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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/23/2024 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 18-24, 26 and 30-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Schnekenburger et al. (US Pub. No. 2013/0201651, hereby referred Schnekenburger).
Regarding claim 18,
Schnekenburger discloses,
A medical table unit comprising (figures 1-2 and see paragraphs [0010]-[0011] for disclosing medical device):
a closed housing containing a front plate (housing 2 and front plate 14); and
a wireless communication unit configured in the closed housing (see paragraph [0031], the housing side control electronics which communicate with the external control device), with at least one antenna (antenna 36), the closed housing containing at least one EMC-proof housing portion (housing region without space 22, see paragraphs [0028] and [0035]) and
at least one EMC- permitting housing portion (region of the apace 22 directed toward the front wall), the at least one antenna configured in the at least one EMC-permitting housing portion in an interior of the closed housing (see figure 2 and paragraph [0032]).
Regarding claim 19,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna is shielded in a direction toward a housing interior with a shielding sheet (figures 1-2, see paragraph [0028] for disclosing shielding).
Regarding claim 20,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna and the wireless communication unit are connected to each other by a cable guided through a hole in the shielding sheet (see paragraph [0040] for disclosing cable for the antenna 36 and the communication device).
Regarding claim 21,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one EMC-permitting housing portion is configured in a frame of the closed housing and the at least one antenna is configured in a frame indentation (figures 1-2, region of the apace 22 directed toward the front wall and antenna 36).
Regarding claim 22,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna is configured in a front frame portion of the frame below the front plate (figures 1-2 and paragraph [0029], antenna 36, housing 2 and wall 14).
Regarding claim 23,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna is configured to be planar and is aligned substantially normal to the front plate (figure 2, antenna 36 and plate 14).
Regarding claim 24,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna is configured in a rear-side frame portion which surrounds a rear side of the closed housing opposite the front plate, and the rear-side frame portion is configured at a greater distance from the front plate than the rear side (figure 2, antenna 36 in the housing 2 in a rear wall 30 and 28 and a distance from front plate 14).
Regarding claim 26,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna is configured to be planar and is aligned substantially parallel to the front plate (figures 1-2, antenna 36 and plate 14).
Regarding claim 30,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the closed housing includes a bottom forming a stand space of the medical table unit (figures 1-2, housing 2 and see paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claim 31,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein: the closed housing contains a cover plate, and the front plate is arranged between the cover plate and the bottom (see figure 1, housing 2 and the walls or plates from all sides. See paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claim 32,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein: the medical table unit contains an operating or display unit in the front plate, and the at least one antenna is configured on an inner surface of the front plate facing the interior of the closed housing (figures 1-2 and paragraph [0026], housing 2, antenna 36 and display 18).
Regarding claim 33,
Schnekenburger discloses,
wherein the at least one antenna is configured above the operating or display unit in the front plate (figures 1-2, antenna 36 and display 18 and front plate 14).
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 25, 27-29 and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schnekenburger et al. (US Pub. No. 2013/0201651, hereby referred Schnekenburger)
Regarding claim 25,
Schnekenburger does not disclose,
wherein the frame is made of plastic.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have a plastic material in order to have a freedom of design, low weight, and cost-effectiveness, especially as radomes or structural supports, while specialized conductive plastics provide built-in EMI shielding for EMC by absorbing radiation, preventing interference, and simplifying designs compared to metal, benefiting performance and manufacturing. Key benefits include vibration damping, corrosion resistance, complex molding, and reduced signal loss for high-frequency radomes, protecting antennas without heavily degrading signal, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 27,
Schnekenburger does not disclose,
wherein the at least one antenna comprises a first antenna and a second antenna.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have an additional antenna in order to provide a better antenna’s characteristics such as directionality and gain, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Regarding claim 28,
Schnekenburger does not disclose,
wherein the first antenna is arranged at an angle of 90° relative to the second antenna.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have an additional antenna in order to provide a better antenna’s characteristics such as directionality and gain, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have wherein the first antenna is arranged at an angle of 90° relative to the second antenna in order to provide a better antenna’s characteristics such as directionality and gain, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 29,
Schnekenburger does not disclose,
wherein: the at least one EMC-permitting housing portion comprises a first EMC-permitting housing portion and a second EMC-permitting housing portion (see figure 2 and paragraph [0032]).
Schnekenburger does not disclose,
The first antenna is arranged on the first EMC-permitting housing portion, and the second antenna is arranged on the second EMC-permitting housing portion.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have an additional antenna in order to provide a better antenna’s characteristics such as directionality and gain, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have wherein the first antenna is arranged on the first EMC-permitting housing portion, and the second antenna is arranged on the second EMC-permitting housing portion in order to provide a better antenna’s characteristics such as directionality and gain, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 34,
Schnekenburger does not disclose,
wherein the front plate is made of glass and the at least one antenna is firmly bonded to the front plate.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have a glass material for the purpose of robust shells, hand having invisibility/aesthetics, excellent signal transparency, durability, weather resistance, lightweight design, and miniaturization, making them ideal for 5G, IoT, smart buildings, and automotive applications, though traditional glass-mounts need careful tuning, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Schwarz et al. US Pub. No. 2023/0120949, Frischke et al. US Patent No. 10944168.
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/AWAT M SALIH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845