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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 19-22, 24, 26-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dan (CN116598734A published 08/15/2023)
Claim 1: Dan discloses A base station antenna, comprising: a reflector (fig 8, 9 element 6); a phase shifter that includes a phase shifter printed circuit board (fig 8, 9, element 2); and a radiating element that includes at least one feed stalk and a radiator mounted on the feed stalk forwardly of the reflector (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 40, 41), wherein the feed stalk is mounted directly on the phase shifter printed circuit board (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 2: Dan discloses the phase shifter printed circuit board is mounted rearwardly of the reflector (fig 8, 9 elements 2, 6)
Claim 3: Dan discloses the reflector includes an opening and the feed stalk extends through the opening (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 40, 41, page 4 para 4of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 4: Dan discloses the radiating element is a dual-polarized radiating element, the radiator is a first radiator and the radiating element includes a second radiator, and the feed stalk is implemented using a single printed circuit board that includes first and second RF transmission lines that feed the respective first and second radiators (page 7 para 5 of provided translation “high-frequency phase-shifted feed networks 2b are installed in the two independent cavities 10 in the middle for one-to-one correspondence with the left and right polarizations of the high-frequency radiating unit (not shown) array”)
Claim 5: Dan discloses the radiator comprises a printed circuit board that includes first and second metal pads and a pair of sheet metal dipole arms that are configured to capacitively couple with the respective first and second metal pads (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 6: Dan discloses the opening in the reflector is larger than the printed circuit board so that the printed circuit board can be passed through the opening (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 6, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 7: Dan discloses the phase shifter is part of a cavity phase shifter assembly that further includes a metal shell and the phase shifter printed circuit board is mounted within the metal shell (fig 8, 9 elements 10)
Claim 8: Dan discloses the feed stalk includes a slot and the phase shifter printed circuit board extends into the slot, wherein the feed stalk is mounted on the phase shifter printed circuit board adjacent an output on the phase shifter printed circuit board (page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”), and a solder joint electrically connects the output to a signal trace on the feed stalk. (page 7 paragraph 1 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 of the radiating unit 4 and the phase-shifted feed network 2 are directly plugged and welded”)
Claim 10: Dan discloses a ground pin extends forwardly from the metal shell, and the ground pin is soldered to a ground conductor on the feed stalk (page 4 para 8 of provided translation “Between them are insulating installations, a positioning groove 13 is provided on the side wall of the phase shifter cavity 1 corresponding to the feed connection point 21 of the input port, and the fixing seat 30 is fixedly installed in the phase shifter cavity On the side wall of the body 1 and one end of the inner core 32 extends out of the fixing seat 30 and enters the inside of the phase shifter cavity 1 through the positioning groove 13 for welding connection with the input port feed connection point 21, and the main feeder 5 is installed The inner conductor 50 of the main feeder 5 is soldered to the exposed surface of the other end of the inner core 32 on the fixed base 30”)
Claim 12: Dan discloses the metal shell includes a forwardly extending protrusion that defines an internal channel, and the phase shifter printed circuit board is received within the internal channel and the forwardly extending protrusion includes a gap that exposes the phase shifter printed circuit board, and the feed stalk is mounted on the phase shifter printed circuit board within the gap (fig 8, 9 element 10, page 4 para 6 of provided translation “The independent cavity 10 is defined by two upper and lower packaging walls 100 parallel to the surface of the phase-shifted feed network 2 and two left and right side walls parallel to the vertical surface of the phase-shifted feed network 2 . The left and right side walls 100 in the independent cavity 10 are provided with slots 11 for fixing the phase-shifting feed network 2 , and the slots 11 are used to determine the height of the phase-shifted feed network 2 in the independent cavity.”)
Claim 15: Dan discloses a front wall of the metal shell includes an opening, and the feed stalk extends through the opening (page 4 para 5 of provided translation “A phase-shifting feed network 2 is installed in the cavity 10 . Correspondingly, the two independent cavities 10 are each equipped with an adapter 3 outside one side wall of the cavity, and the adapter 3 is installed on the outer side wall of the independent cavity 10”)
Claim 16: Dan discloses a side wall of the metal shell includes a window that is aligned with the opening in the front wall of the metal shell (page 4 para 5 of provided translation “A phase-shifting feed network 2 is installed in the cavity 10. Correspondingly, the two independent cavities 10 are each equipped with an adapter 3 outside one side wall of the cavity, and the adapter 3 is installed on the outer side wall of the independent cavity 10”)
Claim 19: Dan discloses A base station antenna, comprising: a reflector having an opening (fig 8, 9, element 6); and a radiating element that includes a feed stalk (fig 8, 9 element 4, 40, 41) and a printed circuit board mounted adjacent a forward end of the feed stalk (fig 8, 9 element 2), the printed circuit board extending perpendicular to the feed stalk, wherein a footprint of the opening is larger than a footprint of the printed circuit board and the opening is aligned with the printed circuit board (fig 8, 9, elements 2, 4, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 20: Dan discloses the printed circuit board includes first through fourth metal pads, the radiating element further comprising first through fourth sheet metal dipole arms that are mounted on the printed circuit board and configured to capacitively couple with the respective first through fourth metal pads (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 6, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 21: Dan discloses a footprint of the first through fourth sheet metal dipole arms is larger than the footprint of the opening (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 6, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 22: Dan discloses a cavity phase shifter assembly mounted rearwardly of the reflector, the cavity phase shifter including a metal shell and a phase shifter printed circuit board that is mounted within the metal shell (fig 8, 9 elements 2, 10)
Claim 24: Dan discloses the feed stalk extends into a cavity within the metal shell and electrically connects to the phase shifter printed circuit board within the cavity (fig 8, 9, elements 2, 10, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 26: Dan discloses A method of assembling a base station antenna, the method comprising: forming a metal shell of a cavity phase shifter assembly (fig 8, 9, elements 2, 10); installing a phase shifter within the metal shell (fig 8, 9, elements 2, 10; mounting feed stalks for a plurality of radiating elements on the cavity phase shifter assembly (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 40, 41); and then mounting the cavity phase shifter assembly with the feed stalks mounted thereon behind a reflector (fig 8, 9 element 6) with the feed stalks extending through respective openings in the reflector; and then mounting radiators on the respective feed stalks (page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 27: Dan discloses mounting respective printed circuit boards that each include a plurality of metal pads on the respective feed stalks prior to mounting the cavity phase shifter assembly with the feed stalks mounted thereon behind the reflector; and mounting a plurality of sheet metal dipole arms on each printed circuit board after mounting the cavity phase shifter assembly with the feed stalks mounted thereon behind the reflector (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Claim 28: Dan discloses footprints of the openings in the reflector are larger than footprints of the printed circuit boards and the openings are aligned with the printed circuit boards (fig 8, 9, elements 4, 6, 40, 41, page 4 para 4 of provided translation “The pins 41 of the polarized feed sheet 40 pass through and enter the via holes 12 inside the phase shifter cavity 1 for plug-in connection with the output port feed connection point 20 of the corresponding phase shift feed network 2”)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER M BYTHROW whose telephone number is (571)270-1468. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 830am-5pm.
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/PETER M BYTHROW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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