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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The specification refers to the multiple first substrates as a single substrate. The specification should be amended to clarify that the invention includes a plurality of first substrates.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites “the first substrate is attached to at least two surfaces of polygonal side surfaces of the heat dissipation structure”. It is unclear as to how a first substrate can be attached to at least two surfaces when the first substrate is not a flexible or bent substrate. It is apparent from the drawings that there are multiple first substrates. It will be construed as “wherein the first substrate includes a plurality of first substrates, each first substrate is attached to at least two surfaces of polygonal side surfaces of the heat dissipation structure” for the purposes of examination.
Claims 4-5 are dependent on claim 3, and therefore also rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1, 3, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma et al. (US 2024/0159863, hereby referred as Ma) in view of Baek et al. (US 2019/0252757, hereby referred as Baek).
Regarding claim 1, Ma teaches the following:
an antenna module comprising:
a first substrate (element 21, figures 1-5 and 7-10) that includes an antenna and a feed line (element 22 shows an antenna and feed line, figures 1-5 and 7-10) and that handles a high frequency signal in a millimeter wave band (paragraphs [0051], [0061]);
a second substrate (element 41, figures 1-5 and 7-10) that handles a baseband signal in a frequency band lower than the frequency band of the high frequency signal (“the power supply assembly 40 comprises a baseband board 41 and a power supply chip 42”, paragraph [0074]); and
a heat dissipation structure (element 60, figures 1-5 and 7-10) to which the first substrate and the second substrate are attached,
wherein a first IC (element 23, figures 1-5 and 7-10) that is thermally in contact with the heat dissipation structure and that processes the high frequency signal,
a second IC (element 42, figures 1-5 and 7-10) that is thermally in contact with the heat dissipation structure and that processes the baseband signal,
a connecting portion (element 43, figures 1-5 and 7-10) that electrically connects adjacent end portions of the first substrate and the second substrate is provided, and
an angle between the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface is a right angle or an acute angle (a right angle is between elements 21 and 41, as shown in figure 7).
Ma does not explicitly teach wherein the first IC is provided on a first mounting surface of the first substrate facing the heat dissipation structure, and the second IC is provided on a second mounting surface of the second substrate facing the heat dissipation structure. However, Ma does teach that the IC’s are in contact (paragraph [0079]) with the heat dissipation structure through conductive pads (elements 61/62, figures 1-5 and 7-10). It is also well known in the antenna art that IC’s can be placed on the same side of a substrate as the antenna, or on the opposite side of the substrate.
Baek suggests the teachings of wherein the first IC (element 230, figures 2 and 4) is provided on a first mounting surface of the first substrate (element 221, figure 2 and 4) facing the heat dissipation structure (elements 430 and 450, figures 2 and 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the IC’s of Ma to be mounted on the mounting surfaces of the substrates facing the heat dissipation structure as suggested by the teachings of Ma and Baek as this is a known alternative way to feed an antenna by electromagnetic coupling by creating a multi-layered substrate that includes a feed line, ground, antenna and IC of the antenna while still being connected to the heat dissipation structure, which can allow design flexibility by eliminating the physical connection to the antenna (Baek, figures 2 and 4) while also providing a direct connection between the IC’s and the heat dissipation structure which would increase the amount of heat transferred to the heat dissipation structure and allow the device to cool faster.
Regarding claim 3, as best understood, Ma as referred in claim 1 teaches the following:
wherein the heat dissipation structure (Ma, element 60, figures 1-5 and 7-10) has a prismatic shape,
the first substrate (Ma, elements 21 and 31, figures 1-5 and 7-10) is attached to at least two surfaces of polygonal side surfaces of the heat dissipation structure, and
the second substrate (Ma, element 41, figures 1-5 and 7-10) is attached to a first bottom surface of the heat dissipation structure perpendicular to the side surfaces.
Regarding claim 6, Ma as referred in claim 1 teaches the antenna module with the exception for the following:
wherein a ground layer is provided in an inner layer of the first substrate, and the feed line is disposed on a first mounting surface side with respect to the ground layer.
