DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3, 5-11, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites “the circuit board assembly is thermally coupled to an antenna-and-shielding subassembly comprising at least one heat sink”. However, in paragraph [0098] of the specification, the circuit board assembly is part of the antenna-and-shielding subassembly since “the front heat sink 702, the rear heat sink 704, the circuit board assembly 706, and the antenna plate 708 together form the antenna-and-shielding subassembly 900”. Therefore, it is unclear how the circuit board assembly can be thermally coupled to itself.
Also regarding claim 3, it recites “the circuit board assembly is thermally coupled to an antenna-and-shielding subassembly comprising at least one heat sink; and the circuit board assembly is partially enclosed by the at least one heat sink”. It is unclear how a single heat sink would be able to partially enclose the circuit board assembly, as all the embodiments of the current application show two heat sinks. It is also unclear how would there be more than two heat sinks. To overcome these rejections, the claim should state “the circuit board assembly is part of an antenna-and-shielding subassembly and thermally coupled to two heat sinks of the antenna-and-shielding subassembly; and the circuit board assembly is partially enclosed by the heat sinks”.
Claims 5-8 and 17-20 are dependent on claim 3, and therefore also rejected.
Claim 5 recites “the first heat sink” and “the second heat sink”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 3, which claim 5 depends on, recites there is “at least one heat sink”. However, claim 5 needs to clearly define that there is a first heat sink and a second heat sink before referring to them.
Claims 6-8 and 17-20 are dependent on claim 5, and therefore also rejected.
The term “approximately” in claims 9 and 17 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “approximately” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Therefore, it is unclear what the meets and bounds of “approximately one quarter wavelength” is.
Claims 10-11 are dependent on claim 9, and therefore also rejected. Claims 18-20 are dependent on claim 17, and therefore also rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-2 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Shi et al. (CN 215344906, cited by the applicant, hereby referred as Shi).
Regarding claim 1, Shi teaches the following:
a wireless network device comprising:
a housing having a height along a y-axis, a width along an x-axis, and a depth along a z axis, the height being greater than the width, the width being greater than the depth, the housing forming an upright rectangular cuboid with rounded corners and edges (as shown in figure 1), the housing including a front housing component (1, figure 1) and a rear housing component (2, figure 1) that connect to each other along a perimeter of each of the front and rear housing components along an xy-plane defined by the x axis and the y-axis (as shown in figure 1);
an antenna system enclosed within the housing and operable in at least three frequency bands including 2.4 gigahertz, 5 gigahertz, and 6 gigahertz (3, figure 1; paragraphs [0037] and [0040]); and
a circuit board assembly positioned within the housing and operable to provide at least one of a gateway or a node to a wireless network (4, figure 1).
Regarding claim 2, Shi as referred in claim 1 teaches the following:
wherein the circuit board assembly is supported in an orientation parallel to the xy-plane (as shown in figure 1).
Regarding claim 13, Shi as referred in claim 1 teaches the following:
wherein: the rear housing component includes one or more openings that align with one or more ports on the circuit board assembly (24, figure 4); and
the one or more openings are located in a portion of the rear housing component (2, figures 1 and 4) that is parallel to the xy-plane.
Regarding claim 14, Shi as referred in claim 13 teaches the following:
wherein the one or more ports on the circuit board assembly include an Ethernet port (49, figures 3-4) and an electrical power connector (5, figures 1 and 4).
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 3-5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. (CN 215344906, cited by the applicant, hereby referred as Shi) in view of Samardzija et al. (US 2018/0342784, hereby referred as Samardzija).
Regarding claim 3, Shi as referred in claim 1 teaches the wireless network device with the exception for the following:
wherein: the circuit board assembly is thermally coupled to an antenna-and-shielding subassembly comprising at least one heat sink; and the circuit board assembly is partially enclosed by the at least one heat sink.
Samardzija suggests the teachings of wherein: the circuit board assembly (14 and 16, figure 1) is thermally coupled to an antenna-and-shielding subassembly (figure 1) comprising at least one heat sink (20, 22, and 24, figure 1); and the circuit board assembly is partially enclosed by the at least one heat sink (as shown in figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the circuit board assembly of Shi to be thermally coupled to an antenna-and-shielding subassembly comprising at least one heat sink; and the circuit board assembly is partially enclosed by the at least one heat sink as suggested by the teachings of Samardzija in order to efficiently dissipate the heat generated from the circuit board assembly which can allow for a better performance.
Regarding claim 4, Shi as referred in claim 1 teaches the wireless network device with the exception for the following:
wherein the circuit board assembly is enclosed within an antenna-and-shielding subassembly comprising first and second heat sinks assembled together with the circuit board assembly therebetween to shield the antenna system from electromagnetic interference generated by electrical components on the circuit board assembly.
