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 § 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 1-3, 7, 12-13 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gouchi (WO 2021/153034 A1) in view of Ueda (JP2019115076A). (Both applicant’s cited prior art).
Regarding claim 1, Gouchi (Figures 1 and 4) teaches an antenna module (100) comprising:
a dielectric substrate (105A) including first and second planar sections (130A and 131A), a normal direction to the first planar section and a normal direction to the second planar section being different from each other;
a first radiating element (122b) disposed in or on the first planar section (130A);
a second radiating element (122a) disposed in or on the second planar section (131A); and
a first connector (outside terminal T),
the antenna module (100, Figure 1) is configured to transfer a radio- frequency signal to a third radiating element (121a) via the first connector (external terminal T),
a size of the second radiating element (122a) is smaller than a size of the third radiating element (121a).
Gouchi does not explicitly teach that the third radiating element being disposed externally to the dielectric substrate and that the third radiating element is attachable to and detachable from the dielectric substrate by the first connector.
Ueda (Figure 10) teaches an antenna module comprising a radiating element 75 being disposed externally to a dielectric substrate 70 and that the radiating element is attachable to and detachable from the dielectric substrate by a connector 13.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the antenna module of Gouchi such that the third radiating element being disposed externally to the dielectric substrate and that the third radiating element is attachable to and detachable from the dielectric substrate by the first connector, as taught by Ueda, doing so would allow the dielectric substrate to support different sizes or shapes of radiators to easily shift between operating frequency bands in order to support a wide range of applications.
Regarding claim 2, Gouchi in view of Ueda teaches the claimed invention, as applied to claim 1, wherein the first connector (T) is disposed on the first planar section. Gouchi does not explicitly teach that the first connector is disposed on the second planar section. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to dispose the first connector on the second planar section instead of the first planar section, since it has been held the rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 3, Gouchi in view of Ueda teaches the claimed invention, as applied to claim 2, and further teaches a baseband circuit (200); a second connector (one of connector T at bottom of 130A) that receives a signal from the baseband circuit; and a control circuit (110) configured to receive the signal from the second connector, convert the signal into a radio-frequency signal and supply the radio-frequency signal to each of the first through third radiating elements, wherein the first planar section (130A) has first and second surfaces facing each other (top and bottom surfaces), the first radiating element (122b) is disposed to radiate a radio wave from the first surface (top surface of 130A), and the second connector (one of T terminal at bottom of 130A) and the control circuit (110) is disposed on the second surface (bottom surface).
Regarding claim 7, as applied to claim 3, Gouchi further teaches that the second connector (rightmost T terminal) is seen from the first connector (leftmost T terminal), at least part of the second connector overlaps the control circuit (110).
Neither Gouchi nor Ueda explicitly mention a shield on a peripheral portion of the control circuit to contain an electromagnetic wave in the control circuit. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to provide a shield on a peripheral portion of the control circuit to contain an electromagnetic wave in the control circuit.
Regarding claim 12, as applied to claim 2, Gouchi (Figure 4) teaches that the dielectric substrate further includes a connecting section (135) that connects the first planar section and the second planar section with each other.
Regarding claim 13, as applied to claim 12, Gouchi (Figure 4) teaches that the connecting section (135) includes a bending portion.
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 13, Gouchi (Figure 4) teaches that the connecting section (135) has flexibility.
Regarding claim 17, as applied to claim 2, Gouchi (Figure 4) teaches that a normal direction to the first planar section (130A) is perpendicular to a normal direction to the second planar section (131A).
Regarding claim 18, as applied to claim 1, Gouchi (Figure 4) further teaches a fourth radiating element (121b) disposed in or on the first planar section (130A); wherein a size of the fourth radiating element (121b) is different than a size of the first radiating element (122b).
Regarding claim 19, as applied to claim 18, Gouchi (Figure 4) teaches that the fourth radiating element (121b) and the first radiating element (122b) are stacked.
Regarding claim 20, Gouchi (Figures 1 and 4) teaches a communication apparatus 10 comprising the antenna module according to one of Claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 8-11, 14 and 15 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 4, Gouchi (Figure 4) teaches that the second planar section (131A) has third and fourth surfaces facing each other; the first planar section (130A) is closer to the fourth surface than to the third surface, the second radiating element (122a) is disposed to radiate a radio wave from the third surface.
Gouchi, however, fails to specifically teach that the first connector is disposed on the fourth surface.
Claims 5 and 6 would have been found allowable for at least the reason for depending on claim 4.
Regarding claim 8, neither Gouchi nor Ueda specifically teach that, as viewed from a normal direction to the first planar section, the first planar section has a substantially rectangular shape having long sides and short sides, and the first connector is disposed to be adjacent to the control circuit in a direction of the short sides.
Regarding claim 9, neither Gouchi nor Ueda specifically teach that, as viewed from a normal direction to the second planar section, at least part of the first connector overlaps the control circuit.
Regarding claim 10, neither Gouchi nor Ueda specifically teach that, as viewed from a normal direction to the second planar section, the second connector is disposed on the first planar section at a position at which the second connector does not overlap the second planar section.
Regarding claim 11, neither Gouchi nor Ueda specifically teach that, as viewed from a normal direction to the second planar section, the first connector has a substantially rectangular shape having long sides and short sides, and the first connector is disposed on the second planar section such that a line extending in a direction along the short sides intersects with the first planar section.
Regarding claim 14, neither Gouchi nor Ueda specifically teach that, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to a normal line to the first planar section and to a normal line to the second planar section, the first connector overlaps the bending portion.
Claim 15 would have been found allowable for at least the reason for depending on claim 14.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yamada et al (WO 2020/170722 A1) discloses an antenna module comprising a first radiating element disposed on a first planar substrate, a second radiating element disposed on a second planar substrate, wherein the first substrate being perpendicular to the second substrate.
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/HOANG V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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