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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of Application
This Office Action is a response to Applicant’s communication (or preliminary’s amendment) filed on 11/21/2024. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-20 are currently presented in the instant application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 11/21/2024, 05/08/2025, 10/30/2025, 02/19/2026 and 06/02/2026 in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is considered by the examiner.
If applicant is aware of any prior art or any other co-pending application not already of record, he/she is reminded of his/her duty under 37 CFR 1.97 to disclose the same.
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). A certified copy of the priority documents received on 01/16/2025.
Drawings
The drawings submitted on 11/21/2024 are accepted as part of the formal application.
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.
Claim 11 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 11,
The recitation “the back-surface side of the spring-shaped section” in lines 1-2 is considered indefinite because it does not have an antecedent basis. Clarification is required.
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 of this title, 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, 7, 11, 15 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka et al (US 20060220957), hereinafter Tanaka.
Regarding claim 1,
Tanaka discloses an electronic device (an electronic wristwatch, Fig 2) comprising:
a metal component (a rectangular terminal plate 28, Fig 6B) that is externally mounted to a case (a holder 17, Fig 6B);
a metal plate (an electrode 19, Fig 6B) that is provided inside of a case back-surface side (Fig 6B) and functions as GND (paragraph [0057]); and
an internal terminal plate (a terminal device 25, Fig 3) that is provided inside the case (Fig 3), wherein the internal terminal plate is sandwiched between the case and the metal plate (Fig 3).
Tanaka does not explicitly teach the terminal device 25 (the internal terminal plate) causes the metal component to be connected to the metal plate.
However, Tanaka teaches the terminal plate 28 to be connected to the electrode 19 (Fig 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an internal terminal plate causing a metal component to be connected to a metal plate in Tanaka, in order to provide an antenna device that is easy to make, light in weight, and capable of receiving radio waves of a short wavelength with high sensitivity.
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Regarding claim 7,
Tanaka as modified discloses the claimed invention, as discussed in claim 1.
Tanaka does not explicitly teach the metal plate has a spring-shaped section at part or all of positions that correspond to the internal terminal plate.
However, it is well known in the art that a metal plate has a spring-shaped section (Nesori, US 11120823, spring-shaped metal plate 38, Fig 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a metal plate having a spring-shaped section at part or all of positions corresponding to an internal terminal plate in Tanaka as modified, in order to provide an antenna device that is easy to make, light in weight, and capable of receiving radio waves of a short wavelength with high sensitivity.
Regarding claim 11,
Tanaka as modified discloses the claimed invention, as discussed in claim 7.
Tanaka does not explicitly teach an elastic body is disposed on the back-surface side of the spring-shaped section.
However, it is well known in the art that an elastic body is disposed on a spring-shaped section of a metal plate.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an elastic body being disposed on a back-surface side of a spring-shaped section in Tanaka as modified, in order to provide an antenna device that is easy to make, light in weight, and capable of receiving radio waves of a short wavelength with high sensitivity.
Regarding claim 15,
Tanaka as modified discloses the claimed invention, as discussed in claim 1.
Tanaka teaches an antenna (an electrode 18, Fig 6B; paragraph [0055]) is provided within the case (Fig 6B).
Regarding claim 20,
Tanaka discloses an electronic timepiece (an electronic wristwatch, Fig 2) comprising:
a metal component (a rectangular terminal plate 28, Fig 6B) that is externally mounted to a case (a holder 17, Fig 6B);
a metal plate (an electrode 19, Fig 6B) that is provided inside of a case back-surface side (Fig 6B) and functions as GND (paragraph [0057]); and
an internal terminal plate (a terminal device 25, Fig 3).
Tanaka does not explicitly teach the terminal device 25 (the internal terminal plate) causes the metal component to be connected to the metal plate.
However, Tanaka teaches the terminal plate 28 to be connected to the electrode 19 (Fig 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an internal terminal plate causing a metal component to be connected to a metal plate in Tanaka, in order to provide an antenna device that is easy to make, light in weight, and capable of receiving radio waves of a short wavelength with high sensitivity.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6, 8-10, 12-14 and 16-19 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.
Regarding claim 2, prior art of record or most closely prior art fails to disclose, “wherein the internal terminal plate is formed in a substantial L shape in a side surface view and has a first site that is connected to the metal component, and a second site that is bent in a first direction from a lower end side of the first site, and a surface of the second site is in contact with a surface of the metal plate”.
Dependent claims 3, 5-6, 8-9, 12-13, 16-17 and 19 are considered to be allowable by virtue of its/their dependency/dependencies on claim 2.
Regarding claim 4, prior art of record or most closely prior art fails to disclose, “the case has a recess for disposing a waterproofer on a back surface-side end surface, and the internal terminal plate and the metal plate are disposed in a region that does not overlap with the recess”.
Dependent claims 10, 14 and 18 are considered to be allowable by virtue of its/their dependency/dependencies on claim 4.
Conclusion
The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply.
Applicant, in preparing the response, should consider fully the entire reference aspotentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of thepassage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAI TRAN whose telephone number is (571) 270-7650. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 7:30 am-6:00pm.
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.
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/HAI V TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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