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 with traverse of claims 1-5, 8-14 and 17-18 in the reply filed on 04/01/26 is acknowledged. However, applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement. These inventions are independent or distinct and they are mutually exclusive and have acquired a separate status in the art due to their recognized divergent subject matter that requires a different field of search (for example, searching different classes/subclasses or electronic resources, or employing different search queries). In view of this reason, a restriction imposed is clearly proper. Currently, claims 6-7, 15-16 and 19-20 are withdrawn in this action.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Drawings
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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)(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 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yoo et al (US 2022/0393367).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Yoo discloses in Figures 3, 8A, an electronic device comprising an ultra-wideband antenna array, wherein the ultra-wideband antenna array comprises
a first antenna unit (316), a second antenna unit (314), and a third antenna unit (312),
wherein a first distance and a second distance are less than a third distance (316-314),
wherein the first distance (312-316) is a distance between the first antenna unit (316) and the third antenna unit (312),
the second distance (312-316) is a distance between the second antenna unit (314) and the third antenna unit (312), and
the third distance (316-314) is a distance between the first antenna unit (316) and the second antenna unit (314); and
phase centers of the first antenna unit (316), the second antenna unit (314), and the third antenna unit (312) are deviated from geometric centers (see Fig. 8A and par. 0142).
Regarding claims 2 and 11, as applied to claims 1 and 10, Yoo discloses in Figure 11,
wherein a phase center distance (D5) between at least two of the first antenna unit (316), the second antenna unit (314), and the third antenna unit (312) is greater than a geometric center distance (D1).
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 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoo et al (US 20220393367) in view of Baheti et al (US 2018/0219272).
Regarding claims 9 and 18, Yoo discloses every feature of claimed invention as expressly recited in claims 1 and 10, except for a metallic ground disposed between two adjacent antenna units of the first antenna unit, the second antenna unit, and the third antenna unit.
Baheti discloses in Figure 1A, a metallic ground (12) disposed between two adjacent antenna units of the first antenna unit (40), the second antenna unit (40), and the third antenna unit (40)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to modify the antenna units of Yoo with the antenna units having a metallic ground disposed between two adjacent antenna units as taught by Baheti to isolate the antenna units from each other. Therefore, to employ having the metallic ground as claimed invention would have been obvious to person skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 8, 12-14 and 17 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
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