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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1 - 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 20230155610).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a terminal device, wherein the terminal device comprises:
a first component group (the group of components in the first circuit board 531, Fig. 6A), wherein the first component group comprises a first circuit board (the first circuit board 531), and at least one selected from a processor chip (the processor on the first circuit board 531; paragraph 133), a baseband chip, a radio frequency assembly (wireless communication circuit on the first circuit board 531; paragraph 110), and a camera assembly (camera, paragraph 110) is disposed on the first circuit board (531);
a flexible printed circuit board (a flexible circuit board FPCB 600), wherein one end of the flexible printed circuit board is connected to the first circuit board (531), and a first branch (640) and a second branch (the bottom portion of the FPCB 600 connected to the second circuit board 532) are disposed on the other end of the flexible printed circuit board;
a second component group (the second antenna structure 650), wherein the second component group is electrically connected to the first branch (640); and
a third component group (the second circuit board 532), wherein the third component group is electrically connected to the second branch (Fig. 6A).
Regarding claim 2, Lee discloses the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1. Lee further suggests the two ends of the flexible printed circuit board (600) are respectively connected to the first component group (531) and the second component group (532), and the first branch (540) is disposed on an end portion of the flexible printed circuit board facing away from the first component group (531); the terminal device has a first direction and a second direction, the first direction is set as a direction from the first component group to the second component group, the first direction intersects the second direction, and the second direction is set to be parallel to a plane of the flexible printed circuit board; and in the second direction, the second branch is disposed between two side edges of the flexible printed circuit board or the second branch is disposed on a side edge of the flexible printed circuit board (since the flexible circuit board 600 is flexible, it is possible to set up the direction of the components in the claimed directions).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 12, 14 - 21 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.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 2, a combination of limitations that a first through structure is provided on the flexible printed circuit board, and the second branch is disposed on a sidewall of the first through structure. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claims 1 and 2, a combination of limitations that the terminal device further comprises a communication card mounting portion; and when the second branch is disposed on the side edge of the flexible printed circuit board in the second direction, the communication card mounting portion is disposed on a side of the flexible printed circuit board facing away from the second branch. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 6, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that the terminal device further comprises a connection frame body, and the connection frame body has a first side and a second side that are provided opposite to each other; the second component group is disposed on the first side, and both the first component group and the third component group are disposed on the second side; and a second through structure and a third through structure are provided on the connection frame body, one end of the flexible printed circuit board passes through the second through structure from the first side to be electrically connected to the first component group, and the second branch passes through the third through structure from the first side to be electrically connected to the third component group. None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wu (US 20230027802) discloses a flexible circuit board having two branches, Fig. 10, and a circuit board 30 having a processor.
Carron (US 20180214049) discloses a flexible circuit board having several branches containing antenna (144BD).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BINH B TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-9289. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Timothy J Dole can be reached at 571-272-2229. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BINH B TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
