DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s Communication filed on 11/19/2024. In virtue of the communication:
Claims 1-20 are pending in the instant application.
Claims 16, 17 and 19 are currently amended.
Claim 20 is newly added.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
The references cited in the Information Disclosure Statement(s) (IDS(s)) filed on 11/19/2024, 11/19/2025 and 03/16/2026 have been considered by the examiner.
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) 1-3, 10-12 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yegin (U.S. Pub. 2005/0195115 A1) in view of WANG (CN 108039576 A).
Regarding claim 1, Yegin discloses a manufacturing method of a vehicular glass (12a, 12b, Figs. 1, 2 and 4A) integrated with an antenna (14a, Figs. 1, 2 and 4A), wherein comprising the steps of:
preparing a first glass plate (12A, Fig. 4A);
laying a metal layer (24, Fig. 4A) on a first surface (e.g., bottom surface, Fig. 4A) of the first glass plate (12A), and forming an antenna radiation layer (14a, Fig. 4A); and
at least one feed microstrip line (30, Figs. 4C) on a second surface of the first glass plate to form a feed network layer (Fig. 4C) which performs a coupling feed to the antenna radiation layer, so that a radio frequency electromagnetic field is excited between the first glass plate and the antenna radiation layer (Figs. 4A and 4C).
Yegin does not teach forming at least one ring groove on the metal layer to form an antenna radiation layer.
However, as evidenced by WANG, providing the ring antenna having ring groove (Fig. 1, Abstract) on the metal layer (2, Figs. 1-2) to form an antenna radiation layer (Fig. 1) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to employ the antenna device of Yegin with the antenna having ring groove as taught by WANG in order to provide the suitable antenna for operating in the frequency band working demand.
Regarding claim 2, Yegin/WANG discloses the manufacturing method of the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna, wherein the forming an antenna radiation layer comprises the steps of: forming the metal layer (24, Fig. 4A of Yegin) on the first surface of the first glass plate (Fig. 4A of Yegin); forming an inner ring groove (4, Fig. 1 of WANG) for excitation of a high frequency (ring gap 4 to realize high-frequency resonance, Fig. 1, par [0008] of WANG) and an outer ring groove (3, Fig. 1 of WANG) for excitation of a low frequency (outer ring gap 3 to realize low-frequency resonance, Fig. 1, par [0008] of WANG), which are concentrically arranged from inside to outside, on the metal layer.
Regarding claim 3, Yegin/WANG discloses all of the limitations as claimed except the low frequency has a range of 1165 MHz to 1300 MHz, and the high frequency has a range of 1520 MHz to 1660 MHz.
However, Wang teaches that “the low frequency resonance 1.8 GHz” and “2.45 GHz realizing high frequency resonance” (par [0008]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the antenna device of Yegin/WANG with the suitable frequency resonance in order to control the transmission of the antenna with the frequency demanded range.
Regarding claim 10, Yegin discloses a vehicular glass (12a, 12b, Figs. 1, 2 and 4A) integrated with an antenna (14a, Figs. 1, 2 and 4A), wherein comprising:
a first glass plate (12A, Fig. 4A) having a first surface and a second surface (top and bottom surfaces, (Fig. 4A);
an antenna radiation layer (14A, Fig. 4A), comprising a metal layer (24, Fig. 4A) which is laid on the first surface (e.g., bottom surface, Fig. 4A) of the first glass plate; and
a feed network layer (Fig. 4C), comprising at least one feed microstrip line (30, Figs. 4C) which is laid on the second surface of the first glass plate;
wherein the feed network layer performs a coupling feed to the antenna radiation layer, so that a radio frequency electromagnetic field is excited between the first glass plate and the antenna radiation layer (Figs. 4A and 4C).
Yegin does not teach forming at least one ring groove on the metal layer
However, as evidenced by WANG, providing the ring antenna having ring groove (Fig. 1, Abstract) on the metal layer (2, Figs. 1-2) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to employ the antenna device of Yegin with the antenna having ring groove as taught by WANG in order to provide the suitable antenna for operating in the frequency band working demand.
Regarding claim 11, Yegin/WANG discloses the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna, wherein, in a state that the first glass plate is mounted on a vehicle body (windshield, Figs. 1-2 of Yegin), the first surface (outer layer of glass 11a, Fig. 4A of Yegin) of the first glass plate is disposed towards an exterior of a vehicle, and the second surface (inner layer of glass 11b, Fig. 4A of Yegin) of the first glass plate is disposed towards an interior of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 12, Yegin/WANG discloses the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna, wherein, the ring groove comprises an inner ring groove (4, Fig. 1 of WANG) for excitation of a high frequency (ring gap 4 to realize high-frequency resonance, Fig. 1, par [0008] of WANG) and an outer ring groove (3, Fig. 1 of WANG) for excitation of a low frequency (outer ring gap 3 to realize low-frequency resonance, Fig. 1, par [0008] of WANG), which are concentrically arranged from inside to outside.
