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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 09/02/26 is acknowledged. claims 10-20 are currently withdrawn in this action.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 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.
Claims 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (KR 102276977, cited IDS 12/30/2024).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses in Figure 16, an antenna pattern having a loop shape,
wherein a vertical cross section of the antenna pattern comprises:
a first metal pattern (12);
a second metal pattern (12) separated from the first metal pattern (12); and
a through hole (GS) interposed between the first metal pattern (12) and the second metal pattern (12) and configured to form a separation space between the first metal pattern (12) and the second metal pattern (12).
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1, Lee discloses in Figure 16, Lee discloses in Figure 16, wherein the through hole (GS) comprises:
a first half-hole disposed in a direction of an upper surface of the antenna pattern; and
a second half-hole disposed in a direction of a lower surface of the antenna pattern, wherein the first half-hole and the second half-hole are configured to form the through hole that vertically penetrates the antenna pattern by at least partially overlapping.
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 2, Lee discloses in Figure 16,
wherein a central axis of the first half-hole and a central axis of the second half-hole are disposed on an identical line.
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 1, Lee discloses in Figures 16 and 19,
wherein a width (S1=1) of the through hole is 80% or more to 120% or less of a thickness (D1=1.09) of the metal pattern.
Claims 1 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamazaki et al (US 2007/0120681).
Regarding claims 1 and 6, Yamazaki discloses in Figures 1A-1C, an antenna pattern (101) having a loop shape (see Fig. 1A), wherein a vertical cross section of the antenna pattern comprises:
a first metal pattern (105, Figs. 1B-1C);
a second metal pattern (105, Figs. 1B-1C) separated from the first metal pattern; and
a through hole (space between 105, 105) interposed between the first metal pattern and the second metal pattern and configured to form a separation space (110) between the first metal pattern (105) and the second metal pattern (105); wherein a magnetic filler (108) is applied to the through hole.
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (KR 102276977, cited IDS 12/30/2024).
Regarding claim 4, Lee discloses in Figure 16, wherein a central axis of the first half-hole and a central axis of the second half-hole.
Lee is silent the first axis and the second axis are disposed in parallel. However, such difference is not patentable because shifting central axes of first and second half-hole does not modify the operation of antenna pattern and since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, shifting central axes involves only ordinary skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEU HIEN T DUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-8980. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm.
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/DIEU HIEN T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
