DETAILED ACTION
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)(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.
Claims 1, 4-7, 9 and 12-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fujio et al (US 2007/0001911 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Fujio et al disclose a multiband antenna 1 comprising: a ground 2 disposed on one side of the substrate (pcb, para31); and first and second antennas 3,4 disposed on another side of the substrate so as to be spaced apart from each other in a first direction and to be opposite the ground in a second direction intersecting the first direction, wherein the first antenna includes a first feeding line 7 connected to the ground (at 6), wherein the second antenna includes a second feeding line 7 connected to the ground (at 6), the second feeding line being opposite the first feeding line in the first direction, and wherein the ground includes a groove 2b formed therein so as to extend in the second direction between the first feeding line and the second feeding line (figs1,3-5).
Fujio et al also disclose the first feeding line and the second feeding line have planar shapes symmetrical with each other in the first direction with respect to a virtual center line passing through a center of the groove and extending in the second direction (fig1), wherein the first antenna and the second antenna have planar shapes symmetrical with each other in the first direction with respect to the virtual center line (fig1), wherein the substrate includes a first area overlapping the ground in a third direction intersecting each of the first and second directions and a second area overlapping the first and second antennas in the third direction, and wherein the groove 2b is connected to the second area (figs1,3-5), wherein the first antenna and the second antenna operate in the same frequency band (fig1, same size patch 3,4), wherein each of the first and second antennas has a planar inverted-F antenna structure (abstract), wherein the first antenna includes a first radiator 3 connected to the first feeding line 7, wherein the second antenna includes a second radiator 4 connected to the second feeding line 7, wherein the first feeding line comprises a first feeding portion 7a configured to receive current to be supplied to the first radiator; a first ground portion 6 connected to the ground and disposed closer to the groove than the first feeding portion; and a first line (dot lines) disposed between the first feeding portion 5 and the first ground portion 6, wherein the second feeding line comprises a second feeding portion 5 configured to receive current to be supplied to the second radiator; a second ground portion 6 connected to the ground and disposed closer to the groove than the second feeding portion (fig1); and a second line (dot lines) disposed between the second feeding portion and the second ground portion, wherein the first ground portion and the second ground portion have planar shapes symmetrical with each other in the first direction with respect to a virtual center line passing through a center of the groove and extending in the second direction (fig1), wherein the groove overlaps a space between the first ground portion and the second ground portion in the second direction (fig1), wherein a difference between the phase of the current fed to the first feeding line and the phase of the current fed to the second feeding line is 180°(figs1,3-5).
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 2-3, 8 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Fujio et al in view of Tseng (7,183,985).
Fujio et al had been discussed but fail to teach one of the first and second antennas is a Bluetooth antenna, and a remaining one of the first and second antennas is a Wi-Fi antenna, wherein each of the first and second antennas is a Bluetooth antenna or a Wi-Fi antenna. However, Tseng teach an inverted-F antenna is adapted for a Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth (background, claim 1). 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 Fujio et al with one of the first and second antennas is a Bluetooth antenna, and a remaining one of the first and second antennas is a Wi-Fi antenna, wherein each of the first and second antennas is a Bluetooth antenna or a Wi-Fi antenna for the purpose of providing a wide multiband antenna assembly.
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 a depth of the groove in the second direction is greater than a width of the groove in the first direction and the width is 100 µm or more, and the depth is 200 µm or more, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known dimension of the elements be varied for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Fujio et al in view of Yanagi et al (8,310,406).
Fujio et al had been discussed but fail to teach the substrate is exposed through the groove. However, Yanagi et al disclose the substrate 21 is exposed through the groove 25. 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 Fujio et al with the substrate is exposed through the groove for the purpose of improving the antenna gain.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The patents to Harper, Duchesne, Yang, Ke and Kaloi are cited as of interested and illustrated a similar structure to a multiband antenna.
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