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 § 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jung 2016/0255733.
Regarding claim 1, Jung discloses an electronic device (Title) comprising: a housing (110 and/or including 120, Fig 2) comprising at least one conductive portion (166, Figs 4, 5) disposed along at least a portion of a side surface of the housing (side surface of 110/120 once assembled, Figs 1-2, 7), the at least one conductive portion configured to receive or to transmit a signal (see par 0087); a first module (130, Figs 2, 3) inside the housing and adjacent to the at least one conductive portion (see Figs 2-4); and a first printed circuit board (157, Fig 2) inside the housing (Fig 2) and comprising a communication line electrically connected to the first module (such as ‘signal line’ see par 0064), wherein the communication line extends along an edge of the first printed circuit board (last sentence par 0066, Fig 2) to have a resonance frequency different from a frequency of the signal received or transmitted by the at least one conductive portion (functionally, the first PCB, particularly those with power/ground planes such as 157 [see middle part of par 0050] may have cavities that can resonate at high frequencies, while antenna/conductive portion 166 are designed to resonate at specific/desired frequency of the NFC signal transmission that may be lower, [middle of par 0049]).
Regarding claim 2, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication line comprises: a first communication line disposed along an edge of the first printed circuit board and connected to the first module (touch screen line, par 0064, Fig 2); and a second communication line electrically connected to the first communication line (display panel line, par 0064, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 3, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication line comprises a first communication line and a second communication line connected to a stub (700, Fig 7) in parallel (see Fig 7 with respect to Fig 8).
Regarding claim 4, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the first communication line and the second communication line extend in a loop shape from the stub (in form of coil, par 0075).
Regarding claim 5, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a second printed circuit board (156 including PCM, par 0068, Fig 2) electrically connected to the first printed circuit board (par 0066); and at least one processor disposed on the second printed circuit board (PCM, par 0068) and electrically connected to the communication line (Figs 2, 8).
Regarding claim 6, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 4, wherein a first end of the second communication line (free end of 133/134, Fig 3) is connected to the first communication line through the stub (once assembled, Figs 2-7), and wherein a second end of the second communication line (connected end of 133/134, Fig 3), different from the first end (Fig 3), is connected to a switch (155, once assembled, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 7, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 6, wherein the second communication line is configured to be switchable (based on wheel movement sensed via 140, par 0065), via the switch (last sentence par 0057), to a first state in which the second end is open (input state, par 0057) or to a second state in which the second end is electrically connected to a ground (135 Fig 2, par 0084).
Regarding claim 8, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the first communication line is a low-speed communication line (such as driver IC, par 0050).
Regarding claim 11, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first module is a sensor adjacent to the at least one conductive portion (once assembled, par 0067).
Regarding claim 12, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one conductive portion is configured to operate as an antenna radiator (middle par 0085).
Regarding claim 13, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein as the first communication line having a first length and the second communication line having a second length are connected in parallel (see Fig 2), a total length of the communication line is a sum of the first length and the second length (Figs 2, 3).
Regarding claim 14, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication line extends in a loop shape along the edge of the first printed circuit board (see Figs 3-4, 7-8).
Regarding claim 15, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first communication line is a I2C (inter integrated circuit) communication line (such as driver IC, par 0050).
Regarding claim 16, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the stub is an open stub or a short stub (see Fig 7).
Regarding claim 17, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 4, wherein the first communication line and the second communication line extend from the stub along the edge of the first printed circuit board (once assembled Figs 4-8).
Regarding claim 18, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the first communication line is connected to the first module through the stub (once assembled Figs 3-4).
Regarding claim 19, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 4, wherein a first end of the second communication line (free end of 133/134, Fig 3) is connected to the first communication line through the stub (once assembled, Figs 2-7), and wherein a second end of the second communication line (connected end of 133/134, Fig 3), different from the first end (Fig 3), is connected to a ground (155, once assembled, Fig 2).
Regarding claim 20, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 4, wherein a first end of the second communication line (free end of 133/134, Fig 3) is connected to the first communication line through the stub (once assembled, Figs 2-7), and wherein a second end of the second communication line (connected end of 133/134, Fig 3), different from the first end, is open (155, once assembled, Figs 2, 4).
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) 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung 2016/0255733 in view of Rothkopf 2021/0181691.
Regarding claim 9, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, except wherein the resonance frequency of the communication line is 700 MHz or less, or 1.0 GHz or more and 1.8 GHz or less.
Rothkopf, however teaches a similar device (Fig 1) wherein a resonance frequency of the communication line is 700 MHz or less, or 1.0 GHz or more and 1.8 GHz or less, or as selected (see middle of par 0210).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the resonance frequency of the communication line of Jung as claimed, and, as taught by Rothkopf, in order to optimize a desired frequency bandwidth, thereby improving inductive power transfer efficiency for particular operational conditions of the device, and, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 10, Jung discloses the electronic device of claim 1, except wherein the first module is a camera adjacent to the at least one conductive portion.
Rothkopf, however teaches a similar device (10, Fig 1) wherein a first module (100, Fig 2) is a camera (par 0087) adjacent to at least one conductive portion (722, Fig 7).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the first module of Jung to include a camera adjacent to the at least one conductive portion, as taught by Rothkopf, in order to capture an image of a scene or subject located within a field of view, thereby improving functionality.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see PTO 892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHEN E MORRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-8852. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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/RASHEN E MORRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /IMANI N HAYMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841