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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
[0048] should read: “FIG. 5 is a diagram of a structure of the base station antenna shown in FIG. 4;”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 13-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 13-20 (line 1): “The base station antenna” should be amended to ““The base station”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 3-4, 12 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Il et al. (KR 100774262 B1, hereinafter Il).
Regarding claim 1, Il (Fig. 1) discloses a base station antenna (the base station antenna of Fig. 1), comprising a rotation shaft (35), a first reflection plate (20), a second reflection plate (10), a first radiator (24), and a second radiator (14), wherein
the first reflection plate (20) comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the first radiator (24) is disposed on the first surface of the first reflection plate (regarding the first surface and the second surface, see annotated Fig. 1 in Il below);
the second reflection plate (10) comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the second radiator (14) is disposed on the first surface of the second reflection plate (regarding the first surface and the second surface, see annotated Fig. 1 in Il below); and
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the first reflection plate (20) is connected to the rotation shaft (35), the second reflection plate (10) is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft (35), and the rotation shaft (35) is located between the second surface of the first reflection plate (20) and the second surface of the second reflection plate (10).
Regarding claim 3, Il discloses the base station antenna of claim 1 as addressed above.
Il (Fig. 1) further discloses a fastening piece (regarding the fastening piece, see annotated Fig. 1 in Il above), and the first reflection plate (20) is fastened to the rotation shaft (35) through the fastening piece.
Regarding claim 4, Il discloses the base station antenna of claim 1 as addressed above.
Il (Fig. 1) further discloses a rotation support (45), and the second reflection plate (10) is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft (35) through the rotation support.
Regarding claim 12, Il (Fig. 1; Abstract and Document Description in Il-English translation) discloses a base station (Abstract, second paragraph discloses: “at least one beam direction variable apparatus of an antenna is provided at least one at a mobile communication base station”), comprising a radio frequency processing unit (inherent – the Document Description, p. 3, second paragraph discloses: “In a telecommunication network, … radio signals are exchanged between the base station and the subscriber station”; it is inherent that the base station comprises a radio frequency processing unit in order to exchange radio signals) and a base station antenna (the base station antenna of Fig. 1), wherein the radio frequency processing unit is electrically connected to the base station antenna (it is inherent that the base station comprises a radio frequency processing unit electrically connected to the base station antenna in order to exchange radio signals);
the base station antenna (the base station antenna of Fig. 1), comprises a rotation shaft (35), a first reflection plate (20), a second reflection plate (10), a first radiator (24), and a second radiator (14), wherein
the first reflection plate (20) comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the first radiator (24) is disposed on the first surface of the first reflection plate (regarding the first surface and the second surface, see annotated Fig. 1 in Il above);
the second reflection plate (10) comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the second radiator (14) is disposed on the first surface of the second reflection plate (regarding the first surface and the second surface, see annotated Fig. 1 in Il above); and
the first reflection plate (20) is connected to the rotation shaft (35), the second reflection plate (10) is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft (35), and the rotation shaft (35) is located between the second surface of the first reflection plate (20) and the second surface of the second reflection plate (10).
Regarding claim 14, Il discloses the base station of claim 12 as addressed above.
Il (Fig. 1) further discloses a fastening piece (regarding the fastening piece, see annotated Fig. 1 in Il above), and the first reflection plate (20) is fastened to the rotation shaft (35) through the fastening piece.
Regarding claim 15, Il discloses the base station of claim 12 as addressed above.
Il (Fig. 1) further discloses a rotation support (45), and the second reflection plate (10) is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft (35) through the rotation support.
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.
Claims 2 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Il (cited above) in view of Kim et al. (US 11437713 B2, hereinafter Kim).
Regarding claim 2, Il discloses the base station antenna of claim 1 as addressed above.
Il does not disclose a third reflection plate and a third radiator;
the third reflection plate comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the third radiator is disposed on the first surface of the third reflection plate; and
the third reflection plate is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft, and the second surface of the third reflection plate faces the rotation shaft.
Kim (Fig. 4) teaches a base station antenna comprising a third reflection plate (110) and a third radiator (antenna element – col. 2, lines 9-13 discloses: “the antenna assembly including a reflector having an antenna element disposed on a front surface thereof”);
the third reflection plate (110) comprises a first surface (front/outward-facing surface) and a second surface (back/inward-facing surface) that are disposed in opposite directions, and the third radiator is disposed on the first surface of the third reflection plate (col. 2, lines 9-13 discloses: “the antenna assembly including a reflector having an antenna element disposed on a front surface thereof”); and
the third reflection plate (110) is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft (160), and the second surface (back/inward-facing surface) of the third reflection plate faces the rotation shaft.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Il by adding a third reflection plate and a third radiator; the third reflection plate comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the third radiator is disposed on the first surface of the third reflection plate; and the third reflection plate is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft, and the second surface of the third reflection plate faces the rotation shaft as taught by Kim. This modification would provide a tri-sector antenna (see Kim, claim 16) which has a better coverage than a two-sector antenna. In addition, by having the ability to rotate the third reflection plate with the third radiator, the antenna coverage can be dynamically adjusted for optimal communication link with the client devices served by the base station antenna.
Regarding claim 13, Il discloses the base station of claim 12 as addressed above.
Il does not disclose a third reflection plate and a third radiator;
the third reflection plate comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the third radiator is disposed on the first surface of the third reflection plate; and
the third reflection plate is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft, and the second surface of the third reflection plate faces the rotation shaft.
Kim (Fig. 4) teaches a base station antenna comprising a third reflection plate (110) and a third radiator (antenna element – col. 2, lines 9-13 discloses: “the antenna assembly including a reflector having an antenna element disposed on a front surface thereof”);
the third reflection plate (110) comprises a first surface (front/outward-facing surface) and a second surface (back/inward-facing surface) that are disposed in opposite directions, and the third radiator is disposed on the first surface of the third reflection plate (col. 2, lines 9-13 discloses: “the antenna assembly including a reflector having an antenna element disposed on a front surface thereof”); and
the third reflection plate (110) is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft (160), and the second surface (back/inward-facing surface) of the third reflection plate faces the rotation shaft.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Il by adding a third reflection plate and a third radiator; the third reflection plate comprises a first surface and a second surface that are disposed in opposite directions, and the third radiator is disposed on the first surface of the third reflection plate; and the third reflection plate is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft, and the second surface of the third reflection plate faces the rotation shaft as taught by Kim. This modification would provide a tri-sector antenna (see Kim, claim 16) which has a better coverage than a two-sector antenna. In addition, by having the ability to rotate the third reflection plate with the third radiator, the antenna coverage can be dynamically adjusted for optimal communication link with the client devices served by the base station antenna.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-11 and 16-20 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
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/MARIN STOYTCHEV STOYTCHEV/Examiner, Art Unit 2845
/ALEXANDER H TANINGCO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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