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 .
Double Patenting Rejection
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
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Current application (18/908,131)
US Patent 12,113,270
1. An electronic device comprising:
a first frame including a first opening and forming at least part of a first side surface of the electronic device;
a first antenna module including a first printed circuit board and a first set of conductive patches, wherein the first antenna module is accommodated in the electronic device such that at least one of the first set of conductive patches substantially faces the first opening;
a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening;
a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant, and disposed between the first dielectric member and the first set of conductive patches as spaced apart from the first set of conductive patches by an air gap; and
a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit, using the first antenna module, a signal corresponding to a specified frequency band via the second dielectric member, the first dielectric member and the first opening.
An electronic device comprising:
a first frame forming a first side surface of the electronic device;
a first opening formed in one area of the first frame; a first antenna that is disposed in the electronic device to wirelessly radiate a signal toward the first opening of the first frame, wherein the first antenna includes a first printed circuit board and first conductive patches disposed on one surface of the first printed circuit board that faces the first opening;
a first dielectric material that is disposed in the first opening and has a first dielectric constant;
a second dielectric material that is disposed between the first dielectric material and the first conductive patches, wherein the second dielectric material has a second dielectric constant that is lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material; and
a wireless communication circuit electrically connected to the first antenna, wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to feed power to the first conductive patches to transmit and/or receive a signal in a frequency band of 10 gigahertz (GHz) or higher.
2.The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a third dielectric member having a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant, wherein the third dielectric member is disposed in the first opening and outside the first dielectric member.
2.The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a third dielectric material that has a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material, wherein the third dielectric material is disposed in the first opening, and is positioned in a first direction from the first antenna toward the first opening with respect to the first dielectric material disposed in the first opening.
3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a height of the first opening is larger than a depth of the first opening.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a height of the first opening is smaller than a depth of the first opening.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a height of the first opening is substantially same as a depth of the first opening.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a height of the first opening is smaller than a 1/2 wavelength of the specified frequency band.
8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the first direction is parallel to the first edge, and wherein the first length of the first edge of the first opening is smaller than a 1/2 wavelength of a wavelength of the first signal.
7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the specified frequency band is 10 gigahertz or higher.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the signal in the frequency band of 10 GHz or higher that is received by the wireless communication circuit passes through the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material.
8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a second frame including a second opening and forming at least part of a second side surface of the electronic device;
a second antenna module including a second printed circuit board and a second set of conductive patches, wherein the second antenna module is accommodated in the electronic device such that at least one of the second set of conductive patches substantially faces the second opening;
a third dielectric member having a third dielectric constant and disposed in the second opening; and a fourth dielectric member having a fourth dielectric constant lower than the third dielectric constant, and disposed between the third dielectric member and the second set of conductive patches as spaced apart from the second set of conductive patches by an air gap.
12. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a second frame forming a second side surface of the electronic device; a second opening formed in one area of the second frame;
a second antenna that is disposed in the electronic device to wirelessly radiate a signal toward the second opening of the second frame, wherein the second antenna includes a second printed circuit board and second conductive patches disposed on one surface of the second printed circuit board that faces the second opening;
a third dielectric material that is disposed in the second opening and has a third dielectric constant; and a fourth dielectric material that is disposed between the third dielectric material and the second conductive patches and has a fourth dielectric constant lower than the third dielectric constant of the third dielectric material, wherein the wireless communication circuit electrically connected to the second antenna is configured to feed power to the second conductive patches.
9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to transmit, using the second antenna module, a signal corresponding to the specified frequency band via the fourth dielectric member, the third dielectric member and the second opening.
17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the signal in the frequency band of 10 GHz or higher that is received by the wireless communication circuit passes through the first dielectric material, the second dielectric material, and the third dielectric material.
10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first opening includes a set of openings, and wherein each of the set of openings corresponds to each of the first set of the conductive patches.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a third dielectric material that has a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material, wherein the third dielectric material is disposed in the first opening, and is positioned in a first direction from the first antenna toward the first opening with respect to the first dielectric material disposed in the first opening.
11. An electronic device comprising:
a first frame including a first opening and forming at least part of a first side surface of the electronic device;
a first antenna module including a first printed circuit board, a first set of conductive patches disposed on a first surface of the first printed circuit board and a wireless communication circuit disposed on a second surface of the first printed circuit board, wherein the first antenna module is accommodated in the electronic device such that at least one of the first set of conductive patches substantially faces the first opening;
a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening; and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant, and disposed between the first dielectric member and the first set of conductive patches as spaced apart from the first set of conductive patches by an air gap, wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to transmit, using the first antenna module, a signal corresponding to a specified frequency band via the second dielectric member, the first dielectric member and the first opening.
