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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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) 1-4, 6-8, 10-16 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Graber US 10681818.
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Regarding claim 1, Graber US 10681818 discloses (in annotated Fig. 4 and 6) an electronic device comprising:
a housing (410);
a circuit board (430) disposed within the housing and including a ground layer (inherent ground layer of 430; see 212/228 in Fig. 2);
a battery (450) disposed within the housing and including a protection circuit (440) configured to control charging;
a communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) disposed on the circuit board (430);
a first connector (442) disposed on the circuit board (430) and electrically connected to the protection circuit (440); and
a second connector (438’) disposed on the circuit board (430) and spaced apart from the first connector (442),
wherein the second connector (438’) is closer to the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) than the first connector (442) and electrically connected to the ground layer (inherent ground layer of 430) of the circuit board (430) or the battery (450).
Regarding claim 2, Graber discloses the electronic device of The electronic device of wherein the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) is configured to receive power from the battery (450), using the first connector (442), and wherein a return current generated from the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) is configured to be transmitted to the ground layer (inherent ground layer of 430) of the circuit board (430) or the battery (450), using the second connector (438’).
Regarding claim 3, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second connector (438’) is connected to the ground layer (inherent ground layer of 430) of the circuit board (430).
Regarding claim 4, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the protection circuit (440) is closer to the first connector (442) than to the second connector (438’).
Regarding claim 6, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuit board (430) includes a first area (A1) accommodating the first connector (442) and a second area (A2) accommodating the second connector (438’) and the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434).
Regarding claim 7, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an insulating area (inherent insulating layer of 440) at least partially located between the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) and the first connector (442).
Regarding claim 8, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 7, wherein the insulation area includes a first end (left end of inherent insulating layer of 440) connected to a first edge (left edge of 430) of the circuit board (430) and a second end (right end of inherent insulating layer of 440) opposite to the first end (left end of inherent insulating layer of 440) and located at a second edge (right edge of 430) of the circuit board (430).
Regarding claim 10, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first connector (442) is connected to a negative electrode or a positive electrode of the battery (450; 442 is indirectly connected to the positive electrode of 450).
Regarding claim 11, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second connector (438’) is electrically connected to the battery (450), and wherein a distance between the first connector (442) and the protection circuit (440) is smaller than a distance between the second connector (438’) and the protection circuit (440).
Regarding claim 12, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second connector (438’) includes at least one of a conductive pad, a conductive pin, a cable structure, or a connector connected to a flexible printed circuit board (as depicted in Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 13, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an analog circuit (one of the circuit portion of 430 with 434 or the circuit portion of 430 with 436) located between the first connector (442) and the second connector (438’).
Regarding claim 14, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a digital component (432) located between the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) and the second connector (438’).
Regarding claim 15, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second connector (438’) is located between the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) and the battery (450).
Regarding claim 16, Graber US 10681818 discloses (in annotated Fig. 4 and 6) an electronic device comprising:
a housing (410);
a circuit board (430) disposed within the housing (410) and including a ground layer (inherent ground layer of 430; see 212/228 in Fig. 2);
a battery (450) disposed within the housing (410) and including a protection circuit (440) configured to control charging;
a communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) disposed on the circuit board (430);
a first connector (442) disposed on the circuit board (430) and electrically connected to the protection circuit (440); and
a second connector (438’) disposed on the circuit board (430) and spaced apart from the first connector (442), the second connector (438’) being connected to the ground layer (inherent ground layer of 430),
wherein the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) is closer to the second connector (438’) than to the first connector (442), and
wherein the protection circuit (440) is closer to the first connector (442) than to the second connector (438’).
Regarding claim 19, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 16, wherein the second connector (438’) is located between the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434) and the battery (450).
Regarding claim 20, Graber discloses the electronic device of claim 16, wherein the circuit board (430) includes a first area (A1) accommodating the first connector (442) and a second area (A2) accommodating the second connector (438’) and the communication circuit (circuit portion of 430 with 434).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 9 and 17-18 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 claim 5, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein a magnitude of return current transmitted from the communication circuit to the second connector is greater than a magnitude of return current transmitted from the communication circuit to the first connector”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 9, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein the second connector is a joint test action group (JTAG) connector”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 16, a combination of limitations that “wherein the communication circuit is configured to receive power from the battery using the first connector, and wherein a return current generated from the communication circuit is configured to be transmitted to the ground layer of the circuit board using the second connector”.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 16, a combination of limitations that “wherein a magnitude of return current transmitted from the communication circuit to the second connector is greater than a magnitude of return current transmitted from the communication circuit to the first connector”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Regarding claim 1, Yosui US 20160270211 in Fig. 7 discloses an electronic device comprising:
a housing; a circuit board disposed within the housing and including a ground layer; a battery disposed within the housing; a communication circuit disposed on the circuit board; a first connector disposed on the circuit board.
Ju US 20210378096 Fig. 2a and 3b; Kim US 20170290184 Fig. 1, 2c, 3 and 5a disclose an electronic device comprising:
a housing; a circuit board disposed within the housing; a battery disposed within the housing; and
a first connector disposed on the circuit board;
a second connector disposed on the circuit board and spaced apart from the first connector.
Yang US 20170346315 Fig. 7-8, 15, and 19-20 discloses an electronic device comprising: a housing ;
a circuit board disposed within the housing; a ground layer;
a battery disposed within the housing and including a protection circuit;
a communication circuit; and a connector.
Han US 20220329937 Fig. 4; Qu US 20220311062 Fig. 2 disclose an electronic device comprising: a housing; a circuit board disposed within the housing; a battery disposed within the housing; and a first connector disposed on the circuit board.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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