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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 23, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagata US2019/0372687 in view of Duke et al. US2018/0052195 (called Duke hereinafter and US equivalent to TW201812314 disclosed by the applicant).
Regarding independent claim 1, Nagata teaches an antenna test assembly (Figs. 1-2), comprising: a DUT (Device under Test) (Figs. 1-2; elements 1-3) comprising an antenna module (Figs. 1-2; antennas 3) and a circuit board (Figs. 1-2; semiconductor device 1), wherein the antenna module comprises a first antenna element (Figs. 1-2; one of the antenna 3), which comprises a first antenna pin (Figs. 1-2; connection between antenna 3 to the semiconductor board 1), the circuit board comprises a first line and a second line (Figs. 1-2; para [0027]; two lines from two connection terminals 2 to the antennas 3), and two ends of each of the first line and the second line are electrically connected to two metal pads (Figs. 1-2; para [0027]; the end of connection terminals 2 to the electrical contact points for antennas 3), respectively, exposed on the circuit board (Figs. 1-2);
wherein when the antenna test assembly is in an equipment test mode (Fig. 1; testing device 100 is engaged with semiconductor device 1), the first line, the first antenna pin and the second line are electrically connected in sequence (Fig. 1; the connection of the semiconductor device 1 with the testing device 100 has the first line, the first antenna pin and the second line to be electrically connected in sequence).
Nagata fails to teach a first antenna element, which comprises a first antenna pin and a second antenna pin; the first line, the first antenna pin, the second antenna pin and the second line are electrically connected in sequence.
Duke teaches a first antenna element (Fig. 1; antenna 150), which comprises a first antenna pin (Fig. 1; left portion of antenna 150) and a second antenna pin (Fig. 1; right portion of antenna 150); the first line, the first antenna pin, the second antenna pin and the second line are electrically connected in sequence (Fig. 1; the connection of the two antenna pins with inputs I1 and I2 are connected in sequence).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure as described by Nagata with the antenna having two pins as described by Duke for the purpose of using an antenna with two pins to complete an electrical circuit with a testing device to allow testing.
Regarding claim 2, Nagata and Duke teach the antenna test assembly of claim 1, Nagata further teaches further comprising: a first conductive element (Fig. 1; one of the contact pins 11) comprising a first test pin (Fig. 1; top of the contact pin 11) and a first RF (Radio Frequency) pin (Fig. 1; bottom of contact pin 11); and a second conductive element (Fig. 1; another of the contact pins 11) comprising a second test pin (Fig. 1; top of the contact pin 11) and a second RF pin (Fig. 1; bottom of contact pin 11); wherein when the antenna test assembly is in the equipment test mode, the first test pin and the first RF pin are electrically conducted to each other (Fig. 1; when the test device 100 is engaged, the contact pins 11 are electrically conducted throughout the structure), and the second RF pin and the second test pin are electrically conducted to each other (Fig. 1; when the test device 100 is engaged, the contact pins 11 are electrically conducted throughout the structure).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagata, in view of Duke and further in view of Yoon et al. US2019/0267716 (called Yoon hereinafter).
Regarding claim 8, Nagata and Duke teach the antenna test assembly of claim 1, but fail to teach wherein one of the first antenna pin and the second antenna pin is a horizontal polarization pin, and the other of the first antenna pin and the second antenna pin is a vertical polarization pin.
Yoon teaches wherein one of the first antenna pin and the second antenna pin is a horizontal polarization pin (Fig. 3B; para [0047]; 304a and 304b are horizontal polarization pins of an antenna cell 102A), and the other of the first antenna pin and the second antenna pin is a vertical polarization pin (Fig. 3B; para [0047]; 302a and 302b are vertical polarization pins of an antenna cell 102A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure as described by Nagata and Duke with the antenna having vertical and horizontal polarization pins as described by Yoon for the purpose of allowing the antenna element to be dual-polarized configured to transmit and receive radio frequency waves in both horizontal and vertical polarizations (para [0047]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-10 are indicated as allowable subject matter.
Claims 3-7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3, the prior arts of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest:
“a third conductive element comprising a third test pin and a third RF pin; and a fourth conductive element comprising a fourth test pin and a fourth RF pin; wherein the antenna module further comprises a second antenna element, which comprises a third antenna pin and a fourth antenna pin, the circuit board further comprises a third line and a fourth line, and two ends of each of the third line and the fourth line are electrically connected to two metal pads, respectively, exposed on the circuit board; wherein when the antenna test assembly is in the equipment test mode, the third test pin, the third RF pin, the third line, the third antenna pin, the fourth antenna pin, the fourth line, the fourth RF pin and the fourth test pin are electrically connected in sequence.”
Claims 4-6 are indicated as allowable subject matter for depending on claim 3.
Regarding claim 7, the prior arts of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest:
“wherein the DUT further comprises an integrated circuit, and the first conductive element is a switch and further comprises a first IC pin; wherein when the antenna test assembly is in an OTA (Over-The-Air) test mode, the first antenna pin, the first line, the first RF pin, the first IC pin, a line of the circuit board and a pin of the integrated circuit are electrically connected in sequence.”
Regarding independent claim 9, the prior arts of record taken alone or in combination fail to teach or suggest:
“inputting a first RF signal into the first test pin; causing the first RF signal to pass through an equipment test path formed in sequence by the first test pin, the first RF pin, the first line, the first antenna pin, the second antenna pin, the second line, the second RF pin, the second test pin, the third test pin, the third RF pin, the third line, the third antenna pin, the fourth antenna pin, the fourth line, the fourth RF pin and the fourth test pin, and causing the fourth test pin to output a signal parameter; providing a signal standard range; comparing the signal parameter and the signal standard range; and determining whether there is a poor connection on the equipment test path,” when used in combination with all other limitations of claim 9.
Claim 10 is indicated as allowable subject matter for depending on claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim et al. discloses “Semiconductor test interface” (see US2006/0279305)
Liu discloses “Wireless test system for testing microelectronic devices integrated with antenna” (see US2019/0310314)
Abdulai et al. discloses “Near-field test apparatus for far-field antenna properties” (see US2020/0313725)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID B FREDERIKSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-8152. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am - 5pm.
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/DAVID B FREDERIKSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/HUY Q PHAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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