16. An electronic device comprising:
a first frame forming a first side surface of the electronic device; a first opening formed in one area of the first frame; a first antenna that is disposed in the electronic device to wirelessly radiate a signal toward the first opening of the first frame, wherein the first antenna includes a first printed circuit board and first conductive patches disposed on one surface of the first printed circuit board that faces the first opening; a first dielectric material that is disposed in the first opening and has a first dielectric constant; a second dielectric material that is disposed between the first dielectric material and the first conductive patches, wherein the second dielectric material has a second dielectric constant that is lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material; a third dielectric material that has a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material, wherein the third dielectric material is disposed in the first opening and is positioned in a first direction from the first antenna toward the first opening with respect to the first dielectric material disposed in the first opening; and a wireless communication circuit that is electrically connected to the first antenna, wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to feed power to the first conductive patches to transmit and/or receive a signal in a frequency band of 10 gigahertz (GHz) or higher.
12. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising:
a third dielectric member having a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant, wherein the third dielectric member is disposed in the first opening and outside the first dielectric member.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a third dielectric material that has a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material, wherein the third dielectric material is disposed in the first opening, and is positioned in a first direction from the first antenna toward the first opening with respect to the first dielectric material disposed in the first opening.
13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a height of the first opening is larger than a depth of the first opening.
14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a height of the first opening is smaller than a depth of the first opening.
15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a height of the first opening is substantially same as a depth of the first opening.
16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a height of the first opening is smaller than a 1/2 wavelength of the specified frequency band.
19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the signal in the frequency band of 10 GHz or higher that is received by the wireless communication circuit includes a first signal having a first polarization characteristic parallel to the first edge, and wherein the first length of the first edge of the first opening is smaller than a 1/2 wavelength of wavelength of the first signal.
17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the specified frequency band is 10 gigahertz or higher.
17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the signal in the frequency band of 10 GHz or higher that is received by the wireless communication circuit passes through the first dielectric material, the second dielectric material, and the third dielectric material.
18. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising:
a second frame including a second opening and forming at least part of a second side surface of the electronic device;
a second antenna module including a second printed circuit board and a second set of conductive patches, wherein the second antenna module is accommodated in the electronic device such that at least one of the second set of conductive patches substantially faces the second opening;
a third dielectric member having a third dielectric constant and disposed in the second opening; and a fourth dielectric member having a fourth dielectric constant lower than the third dielectric constant, and disposed between the third dielectric member and the second set of conductive patches as spaced apart from the second set of conductive patches by an air gap.
12. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a second frame forming a second side surface of the electronic device; a second opening formed in one area of the second frame;
a second antenna that is disposed in the electronic device to wirelessly radiate a signal toward the second opening of the second frame, wherein the second antenna includes a second printed circuit board and second conductive patches disposed on one surface of the second printed circuit board that faces the second opening;
a third dielectric material that is disposed in the second opening and has a third dielectric constant; and a fourth dielectric material that is disposed between the third dielectric material and the second conductive patches and has a fourth dielectric constant lower than the third dielectric constant of the third dielectric material, wherein the wireless communication circuit electrically connected to the second antenna is configured to feed power to the second conductive patches.
19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to transmit, using the second antenna module, a signal corresponding to the specified frequency band via the fourth dielectric member, the third dielectric member and the second opening.
17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the signal in the frequency band of 10 GHz or higher that is received by the wireless communication circuit passes through the first dielectric material, the second dielectric material, and the third dielectric material.
20. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first opening includes a set of openings, and wherein each of the set of openings corresponds to each of the first set of the conductive patches.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a third dielectric material that has a third dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant of the first dielectric material, wherein the third dielectric material is disposed in the first opening, and is positioned in a first direction from the first antenna toward the first opening with respect to the first dielectric material disposed in the first opening.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,113,270 (hereinafter ‘270). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claim content of the US Patent (‘270) covers or overlap with the claimed limitation in current application. Regarding Claims 3-5, 13-15, although US Patent ‘270 does not explicitly disclose the height and depth of the opening, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to have modified the dimension of height and depth of the opening in order to fit with particular electronic components and housing structure in the desired size and shape.
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The closest reference, Kim et al. (2021/0075115) discloses the device includes a housing including a first cover having a first dielectric constant, and an antenna structure disposed in an inner space of the housing. The antenna structure may include a PCB, an antenna element disposed in the PCB to form a beam pattern in a specific direction, a first dielectric structure disposed on a radiation path of the beam pattern, formed integrally with or combined with the PCB, and having a second dielectric constant equal to or different from the first dielectric constant, and a second dielectric structure disposed on the radiation path between the first dielectric structure and the first cover, and having a third dielectric constant higher than the first dielectric constant and the second dielectric constant. The electronic device may further include a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive a radio signal through the antenna element (Abstract).
