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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Response to Amendment
The amendments filed on June 2nd 2026 have been entered. Claims 1-2, 4-7, and 11-14 are currently pending. Applicants’ amendments to the drawings and claims have overcome the objections set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed on March 03th 2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 – “the second transmission line and relay pattern” should be corrected to “the second transmission line, and relay pattern”
Appropriate correction is required.
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(s) 1-2 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim’ 244 et al. (US 20220263224 A1) in view of Byun et al. (US 20220209414 A1) and Kim’ 083 et al. (US 20220247083 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Kim’ 244 et al. discloses an antenna device (Antenna device 100 as seen in figure 1-4 of Kim’ 244 et al.) comprising:
a radiator (Radiator 120 of antenna device 100; Paragraph 46-89 and figure 1-4 of Kim’ 244 et al.);
a transmission line connected to the radiator, the transmission line including a first transmission line and a second transmission line (Transmission1 lines 130 and 135 are disposed adjacent to each other and connected to the radiating element 120; Paragraph 46-89 and figure 1-4 of Kim’ 244 et al.); and
a relay pattern disposed between the first transmission line and the second transmission line (Parasitic portion 140 may serve as a relay pattern wherein it helps implement radiation in a high frequency band like 25-40ghz by serving as a UWB radiation portion that is disposed between the transmission lines 130 and 135; Paragraph 46-89 and figure 1-4 of Kim’ 244 et al.).
Although, Kim’ 244 et al. fails to explicitly disclose a relay pattern to be connected to the radiator. Kim’ 244 et al. does suggest a relay pattern to be connected to the radiator (Parasitic portion 140 can be connected to the radiator 120 through coupling; Paragraph 46-89 and figure 1-4 of Kim’ 244 et al.).
However, Byun et al. does disclose a relay pattern to be connected to the radiator (Antenna structure 300f comprises a radiator 320p that comprises a radiation portion like RP1-2a which generates an additional resonance in a band adjacent to a band like 28ghz thus serving as a relay pattern wherein RP1-2a can be directly connected to a patch 320p; Paragraph 169-191 and figure 18-19 of Byun et al.).
Kim’ 083 et al. further disclose wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission line are connected to both lateral ends of a lower side of the radiator (Antenen structure comprises a radiator 1211 wherein two feed lines 1232 and 1242 are connected to the lower lateral ends of the radiator 1211; Paragraph 95-128 and figure 6 of Kim’ 083 et al.) and the first transmission line, the second transmission line and the relay pattern are formed as a single integrally connected to each other (Edge pattern 1235 is formed from one side of the UWB radiator and also serves as a radiating portion relay pattern and may be formed from the same material as the first and second transmission lines such they form a single integral member; Paragraph 95-128 and figure 6 of Kim’ 083 et al.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art modify the antenna as taught by Kim’ 244 et al. to have a relay pattern to be connected to the radiator as taught by Byun et al. to reduce coupling losses and since the type of connection would affect the resonant frequency generated. It would have been further obvious before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art modify the antenna as taught by Kim’ 244 et al. and Byun et al. to have wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission line are connected to both lateral ends of a lower side of the radiator and the first transmission line, the second transmission line and the relay pattern are formed as a single integrally connected to each other as taught by Kim’ 083 et al. to improve power supplying/signal efficiencies as well as the gain characteristics (Paragraph 116 of Kim’ 083 et al.) as well as since the connection point of the transmission lines would affect the impedance and radiation pattern of the antenna.
Examiner’s note - Where applicant acts as his or her own lexicographer to specifically define a term of a claim contrary to its ordinary meaning, the written description must clearly redefine the claim term and set forth the uncommon definition so as to put one reasonably skilled in the art on notice that the applicant intended to so redefine that claim term. Process Control Corp. v. HydReclaim Corp., 190 F.3d 1350, 1357, 52 USPQ2d 1029, 1033 (Fed. Cir. 1999). Regarding the recitation that an element “a relay pattern” in claim 1, it is the position of the office that such limitations will be interpreted as “a ultra-high frequency band radiation portion of the antenna device” as said language is the definition given for the term “a relay pattern” as noted in paragraph 60-61 of the applicants specifications.
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Regarding Claim 2, Kim’ 244 et al. fails to explicitly disclose wherein the relay pattern is directly connected to the radiator.
However, Byun et al. does disclose wherein the relay pattern is directly connected to the radiator (Antenna structure 300f comprises a radiator 320p that comprises a radiation portion like RP1-2a which generates an additional resonance in a band adjacent to a band like 28ghz thus serving as a relay pattern wherein RP1-2a can be directly connected to a patch 320p; Paragraph 169-191 and figure 18-19 of Byun et al.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art modify the antenna as taught by Kim’ 244 et al. to have the relay pattern be directly connected to the radiator as taught by Byun et al. to reduce coupling losses and since the type of connection would affect the resonant frequency generated.
Regarding Claim 4, Kim’ 244 et al. further discloses wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission line extend in different directions from the radiator (Transmission lines 130 and 135 comprise bent portions 132 and 133 that extend in different directions from the radiator; Paragraph 169-191 and figure 18-19 of Byun et al.).
Regarding Claim 5, Kim’ 244 et al. further discloses wherein an extension direction of the first transmission line and an extension direction of the second transmission line pass through a center of the radiator (Transmission lines 130 and 135 comprise portions 132 and 131 that extend in a direction that is symmetrical to an extension direction of the portion 140 with said direction being upward; Paragraph 169-191 and figure 18-19 of Byun et al.).
Regarding Claim 6, Kim’ 244 et al. further discloses wherein the radiator includes a mesh structure, and the transmission line and the relay pattern include a solid structure (The radiator 122 may comprise a mesh pattern and relay portion 140 may comprise a solid pattern whole the transmission lines may can comprise both mesh and solid patterns or just be solid as seen in figure 1; Paragraph 104-116 and figure 1-4 of Kim’ 244 et al.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 and 11-14 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 7, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of a “wherein the relay pattern is connected to the first ground.” as recited in claim 7.
Kim’ 244 et al., Byun et al., Kim’ 083 et al., and Choi’ 412 are cited as teaching some of the elements of the claimed invention including an image display device comprising a display panel, an antenna device, a radiator, a first transmission line, a second transmission line, a circuit board, a core layer, a wiring layer, a first ground, and a signal pad. Kim’ 244 et al., Byun et al., Kim’ 083 et al., and Choi’ 412 fail to disclose a relay pattern connected to a first ground positioned as taught in the claim.
However, the prior art, when taken alone, or, in combination, cannot be construed as reasonably teaching or suggesting all of the elements of the claimed invention as arranged, disposed, or provided in the manner as claimed by the Applicant.
Claims 11-14 depend form claim 7 and as such are allowable for the reasons above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure
US 20220231429 A1 (KIM; Jong Min et al.) disclose an antenna device with a radiator structures connected to two transmission lines with said lines being connected to the lateral ends of a square radiator.
KR 20210115797 A (KIM JONG MIN et al.) discloses an antenna device with a radiator structure comprising a radiation portion for high frequency radiation that can serve as a relay portion
US 11929541 B2 (Kaufmann; Thomas et al.) discloses an antenna device with a radiator structure comprising multiple relay antenna structures directly connected to the radiating element and two transmission lines connected to the main radiating element.
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/DAMEON E LEVI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/GURBIR SINGH/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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