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 .
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 “at least one convex wall” recited in claims 7-9 must be shown or the feature canceled from the claims. The wall 1152 in Figures 15-18 is not convex. 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 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, 5, 16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sun et al (CN 203950891U), hereinafter Sun. (Applicant’s cited prior art).
Regarding claim 1, Sun (Figures 1-7) teaches a feed network comprising:
a housing (110) with at least one accommodation cavity (11) disposed in the housing;
a transmission structure (121), a support (120), and a phase shift medium (13/130/131) are disposed in each accommodation cavity;
the support (12) is located in the accommodation cavity (11), and the support is connected to at least one inner wall of the accommodation cavity;
in a first direction (vertical direction), the support comprises a bearing surface (surface where 121 is disposed), an inner wall of the accommodation cavity and that is opposite to the bearing surface and the bearing surface are spaced apart, and the transmission structure (121) is disposed on a surface of the bearing surface;
in the first direction, the phase shift medium (13) is disposed between the transmission structure (121) and one of inner walls of the accommodation cavity (11), and the phase shift medium is slidably connected to the support in a second direction (horizontal direction along length of housing)(para [0044], phase shift medium 13 slides along rails 14 and indirectly connected to the support); and
the first direction is a thickness direction of the feed network, the second direction is a sliding direction of the phase shift medium, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1, Sun (Figures 3-4) teaches that the housing (110) comprises a first side wall (upper side wall) and a second side wall(lower side wall); in the first direction (vertical direction), the first side wall and the second side wall are disposed opposite to each other, a first gap (gap between upper side wall and transmission structure 121) exists between one of the first side wall and the second side wall and the transmission structure, and a second gap (gap between lower side wall and transmission structure 121) exists between the other one of the first side wall and the second side wall and the transmission structure; and the first gap is larger than or equal to the second gap.
Regarding claim 4, as applied to claim 2, Sun (Figures 3 and 4) teaches that, in the first direction, the first gap (upper gap) is equal to the second gap (lower gap); and the phase shift medium (130/131) is located in the first gap or the second gap.
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 2, Sun (Figures 2-4) teaches that the housing 110 is an integrated structure; the housing further comprises a third side wall (left side wall) and a fourth side wall (right side wall); in a third direction, the third side wall and the fourth side wall are disposed opposite to each other; one end of the third side wall is connected to the first side wall, and the other end is connected to the second side wall; one end of the fourth side wall is connected to the first side wall, and the other end is connected to the second side wall; and the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 1, Sun (Figures 2-4) teaches that the support (12) is a circuit board or a three-dimensional plastic member.
Regarding claim 18, Sun (Figures 1-4) teaches a phase shifter 1 comprising:
a feed network comprising:
a housing (110) with at least one accommodation cavity (11) disposed in the housing;
a transmission structure (121), a support (120), and a phase shift medium (13/130/131) are disposed in each accommodation cavity;
the support (12) is located in the accommodation cavity (11), and the support is connected to at least one inner wall of the accommodation cavity;
in a first direction (vertical direction), the support comprises a bearing surface (surface where 121 is disposed), an inner wall of the accommodation cavity and that is opposite to the bearing surface and the bearing surface are spaced apart, and the transmission structure (121) is disposed on a surface of the bearing surface;
in the first direction, the phase shift medium (13) is disposed between the transmission structure (121) and one of inner walls of the accommodation cavity (11), and the phase shift medium is slidably connected to the support in a second direction (horizontal direction along length of housing)(para [0044], phase shift medium 13 slides along rails 14 and indirectly connected to the support); and
the first direction is a thickness direction of the feed network, the second direction is a sliding direction of the phase shift medium, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
Claims 1, 3, 5, 16, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liao et al (US 2018/0123240 A1), hereinafter Liao. (Applicant’s cited prior art).
Regarding claim 1, Liao (Figure 3) teaches a feed network comprising:
a housing (201) with at least one accommodation cavity (205) disposed in the housing;
a transmission structure (202), a support (204), and a phase shift medium (206) are disposed in each accommodation cavity;
the support (204) is located in the accommodation cavity (205), and the support is connected to at least one inner wall of the accommodation cavity;
in a first direction (vertical direction), the support comprises a bearing surface (para [0018]), an inner wall of the accommodation cavity and that is opposite to the bearing surface and the bearing surface are spaced apart, and the transmission structure is disposed on a surface of the bearing surface;
in the first direction, the phase shift medium (206a) is disposed between the transmission structure (202) and one of inner walls of the accommodation cavity, and the phase shift medium (206a) is slidably connected to the support in a second direction (para [0025]); and
the first direction is a thickness direction of the feed network, the second direction is a sliding direction of the phase shift medium, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1, Liao (Figure 3) teaches that the housing (201) comprises a first side wall (left side wall) and a second side wall (right side wall); in the first direction, the first side wall and the second side wall are disposed opposite to each other, a first gap (upper gap) exists between one of the first side wall and the second side wall and the transmission structure, and a second gap (lower gap) exists between the other one of the first side wall and the second side wall and the transmission structure; and the first gap is larger than or equal to the second gap.
