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
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.
Claims 1, 2, 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al (CN 108110414A), hereinafter Wang.
Regarding claims 1 and 4, Wang (Figure 1) teaches wireless tag communication device comprising a microstrip antenna comprising:
a radiating element that includes:
a first radiation area (L2) including a first major axis (vertical direction) parallel to a first direction and a first minor axis (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first major axis, and
a second radiation area (R) including a second major axis (vertical direction) parallel to the first direction and longer than the first major axis (length direction of radiation area R is longer than the length direction of radiation area L2) and a second minor axis (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the second major axis,
wherein the second minor axis is shorter than the first minor axis (width of radiation area R is narrower than width radiation area L2).
Regarding claims 2 and 5, as applied to claims 1 and 4. respectively, Wang (Figure 1) further comprising a third radiation area (C2) including a third major axis (vertical direction) parallel to the first direction and has a length different from at least one of a length of the first major axis and a length of the second major axis (length of C2 in the vertical direction is different from the length of R and L2), and a third minor axis perpendicular to the third major axis.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 7, 8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang.
Regarding claim 7, Wang (Figure 1) teaches a wireless tag communication device including a microstrip antenna comprising:
a radiating element that includes:
a first radiation area (L2) including a first major axis (vertical direction) parallel to a first direction and a first minor axis (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first major axis, and
a second radiation area (R) including a second major axis (vertical direction) parallel to the first direction and longer than the first major axis (length direction of radiation area R is longer than the length direction of radiation area L2) and a second minor axis (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the second major axis,
wherein the second minor axis is shorter than the first minor axis (width of radiation area R is narrower than width radiation area L2).
Wang does not explicitly mention that the microstrip antenna placed in a sheet processing device comprising a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet.
It would have been an obvious matter of intended use to for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to place the microstrip antenna of Wang in a sheet processing device comprising a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet. A recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim.
Regarding claims 8, as applied to claim 7, Wang (Figure 1) further comprising a third radiation area (C2) including a third major axis (vertical direction) parallel to the first direction and has a length different from at least one of a length of the first major axis and a length of the second major axis (length of C2 in the vertical direction is different from the length of R and L2), and a third minor axis perpendicular to the third major axis.
Regarding claim 10, as applied to claim 7, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to configure the sheet to include one or more wireless tags communicatively coupled with the wireless tag communication device would effectively increases reliability as well as ensuring signal radiating in multiple directions for optimum performance.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6 and 9 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 3, 6 and 9, Wang fails to further teach that the radiating element includes a fourth radiation area including a fourth minor axis parallel to the first direction and a fourth major axis perpendicular to the fourth minor axis, wherein a part of the fourth radiation area is common to a part of the first radiation area, and wherein another part of the fourth radiation area is common to a part of the second radiation area.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Koike (EP 3 940 594 A2) discloses a wireless tag communication device and sheet processing apparatus comprising a microstrip antenna.
Xu et al (CN 106329128A) discloses a microstrip antenna comprising three radiating areas.
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/HOANG V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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