Baek suggests the teachings of wherein a ground layer (element 227, figures 2 and 4) is provided in an inner layer of the first substrate (elements 210 and 220, figures 2 and 4), and the feed line (element 250, figure 2) is disposed on a first mounting surface side with respect to the ground layer (as shown in figures 2 and 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the antenna module of Ma to include a ground layer is provided in an inner layer of the first substrate, and the feed line is disposed on a first mounting surface side with respect to the ground layer as suggested by the teachings of Baek as this is a known alternative way to feed the antenna by electromagnetic coupling by creating a multi-layered substrate that includes the feed line, ground, antenna and IC of the antenna while still being connected to the heat dissipation structure, which can allow design flexibility by eliminating the physical connection to the antenna.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma et al. (US 2024/0159863, hereby referred as Ma) in view of Baek et al. (US 2019/0252757, hereby referred as Baek), and further in view of Saily et al. (US 11309618, hereby referred as Saily).
Regarding claim 2, Ma as referred in claim 1 teaches the antenna module with the exception for the following:
wherein the connecting portion includes a flexible printed circuit board.
However, Ma does teach that the connecting portion (element 43, figures 1-5 and 7-10) provides an electrical and physical connection between the first (element 21, figures 1-5 and 7-10) and second substrate (element 41, figures 1-5 and 7-10).
Saily suggests the teachings of wherein the connecting portion includes a flexible printed circuit board (element 104, figures 1-2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the connecting portion of Ma to include a flexible printed circuit board as suggested by the teachings of Saily as flexible printed circuit board are well-known elements in the antenna art which can provide both physical and electrical connection between two substrates, and since it has been held that the simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results is obvious.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma et al. (US 2024/0159863, hereby referred as Ma) in view of Baek et al. (US 2019/0252757, hereby referred as Baek), and further in view of El-Akkad et al. (US 2023/0408619, hereby referred as El).
Regarding claim 4, as best understood, Ma as referred in claim 3 teaches the antenna module with the exception for the following:
wherein a cooling device is attached to a second bottom surface of the heat dissipation structure opposite the first bottom surface.
El suggests the teachings of wherein a cooling device (element 124, figure 1B) is attached to a second bottom surface of the heat dissipation structure opposite the first bottom surface (paragraphs [0124]-[0125]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the antenna module of Ma to include a cooling device is attached to a second bottom surface of the heat dissipation structure opposite the first bottom surface as suggested by the teachings of El in order to cause air to flow to the heat sinks and help further cool the antenna module (paragraphs [0051]; [0124]-[0125]).
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma et al. (US 2024/0159863, hereby referred as Ma) in view of Baek et al. (US 2019/0252757, hereby referred as Baek), and further in view of Yoon et al. (US 2023/0171932, hereby referred as Yoon).
Regarding claim 7, Ma as referred in claim 1 teaches the antenna module with the exception for the following:
wherein the first substrate is attached to the heat dissipation structure via a first metal case that surrounds at least part of the first mounting surface, and
the second substrate is attached to the heat dissipation structure via a second metal case that surrounds at least part of the second mounting surface.
Yoon suggests the teachings of wherein the first substrate (element 510, figure 6A) is attached to the heat dissipation structure (element 552, figure 6A) via a first metal case (elements 530 and 551, figure 6A) that surrounds at least part of the first mounting surface.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have the first substrate and the second substrate of Ma to be attached to the heat dissipation structure via a first metal case that surrounds at least part of the first mounting surface and a second metal case that surrounds at least part of the second mounting surface, respectively, as suggested by the teachings of Yoon in order to accomplish both heat dissipation and shielding of the electronic components (paragraphs [0007]; [0098]; [0103]).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Ma, Baek, and Yoon as referred in claim 7 teaches the following:
wherein the first metal case (Yoon, elements 530 and 551, figure 6A, as explained in claim 7) surrounds at least the first IC (Yoon, element 520, figure 6A, as explained in claim 7).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Ma, Baek, and Yoon as referred in claim 7 teaches the following:
wherein the second metal case (Yoon, elements 530 and 551, figure 6A, as explained in claim 7) surrounds at least the second IC (Yoon, element 520, figure 6A, as explained in claim 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 10-11 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AB SALAM ALKASSIM JR whose telephone number is (571)270-0449. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday.
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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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/AB SALAM ALKASSIM JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845