Samardzija suggests the teachings of wherein the circuit board assembly (14, figure 1) is enclosed within an antenna-and-shielding subassembly (figure 1) comprising first and second heat sinks (20 and 24, figure 1) assembled together with the circuit board assembly therebetween to shield the antenna system from electromagnetic interference generated by electrical components on the circuit board assembly.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the circuit board assembly of Shi to be enclosed within an antenna-and-shielding subassembly comprising first and second heat sinks assembled together with the circuit board assembly therebetween to shield the antenna system from electromagnetic interference generated by electrical components on the circuit board assembly as suggested by the teachings of Samardzija in order to efficiently dissipate the heat generated from the circuit board assembly which can allow for a better performance.
Regarding claim 5, Shi as modified in claim 3 teaches the wireless network device with the exception for the following:
wherein: the circuit board assembly includes a first side and an opposing second side;
the first heat sink includes: a first inner surface that physically contacts the first side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the first side of the circuit board assembly; and a first outer surface that conformingly corresponds to a first interior surface of the front housing component and contacts the first interior surface of the front housing component to transfer heat to the front housing component;
and the second heat sink includes: a second inner surface that physically contacts the second side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the second side of the circuit board assembly; and a second outer surface that conformingly corresponds to a second interior surface of the rear housing component and contacts the second interior surface of the rear housing component to transfer heat to the rear housing component.
Samardzija suggests the teachings of wherein: the circuit board assembly (14, 16, 18, figure 1) includes a first side (top side of 14, figure 1) and an opposing second side (bottom side of 18, figure 1);
the first heat sink (20, figure 1) includes: a first inner surface that physically contacts the first side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the first side of the circuit board assembly (figure 1); and a first outer surface that conformingly corresponds to a first interior surface of the front housing component and contacts the first interior surface of the front housing component to transfer heat to the front housing component (paragraph [0048] and [0050], figure 1);
and the second heat sink (24, figure 1) includes: a second inner surface that physically contacts the second side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the second side of the circuit board assembly (figure 1); and a second outer surface that conformingly corresponds to a second interior surface of the rear housing component and contacts the second interior surface of the rear housing component to transfer heat to the rear housing component (paragraph [0048] and [0050], figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the circuit board assembly and heat sink of Shi to be as claimed as suggested by the teachings of Samardzija in order to efficiently dissipate the heat generated from the circuit board assembly which can allow for a better performance.
Regarding claim 12, Shi as modified in claim 4 teaches the wireless network device with the exception for the following:
wherein the first and second heat sinks have a y-axis dimension that is in a range of 50% to 90% of the height of the housing.
Samardzija suggests the teachings of wherein the first and second heat sinks (20 and 24, figure 1) have a y-axis dimension that is about 50% of the height of the housing (as shown in figure 22).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the first and second heat sinks of Shi as modified to have a y-axis dimension that is in a range of 50% to 90% of the height of the housing as suggested by the teachings of Samardzija to allow the heat sinks to efficiently dissipate the heat generated from the circuit board assembly as this will provide a larger heat sink, and since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1955).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. (CN 215344906, cited by the applicant, hereby referred as Shi) in view of Barbieri et al. (US 2010/0182206, hereby referred as Barbieri).
Regarding claim 15, Shi as referred in claim 1 teaches the wireless network device with the exception for the following:
wherein the antenna system is a tri-axis orthogonal antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principle axes.
Barbieri suggests the teachings of wherein the antenna system is a tri-axis orthogonal antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principle axes (paragraph [0094]-[0099]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the antenna system of Shi to be a tri-axis orthogonal antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principle axes as suggested by the teachings of Barbieri in order to chieve three-axis polarization diversity (paragraph [0094]).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. (CN 215344906, cited by the applicant, hereby referred as Shi) in view of Lee et al. (US 2021/0100065, hereby referred as Lee).
Regarding claim 16, Shi as referred in claim 1 teaches the wireless network device with the exception for the following:
wherein the wireless network device is configured as or comprises a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a lighting unit, an entryway door lock system, a detector for a room occupancy state, an alarm system, a wearable computing device, a motion detector, a vibration detector, or a doorbell.
Lee suggests the teachings of wherein the wireless network device is configured as or comprises a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a lighting unit, an entryway door lock system, a detector for a room occupancy state, an alarm system, a wearable computing device, a motion detector, a vibration detector, or a doorbell (paragraphs [0056], [0058], [0060]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the wireless network device of Shi to be configured as or comprises a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a lighting unit, an entryway door lock system, a detector for a room occupancy state, an alarm system, a wearable computing device, a motion detector, a vibration detector, or a doorbell as suggested by the teachings of Lee in order to integrate two devices into one so it can save space and also provide connectivity between the various devices and achieve smart-operation objectives (paragraph [0056]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-11 and 17-20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Additional Comments
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Caratelli et al. (US 12334643) also discusses a wireless network device with the same characteristics and could be used to reject claim 1. Lee et al. (US 2021/0100065) also discusses a wireless network device with the same structure but does not disclose the specific frequency bands and could be used in a combination to reject claim 1. The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply. Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AB SALAM ALKASSIM JR whose telephone number is (571)270-0449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dameon Levi can be reached at (571) 272-2105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AB SALAM ALKASSIM JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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