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 .
Drawings
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claim X 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the phrase "or the like" renders the claim(s) indefinite because the claim(s) include(s) elements not actually disclosed (those encompassed by "or the like"), thereby rendering the scope of the claim(s) unascertainable. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim 1 further recites “which are provided as a pair” twice, i.e., in two instances. The limitation is indefinite because it is unclear what is provided as a pair, i.e., whether it is the angle adjusting member, the first fixing link, the second fixing link, or the upper antenna bracket. In the second instance of the limitation, it is unclear whether the limitation refers to the first adjusting link, the second adjusting link, the first fixing link, or the second fixing link as ‘a pair being provided’. The limitation causes confusion as to what is being attempted to be claimed and the ‘metes and bounds’ are not apparent to a skilled artisan. The Examiner interprets the limitation as the fixing links to be a pair forming the first fixing link and the second fixing link for prior art purposes in the first instance of the limitation and the adjusting links being provided as a pair in the second instance of the limitation.
Claim Objections
Claim 1-4 objected to because of the following informalities: the claims should be numbered next to the claim limitation rather than in brackets above the claim limitations. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN101944648B (hereinafter “Zhang”) (English translation attached).
Claim 1: Zhang teaches an antenna holding device comprising: an upper body clamp (e.g., see upper body clamp securing 306 in Figs. 4-5, 8, 12, 23, 25) coupled to a pillar (e.g., see 100) or the like to fix an antenna (e.g., see 400, Para. 59); a lower body clamp (e.g., see lower body clamp securing 206 in FIGS. 4-5, 12, 23, 25) disposed below the upper body clamp and coupled to the pillar or the like; an upper antenna bracket (e.g., see bracket of 305 attached to back of 400) coupled to an upper portion of a rear surface of the antenna (e.g., as shown); a lower antenna bracket (e.g., see bracket of 205 attached to back of 400) coupled at a lower side of the upper antenna bracket (e.g., as shown); a lower support bracket (e.g., see support arm of 205) of which one side is connected to the lower body clamp (e.g., connected to clamp of 206) and the other side is connected to the lower antenna bracket (e.g., connected to / at back of 400), wherein at least any one side is coupled using a hinge (e.g., see hinge at 207, see catch/bayonet 602 in Fig. 15); and an angle adjusting member (e.g., see at least 501-511, 305-308) of which one side is hinge-coupled to the upper body clamp (e.g., through 308, 508, 504) and the other side is hinge-coupled to the upper antenna bracket (e.g., through 307, 507, 503), wherein the angle adjusting member includes a first fixing link(e.g., see 501) of which one side is hinge-coupled to the upper body clamp (e.g., as shown) and a second fixing link (e.g., see 502) of which one side is hinge-coupled to the upper antenna bracket, which are provided as a pair (e.g., as shown), and a first adjusting link (e.g., see 504) of which one side is hinge-coupled to the first fixing link and a second adjusting link (e.g., see 503) of which one side is hinge-coupled to the second fixing link, which are provided as a pair (e.g., as shown), the first fixing link and the second fixing link are hinge-coupled to each other (e.g., through 505, 509), and the first adjusting link and the second adjusting link are hinge-coupled to each other (e.g., through 506, 510).
Claim 2: Zhang teaches the antenna holding device of claim 1, further comprising an angle adjustment rod (e.g., see 511) which passes through and is coupled to a hinge-coupling portion between the first fixing link and the second fixing link and a hinge-coupling portion between the first adjusting link and the second adjusting link (e.g., as shown in Figures), wherein a screw thread (e.g., screw thread, Para. 65) is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the angle adjustment rod such that an angle of the angle adjusting member is adjusted through rotation or counter-rotation of the angle adjustment rod (e.g., see at least Para. 65, 67).
Claim 4: Zhang teaches the antenna holding device of claim 1, wherein a protractor (e.g., see 702 in Fig. 24) is attached to one side surface of the lower support bracket (e.g., see 702 on 205 in FIG. 25, see Para. 95).
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of CN111758182B (hereinafter “Lekselius”).
Claim 3: Zhang teaches the antenna holding device of claim 1, wherein a rotary handle (e.g., see 511) is provided on one end of the angle adjustment rod.
Zhang does not explicitly teach the rotary handle is a rotary nut.
However Lekselius taches a rotary nut (e.g., see 6 in Figs. 3a-3c, 5a-5b, Pg. 7, Para. 2) is provided on one end of an angle adjustment rod (e.g., see 6a).
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to utilize a rotary nut for the adjustment rod of Zhang as taught by Lekselius in order to utilize the adjustment rod with a conventional tool such as a wrench for quick tool oriented and compatible adjustment of the tilting angle of the antenna.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Clifford (US 20180013200 A1) teaches a remotely controllable antenna mount through expansion of a scissor assembly and corresponding pivoting of the antenna through a range of tilt angles.
Watanabe (JP200551409A) teaches a tiltable antenna utilizing an ‘adjustment long screw’.
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/AMAL PATEL/Examiner, Art Unit 2845