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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 01/15/2025 and 10/02/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements 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 limitation recites “ a sensing unit made of a metal material and electrically connected to a sensor” recites in claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). There is not a sensor shown in the drawings. 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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, it is suggested that to add the limitation --where the sensing unit includes two sensing sections that are adjacent to each other, and another sensing section having a sensing direction different from a former sensing direction, and thus enables the antenna module to achieve a multi-directivity sensing effect-- into the claim to make it clearer.
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 1-10 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.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation recites “a normal direction of the first sensing section is not parallel to a normal direction of the second sensing section” and the limitation recites “the normal direction of the second sensing section is not parallel to a normal direction of the first signal section” are unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that what is a normal direction of the first sensing section and a normal direction of the second sensing section? And what is the normal direction of the second sensing section and a normal direction of the first signal section?
Regarding claim 2, the limitation recites “wherein the antenna unit and the sensing unit are extended along a surface of the dielectric unit and made by a LDS (laser direct structuring) method” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that how does the antenna unit and the sensing unit are extended along a surface of the dielectric unit and made by a LDS (laser direct structuring) method?
Regarding claim 3, the limitation recites “wherein the signal portion is not connected to and is coupled to the ground portion” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that the signal portion is not connected or connected to the ground portion? And none of the drawings shown that the signal portion is coupled to the ground portion.
Regarding claim 4, the limitation recites “wherein a first included angle formed by an extending direction of the first sensing section and an extending direction of the second sensing section” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that what is an extending direction of the first sensing section and an extending direction of the second sensing section?
Regarding claim 5, the limitation recites “a second included angle formed by an extending direction of the second sensing section and an extending direction of the third sensing section” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that what is an extending direction of the second sensing section and an extending direction of the third sensing section?
Regarding claim 6, the limitation recites “wherein a normal direction of the second sensing section is parallel to a normal direction of the third sensing section” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that what is a normal direction of the second sensing section and a normal direction of the third sensing section?
Regarding claim 7, the limitation recites “the first sensing section is parallel and coupled to the first signal section, and the second sensing section is adjacent, parallel and coupled to the second signal section” is unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear how does the first sensing section is parallel and coupled to the first signal section? And how does the second sensing section is adjacent, parallel and coupled to the second signal section?
Regarding claim 9, the limitation recites “the normal direction of the first signal section is parallel to a normal direction of the third signal section” and the limitation recites “an extension direction of the first signal section is not parallel to an extension direction of the third signal section” are unclear and leaves the reader in doubt as to the meaning of the technical feature to which it refers. It is unclear that what is the normal direction of the first signal section and a normal direction of the third signal section? And what is an extension direction of the first signal section and an extension direction of the third signal section?
The claim fails to recite sufficiently definite structure, material or acts for achieving the functional result recited in the claim to reasonably apprise one of ordinary skill in the art of the scope of the claim.
Claims 2-10 are depending on claim 1, and are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph as the same reason as stated above.
Citation of Relevance Prior Arts
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Lin (U.S Publication No. 20150022403 A1) discloses a mobile device includes a proximity sensor, a controller, an RF (Radio Frequency) module, and a metal frame. The proximity sensor generates a detection signal. An antenna structure is formed by the first portion. A sensing metal element is formed by the first portion and the second portion. The sensing metal element is further coupled to the proximity sensor. The antenna structure directly or indirectly receives the RF feeding signal from the RF module.
Liu et al. (U.S Publication No. 20210250873 A1) discloses an electronic device includes: a plurality of metal sensing members with sensing regions facing different directions; a test sensor, including a plurality of signal channels, wherein the plurality of signal channels are connected to the metal sensing members through signal wires, and the test sensor is configured to acquire a first capacitance variation when a distance between a sensing region and a user changes; and a processor connected to the test sensor, the processor being configured to adjust a radiation power of a radio frequency circuit in the electronic device according to the first capacitance variation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI N PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5518. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
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/Thai Pham/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845 05/29/2026
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