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 2, Liao (Figure 3) teaches that, in the first direction, the first gap (upper gap) is larger than the second gap (lower gap); and the phase shift medium (206b) is located in the second gap.
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 2, Liao (Figure 3) teaches that the housing (201) is an integrated structure; the housing further comprises a third side wall (left side wall) and a fourth side wall (right side wall); in a third direction, the third side wall and the fourth side wall are disposed opposite to each other; one end of the third side wall is connected to the first side wall, and the other end is connected to the second side wall; one end of the fourth side wall is connected to the first side wall, and the other end is connected to the second side wall; and the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 1, Liao (Figure 3) teaches that the support (204) is a circuit board or a three-dimensional plastic member.
Regarding claim 18, Liao (Figure 3) teaches a feed network comprising:
a housing (201) with at least one accommodation cavity (205) disposed in the housing;
a transmission structure (202), a support (204), and a phase shift medium (206) are disposed in each accommodation cavity;
the support (204) is located in the accommodation cavity (205), and the support is connected to at least one inner wall of the accommodation cavity;
in a first direction (vertical direction), the support comprises a bearing surface (para [0018]), an inner wall of the accommodation cavity and that is opposite to the bearing surface and the bearing surface are spaced apart, and the transmission structure is disposed on a surface of the bearing surface;
in the first direction, the phase shift medium (206a) is disposed between the transmission structure (202) and one of inner walls of the accommodation cavity, and the phase shift medium (206a) is slidably connected to the support in a second direction (para [0025]); and
the first direction is a thickness direction of the feed network, the second direction is a sliding direction of the phase shift medium, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
Regarding claim 19, Liao (Figure 3, para [0006] and [0037]) teaches an antenna apparatus comprising:
A radiating element and a feed network, wherein the radiating element is electrically connected to a transmission structure of the feed network; the feed network comprising a housing (201), and at least one accommodation cavity (205) disposed in the housing;
a transmission structure (202), a support (204), and a phase shift medium (206) are disposed in each accommodation cavity;
the support (204) is located in the accommodation cavity (205), and the support is connected to at least one inner wall of the accommodation cavity;
in a first direction (vertical direction), the support comprises a bearing surface (para [0018]), an inner wall of the accommodation cavity and that is opposite to the bearing surface and the bearing surface are spaced apart, and the transmission structure is disposed on a surface of the bearing surface;
in the first direction, the phase shift medium (206a) is disposed between the transmission structure (202) and one of inner walls of the accommodation cavity, and the phase shift medium (206a) is slidably connected to the support in a second direction (para [0025]); and
the first direction is a thickness direction of the feed network, the second direction is a sliding direction of the phase shift medium, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-15 and 17 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 6, neither Sun nor Liao specifically teach that the housing is a split structure; both the first side wall and the second side wall are of structures; in the first direction, the first side wall comprises a first opening, and the second side wall comprises a second opening; the first opening and the second opening are disposed opposite to each other, orthographic projections of the first side wall and the second side wall in the first direction at least partially 6 overlap, orthographic projections of the first side wall and the second side wall in a third direction at least partially overlap, and the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction; and in the third direction, partial structures that are of the first side wall and the second side wall and that are opposite to each other are coupled to each other.
Claims 7-9 would have been found allowable for at least the reason for depending, either directly or indirectly, on claim 6.
Regarding claim 10, neither Sun nor Liao further teaches that the support comprises a slide rail, and the slide rail extends in the second direction; and the phase shift medium is slidably disposed in the slide rail, and the slide rail is configured to support the phase shift medium and is configured for the phase shift medium to slide in the second direction.
Claims 11-15 would have been found allowable for at least the reason for depending, either directly or indirectly, on claim 10.
Regarding claim 17, neither Sun nor Liao further teaches that each housing comprises a first cable outlet interface and a second cable outlet interface; a partial structure of the transmission structure is located in the first cable outlet interface, and the first cable outlet interface is configured to connect to a radiating element of an antenna; and a partial structure of the transmission structure is located in the second cable outlet interface, and the second cable outlet interface is configured to connect to an antenna connector.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Pan et al (CN 110867630A) discloses a base station comprising a feed network having an antenna and phase shifter.
Su et al (CN 109638457A) discloses a base station comprising a feed network having an antenna and phase shifter.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOANG V NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1825. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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/HOANG V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
