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 .
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/13/2025, 4/15/2026 and 7/27/2026 was in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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) 21, 22, 28-32, 38-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chang (US 20100097271 A).
With regards to claim 21. (New) Chang disclose(s):
An antenna device for a wireless communication system (figs 1a-8c) comprising:
a printed circuit board PCB (31; fig 3a); a conductive pattern (32) disposed on the PCB, and configured to supply radio frequency RF signals ([0048]); a radome (33; [0047]) disposed so as to at least partially cover the PCB (see 33 covering 31 in fig 3a) and the conductive pattern (32), and spaced apart from the PCB without a radiating structure directly connected to the conductive pattern ([0047]); and a radiator pattern (see pattern of each 3321; fig 3a), formed on a first surface of the radome (33), configured to radiate the RF signals supplied from the conductive pattern([0050]) , wherein the radiator pattern includes a first radiator (3324) and at least one second radiator surrounding the first radiator (see 3323 surrounding 3324 in fig 3e).
With regards to claim 22. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The antenna device of claim 21, wherein the at least one second radiator (3323) is disposed on the radome with a plurality of gaps (3325, 3326) for maintaining a resonant frequency within a predefined frequency band ([0060]; see also figs 5a and 5b).
With regards to claim 28. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The antenna device of claim 21, wherein each of the at least one second radiator (3323) has a loop-shape with a predetermined width (see partial loop in fig 3e).
With regards to claim 29. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The antenna device of claim 21, wherein the first surface of the radome corresponds to an upper surface of the radome (see surface 3311; fig 3a), and wherein the radome is spaced apart from the PCB (31) by a predetermined distance (hg) and is disposed to so as to cover the PCB and the conductive pattern (32).
With regards to claim 30. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The antenna device of claim 21, wherein the first surface of the radome corresponds to a lower surface of the radome (see surface 3311; fig 3a), and wherein the radome is spaced apart from the PCB (31) by a predetermined distance (hg) and is disposed to so as to cover an antenna module including the PCB (31), the conductive pattern (32), and the radiating pattern.
Examiner note: the term “lower surface” does not involve a direction of reference.
With regards to claim 31. (New) Chang disclose(s):
A base station comprising an antenna device (figs 1a-8c) configured for use in a wireless communication system, wherein the antenna device comprises:
a printed circuit board PCB (31; fig 3a); a conductive pattern (32) disposed on the PCB, configured to supply radio frequency RF signals ([0048]); a radome (33; [0047])disposed so as to cover the PCB (see 33 covering 31 in fig 3a) and the conductive pattern (32) and spaced apart from the PCB (see distance hg) without a radiating structure directly connected to the conductive pattern ([0047]); and a radiator pattern (see pattern of each 3321; fig 3a) formed on a first surface (3311) of the radome (33) configured to radiate the RF signals supplied from the conductive pattern [0050], wherein the radiator pattern includes a first radiator (3324) and at least one second radiator at least partially surrounding the first radiator (see 3323 surrounding 3324 in fig 3e).
With regards to claim 32. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The base station of claim 31, wherein the at least one second radiator (3323) is disposed on the radome with a plurality of gaps (3325, 3326) for maintaining a resonant frequency within a predefined frequency band ([0060]; see also figs 5a and 5b).
With regards to claim 38. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The base station of claim 31 wherein each of the at least one second radiator (3323) has a loop-shape with a predetermined width (see partial loop in fig 3e).
With regards to claim 39. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The base station of claim 31, wherein the first surface of the radome corresponds to an upper surface of the radome (see surface 3311; fig 3a), and wherein the radome is spaced apart from the PCB (31) by a predetermined distance (hg) and is disposed to so as to cover the PCB and the conductive pattern (32).
With regards to claim 40. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The base station of claim 31, wherein the first surface of the radome corresponds to a lower surface of the radome, and wherein the radome is spaced apart from the PCB by a predetermined distance and is disposed to so as to cover an antenna module including the PCB, the conductive pattern, and the radiating pattern.
wherein the first surface of the radome corresponds to a lower surface of the radome (see surface 3311; fig 3a), and wherein the radome is spaced apart from the PCB (31) by a predetermined distance (hg) and is disposed to so as to cover an antenna module including the PCB (31), the conductive pattern (32), and the radiating pattern.
Examiner note: the term “lower surface” does not involve a direction of reference.
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 of this title, 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(s) 23 and 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang (US 20100097271 A) in view of Udagawa (US 20190123432 A1).
With regards to claims 23 and 33. (New) Chang disclose(s):
The antenna device of claims 21 and 31,
wherein the radiator pattern includes: the first radiator and the at least one second radiator corresponding to the first antenna element (see 3323 surrounding 3324),
Chang does not disclose(s):
wherein the conductive pattern comprises an antenna divider for a plurality of antenna elements including a first antenna element and a second antenna element,
Udagawa teaches:
wherein the conductive pattern comprises an antenna divider (31-33; fig 6; [0061]) for a plurality of antenna elements (radiating element 21-25) including a first antenna element (21) and a second antenna element (22), and
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the device/method/system of Chang by implementing the conductive pattern comprises an antenna divider for a plurality of antenna elements including a first antenna element and a second antenna element as disclosed by Udagawa in order to configure a particular distribution of power to multiple antenna elements as taught/suggested by Udagawa ([0061]).
Chang as modified does not disclose(s):
third radiator and the at least one fourth radiator corresponding to the second antenna element.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to apply the known technique of implementing multiple patch antennas having a power divider of Udagawa to the know device patch antenna having a radome of Chang yielding the predictable result of multiple antennas having corresponding radomes which involves at least two radiators for each radome as suggested by Chang (see 3323 surrounding 3324 in fig 3e).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 24-27, 34-37 is/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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Renan Luque whose telephone number is (571)270-1044. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30AM-5:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander Taningco can be reached at (571) 272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RENAN LUQUE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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