DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 2 and 11-16 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.
Re Claim 2: The limitation, “face each other,” in the ‘first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate face each other.’ is indefinite. The first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate are on opposite sides of the substrate, wherein the first main surface and the second main surface face away from each other.
Re Claims 11 and 12: There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation, “the second main material layer” in the claim.
Claims 13-16 are also indefinite at least due to dependency on the base claims.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8, 10, 17, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yabuhara (US 20200285927 A1) in view of DESTRAVES (US 20220339976 A1).
Re Claim 1: Yabuhara discloses an RFID module comprising:
a substrate (fig 1, 2, 3b: 1) having a first main surface and a second main surface;
an RFIC chip (fig 1, 2: 3) on the first main surface of the substrate; and
wherein a first end of the RFIC chip is electrically connected to a first end of the coil element, and a second end of the RFIC chip is electrically connected to a second end of the coil element (p73: the RFIC 3 and the chip capacitor 4 are connected between opposite ends of the coil.).
However, Yabuhara does not disclose a coil element having a conductive wire that includes at least one sparsely wound portion, wherein the first and second ends of the coil element are first densely wound portions in which the conductive wire is wound at a narrower pitch than a pitch of the sparsely wound portion.
DESTRAVES however discloses a coil element having a conductive wire that includes at least one sparsely wound portion (fig 4: 101a, 101b), wherein the first and second ends of the coil element are first densely wound portions (p105: The axially outer ends of each sub-region 101a and 101b ends in 2 adjoined turns.) in which the conductive wire is wound at a narrower pitch than a pitch of the sparsely wound portion.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinarily skill in the art to incorporate DESTRAVES’ teaching in the device of Yabuhara for the purpose of improving RF efficacy (DESTRAVES p27: stretching the helical spring allows the efficiency of the radiating antenna to be improved by improving the ratio between the radiation resistance and loss resistance thereof).
Re Claim 2: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate face each other (p30: a first surface S1 and a second surface S2 that are opposite to each other).
Re Claim 3: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a length of the sparsely wound portion is greater than a ratio of a length of the first densely wound portions in a winding axis direction of the coil element (DESTRAVES: p98: this second region, which is smaller than the first region, p103-105).
Re Claim 4: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the coil element has a second densely wound portion (DESTRAVES fig 4: 102) in which the conductive wire is wound at a narrower pitch than the pitch of the sparsely wound portion.
Re Claim 5: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 4, wherein a ratio of a length of the sparsely wound portion is greater than a ratio of a sum of a length of the first densely wound portions and a length of the second densely wound portion in a winding axis direction of the coil element (fig 4, p103-105).
Re Claim 6: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating film that covers the conductive wire of the coil element (Yabuhara: p80: The first surface S1 of the substrate 1 of the RFID tag block 105BP is covered by a sealing resin layer 2A, and the second surface S2 is covered by a sealing resin layer 2B, DESTRAVES: p60: for the passive radiofrequency transponder to be coated beforehand in a mass of electrically insulating elastomer compound.).
Re Claim 7: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the conductive wire of the coil element is not covered with an insulating film (DESTRAVES: p103: The radiating antenna 10 is produced using a steel wire 12 of 0.225 millimetre diameter the surface of which is coated with a layer of brass.).
Re Claim 8: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 4, further comprising an auxiliary electrode (fig 15 & 16: 11C) on the first main surface side of the substrate.
Re Claim 10: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a first base material layer on a side of the first main surface and a second base material layer on a side of the second main surface (p84: use of a multilayer substrate including a plurality of base materials that are stacked on one another.).
Re Claim 17: Yabuhara discloses an RFID module comprising:
a substrate (fig 1, 2, 3b: 1) having a first surface and a second surface that oppose each other;
an RFIC chip (fig 1, 2: 3) on the first surface of the substrate and including a first end and a second end; and
the coil element including a first end electrically connected to the first end of the RFIC chip and a second end electrically connected to a second other end of the RFIC chip (p73: the RFIC 3 and the chip capacitor 4 are connected between opposite ends of the coil.).
However, Yabuhara does not disclose a coil element having a conductive wire that includes a sparsely wound portion, wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the coil element is a densely wound portion in which the conductive wire has a narrower pitch than a pitch of the sparsely wound portion.
DESTRAVES however discloses a coil element having a conductive wire that includes a sparsely wound portion (fig 4: 101a, 101b), wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the coil element is a densely wound portion (p105: The axially outer ends of each sub-region 101a and 101b ends in 2 adjoined turns.) in which the conductive wire has a narrower pitch than a pitch of the sparsely wound portion.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinarily skill in the art to incorporate DESTRAVES’ teaching in the device of Yabuhara for the purpose of improving RF efficacy (DESTRAVES p27: stretching the helical spring allows the efficiency of the radiating antenna to be improved by improving the ratio between the radiation resistance and loss resistance thereof).
Re Claim 18: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 17, wherein both the first end and the second end of the coil element are densely wound portions in which the conductive wire has a narrower pitch than a pitch of the sparsely wound portion (p105: The axially outer ends of each sub-region 101a and 101b ends in 2 adjoined turns.).
Claim(s) 9 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yabuhara (US 20200285927 A1) modified by DESTRAVES (US 20220339976 A1) in view of Official Notice.
Re Claim 9: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES the RFID module according to claim 8, including the second densely wound portion (DESTRAVES fig 4: 102) and the auxiliary electrode (Yabuhara fig 15 & 16: 11C).
However, Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES does not disclose that the components are connected via solder.
Official Notice taken that connecting components via solder is well-known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinarily skill in the art to incorporate Official Notice in the device of Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES for the purpose of achieving mechanical reliability and durability of the resulting bond while also ensuring electrical conductivity.
Re Claim 19: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 17, further comprising an auxiliary electrode (Yabuhara fig 15 & 16: 11C) on the first surface of the substrate and densely wound portion (DESTRAVES: fig 4: 102).
However, Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES does not disclose that components are connected via solder.
Official Notice taken that connecting components via solder is well-known in the art.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinarily skill in the art to incorporate Official Notice in the device of Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES for the purpose of achieving mechanical reliability and durability of the resulting bond while also ensuring electrical conductivity.
Claim(s) 11-16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yabuhara (US 20200285927 A1) modified by DESTRAVES (US 20220339976 A1) in view of Jain (US 20200294938 A1).
Re Claim 11: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 10, wherein the RFID module comprises:
a first land (figs 1, 2, 3b: 11A) on a first main surface side of the first base material layer and that is connected to the first end of the RFIC chip;
a second land (figs 1, 2, 3b: 11B) on the first main surface side of the first base material layer and that is connected to the second end of the RFIC chip,
first and second interlayer connection conductors (figs 1, 2, 3b: 21A, 21B, 31A, 31B) that each extend through the first base material layer and the second base material layer.
However, Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES does not disclose that a second electrode on a first main surface side of the second main material layer and that faces the first land and the second land.
Jain however discloses that a second electrode on a first main surface side of the second main material layer and that faces the first land and the second land (fig 1A: 106a & 106b, (i.e. first and second lands) 108 (i.e. second electrode) p27).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinarily skill in the art to incorporate Jain’s teaching in the device of Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES for the purpose of miniaturization. By embedding the tuning capacitor within the substrate layers the total volume of the RFID tag is reduced.
Re Claim 12: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES and Jain discloses the RFID module according to claim 11, wherein the RFID module comprises a conductor pattern (figs 1, 2, 3B: 12) on a second main surface side of the second main material layer, the conductor pattern connecting the first interlayer connection conductor to the second interlayer connection conductor (p73: Therefore, a coil having about two turns is provided in a path of the first-surface-side conductor pattern 11A->the conductive screw 31A->the second-surface-side conductor pattern 12A->the interlayer connection conductor 24A->the first-surface-side conductor pattern 11C->the interlayer connection conductor 24B->the second-surface-side conductor pattern 12B->interlayer connection conductor 24C->the first-surface-side conductor pattern 11B.).
Re Claim 13: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES and Jain discloses the RFID module according to claim 12, wherein the second land, the second electrode, and a first end of the conductor pattern are connected via the first interlayer connection conductor (figs 1, 2, 3b: 21A, 31A).
Re Claim 14: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES and Jain discloses the RFID module according to claim 13, wherein a second end of the conductor pattern and the second end of the coil element are connected via the second interlayer connection conductor (figs 1, 2, 3B: 21b, 31b).
Re Claim 15: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES and Jain discloses the RFID module according to claim 14, wherein the first land is connected to the first end of the coil element (figs 1, 2, 3b: 11A, p73).
Re Claim 16: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES and Jain discloses the RFID module according to claim 15, wherein the substrate further comprises a third base material layer on which the second main surface side of the second base material layer is laminated (p84: use of a multilayer substrate including a plurality of base materials that are stacked on one another.).
Re Claim 20: Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES discloses the RFID module according to claim 17,
wherein the substrate (fig 1, 2, 3b: 1) has a first base material layer on a side of the first surface and a second base material layer on a side of the second surface (p84: use of a multilayer substrate including a plurality of base materials that are stacked on one another.).,
wherein the RFID module comprises:
a first land (figs 1, 2, 3b: 11A) on a first main surface side of the first base material layer and that is connected to the first end of the RFIC chip;
a second land (figs 1, 2, 3b: 11B) on the first main surface side of the first base material layer and that is connected to the second end of the RFIC chip;
first and second interlayer connection conductors (figs 1, 2, 3b: 21A, 21B, 31A, 31B) that each extend through the first base material layer and the second base material layer;
a conductor pattern (figs 1, 2, 3B: 12) on a second main surface side of the second main material layer, the conductor pattern connecting the first interlayer connection conductor to the second interlayer connection conductor (p73),
wherein the second land, the second electrode, and a first end of the conductor pattern are connected via the first interlayer connection conductor (figs 1, 2, 3b: 21A, 31A),
wherein a second end of the conductor pattern and the second end of the coil element are connected via the second interlayer connection conductor (figs 1, 2, 3B: 21b, 31b) and
wherein the first land is connected to the first end of the coil element (figs 1, 2, 3b: 11A, p73).
However, Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES does not disclose that
a second electrode on a first main surface side of the second main material layer and that faces the first land and the second land.
Jain however discloses that a second electrode on a first main surface side of the second main material layer and that faces the first land and the second land (fig 1A: 106a & 106b, (i.e. first and second lands) 108 (i.e. second electrode), p27).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinarily skill in the art to incorporate Jain’s teaching in the device of Yabuhara modified by DESTRAVES for the purpose of miniaturization. By embedding the tuning capacitor within the substrate layers the total volume of the RFID tag is reduced.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAE W KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-5971. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30AM-5:30PM.
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/TAE W KIM/ Examiner, Art Unit 2876
/THIEN M LE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876