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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-12 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 1-12 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 1, last clause reciting “wherein the filter unit is configured to filter out signals at frequency bands other than a frequency band of the circuit where the filter unit is located” is indefinite, since (a) it’s unclear whether “frequency bands other than a frequency band of the circuit” are related (or in addition) to “a first frequency band” and “a second frequency band” earlier claimed, and (b) it’s not understood how merely “a filter unit” is present when all embodiments of the invention depict multiple filter units (e.g., 610 and 620 in Fig. 1) needed for dual-band operation.
In view of the aforementioned, scope of claim 1 cannot be ascertained.
Claims 2-12 depend therefrom.
There should be a clear recitation of interrelated structure in order to provide a complete and operable electronic device.
Nevertheless, the spec. discloses, e.g., in the printed publication:
[0069] FIG. 2 illustrates an example circuit of the dual-band circularly polarized antenna shown in FIG. 1. In this example, the first antenna operating at the first frequency band and the antenna operating at the second frequency band share the feeding unit 300, and both of them include a filter unit and a tuning component. The filter unit is configured to isolating signals at the first frequency band and the second frequency band. The tuning component is configured to pull the current generated by the annular conductor to form a circulating current being rotated. In some examples, the tuning component includes one or more inductors and/or one or more capacitors, but is not limited thereto.
[0070] As shown in FIG. 2, in some implementations, the annular conductor 200, the feeding unit 300, and the first grounding unit 400 are configured to generate circulating current signals at the first frequency band, and a first filter unit 610 is provided on an antenna circuit connecting the first grounding unit 400 to the annular conductor 200. The first filter unit 610 is configured to allow current signals at the first frequency band to pass through, and prevent current signals at the second frequency band from passing through. For instance, in the above examples, the first filter unit 610 is configured to prevent current signals at the GPS L5 frequency band from passing through and allow current signals at the GPS L1 frequency band to pass through. Therefore, a circularly polarized antenna operating at the GPS L1 frequency band can be realized by the first antenna including the main board 100, the annular conductor 200, the feeding unit 300, the first filter unit 601 and the first grounding unit 400.
[0071] In these implementations, the annular conductor 200, the feeding unit 300 and the second grounding unit are configured to generate circulating current signals at the second frequency band, and a second filter unit 620 is provided on an antenna circuit connecting the second grounding unit 500 to the annular conductor 200. The second filter unit 620 is configured to allow current signals at the second frequency band to pass through, and prevent current signals at the first frequency band from passing through. For instance, in the above examples, the second filter unit 620 is configured to prevent current signals at the GPS L1 frequency band from passing through and allow current signals at the GPS L5 frequency band to pass through. Therefore, a circularly polarized antenna operating at the GPS L5 frequency band can be realized by the second antenna including the main board 100, the annular conductor 200, the feeding unit 300, the second filter unit 620 and the second grounding unit 500.
As such, it appears that multiple filters are essential to the invention, absent which the “electronic device” cannot operate as it’s intended purpose, which is to provide isolation between two frequency bands and operating modes of the annular conductor.
The following claim, drafted by the examiner and considered to distinguish patentably over the art of record in this application, is presented to applicant for consideration:
(Currently Amended) An electronic device, comprising:
an annular conductor, electrically coupled to a main board;
a feeding terminal, connected to the annular conductor;
a dual-band grounding unit, comprising a first grounding unit and a second grounding unit, wherein the first grounding unit, the main board and the annular conductor form a circularly polarized antenna operating at a first frequency band, and the second grounding unit, the main board and the annular conductor form a circularly polarized antenna operating at a second frequency band different from the first frequency band; and
a first filter unit, provided in , [[or]] and a second filter unit, provided in a circuit connecting the second grounding unit to the annular conductor,
wherein the first ground unit has an inductor grounding terminal and the second grounding unit has a capacitor grounding terminal;
wherein the first filter unit [[is]] and the second filter unit are configured to respectively isolate signals at the first frequency band and the second frequency band.
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 1-3 and 5-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IDS document “Sayem” (US 20210239847).
