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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Newly submitted claims 1-5 directed to an invention that is independent or distinct from the invention originally claimed for the following reasons:
The amendments to claim 1 extend the scope of claim 1 beyond the bounds as previously presented. If claim 1 as amended was presented originally, it would be restrictable from claim 6. Additionally, it is not apparent how claim 1 reads on the elected Species 3. Claims 1-5 match Species 1, and can be presented in a separate filing.
Since applicant has received an action on the merits for the originally presented invention, this invention has been constructively elected by original presentation for prosecution on the merits. Accordingly, claims 1-5 are withdrawn from consideration as being directed to a non-elected invention. See 37 CFR 1.142(b) and MPEP § 821.03.
To preserve a right to petition, the reply to this action must distinctly and specifically point out supposed errors in the restriction requirement. Otherwise, the election shall be treated as a final election without traverse. Traversal must be timely. Failure to timely traverse the requirement will result in the loss of right to petition under 37 CFR 1.144. If claims are subsequently added, applicant must indicate which of the subsequently added claims are readable upon the elected invention.
Should applicant traverse on the ground that the inventions are not patentably distinct, applicant should submit evidence or identify such evidence now of record showing the inventions to be obvious variants or clearly admit on the record that this is the case. In either instance, if the examiner finds one of the inventions unpatentable over the prior art, the evidence or admission may be used in a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) of the other invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 6-10, 13, and 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sakama et al. (U.S. Patent Application No. 20080030902), hereinafter known as Sakama.
Regarding claim 6, Sakama discloses (Figs. 7-9) an antenna device (1D), comprising: a dielectric element (7) including a first region (planar portion of 3) and a second region (slanted portion of 4), wherein a thickness of the first region is different from a thickness of the second region (see Fig. 7); an antenna (11a, [0085]) disposed at the first region; and a conductive layer (4a) extending from the first region to the second region (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 7, wherein the dielectric element includes a first surface at the first region and a second surface at the second region, and the second surface is slanted with respect to the first surface (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 8, wherein the thickness of the second region is nonuniform (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 9, wherein an extending direction of the conductive layer is nonparallel to the first surface of the dielectric element (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 10, wherein the dielectric element includes a third surface (planar portion of 4) opposite to the first surface, and an extending direction of the conductive layer is nonparallel to the third surface of the dielectric element.
Regarding claim 13, wherein the dielectric element includes a third region (planar portion of 4), the second region is connected between the first region and the third region, and a thickness of the third region is different from the thickness of the first region (see Fig. 7)
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) 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakama in view of Lin et al. (U.S. Patent Application No. 20200098709, made of record in IDS dated 21 January 2025), hereinafter known as Lin.
Regarding claim 21, Sakama teaches the limitations of claim 6, but does not teach a package substrate.
Lin teaches (Fig. 1) a package substrate (10); and a solder material ([0025]), wherein the antenna (40) is electrically connected to the package substrate through the solder material (see Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of invention to one of ordinary skill in the art use the package substrate and solder material of Lin in the antenna apparatus of Sakama since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to employ/use a known technique to improve similar devices (methods, products) in the same way is obvious. KSR International Co. v Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007) Using a package substrate and solder to attach is well known in the antenna art and can provide applicability to many scenarios.
Regarding claim 22, Sakama as modified further teaches (Figs. 7-9) wherein the dielectric element includes a third region (planar portion of 4), the second region is connected between the first region and the third region (see Figs. 7-9), and a second surface of the second region is nonparallel to a first surface of the first region and to a second surface of the second region (see Figs. 7-9).
Regarding claim 23, Sakama as modified further teaches (Figs. 7-9) a feeding element (planar portion of4a) disposed within the third region (see Figs. 7-9).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-12, 14-16, and 24 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL MUNOZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1957. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached at 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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/DANIEL MUNOZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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