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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s “Amendment” filed on 08/26/2026 has been considered.
Claims 1, 7, and 15-17 are amended. Claims 1-20 remain pending in this application and an action on the merits follow.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over China Patent No. CN 112,993,541 to Zhang, in view of China Patent No. CN 216,903,322 to Cao.
With regard to claim 1, Zhang discloses a terminal, comprising a housing (fig,1, the housing 20), a metal plate installed in the housing (fig, 2, a matching circuit 22), and a circuit board installed in the housing (fig. 1, a circuit board 30), the circuit board comprising a grounding wire (fig. 2, the ground plane 24), and the circuit board being electrically connected to an NFC signal source (fig. 2, the field communication chip 21), wherein a first connection point and a second connection point are arranged on the metal plate at intervals (fig. 2, the matching circuit 22 comprises a first input end 221, a second input end 222, a first output end 223 and a second output end 224.), and the first connection point is connected to the grounding wire of the circuit board by a first conductive member (fig. 2, page 6, lines 17-24, and page 7, lines 23-24, The conductor structure 23 is used for transmitting the differential excitation current. wherein, the conductor structure 23 comprises a first feeding end 231 and a grounding end 232 arranged at intervals. the first feeding end 231 is electrically connected with the first output end 223 of the matching circuit 22. the grounding end 232 of the conductor structure 23 is electrically connected with the grounding plane 24 of the first grounding point 241.), and a grounding terminal of the NFC signal source is connected to the grounding wire (fig. 2, page 5, lines 39-44 and page 7, lines 23-26, the NFC chip 21 comprises a second differential signal terminal 212. the second differential signal terminal 212 may be the negative (-) port of the NFC chip 21. The second output terminal 224 of the matching circuit 22 is electrically connected to the second ground point 242 of the ground plane 24.), and the second connection point is connected to a positive terminal of the NFC signal source by a second conductive member (fig. 2, page 6, lines 8-14, the first input end 221 is electrically connected with the first differential signal end 211 of the NFC chip 21).
However, Zhang does not disclose the terminal is a financial transaction terminal and the metal plate, the first conductive member, the second conductive member, and the grounding wire of the circuit board enclose a hollow area, an inner side of the hollow area forms a loop with the NFC signal source, and the hollow area forms a coil and an NFC antenna.
However, Cao teaches the terminal is a financial transaction terminal (using the NFC technology of the device can be in the condition of close to each other for data exchange, mobile payment, background) and the metal plate, the first conductive member, the second conductive member, and the grounding wire of the circuit board enclose a hollow area, an inner side of the hollow area forms a loop with the NFC signal source, and the hollow area forms a coil and an NFC antenna (Optionally, with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the NFC antenna 20 further comprises an NFC coil 202. wherein the shape of the NFC coil 202 comprises but not limited to L-shaped, V-shaped, U-shaped, rectangular, square, circular and various shapes and so on. The shape of the NFC coil 202 in the drawings of the present application is only one example. the NFC coil 202 is electrically connected between the first end of the NFC chip 201 and the main body radiation section 120, or the NFC coil 202 is electrically connected between the second end of the NFC chip 201 and the extending radiation section 121. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the NFC coil 202 is electrically coupled to the NFC chip 201 between the first end and the main body radiation section 120. In other words, the first end of the NFC chip 201, the NFC coil 202, the main radiation section 120, the extending radiation section 121, the second end sequentially the NFC chip 201 is electrically coupled to form a closed loop. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the NFC coil 202 is electrically coupled to the NFC chip 201 of the second end and the extending radiation section 121. In addition, the NFC coil 202 is electrically connected between the first end of the NFC chip 201 and the main body radiation section 120, or the NFC coil 202 is electrically connected to the NFC chip 201 of the second end and the extending radiation section 121, can make the NFC coil 202 and the main body radiation section 120, extending radiation section 121 share the same NFC chip 201, so as to reduce the number of NFC chip 201, reducing the volume of the antenna device 1. Examiner notes that the main body radiation section can be considered as “the metal plate”., abstract, page 8., lines 8-32).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang to include, the terminal is a financial transaction terminal and the metal plate, the first conductive member, the second conductive member, and the grounding wire of the circuit board enclose a hollow area, an inner side of the hollow area forms a loop with the NFC signal source, and the hollow area forms a coil and an NFC antenna, as taught in Cao, in order to reduce layout difficulty (Cao, abstract ).
With regard to claim 2, Zhang discloses wherein the housing is equipped with a printer, and the metal plate is a paper cutting blade of the printer (Examiner notes that it’s obvious that the combination of references can includes a printer to print receipts during payment transaction processing).