Claim 1: As best understood, Sayem discloses an electronic device, comprising:
an annular conductor 24 (Fig. 3), electrically coupled to a main board 22 (¶ 29);
a dual-band grounding unit, comprising a first grounding unit G1 and a second grounding unit G2, wherein the first grounding unit, the main board and the annular conductor form a circularly polarized antenna operating at a first frequency band (¶ 16), and the second grounding unit, the main board and the annular conductor form a circularly polarized antenna operating at a second frequency band (¶ 16; a skilled artisan would appreciate that Sayem discloses the same frequency bands of the instant invention; hence, circular polarization is inherent); and
a filter unit 28, provided in at least one of a circuit connecting the first grounding unit to the annular conductor or a circuit connecting the second grounding unit to the annular conductor, wherein the filter unit is configured to filter out signals at frequency bands other than a frequency band of the circuit where the filter unit is located (¶¶ 35-36).
Claim 2: Sayem teaches the electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a feeding unit, comprising a feeding terminal F (Fig. 3), wherein
a first end of the feeding terminal is connected to the annular conductor (see Fig. 3), and
a second end of the feeding terminal is electrically connected to a radio frequency unit 26-30 of the main board (¶ 46);
the feeding terminal, the annular conductor and the first grounding unit form the circularly polarized antenna operating at the first frequency band (see Fig. 3), and
the feeding terminal, the annular conductor and the second grounding unit form the circularly polarized antenna operating at the second frequency band (see Fig. 3).
Claims 5-6: Sayem teaches the electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:
a physical perimeter of the annular conductor is between a first wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the first frequency band and a second wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the second frequency band (¶ 42);
wherein the first grounding unit is configured to adjust a resonance frequency band of the circularly polarized antenna formed by the first grounding unit and the annular conductor operating at the first frequency band, and the second grounding unit is configured to adjust a resonance frequency band of the circularly polarized antenna formed by the second grounding unit and the annular conductor operating at the second frequency band (this limitation is deemed inherent in view of MPEP 2112.01(I), which states “[w]here the claimed and prior art products are identical or substantially identical in structure or composition, or are produced by identical or substantially identical processes, a prima facie case of either anticipation or obviousness has been established.” In re Best, 562 F.2d 1252, 1255, 195 USPQ 430, 433 (CCPA 1977).).
Claims 7-8: Sayem teaches he electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first grounding unit comprises a grounding terminal and at least one inductor, a first end of the first grounding terminal being connected to the annular conductor, and a second other end of the first grounding terminal being electrically connected to the main board through at least one inductor (¶ 39: “Each aperture tuning network 32, 34, 36, 38 may include reactive components configured as L networks, T networks, Pi networks, combinations thereof and so forth. Exemplary embodiments of each aperture tuning network 32, 34, 36, 38 may include series-parallel combinations of a tunable capacitor, a capacitor, and an inductor. The components of each aperture tuning network 32, 34, 36, 38 may be formed from, or by, one or more conductive layers of the printed circuit board 22.”);
wherein the second grounding unit comprises a grounding terminal and at least one capacitor, a first end of the second grounding terminal being connected to the annular conductor, and a second end of the second grounding terminal being electrically connected to the main board through the at least one capacitor (¶ 39: “Each aperture tuning network 32, 34, 36, 38 may include reactive components configured as L networks, T networks, Pi networks, combinations thereof and so forth. Exemplary embodiments of each aperture tuning network 32, 34, 36, 38 may include series-parallel combinations of a tunable capacitor, a capacitor, and an inductor. The components of each aperture tuning network 32, 34, 36, 38 may be formed from, or by, one or more conductive layers of the printed circuit board 22.”).
Claims 9-12: Saytem teaches the electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first frequency band comprises a GPS L1 band (¶ 16), and the second frequency band comprises a GPS L5 band (¶ 16);
wherein the electronic device is a wrist-worn device (see Figs. 1-3);
wherein the annular conductor comprises a metallic middle frame 60 (Fig. 1); and the electronic device further comprises: a back cover 58 (Fig. 1B), attached to a first side of the metallic middle frame (see Fig. 1B); and a display component 14 (Fig. 1A), attached to a second side of the metallic middle frame (see Fig. 1A);
wherein the electronic device further comprises a housing 12 (Fig. 1), the housing comprising a non-metallic middle frame and a back cover provided on a first side of the middle frame; and the annular conductor comprises a metallic bezel, provided on a second side of the middle frame (see Fig. 1 and ¶¶ 22-23).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Fujisawa (US 9130272)
Wei (US 11482773)
Hsu (US 12614838)
Yun (US 10871751)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HASAN ISLAM whose telephone number is (571)270-1719. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thu 9AM-7PM EST.
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/HASAN ISLAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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