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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Priority
1. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/01/2024 has been considered by Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jones et al. (U.S PAT. 8,842,399, hereinafter “Jones”) in view of Chen et al. (U.S PAT. 10,727,609, hereinafter “Chen”).
Consider claim 1, Jones teaches an electronic device, comprising: a substrate; a radio frequency (RF) modulation element disposed on the substrate (col. 52, lines 12-21); a control circuit disposed on the substrate (col. 16, line 47 through col. 17, line 2); and a radio frequency (RF) choke disposed on the substrate, and electrically coupled between the RF modulation element and the control circuit (col. 185, line 50 through col. 186, line 2).
Jones does not explicitly show that wherein orthographic projections of the RF modulation element, the control circuit and the RF choke on the substrate do not overlap each other.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen teaches wherein orthographic projections of the RF modulation element, the control circuit and the RF choke on the substrate do not overlap each other (col. 17 lines 23-57).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to use, wherein orthographic projections of the RF modulation element, the control circuit and the RF choke on the substrate do not overlap each other, as taught by Chen, in order for surface scattering antennas with lumped elements provide adjustable radiation fields by adjustably coupling scattering elements along a wave-propagating structure.
Consider claim 2, Chen further teaches wherein the substrate comprises a metal layer and an opening penetrating the metal layer, wherein the orthographic projection of the RF modulation element on the substrate overlaps the opening, and the orthographic projections of the control circuit and the RF choke on the substrate overlap the metal layer (col. 17 lines 23-57).
Consider claim 3, Jones further teaches a reflective structural layer, wherein the metal layer and the reflective structural layer are respectively located on opposite side surfaces of the substrate (col. 162, line 58 through col. 163, line 4).
Consider claim 4, Jones further teaches wherein a first part and a second part of the metal layer are opposite to each other and are in an E-shaped pattern in mirror disposition, and a third part of the metal layer is disposed between the first part and the second part (col. 167, line 54 through col. 168, line 13).
Consider claim 5, Jones further teaches wherein a first part and a second part of the metal layer are opposite to each other and are in a trapezoidal pattern in mirror disposition, and a third part of the metal layer is disposed between the first part and the second part (col. 167, line 54 through col. 168, line 13).
Consider claim 6, Jones further teaches wherein a first part of the metal layer surrounds a second part of the metal layer, and the first part and the second part are spaced apart (col. 52, lines 12-21).
Consider claim 7, Jones further teaches wherein a material of the metal layer comprises copper, aluminum, silver, gold, indium tin oxide (ITO), metal alloys, or a combination of the above materials (col. 126, lines 40-53).
Consider claim 8, Jones further teaches wherein the substrate comprises a signal trace, wherein the signal trace is connected between the RF modulation element and the RF choke and connected between the RF choke and the control circuit (col. 185, line 50 through col. 186, line 2).
Consider claim 9, Jones further teaches a bypass capacitor electrically coupled between the control circuit and the RF choke (col. 185, line 50 through col. 186, line 2).
Consider claim 10, Jones further teaches wherein the bypass capacitor, the RF choke and the signal trace are integrated together (col. 186, lines 16-38).
Consider claim 11, Jones further teaches wherein the bypass capacitor and the signal trace are integrated together (col. 186, lines 16-38).
Consider claim 12, Jones further teaches wherein the RF choke is connected to the signal trace through a surface-mount technology (col. 186, lines 16-38).
Consider claim 13, Jones further teaches wherein a source and a drain of the control circuit and the signal trace belong to a same film layer (col. 164, lines 8-31).
Consider claim 14, Chen further teaches wherein a distance between the RF modulation element and the substrate is slightly higher than a distance between the control circuit and the substrate (col. 6, lines 41-67).
Consider claim 15, Chen further teaches wherein the RF modulation element is connected to a conductive pattern of the substrate through a solder (col. 8, line 64 through col. 9, line 31).
Consider claim 16, Chen further teaches wherein the RF modulation element comprises a varactor (col. 9, lines 32-43).
Consider claim 17, Chen further teaches wherein the control circuit comprises a transistor or an integrated circuit (col. 8, lines 49-63).
Consider claim 18, Chen further teaches wherein a material of the substrate comprises glass, quartz, silicon wafer, sapphire, a Group III-V semiconductor material, ceramic, polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a combination of the foregoing (col. 9, lines 44-64).
Consider claim 19, Chen further teaches wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit board (col. 7, line 45 through col. 8, line 10).
Consider claim 20, Chen further teaches wherein the electronic device is a diode-tuned RF signal modulation array (col. 9, lines 32-43).
Conclusion
5. Any response to this action should be mailed to:
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Commissioner for Patents
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tuan H. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-8329. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00Am - 5:00Pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Pan Yuwen can be reached on (571) 272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/TUAN H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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