2015 (Gyo-Ke) 10205 [Vehicle Roof Antenna] <Shitara> — Orientation is a matter of design choice
Updated: 6 hours ago
Article information
Article type: Case note
Category: Patents
Topics: Design choices
First published on this website: 2026-11-01
Display and classification checked: November 2, 2026
Originally published on Ameblo: 2025-01-03 (Japan time). Full English translation.
2015 (Gyo-Ke) 10205 [Vehicle Roof Antenna] <Shitara>
*Orientation is a matter of design choice
“The orientation in which antenna 22, installed in the internal space in the projecting fin of fin-shaped cover 21, is installed … is a matter of design choice that can be appropriately determined according to the reception sensitivity of the car radio, the dimensions of the internal space, and other considerations.”
*A case in which a configuration (positional relationship) could be understood by reading the drawings in the cited reference together with its specification.
(Excerpts from the court's reasoning)
…A person skilled in the art … can design a shorter overall length by adjusting the coil pitch, coil diameter, number of turns, and so on. Thus, even if AM antenna 22 is installed with its axial direction perpendicular to signal amplification circuit board 23, it is possible to configure it so as to avoid problems such as inability to fit inside fin-shaped cover 21 or interference with signal amplification circuit board 23 …. Furthermore, whether AM antenna 22, installed in the internal space in the projecting fin of fin-shaped cover 21, is installed along the upper portion (the invention in Exhibit Ko 1, Figure 2), with its axial direction perpendicular to signal amplification circuit board 23 (Invention 1 at issue, Exhibit Ko 12, Figure 2), or in another orientation is a matter of design choice that can be appropriately determined according to the reception sensitivity of the car radio, the dimensions of the internal space, and other considerations …. Moreover, holding a coil antenna with a retaining cylinder is well-known technology. Accordingly, when installing the “AM antenna” in the invention in Exhibit Ko 1 with its axial direction perpendicular to the signal amplification circuit board, there is no particular difficulty in configuring it to be held by a retaining cylinder projecting from the upper surface of the fin-shaped cover. The configuration of Invention 1 relating to Difference 3 is therefore found to be one that a person skilled in the art could readily have conceived.
Figure 1 of the Ko 1 reference shows an external perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in Exhibit Ko 1. In that drawing, “metal base 25” is drawn with solid lines surrounding the lower portion of “fin-shaped cover 21” and is shown with some thickness. It can therefore be understood that “metal base 25” is positioned below the periphery of the bottom opening of “fin-shaped cover 21.” Furthermore, the “Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” in the Ko 1 reference states that “metal base 25 is attached to the bottom of fin-type antenna device 20” ([0013]) and that fin-type antenna device 20 is formed in combination with “fin-shaped cover 21” positioned above “metal base 25” ([0009], Figure 2). These descriptions also make it natural to understand that “metal base 25” is positioned below the periphery of the bottom opening constituting the bottom of “fin-shaped cover 21.”
Update history
The first-published date remains unchanged. Display maintenance, classification changes, related-article updates, and text corrections are recorded separately.
November 1, 2026: First published on this website.
November 2, 2026: Added article information, classification, topics, language navigation, related articles where the same case was confirmed, consultation guidance, and SEO. The original text and first-published date were preserved.
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