DETAILED ACTION
Response To Amendment
Applicant's submission filed on June 25, 2026 has been entered.
Claim 24 is amended.
Claim 1-23 and 25-27 are cancelled.
Claim 24 is pending this application.
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 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fitzgerald et al (US 2020/0411984 A1) in view of Patel et al (US 2017/0187099 A1) and further in view of Goldsmith (US 6356166 B1).
Regarding Claim 24, Fitzgerald discloses a wireless system comprising [0062 figure 3A]:
a transceiver configured to generate a signal to be transmitted [0054];
a common power amplifier configured to amplify the signal to provide an amplified signal [0048-0050 for having amplifiers for the signal];
a common filter configured to filter the amplified signal to provide a filtered signal [0048-0050 for using a filter with the transceiver and amplifier]:
an antenna architecture [0066],
including a common node and N signal paths each having first and second ends, N being a positive integer greater than 2 [0033 for splitting signal into multiple feed lines, and 0056-0057, also 0059 for branches 256-1 and 256-2],
the first end of each signal path coupled to the common node, such that the filtered signal provided at the common node splits into respective signals in the signal paths [figure 3A common node Rfin (22W) element 234],
a selected one of the signal paths configured to provide a zero or substantially nil phase shift for the respective signal [0060 for having a phase shift of 0 degrees],
the other signal paths including respective phase shifters configured to provide different phase shifts for the respective signals [0060 for having a phase shift of 35 degrees on first branch (path) and 105 degrees on the second branch (path) and means to control (select) the switches to the desired angle],
the antenna architecture further including an antenna assembly having an antenna pair coupled to the second end of each signal path [0062 for incremental phase shifts of 30 and 60 degrees],
such that the signals provided to the antenna assembly result in a transmitted signal being directed at the tilt angle with respect to the antenna assembly [0062 for steering the beam with phase shifts].
Fitzgerald fails to explicitly teach a common filter configured to filter the amplified signal to provide a filtered signal to a common node.
Patel has multi-band antennas include one or more duplexers (abstract) and teaches a common filter configured to filter the amplified signal to provide a filtered signal to a common node [0020 for using first duplexer-204 (single common node) to splitter-206 to phase shifters 208 210, to second duplexer element 216 and then to radiating elements 220 222].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the tilt position techniques, as disclosed by Fitzgerald, further including the signal calculations as taught by Patel for the purpose to isolate the sub-components of the received RF signal from the respective sub-components of any transmitted RF signals (Patel, 0021).
Fitzgerald fails to explicitly teach each phase shifter including a plurality of phase shifting lines providing respective phase shifts, each phase shifting line implemented between input and output tilt switches, such that the signals emerging from the signal paths are provided with incremental phase shifts for a tilt angle based on closed states of corresponding input and output tilt switches.
Goldsmith has methods for phase shifting signals (abstract) and teaches each phase shifter including a plurality of phase shifting lines providing respective phase shifts, each phase shifting line implemented between input and output tilt switches [col 6, lines 50-65 for 31-1, 31-2 (input) and 31-3, 31-4 (output) with col 13, lines 35-50 for plurality of secondary signal transmission paths supported by said multiple layer support structure],
such that the signals emerging from the signal paths are provided with incremental phase shifts for a tilt angle based on closed states of corresponding input and output tilt switches [col 7, lines 1-15 for resolution around the entire phase constellation, giving greater control].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the tilt position techniques, as disclosed by Fitzgerald, further including the switching phase shift calculations as taught by Goldsmith for the purpose to introduce a preselected amount of phase shift to a signal propagating (Goldsmith, col 7, lines 1-20).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 24 has been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
On page 5, 3rd paragraph of the applicant’s arguments, the applicant states that claim 24 is amended. The examiner thanks the applicant for the amendments. New reference covers the phase shifter between input and output switches [Goldsmith, figure 3 and col 6, lines 45-65].
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMARINA MAKHDOOM whose telephone number is (703)756-1044. The examiner can normally be reached Monday – Thursdays from 8:30 to 5:30 pm eastern time.
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/SAMARINA MAKHDOOM/
Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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