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 claims 2-10 in the reply filed on 05/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/024,922 filed on May 14, 2020.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/04/2025, 04/04/2025 and 02/11/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the features must be shown or the features canceled from the claims:
Claim 2 recites “one or more conductive vias that place the conductive structures on the top major face in electrical communication with the conductive structures on the bottom major face” but there is no drawings showing the one or more conductive vias.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 2-10 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.
The term “at least partially” in claim 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “at least partially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Claims 3-10 inherit the indefiniteness of claim 2 and are subsequently rejected.
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 2-3 and 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keilen et al, US-20010033250-A1 (hereinafter Keilen) in view of Huang et al, US-20100231464-A1 (hereinafter Huang).
Regarding claim 2, as best understood, Keilen discloses the following:
an antenna structure, comprising:
a substrate (42, figs. 1-2) comprising a top major face, a bottom major face, and a side face (fig. 1 below), the top major face comprising:
a first edge of the top major face being disposed adjacent the side face and a second edge of the top major face being disposed opposite from the first edge of the top major face (fig. 1);
a first laterally extending conductive structure extending at least partially along the first edge of the top major face of the substrate (fig. 1); and
a pronged conductive structure comprising a first prong extending from a central portion of the first laterally extending conductive structure towards a first corner of the top major face of the substrate adjacent the second edge of the top major face, and a second prong extending from the central portion of the first laterally extending conductive structure towards a second corner of the top major face of the substrate adjacent the second edge of the top major face, the second corner of the top major face residing opposite from the first corner of the top major face of the substrate along the second edge of the top major face (fig. 1);
the bottom major face (fig. 4) comprising:
a second laterally extending conductive structure extending along a first edge of the bottom major face of the substrate (fig. 4 below); and
a longitudinally extending conductive structure extending between the second laterally extending conductive structure towards a second edge of the bottom major face of the substrate opposite the first edge of the bottom major face of the substrate (fig. 4).
Although Keilen does not disclose one or more conductive vias that place the conductive structures on the top major face in electrical communication with the conductive structures on the bottom major face, Keilen discloses conductor 70 places the conductive structures on the top major face in electrical communication with the conductive structures on the bottom major face (fig. 1, para [0048]).
Huang suggests one or more conductive vias (2218, fig. 14) that place the conductive structures (208) on the top major face in electrical communication with the conductive structures (214, 212) on the bottom major face.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the one or more conductive vias as suggested in Huang to electrically connect the conductive structures on the top major face with the conductive structures on the bottom major face taught in Keilen as claimed for the purpose of reducing signal loss, impedance mismatches and protecting the electrical connection from external impact in order to maintain and improve the antenna’s performance.
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Regarding claim 3, Keilen discloses wherein the first laterally extending conductive structure is asymmetrically aligned relative to the pronged conductive structure (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Keilen discloses wherein the pronged conductive structure comprises a substantially V-shaped structure (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 6, Keilen does not disclose wherein the pronged conductive structure comprises a substantially U-shaped structure.
Huang suggests wherein the pronged conductive structure comprises a substantially U-shaped structure (fig. 24).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the pronged conductive structure taught in Keilen to comprise a substantially U-shaped structure as suggested in Huang as claimed for the purpose of narrowing the beamwidth or achieving higher directionality depending on the requirements of the application (Huang, para [0093]).
Regarding claim 7, Keilen does not disclose wherein a width of the first prong increases with increased distance from the first laterally extending conductive structure, and wherein a width of the second prong increases with increased distance from the first laterally extending conductive structure.
Huang suggest wherein a width of the first prong increases with increased distance from the first laterally extending conductive structure, and wherein a width of the second prong increases with increased distance from the first laterally extending conductive structure (fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to increase the width of the first and second prongs as suggested in Huang of the antenna structure taught in Keilen as claimed for the purpose of achieving the desired radiating characteristics depending on the requirements of the application because changing the shape and dimension of the antenna would change the radiating characteristics.
Regarding claim 8, Keilen does not disclose wherein the first laterally extending conductive structure extends along only a portion of the first edge of the top major face of the substrate.
Huang suggests wherein the first laterally extending conductive structure (207, 206, fig. 7) extends along only a portion of the first edge of the top major face (222) of the substrate (213).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to extend the first laterally extending conductive structure taught in Keilen along only a portion of the first edge of the top major face as suggested in Huang as claimed for the purpose of achieving the desired radiating characteristics depending on the requirements of the application because changing the shape and dimension of the antenna would change the radiating characteristics.
Regarding claim 9, Keilen does not disclose wherein the substrate comprises a ceramic material.
Huang suggests wherein the substrate comprises a ceramic material (para [0032]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide ceramic material as suggested in Huang to the substrate of the antenna structure taught in Keilen as claimed for the purpose of improving the radiation efficiency, increasing the mechanical durability and providing good electrical insulation in order to improve the antenna’s performance.
Regarding claim 10, Keilen does not explicitly disclose wherein the top major face and the bottom major face have dimensions of roughly 10 mm by 20 mm and wherein the side face has dimensions of roughly 3 mm by 20 mm, Keilen discloses the dimension of the conductor structures on the top major face is 0.94 in x 1.3 in (fig. 3) and the side face has dimensions of 5 mm x 1.3 in (figs. 2, 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adjust the top, major faces and side face of the antenna structure taught in Keilen and Huang to have dimensions of roughly 10 mm by 20 mm and roughly 3 mm by 20 mm as claimed, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). The motivation stems from the need to have enough space to accommodate the conductive structures and be able to fit in a limited space of the application.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 4, patentability exists, at least in part, with the claimed features of “wherein a first portion of the first laterally extending structure extending from a first side of the pronged conductive structure is longer than a second portion of the first laterally extending conductive structure extending from a second side of the pronged conductive structure.”
However, the prior art of record, when taken alone or in combination, cannot be construed as reasonably teaching or suggesting all of the elements of the claimed invention as arranged, disposed, or provided in the manner as claimed by the Applicant.
Citation of Pertinent Art
Martinez Ortigosa et al, US-20190123436-A1, fig. 5A-5D: a laterally extending structure and a pronged conductive structure
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH N HO whose telephone number is (571)272-4657. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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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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/DAMEON E LEVI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/ANH HO/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
Prosecution Insights