PTAB

IPR2026-00231

Samsung Electronics America Inc v. Aq Corp

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Petition

1. Case Identification

2. Patent Overview

  • Title: Smartphone Antenna Module
  • Brief Description: The ’011 patent describes a smartphone antenna module designed to save space by arranging multiple coil antenna patterns (e.g., for NFC, MST, and wireless charging) in concentric rings on both major surfaces of a substrate, with the patterns being electrically connected through vias.

3. Grounds for Unpatentability

Ground 1: Claims 1-6 are obvious over Seong in view of Kang and Cho.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Seong (PCT Publication 2017/175886), Kang (Application # 2018/0198209), and Cho (Korean Patent Publication 10-2017-0093670).
  • Core Argument for this Ground:
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner argued that Seong taught the foundational smartphone antenna structure with multiple antenna patterns (NFC, MST, WPC) formed on a substrate’s top and bottom surfaces to save space. Seong’s WPC and MST patterns formed an inner and outer ring structure. The combination with Kang and Cho rendered obvious the specific claimed arrangement of concentric, C-shaped coils forming radially-extending inner and outer gaps. Kang taught using circular-spiral shapes for coils, and both Kang and Cho taught using gaps in the coils to allow extension lines to pass through. Kang further disclosed connecting inner and outer coils in parallel.
    • Motivation to Combine: A POSITA would combine these references to achieve a space-efficient antenna module, a common goal of all three. A POSITA reading Seong’s disclosure that coil “shape and layout” may be varied would look to references like Kang and Cho for known, space-efficient layouts, such as concentric coils with aligned gaps for routing extension lines. Similarly, to implement the electrical connection between Seong’s coils, a POSITA would look to Kang’s teaching of connecting such coils in parallel for improved performance.
    • Expectation of Success: Petitioner asserted a POSITA would have an expectation of success because using vias, modifying coil shapes to be concentric, and implementing parallel electrical connections were all well-known, predictable design choices with a finite number of solutions that yielded predictable results in antenna design.

Ground 2: Claims 1-6 are obvious over Ahn in view of 721Lee.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Ahn (Application # 2019/0109373) and 721Lee (Application # 2017/0228721).
  • Core Argument for this Ground:
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner contended Ahn disclosed the primary elements, including a smartphone antenna assembly with coils for NFC, MST, and wireless charging formed on opposing surfaces of a substrate. Ahn explicitly taught a "partially disconnected" region in its inner coil, forming a radially-extending gap to allow "lead wirings" to connect to pads. The combination with 721Lee rendered obvious forming a similar gap in the outer coil and aligning the inner and outer gaps. 721Lee taught coils with an "opened loop form" creating gaps ("intervals") that beneficially allow concentric coils to connect to input/output terminals via extension lines, explicitly showing an outer gap used for inner coil connections.
    • Motivation to Combine: A POSITA would combine Ahn and 721Lee as they both addressed the same problem of creating space-efficient antenna modules. A POSITA seeking to implement Ahn’s teaching that both inner and outer coils must connect to connection pads would incorporate 721Lee’s similar and well-known solution of using a gap in the outer coil to route the necessary connections. This would further Ahn’s goal of space efficiency by allowing a more compact, concentric coil arrangement.
    • Expectation of Success: Success was expected because running extension lines through gaps in coils was a known, straightforward implementation of an antenna-pattern layout. Ahn already taught the concept for the inner coil, and applying the same principle to the outer coil, as shown in 721Lee, would achieve predictable results.

Ground 3: Claims 1-6 are obvious over 005Lee in view of Seong and Cho.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: 005Lee (Patent 10,269,005), Seong (PCT Publication 2017/175886), and Cho (Korean Patent Publication 10-2017-0093670).
  • Core Argument for this Ground:
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner argued 005Lee taught a smartphone antenna module with NFC, MST, and wireless charging coils on opposing sides of a substrate but only provided a detailed layout for one side. The combination with Seong provided a detailed, space-efficient layout for the opposing (bottom) surface, including concentric inner and outer rings. The combination further rendered obvious the use of radially-extending, aligned gaps, as taught by Seong and Cho, if 005Lee’s disclosure of extension lines crossing conductive patterns was deemed insufficient. Finally, Cho was used to teach connecting the inner and outer coils in parallel.
    • Motivation to Combine: A POSITA starting with 005Lee’s design would be motivated to look for complementary coil layouts for the second substrate surface, and Seong provided a similar, space-efficient example. To further the shared goal of space efficiency, a POSITA would incorporate the known techniques from Seong and Cho of using C-shaped coils with gaps to route extension lines. To determine how to electrically connect 005Lee's coils, a POSITA would find it a simple design choice to adopt the parallel connection method taught by Cho.
    • Expectation of Success: Petitioner contended a POSA would expect success because the combination involved implementing known coil patterns on both sides of a substrate, a common practice for which Seong provided a concrete example. Incorporating coil gaps and parallel connections were straightforward implementations of well-known design options that would predictably improve space efficiency and performance.

4. Relief Requested

  • Petitioner requested the institution of an inter partes review and the cancellation of claims 1-6 of the ’011 patent as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. §103.