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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, 5, 13, 16, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2019/0081393 (“Zhou” or “Z”).
1: Z teaches an electronic device (that of figs 1-5) comprising: peripheral conductive housing structures (that of 16) having a segment with a bend at a corner of the electronic device (that of 108); a display (14) mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures (as shown); a conductive housing wall (that of 104) opposite the display (as shown); a slot (that of 162) that separates the conductive housing wall from the segment (as shown); and an antenna (40) that includes a positive antenna feed terminal (at 98) coupled to the segment (as shown) and that includes a parasitic arm (that of 234) having a first end (the end near 108) and an opposing second end (the end near 104), wherein the first end is separated from the segment by a gap (as shown), the second end is electrically shorted to the conductive housing wall (as shown), and the segment is configured to indirectly feed the parasitic arm via a capacitive coupling across the gap (0060).
2: Z teaches that the segment is configured to indirectly feed the parasitic arm at a first location (that above 234) on the segment (0060) and the antenna further comprises: a conductive coupler (that of 114) that couples a second location (128) on the segment to the conductive housing wall across the slot (as shown).
However, Z fails to teach that the coupler of 114 is a trace. However, Z teaches that conductive traces may be used in regions 22 and 20.
Thus, it would have been obvious to provide that the coupler of 114 is a trace.
The motivation would have been to apply ubiquitous technology in the implementation of circuit connections.
3: Z teaches that the positive antenna feed terminal is interposed on the segment between the first location and the second location (98 is between 234 and 128).
5: Z teaches that the gap overlaps the slot (as shown).
13: Z teaches a speaker (that of 26), wherein the parasitic arm overlaps the speaker (as shown by comparing fig 1 with fig 5).
16: Z teaches an electronic device (that of figs 1 -5) comprising: a housing (that of 16) having peripheral conductive housing structures (those of 16) and a conductive wall (that of 104); a slot (162) that separates the conductive wall from a segment (that of 108 above 234) of the peripheral conductive housing structures (as shown) and that is filled with a dielectric material (0022, 0023, 0031); a display (14) mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the conductive wall (as shown); an antenna (40) having a resonating element arm that includes the segment (as shown) and having an antenna ground that includes the conductive wall (as shown in reference to 100); and a distributed capacitor (that of 234) coupled in series between the resonating element arm and the antenna ground (as shown) and configured to tune a frequency response of the antenna (0060), wherein the distributed has a second electrode (234 that includes the edge of the conductive wall (as shown).
Nevertheless, Z fails to teach a conductive protrusion on the segment, extending into the slot towards an edge of the conductive wall, and embedded in the dielectric material, where the distributed capacitor has a first electrode that includes the conductive protrusion.
However, Z teaches using protrusions to create a capacitive coupling between 104 and 108 (0060).
Thus, it would have been obvious to provide a protrusion from 108 opposite to and toward 234.
The motivation would have been to adjust the gap distance 238, as taught by 0060, in order to adjust antenna resonance.
19: Z teaches an electronic device (that of figs 1-5) comprising: peripheral conductive housing structures (16); a display (14) mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures (as shown); a rear housing wall (that of 104) mounted to the peripheral conductive housing structures opposite the display (as shown), the rear housing wall having a conductive support plate (0053); a positive antenna feed terminal (98) coupled to the peripheral conductive housing structures (as shown); a folded sheet metal member (234, which may be made of sheet metal, as described in 0023) having a first end (that near 104) that is electrically shorted to the conductive support plate (as shown) and having a second end opposite the first end (the end near 108); and a gap (162) between the second end of the folded sheet metal member and the peripheral conductive housing structures (as shown), wherein the peripheral conductive housing structures are configured to indirectly feed the folded sheet metal member via a capacitive coupling across the gap (0060).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6-12, 14-15, 17, 18, and 20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GRAHAM P SMITH whose telephone number is (571)270-1568. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am - 6pm.
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/GRAHAM P SMITH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845