DETAILED ACTION
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)(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, 4-6 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the publication of JP 2022/113225 A [cited by applicant].
The publication of JP 2022113225 A teaches a monopole antenna for a motor vehicle (1, figs1,7-10), comprising: a radiating element 4 for transceiving signals with the environment outside the antenna (fig1); a printed circuit board 6; an electrical contact 5 configured to electrically connect the radiating element to the printed circuit board (fig2); a containment enclosure 2a comprising at least a first component and a second component that are coupled together and are configured to define one or more internal housing spaces for at least the radiating element and the printed circuit board (2a,8, fig1), wherein said at least one first and second components are connected to each other at least by a waterproof junction (components 2a and 8 are sealed with a pad 3, fig1), wherein said electrical contact comprises a shaped body having a first portion soldered to the printed circuit board and a second portion suitable to couple with an associated portion of the radiating element, wherein said electrical contact comprises a body configured to connect the printed circuit board to the radiating element in a structurally removable manner (fig12, para31-33), wherein said radiating element comprises a body having at least a first portion having a substantially planar development, and a tooth protruding transversely from the first portion and configured to couple with said second portion of the electrical contact (fig9).
Claims 1-2 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated Reed et al (US 2016/0064807 A1) [cited by applicant].
Reed et al teach a monopole antenna 108 for a motor vehicle (fig4), comprising: a radiating element for transceiving signals with the environment outside the antenna (para43, fig4); a printed circuit board 120; an electrical contact configured to electrically connect the radiating element to the printed circuit board (fig6, para38); a containment enclosure comprising at least a first component and a second component that are coupled together and are configured to define one or more internal housing spaces for at least the radiating element and the printed circuit board (para36, fig4), wherein said at least one first and second components are connected to each other at least by a waterproof junction (para55, fig4), wherein said first and second components are soldered to each other (para1-4) and wherein said first component of the containment enclosure is made at least in part of a metallic material or an electrically conductive plastic material (para60).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over the publication of JP 2022/113225 A or Reed et al in view of Mikami et al (US 2004/0008143 A1) [all cited by applicant].
The publication of JP 2022/113225 A or Reed et al had been discussed but fail to teach the first component comprises or is constituted by a body made of dielectric resin poured inside and adhered to the second component thereby realizing said waterproof junction. However, Mikami et al teach the antenna 15 and a ground plane 16 enclosed in a housing made of resin 21 (para30). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide the publication of JP 2022/113225 A or Reed et al with the first component comprises or is constituted by a body made of dielectric resin poured inside and adhered to the second component for the purpose of improving the waterproof junction of the housing.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over the publication of JP 2022113225 A or Reed et al in view of the publication of EP 3896789 B1 [all cited by applicant].
The publication of JP 2022/113225 A or Reed et al had been discussed but fail to teach wherein said second component comprises a first portion having a substantially planar development within which is housed at least a portion of the radiating element, a mounting bracket which is part of or associated with the containment enclosure and is configured to allow mounting the monopole antenna to an associated mounting part of the motor vehicle, wherein the mounting bracket comprises an L-shaped configuration having a first side that is inserted in a portion of and co-molded with the second component. However, the publication of EP 3896789 B1 teaches the antenna is disposed on a pcb 5 and is enclosed in a housing compring two parts 4a,4b; a bracket which is part of the containment enclosure (fig2) as being part of the housing part 4a; the mounting bracket and part of the housing 4a make up a single piece (fig2). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide the publication of JP 2022/113225 A or Reed et al with wherein said second component comprises a first portion having a substantially planar development within which is housed at least a portion of the radiating element, a mounting bracket which is part of or associated with the containment enclosure and is configured to allow mounting the monopole antenna to an associated mounting part of the motor vehicle, wherein the mounting bracket comprises an L-shaped configuration having a first side that is inserted in a portion of and co-molded with the second component for the purpose of improving the antenna gain.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-12 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The patents to Hara, Sone, Tanaka, Ishida, Yoshioka and Yamase are cited as of interested and illustrated a similar structure to a monopole antenna for a motor vehicle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO GIA PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1826. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8-430).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached on (571) 270-7893. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THO G PHAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
