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 .
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 1-4, 6-9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted elements are: the connection element (221) as shown in Fig 1 and Page 8, Line 10 of the Specification, stating that this is the preferred embodiment.
While Dependent claims 5 and 10 do recite a connection element, this component is believed to be essential to functionality of the invention as a whole. As no embodiment is shown without the connection element, it is not clearly understood the claimed invention is operable without the connection element.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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, 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by KOO (US 20220320738) .
The applied reference has a common Applicant with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
Regarding claim 1, Koo teaches:
A multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna (Fig 1), comprising: a substrate (Fig 1, 210); a first feed line (Fig 1, 240) and a second feed line (Fig 1, 250) formed on a front side of the substrate (Fig 1, 210) and spaced apart from each other (Fig 1) ; a first radiator (Fig 1, 220) receiving a feed signal from the first feed line (Fig 1, 240); a second radiator (Fig 1, 230) spaced apart from the first radiator (Fig 1, 220) by a predetermined distance and receiving a feed signal from the second feed line (Fig 1, 250); a first ground pattern (Fig 1, 260) surrounding the first feed line (Fig 1, 240) , electrically connected to a ground (paragraph 12), and extending in a longitudinal direction of the substrate (Fig 2, 210); a second ground pattern (Fig 2, 270) spaced apart from the first ground pattern (Fig 2, 260) by a predetermined distance (Fig 2), surrounding the second feed line (Fig 2, 250), electrically connected to the ground (paragraph 12), and extending in the longitudinal direction of the substrate (Fig 2, 210); a first connection line (Fig 2, 260a and 270a, connected capacitively) connecting the first ground pattern (Fig 2, 260) and the second ground pattern (Fig 2, 270) in an area adjacent (Fig 2, annotated) to a first longitudinal end (Fig 2, annotated) of the first ground pattern (Fig 2, 260) and the second ground pattern (Fig 2, 270).
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Regarding Claim 2, Koo teaches:
wherein the MIMO antenna (Fig 2) further includes a first protrusion pattern (annotated Fig 2) protruding in the longitudinal direction (annotated Fig 2) of the first ground pattern (Fig 2, 260) from the first longitudinal end (annotated Fig 2) of the first ground pattern (Fig 2, 260), and a second protrusion pattern (annotated Fig 2) protruding in the longitudinal direction (annotated Fig 2) of the second ground pattern (Fig 2, 270) from the first longitudinal end (annotated Fig 2) of the second ground pattern (Fig 2, 270).
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Regarding claim 5, KOO teaches:
wherein the MIMO antenna further includes a connection element (Fig 2, 221) having a length of λ/2 (paragraph 221), electrically connecting the first radiator (Fig 2, 220) and the second radiator (Fig 2, 230).
Regarding claim 6, KOO teaches:
wherein, on a rear side of the substrate (Fig 2, 210), a first feed point (Fig 3, 310) connected to the first feed line (Fig 2, 240) through a first via hole (Paragraph 53, VIA) and a second feed point (Fig 3, 320) connected to the second feed line (Fig 2, 250) through a second via hole (paragraph 53, VIA) are formed.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 4 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3,
The prior art, when combined does not teach the limitation of “ wherein the MIMO antenna further includes a second connection line connecting the first protrusion pattern and the second protrusion pattern”
Claim 4 depends therefrom and is included in the allowable subject matter
Claims 7-9 and 11 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 7,
The prior art, when combined does not teach the limitation of “ a second connection line connecting the first ground pattern and the second ground pattern and formed lower than the first connection line”
Claims 8, 9 and 11 depend therefrom and are included in the allowable subject matter
Claim 10 is 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 DAVID ANDREW KUBERA whose telephone number is (571)272-5605. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0430-1400 PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dameon Levi can be reached at (571) 272-2105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID ANDREW KUBERA/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/AB SALAM ALKASSIM JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845