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
Figures 1a-1b should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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 Objections
Claims 1-2 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, lines 7-8, the phrase “a beam of an operating frequency radiated from the second antenna patch panel (hereinafter referred to as a 'middle beam')” should be changed to “a middle beam of an operating frequency radiated from the second antenna patch panel” because brackets in claims are only used for reference characters. See MPEP 608.01(m).
Claim 2:
Line 4, “operating frequency” should be changed to “operating frequency of a second frequency band” to provide proper antecedent base for “the second frequency band” in line 7;
Line 6, ““operating frequency” should be changed to “operating frequency of a third frequency band”;
Lines 9-10, “a beam of an operating frequency radiated from the second antenna patch panel (hereinafter referred to as a 'middle beam') should be changed to “a middle beam of an operating frequency radiated from the second antenna patch panel”;
Lines 11-12, “a beam of an operating frequency radiated from the third antenna patch panel (hereinafter referred to as a 'high beam')” should be changed to “a high beam of an operating frequency radiated from the third antenna patch panel”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3, lines 2-4, the limitation “at least one wave-transmissible shape part formed such that its shape from the input terminal to the output terminal of the radiation frequency” is vague and unclear. It is not clear what the term “its” refers to and there is lack of antecedent basis for “the input terminal”, “the output terminal” and “the operation frequency”.
Claim 4, lines 2-4, the limitation “at least one wave-transmissible shape part formed such that its shape from the input terminal to the output terminal of the radiation frequency” is vague and unclear. It is not clear what the term “its” refers to and there is lack of antecedent basis for “the input terminal”, “the output terminal” and “the operation frequency”.
Claim 5 is rejected for being dependent on the indefinite claim 3.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the high beam" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 6 is also rejected for being dependent on the indefinite claim 3.
Claims 7-8 are rejected for being dependent on the indefinite claims 3.
Claim 9, the limitation “when the exact center portion between one side wall and the other side wall of the wave- transmissible groove is the arbitrary reference line” is vague and unclear because there is lack of antecedent basis for “the wave- transmissible groove” and “the arbitrary reference line” in claim. Claim 9 is also rejected for being dependent on the indefinite claims 3 and 5. Note that, claim 9 appears to be properly dependent on claim 8 because claim 8 recites “a wave- transmissible groove” in line 2.
Claims 10-16 are rejected for being dependent on the indefinite claim 9.
Clarifications are 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang (US 2022/0320716).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang discloses in Figures 1A-1b, 2A-2G, 3A-3B, an antenna device, comprising:
a first antenna patch panel (100, Figs. 1, 3A-3B) configured to radiate an operating frequency of a first frequency band (par. 0091, lines 4-6); and
at least one second antenna patch panel (200) configured to radiate an operating frequency greater than the first frequency band (par. 0091, lines 6-8),
wherein the first antenna patch panel (100) is provided with a frequency selective transmission pattern part (see pars. 0071, 0082-0091) configured to transmit a middle beam of an operating frequency radiated from the second antenna patch panel (200), and
wherein the frequency selective transmission pattern part is provided in a conductive pattern forming on a portion of the first antenna patch panel (100) that entirely or at least partially overlaps the radiation direction of the middle beam of the second antenna patch panel (200).
Regarding claim 2, Zhang discloses in Figures 8A-8C, an antenna device, comprising:
a first antenna patch panel (300) configured to radiate an operating frequency of a first frequency band (“617MHz to 960MHz”, see par. 0099);
at least one second antenna patch panel (100) configured to radiate an operating frequency of a second frequency band (“1.7GHz to 2.7GHz”, see par. 0099) greater than the first frequency band; and
at least one third antenna patch panel (200) configured to radiate an operating frequency of a third frequency band (“3.3GHz to 4.2GHz”, see par. 0099) greater than the second frequency band,
wherein the first antenna patch panel (300) is provided with at least one frequency selective transmission pattern part configured to transmit at least one of a beam of an operating frequency radiated from the second antenna patch panel (hereinafter referred to as a 'middle beam') and a beam of an operating frequency radiated from the third antenna patch panel (hereinafter referred to as a 'high beam') (see Fig. 8C), and
wherein the at least one frequency selective transmission pattern part is respectively provided in a conductive pattern form on a portion of the first antenna patch panel (300) that entirely or at least partially overlaps the radiation direction of the middle beam of the second antenna patch panel (100) or the high beam of the third antenna patch panel (100).
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 1, Zhang discloses in Figures 3A-3B,
wherein a part of the frequency selective transmission pattern part is provided in a processed form of at least one wave-transmissible shape part formed such that its shape from the input terminal to the output terminal of the radiation frequency is perfectly symmetrical with respect to an arbitrary reference line, so that the operating frequency forming the middle beam of the second antenna patch panel is transmitted.
Regarding claim 4, as applied to claim 2, Zhang discloses in Figure 8C and par. 0100,
wherein a part of the frequency selective transmission pattern part is provided in a processed form of at least one wave-transmissible shape part (300b) formed such that its shape from the input terminal to the output terminal of the radiation frequency is perfectly symmetrical with respect to an arbitrary reference line, so that each operating frequency forming the middle beam of the second antenna patch panel (100) or the high beam of the third antenna patch panel (200) is transmitted.
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 3, Zhang discloses in Figure 1B,
wherein the frequency selective transmission pattern part comprises:
four external wave-transmissible patterns (121a, 121b, 122a, 122b) associated with the middle beam, formed to have square conductive edges and provided on the first antenna patch panel (100); and
four internal wave-transmissible patterns (121c, 121d, 122c, 122d) associated with the middle beam,
formed to have square conductive inner surfaces,
spaced apart from the four external wave-transmissible patterns (121a, 121b, 122a, 122b) by an open circuit, and
provided on the first antenna patch panel (100) as an inner part of each of the external wave-transmissible patterns (121c, 121d, 122c, 122d),
wherein the wave-transmissible shape part is provided in the external wave- transmissible pattern.
Regarding claim 6, as applied to claim 3, Zhang discloses in Figure 1B, wherein the frequency selective transmission pattern part comprises:
four external wave-transmissible patterns (121a, 121b, 122a, 122b) associated with at least one of the middle beam and the high beam, formed to have square conductive edges and provided on the first antenna patch panel; and
four internal wave-transmissible patterns (121c, 121d, 122c, 122d)
associated with at least one of the middle beam and the high beam,
formed to have square conductive inner surfaces,
spaced apart from the four external wave-transmissible patterns (121a, 121b, 122a, 122b) by an open circuit, and
provided on the first antenna patch panel (100) as an inner part of each of the external wave-transmissible patterns (121a, 121b, 122a, 122b),
wherein the wave-transmissible shape part is provided in the external wave- transmissible pattern.
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 2022/0320716) in view of Li et al (US 2023/0395987).
Regarding claim 7, as applied to claim 5, Zhang discloses in Figures 1A-1B,
wherein each of the four external wave-transmissible patterns (121a, 121b, 122a, 122b) is connected to be fed by [[balun]] feed part (110) provided to support the first antenna patch panel.
Zhang is silent on the feed part comprising a balun part.
However, such difference is not patentable merit. Feed part comprising balun part to feed signal to antenna is well known in the art. One of such examples is the teaching of Li in Figures 11A-11B, feed part comprising a balun part (1123). Therefore, to employ having the feed part as claimed invention would have been obvious to person skill in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-16 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEU HIEN T DUONG whose telephone number is (571)272-8980. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-4:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DIMARY CRUZ LOPEZ can be reached at 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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/DIEU HIEN T DUONG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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