DETAILED ACTION
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 1 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Mori et al (US 2012/0068359 A1) in view of Fujita et al (US 2014/0140031 A1) [both cited by applicant].
Mori et al in figures 1-20 teach an antenna module 10 comprising: a core substrate 11; an outermost insulating layer 18-1 obtained by impregnating a core material with resin (para39); at least one resin layer 16 provided between the core substrate and the outermost insulating layer; an electronic component 14 embedded in the resin layer, wherein a main surface of the electronic component on which a terminal electrode 14a is provided is positioned on the outermost insulating layer side, wherein the core substrate has a first conductor layer 12 on its one surface side positioned at a boundary with the resin layer, wherein the resin layer has a second conductor layer 19a provided on its surface side positioned at a boundary with the outermost insulating layer and including a conductor pattern 15 connected to the terminal electrode of the electronic component, and wherein the first conductor layer is larger in thickness than the second conductor layer (fig1). Mori et al had been discussed but fail to teach an antenna layer provided on its other surface side opposite to the one surface side and including an antenna pattern; and the core substrate and the outermost insulating layer are smaller in thermal expansion coefficient than the resin layer. However, Fujita et al teach an antenna layer provided on its other surface side opposite to the one surface side and including an antenna pattern 20. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Mori et al with an antenna layer provided on its other surface side opposite to the one surface side and including an antenna pattern for the purpose of improving the antenna gain.
Regarding the core substrate and the outermost insulating layer are smaller in thermal expansion coefficient than the resin layer. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to have the core substrate and the outermost insulating layer are smaller in thermal expansion coefficient than the resin layer for the purpose of preventing warping of the semiconductor device due to thermal expansion.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The patents to Uejima, Murata, Onaka, Yosui, Mizunuma, Yokoyama and Ueki are cited as of interested and illustrated a similar structure to an antenna module.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO GIA PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1826. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8-430).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached on (571) 270-7893. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THO G PHAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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