Kim discloses that the first cover having a first dielectric constant (paragraph [0206]), antenna patches (500) on PCB (590) (Fig. 6).
However, Kim does not disclose a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant, and disposed between the first dielectric member and the first set of conductive patches as spaced apart from the first set of conductive patches by an air gap.
Another close reference, Jang et al. (2023/0411869) discloses that the first rigid body 512 may include a material having a dielectric constant in the range of 4 to 9. For example, the first rigid body 512 may include a substrate made of a ceramic material (e.g., low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LLCC)) having a higher dielectric constant than the substrate 590 (e.g., a printed circuit board). According to an embodiment, the second chip antenna 520 may include a second rigid body 522 made of a high-dielectric material (e.g., ceramic), a second conductive patch 521 disposed in the inner space of the second rigid body 522, and a ground layer G2 disposed between the second conductive patch 521 and the substrate 590 in the inner space of the second rigid body 522 (paragraph [0112]).
Jang discloses a patch antenna element disposed on two dielectric layers, however, Jang does not disclose that the dielectric layer is spaced apart from the patch antenna element by an air gap (Fig. 4B).
Another close reference, Wu et al. (2022/0393365) discloses that the first set of antenna layers may have a higher dielectric permittivity than the second and third sets of antenna layers to minimize the thickness of the substrate without affecting radio-frequency performance and without requiring a separate dielectric loading layer over the antenna (paragraph [0007]).
Wu discloses each parasitic element 77 may be separated from patch element 54-1 by a respective gap (paragraph [0078]), (fig. 7) and a high-permittivity dielectric loading layer may be layered over parasitic element 78 (e.g., a dielectric layer that has a higher dielectric permittivity than substrate 84) to help reduce the required thickness of antenna module 84 (in the direction of the Z-axis) (paragraph [0084]) and fig. 7.
However, Wu does not disclose that the parasitic element is a dielectric member but disclose that the Parasitic elements 77 may be formed from conductive traces (paragraph [0078]).
Other related and relevant prior arts:
Woo et al. (2023/0299502) does not disclose a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening; and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant.
Compton (2022/0336965) discloses that the dielectric resonating element 92 may have a first (bottom) surface 82 facing rear housing wall 12R. Rear housing wall 12R may include conductive material. A slot such as slot 70 may be formed in the conductive material of rear housing wall 12R at a location overlapping dielectric resonating element 92 (paragraph [0075]) but does not disclose a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening; and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant.
Lee et al. (2021/0249751) discloses the first dielectric sheet 610 may be made of a thermal conductive material having a lower permittivity than the second dielectric sheet 620 (paragraph [0136]) but does not disclose a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening; and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant.
Rogers (2020/0328521) discloses that dielectric lens 114 is disposed on patch antenna element 110 and, partially on top surface 610 of first substrate 602 (paragraph [0021]). Dielectric lens 114 may be formed from any suitable dielectric material (paragraph [0029]) but does not disclose a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant.
Ino (2018/0331428) discloses that a dielectric patch antenna corresponding to the second frequency band and being stacked on the radiation element of the gap patch antenna in the state of being electrically insulated from the radiation element, the dielectric patch antenna having a dielectric layer (paragraph [0007]) but does not disclose a first dielectric member having a first dielectric constant and disposed in the first opening and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant.
Sakota et al. (2002/0070901) discloses a slot antenna employed as a radiating element and triplet stripline 103 including RF signal circuits are structured to form the multilayer substrate (paragraph [0006], figs. 6, 7). The first, second and third dielectric layers each have a thickness of λ/4 or less, λ representing wavelength of electromagnetic waves propagating through the dielectric layers, and the first, second and third dielectric layers have a relative dielectric constant of 10 or less (paragraph [0010]).
However, Sakota does not explicitly discloses patch antenna and a second dielectric member having a second dielectric constant lower than the first dielectric constant, and disposed between the first dielectric member and the first set of conductive patches as spaced apart from the first set of conductive patches by an air gap.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Wilson Lee whose telephone number is (571) 272-1824. Proposed amendment and interview agenda can be submitted to Examiner’s direct fax at (571) 273-1824.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, examiner’s supervisor, Alexander Taningco can be reached at (571) 272-8048. Papers related to the application may be submitted by facsimile transmission. Any transmission not to be considered an official response must be clearly marked "DRAFT". The official fax number is (571) 273-8300.
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/WILSON LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844