Regarding claim 16, Yegin/WANG discloses the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna, wherein the ring groove has a circular shape, a square shape, a wavy shape or any combination thereof (Fig. 1 of WANG).
Regarding claim 17, Yegin/WANG discloses the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna, wherein the metal layer (24a, 24b, Figs. 4C and 4E of Yegin) is provided with at least one recess (slot or cross-aperture 28a ,28b, Figs. 4C and 4E of Yegin) and/or at least one protrusion, which is located at a feed position of at least one of the feeding microstrip lines (30, Figs. 4C and 4E of Yegin).
Regarding claim 18, Yegin/WANG discloses the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna, wherein, an inner annular surface of the ring groove is recessed inwards along a radial direction thereof to form the at least one recess (e.g., at least one recess of groove 8, Fig. 1 of WANG), or the inner annular surface of the ring groove is protruded outwards along the radial direction thereof to form the at least one protrusion; and/or an outer annular surface of the ring groove is recessed outwards along the radial direction thereof to form the at least one recess (e.g., at least one recess of groove 9, Fig. 1 of WANG), or the outer annular surface of the ring groove is protruded inwards along the radial direction thereof to form the at least one protrusion.
Regarding claim 19, Yegin discloses a vehicle comprising a vehicular glass (12a, 12b, Figs. 1, 2 and 4A) integrated with an antenna (14a, Figs. 1, 2 and 4A), wherein the vehicular glass integrated with the antenna comprising:
a first glass plate (12A, Fig. 4A) having a first surface and a second surface (top and bottom surfaces, (Fig. 4A);
an antenna radiation layer (14A, Fig. 4A), comprising a metal layer (24, Fig. 4A) which is laid on the first surface (e.g., bottom surface, Fig. 4A) of the first glass plate; and
a feed network layer (Fig. 4C), comprising at least one feed microstrip line (30, Figs. 4C) which is laid on the second surface of the first glass plate;
wherein the feed network layer performs a coupling feed to the antenna radiation layer, so that a radio frequency electromagnetic field is excited between the first glass plate and the antenna radiation layer (Figs. 4A and 4C).
Yegin does not teach forming at least one ring groove on the metal layer
However, as evidenced by WANG, providing the ring antenna having ring groove (Fig. 1, Abstract) on the metal layer (2, Figs. 1-2) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to employ the antenna device of Yegin with the antenna having ring groove as taught by WANG in order to provide the suitable antenna for operating in the frequency band working demand.
Regarding claim 20, Yegin/WANG discloses the vehicle wherein the metal layer (24a, 24b, Figs. 4C and 4E of Yegin) is provided with at least one recess (slot or cross-aperture 28a ,28b, Figs. 4C and 4E of Yegin) and/or at least one protrusion, which is located at a feed position of at least one of the feeding microstrip lines (30, Figs. 4C and 4E of Yegin).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yegin/WANG, as applied above, in view of BAN (CN 112909490 A).
Regarding claim 8, Yegin/Wang discloses all of the limitation as claimed except preparing a second glass plate, and adhering and fixing the second glass plate on the first surface of the first glass plate, so that the antenna radiation layer is located between the first glass plate and the second glass plate.
However, as evidenced by BAN, providing the preparing a second glass plate (15, Figs. 1-2), and adhering and fixing the second glass plate on the first surface of the first glass plate (13, Figs. 1-2), so that the antenna radiation layer (1, Figs. 1-2) is located between the first glass plate and the second glass plate (Figs. 1-2) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to employ the antenna device of Yegin/WANG with the antenna structure as taught by BAN in order to protect the antenna from damage and improve the transmission efficiency.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yegin/WANG, as applied above, in view of TAKAHASHI (EP 3244481 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Yegin/Wang discloses all of the limitation as claimed except adhering and fixing a reflecting plate on the second surface of the first glass plate, and locating the feed network layer in a reflecting cavity of the reflecting plate.
However, as evidenced by TAKAHASHI, providing the reflect plate (660, Fig. 2) and locating the feed network layer (layer 610 having feeder line 640, Fig. 2) in a reflecting cavity of the reflecting plate (660, Fig. 2), and the reflecting plate is attached to glass (50) (all the parts are located on glass 50, as shown in Fig. 3) is well known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to employ the antenna system of Yegin/WANG with the structure of feed network and reflecting plate as taught by TAKAHASHI in order to provide the suitable connection for improving the transmission efficiency of the antenna system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 and 13-15 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.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIMMY T VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1832. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander H. Taningco can be reached on 571-272-8048. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-2800.
/JIMMY T VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844
Prosecution Insights