With regard to claim 3, Zhang discloses the housing is equipped with a display screen, and the metal plate is a back plate of the display screen (fig. 1. Page 4, lines 11, 30-35, a display screen 10. The middle frame can be a thin plate-shaped or sheet-shaped structure. It can be understood that the material of the middle frame can include metal or plastic and so on.).
With regard to claim 4, Zhang discloses the metal plate is a metal trace disposed on one side of the circuit board, and two ends of the metal trace respectively form the first connection point and the second connection point, and the first conductive member is a circuit trace disposed on one side of the circuit board, and the grounding wire adjacent to the grounding terminal of the NFC signal source is spaced apart from the metal trace (fig. 2, page 10, lines 31-33, and claim 14,The feed path 235 may be formed by a metal line in the electronic device 100. For example, the feed path 235 can be formed by the printed circuit on the circuit board 30 in the electronic device 100. For example, the feed path 235 may also be formed by the metal wire in the electronic device 100. wherein the flexible circuit board is electrically connected with the circuit board, the flexible circuit board is provided with a metal routing line, and the conductor structure comprises the metal routing line.).
With regard to claims 5, 13, and 14, Zhang discloses a grounding point is provided on the circuit board adjacent to the first connection point, and the grounding point is connected to the grounding wire, and the first conductive member is connected to the grounding point, and a distance between the grounding point and the positive terminal of the NFC signal source is in a range of 30-120 mm (fig. 2, Examiner notes that it’s obvious that a distance between the grounding point and the positive terminal of the NFC signal source is a merely a design of choice and can be determined based on a circuity design).
With regard to claim 6, Zhang discloses a distance between the circuit board and a side of the metal plate adjacent to the first connection point is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm (Fig. 2, Examiner notes that it’s obvious for an electronic device to assemble a circuit board and a metal plate together with a certain distance).
With regard to claims 7 and 15-17, the combination of references discloses the financial transaction terminal further comprises a magnetic conductive layer, and the magnetic conductive layer covers at least the hollow area enclosed by the metal plate, the first conductive member, the second conductive member and the grounding wire of the circuit board (Zhang, fig, 2, page 7, lines 27-37, It can be understood that the conductive loop when transmitting the differential excitation current, the conductive path of the conductor structure 23 and the ground plane 24 can generate alternating electromagnetic field, so as to radiate the NFC signal to realize the NFC communication of the electronic device 100. Cao, abstract, page 8., lines 8-32).
With regard to claim 8 and 18-19, Zhang discloses the housing is equipped with a conductive wire, and the conductive wire is extended along a side of the metal plate adjacent to the first connection point and the second connection point, and a distance between the conductive wire and the side of the metal plate adjacent to the first connection point is greater than or equal to 0.5mm, and one end of the conductive wire is electrically connected to the first connection point, and the other end of the conductive wire is connected to the first conductive member (fig, 2, Examiner notes that how to assembly the conductive wire and the side of the metal plate adjacent to the first connection point to keep a distance is merely a design of choice).
With regard to claim 9, Zhang discloses the distance between the first connection point and the second connection point ranges from 30 to 120 mm (fig, 2, a different distance between the first connection point and the second connection point is merely a design of choice).
With regard to claims 10 and 20, Zhang discloses the first connection point and the second connection point are both arranged on a side edge of the metal plate adjacent to the circuit board (fig. 2).
With regard to claim 11, Zhang discloses the first conductive member can a wire or a metal strip (claim 14, With reference to FIG. 2, the conductor structure 23 may be a metal structure in the electronic device 100 or a metal wiring on the circuit board 30.).
With regard to claim 12, Zhang discloses the second conductive member can a wire or a metal strip (claim 14, a metal routing line).
Response to Arguments
Applicants' arguments filed on 08/28/2026 have been fully considered but they are not fully persuasive especially in light of the previously references used in the rejections.
Applicants remark that “the combination of references Zhang and Cao does not disclose the metal plate, the first conductive member, the second conductive member, and the grounding wire of the circuit board enclose a hollow area, an inner side of the hollow area forms a loop with the NFC signal source, and the hollow area forms a coil and an NFC antenna”.
Examiner directs Applicants' attention to the office action above.
Conclusion
Please refer to form 892 for cited references.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication from the examiner should be directed to Ariel Yu whose telephone number is 571-270-3312. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Obeid Fahd A can be reached on 571-270-3324. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ARIEL J YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3627
