Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/914,220

ANTENNA DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Oct 13, 2024
Priority
Dec 06, 2023 — provisional 63/606,806 +1 more
Examiner
BACK, AUSTIN M
Art Unit
2845
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
AUO Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
51 granted / 67 resolved
+8.1% vs TC avg
Strong +28% interview lift
Without
With
+27.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
22 currently pending
Career history
94
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
97.0%
+57.0% vs TC avg
§102
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
§112
1.7%
-38.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 67 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. TW113123932, filed on 06/27/2024. 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 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 20190280374; hereinafter Kim). Regarding independent claim 1, Kim (figs. 2-8) discloses “An antenna device, comprising: a transparent substrate (140A), having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and a plurality of antenna units (115A), disposed on the transparent substrate, wherein there is a light-transmitting area between adjacent antenna units, each of the antenna units comprising: an antenna electrode (top of 115A), disposed on the first surface of the transparent substrate; a ground electrode (165A), disposed on the second surface of the transparent substrate, wherein a width of the ground electrode in a first direction is greater than a width of the antenna electrode in the first direction (see fig. 6); a redistribution structure (200A), coupled to the antenna electrode, wherein the ground electrode is located between the redistribution structure and the transparent substrate (see fig. 6); and a chip (300A), bonded to the redistribution structure”. Regarding claim 3, Kim (figs. 2-8) discloses “The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein each of the antenna units further comprises: a substrate through hole (120A), located in the transparent substrate, wherein the substrate through hole is connected to the antenna electrode, and the substrate through hole is electrically connected to the redistribution structure (see fig. 6)”. 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 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Chen et al. (US20240222844; hereinafter Chen). Regarding claim 12, Kim discloses the antenna device according to claim 1 as shown previously. Kim does not disclose “wherein the ground electrode has a mesh structure”. However, Chen teaches “wherein the ground electrode has a mesh structure (¶[0089]; Taking the radiation part 221 and the ground layer 230 as an example, the radiation part 221 may be formed by a plurality of mesh wires 1220 and the ground layer 230 may be formed by a plurality of mesh wires 1210, as shown in FIG. 12B)”. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teachings of Chen and make Kim’s antenna device wherein the ground electrode has a mesh structure, in order to make the antenna more lightweight and compact. Regarding claim 13, Kim discloses the antenna device according to claim 1 as shown previously. Kim does not disclose “wherein the antenna electrode has a mesh structure”. However, Chen teaches “wherein the ground antenna has a mesh structure (¶[0089]; Taking the radiation part 221 and the ground layer 230 as an example, the radiation part 221 may be formed by a plurality of mesh wires 1220 and the ground layer 230 may be formed by a plurality of mesh wires 1210, as shown in FIG. 12B)”. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teachings of Chen and make Kim’s antenna device wherein the antenna electrode has a mesh structure, in order to make the antenna more lightweight and compact. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2, 4-11, and 14-17 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. Regarding claim 2, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of “wherein each of the antenna units further comprises an active component layer, the active component layer is located between the redistribution structure and the transparent substrate, and at least one active component in the active component layer overlaps the ground electrode”. Kim and Cheng are all cited as teaching some elements of the claimed invention including “The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein each of the antenna units further comprises an active component layer”. 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. For at least this reason claim 2 is allowable. Regarding claim 4, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of “wherein the redistribution structure comprises: a shielding structure; and an antenna signal line, wherein the shielding structure completely surrounds or partially surrounds the antenna signal line on a top surface of an insulating layer”. Kim and Cheng are all cited as teaching some elements of the claimed invention including “The antenna device according to claim 1”. 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. For at least this reason claim 4 is allowable. Claims 5-11 allowable for their dependance. Regarding claim 14, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of “further comprising: a connecting line, wherein the ground electrode of two adjacent ones of the antenna units is electrically connected to each other through the connecting line”. Kim and Cheng are all cited as teaching some elements of the claimed invention including “The antenna device according to claim 1”. 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. For at least this reason claim 14 is allowable. Regarding claim 15, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of “wherein a width of the chip is less than the width of the ground electrode”. Kim and Cheng are all cited as teaching some elements of the claimed invention including “The antenna device according to claim 1”. 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. For at least this reason claim 15 is allowable. Regarding claim 16, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of “wherein a width of the chip is less than the width of the antenna electrode”. Kim and Cheng are all cited as teaching some elements of the claimed invention including “The antenna device according to claim 1”. 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. For at least this reason claim 16 is allowable. Claim 17 is allowable for reciting similar subject matter to that of claim 4. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUSTIN MICHAEL BACK whose telephone number is (703)756-4521. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached on (571) 270-7893. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /AUSTIN M BACK/Examiner, Art Unit 2845 /DIMARY S LOPEZ CRUZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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Prosecution Timeline

Oct 13, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Radio-Frequency Transmission Line Structures
3y 2m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
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ULTRA WIDEBAND ANTENNA INCLUDING RADIO FREQUENCY BALUN
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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+27.6%)
2y 7m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 67 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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