein the rotating portion is configured to make the at least one antenna module rotate in a single direction that is clockwise or counterclockwise, or in alternating clockwise and counterclockwise directions (single direction, see assembly of 24, 25, 23; Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 5, Ogawa teaches the antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the central support point is located behind the at least one antenna module and facing away from a radiation plane of the at least one antenna module (see Fig. 4, element 16 defines the central support point, which is located in a space away from the direction of the radiation plane of the antenna module 18).
Regarding claim 11, Ogawa teaches the antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna module comprises two antenna modules (18, 19), the at least one swinging portion comprises two swinging portions (61, 74), each of the two antenna modules is configured to be swung by a corresponding one of the two swinging portions, and swinging directions of the two antenna modules are the same (see ¶51-52; Figs. 4, 9).
Regarding claim 12, Ogawa teaches the antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna module comprises two antenna modules (18, 19), the at least one swinging portion comprises two swinging portions (61, 74), each of the two antenna modules is configured to be swung by a corresponding one of the two swinging portions, and swinging directions of the two antenna modules are opposite (see Fig. 11; driving mechanisms which drive 61 and 74 may drive the respective antenna modules in the same or opposite directions).
Regarding claim 13, Ogawa teaches the antenna device according to claim 1, wherein a swinging angle of the at least one antenna module is between 0 and 90 degrees (see ¶51, a range of 180 degrees encompasses a range between 0 and 90 degrees).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6-7, and 16-17 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 4, the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with other claimed limitations, the limitation of “wherein the central support point is located forward of the at least one antenna module and facing a radiation plane of the at least one antenna module”, and the modification of the art of record to incorporate this feature would not have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with other claimed limitations, the limitations of “further comprising at least one lens mechanism, wherein an extension line of the central support point extends through a portion of the at least one lens mechanism, the at least one antenna module is configured to be swung along a circular arc around a periphery of the at least one lens mechanism, and the at least one lens mechanism is configured to receive the radiation beam transmitted from the at least one antenna module, generate a corresponding secondary beam, and emit the secondary beam from a side of the at least one lens mechanism that is opposite to the at least one antenna module”, and the modification of the art of record to incorporate this feature would not have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 7 is included for its dependency upon claim 6.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with other claimed limitations, the limitations of “wherein each of the at least one antenna module comprises a plurality of antenna unit groups arranged in a first direction, each of the plurality of antenna unit groups comprises at least one antenna unit arranged in a second direction, each of the antenna unit groups is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the at least one active RF module, the corresponding active RF module is configured to control a phase and an amplitude of at least one RF signal corresponding to the antenna unit group”, and the modification of the art of record to incorporate this feature would not have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 17 is included for its dependency upon claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Mattis et al. (US PG Pub. No. 2010/0259458) and Ashton (US Patent No. 3,141,168) each teach two-dimensionally orientable antenna devices.
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/DAMEON E LEVI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/Jordan E. DeWitt/Examiner, Art Unit 2845