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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election without traverse of Species II, drawn to figure 6, encompassing claims 8-14, in the reply filed on 06/09/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 12/21/2024 and 01/09/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements have been 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.
Claims 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamawaki et al. (U.S Publication No. 20210232888 A1) in view of Chen et al. (CN 213818362 U, with English translation attached).
Regarding claim 8, Yamawaki discloses a wireless communication device (see fig. 1-14), comprising:
an antenna member (which is an antenna member 12) including an antenna pattern (which is antenna pattern 18A, 18B), (see fig. 4-5, paragraph [0040]); and
an electronic component module (via an RFIC module 14, see fig. 4) having a first substrate (which is a first insulating sheet 20A), a second substrate (which is a second insulating sheet 20B) and a coupling electrode (which terminal electrodes 24A and 24B are electrodes for electrically connecting to the coupling portions 18Ab and 18Bb of the antenna patterns 18A and 18B) between the first substrate and the second substrate (see fig. 4 and 6, paragraph [0049] and [0052]),
the second substrate is stuck to the antenna member via a hot melt adhesive (via a hot melt adhesive layer 42, see fig. 3 and 5, paragraph [0064] and [0066]); and the coupling electrode (24A, 24B) is electromagnetically coupled with the antenna pattern (18A, 18B) of the antenna member (12), (see fig. 5, paragraph [0066]).
Yamawaki does not explicitly disclose wherein: a first thermal resistance between the coupling electrode and the second substrate is smaller than a second thermal resistance between the coupling electrode and the first substrate.
Chen, on the other hand, discloses a new high frequency 5 G antenna circuit board, comprising a circuit board; the circuit board is made of PTFE material; two sides respectively the front surface of the circuit board is coated with a first copper covering surface and a second copper covering surface; a copper covering strip is connected between the first copper covering surface and the second copper covering surface; the back side of the circuit board is covered with copper; The advanced advantage of using PTFE material is incomparable to other circuit boards. because the dielectric constant is low (common FR4 glass fibre material is 4.2-4.8, it can reach 2.0-3.0), so the medium loss (DF=0.002), strong conductive ability, at the same time, it is influenced by the heat conductivity coefficient, under the high heat conductivity coefficient, the thermal resistance value is small; The transmission loss is naturally small, because it is related to the circuit and the substrate, so the combining degree is a very large test, only the super-high combination can ensure the perfect transmission of the electric signal (see abstract). Chen further discloses compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: the inherent advantages of using PTFE material are incomparable to other circuit boards. Because of its low dielectric constant (common FR4 glass fiber material has a dielectric constant of 4.2-4.8, while its dielectric constant can reach 2.0-3.0), its dielectric loss is small (DF = 0.002) and its conductivity is strong. It is also affected by its thermal conductivity. With a high thermal conductivity, the thermal resistance is small, and the transmission loss is naturally small. Since it is related to the circuit and the substrate, the degree of bonding is a very big test. Only an ultra-high degree of bonding can guarantee the perfect transmission of electrical signal. PTFE circuit boards excel in this area, employing the latest technology to perfectly integrate circuitry with polymer materials, thus giving them a significant advantage in communication applications (see paragraph [0010]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify the wireless communication device as taught by Yamawaki with the antenna circuit board as taught by Chen in order to provide a first thermal resistance between the coupling electrode and the second substrate is smaller than a second thermal resistance between the coupling electrode and the first substrate as claimed. With a high thermal conductivity, the thermal resistance is small, and the transmission loss is naturally small. Since it is related to the circuit and the substrate, the degree of bonding is a very big test. Only an ultra-high degree of bonding can guarantee the perfect transmission of electrical signals. And PTFE circuit boards excel in this area, employing the latest technology to perfectly integrate circuitry with polymer materials, thus giving them a significant advantage in communication applications (see paragraph [0010] by Chen).
Regarding claim 9, Yamawaki in view Chen discloses the wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein the electronic component module (which is the RFIC module 14) comprises a layer of the hot melt adhesive (via the hot melt adhesive layer 42) that is on a surface of the second substrate that is opposite to a surface of the second substrate that faces the first substrate (see fig. 3 and 5, paragraph [0066] and [0068] by Yamawaki).
Regarding claim 10, Yamawaki in view of Chen discloses the wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein conductive particles are dispersed into the second substrate (see fig. 3 and 5, paragraph [0052] by Yamawaki).
Regarding claim 11, Yamawaki in view of Chen discloses the wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein the second substrate comprises a second material having a thermal conductivity that is higher than a thermal conductivity of a first material of the first substrate (see paragraph [0010] by Chen).
Regarding claim 12, Yamawaki in view of Chen discloses the wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein the second substrate is a layer of the hot melt adhesive (via the hot melt adhesive layer 42), (see 3 and 5 by Yamawaki).
Regarding claim 13, Yamawaki in view of Chen disclose all the limitations of the wireless communication device according to claim 8, except for specifying that wherein the first substrate comprises a material having a first light absorption rate that is lower than a second light absorption rate of the coupling electrode.
However, Yamawaki further discloses as shown in FIG. 12, the heating apparatus 236 is an optical heating apparatus that is disposed at the heating position HP and irradiates the RFIC module 14 in a state of being held by the suction nozzle 234 with light to heat the hot melt adhesive layer 42. In one aspect of the disclosure, the heating apparatus 236 irradiates the hot melt adhesive layer 42 with the laser light L, thereby heating and softening the hot melt adhesive layer 42. The laser light L is, for example, ultraviolet light (see paragraph [0101]). In addition, in order to enhance heating efficiency by light, an optical absorbent may be contained in the hot melt adhesive layer 42 (see paragraph [0102]). Furthermore, the heating apparatus 436 simultaneously heats the hot melt adhesive layers 42 of the plurality of RFIC modules 14 held by the plurality of respective suction nozzles 434 of the mounting head 432. Specifically, the heating apparatus 436 includes a light source 438 that radiates light L in a wide range, such as a halogen lamp, and a casing 440 that houses the light source 438 and reflects the light L (see paragraph [0111]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to modify the wireless communication device as taught by Yamawaki in view of Chen having the first substrate comprises a material having a first light absorption rate that is lower than a second light absorption rate of the coupling electrode; as a result, the laser light having a higher light amount can reach the coupling electrodes, which is also considered as an obvious matter of design choice based upon an actual design requirement so that the various designs of circuit may be satisfied.
Regarding claim 14, Yamawaki in view of Chen discloses the wireless communication device according to claim 8, wherein the electronic component module further comprises an integrated circuit (IC) chip (which is an RFIC chip 22) on an opposite surface of the first substrate from the coupling electrode without overlapping the coupling electrode in a plan view of the first substrate, the IC being electrically connected to the coupling electrode (see fig. 3 and 5 by Yamawaki).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI N PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5518. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
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, Alexander Taningco can be reached at 571-270-8048. 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.
/Thai Pham/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845 07/17/2026
Prosecution Insights