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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/10/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The examiner respectfully traverses applicant’s arguments and made this action Final.
Applicant argues:
Applicant submits that “The rejection of claim 1 is improper at least because the Office Action is silent as to the limitation, "the inverter being configured to provide output impedance matching to the one or more power amplifiers." (Office Action, 4). Although the Office Action relies on the transformer 64 of Ji for an alleged teaching of the "inverter" of claim 1, the Office Action is silent as to the quoted limitation of claim 1. Furthermore, Applicant respectfully notes that while Ji discloses that the transformer 64 is coupled to the transistors Q3, Q4, Ji does not disclose that the transformer 64 is configured to provide impedance matching to the transistors Q3, Q4”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees all of the allegations as argued. Examiner, in his previous office action, gave detail explanation of claimed limitation and pointed out exact locations in the cited prior art.
In response to applicant's argument, examiner respectfully submits that:
With respect to the applicant’s arguments, Ji et al. clearly disclosed in Fig. 1, an inverter (e.g., quarter-wave transformer 64, paragraph [0040], which is capable of provide impedance matching, commonly known in the art, see reference US 20060164163 A1, paragraph [0031] which states “(impedance inverter 160 matches the impedance” and paragraph [0033] which states “a quarter-wavelength transmission line”, it is noted that ) coupled between the one or more power amplifiers and the balun (120), the inverter providing output impedance matching to the one or more power amplifiers. It is noted that the quarter-wave transformer 64 having similarly arrangement to the inverter 208 of the applicant’s Fig. 8, for the reasons above, the examiner believe the reference of Ji et al. read on the claimed invention as cited in claim 1.
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.
(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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ji et al. (US 2023/0291359 A1, of record, us-provisional-application US 63318504 20220310), hereinafter Ji.
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Regarding claim 1, Ji (Figs. 1 & 15, [0069] which states “various types of wireless communication devices and [0046] “front-end module”) discloses a front-end module (transmit circuitry 148 of Fig. 15 that include Doherty power amplifier 10) comprising:
an input (port 24 of Fig. 1) configured to receive a radio-frequency signal (signal RFIN of Fig. 1);
an output (ANT port 16) configured to be coupled to an antenna (e.g., antenna 154 as shown in Fig. 15);
a balun (Balun 120 of Fig. 1) coupled to the output (ANT port 16);
one or more power amplifiers (power amplifiers includes transistors Q3 and Q4 of Fig. 1) coupled to the input; and
an inverter (e.g., quarter-wave transformer 64, paragraph [0049], which is capable of provide impedance matching, for instant see reference US 20060164163 A1, paragraph [0031] which states “(impedance inverter 160 matches the impedance” and paragraph [0033] which states “a quarter-wavelength transmission line”, it is noted that ) coupled between the one or more power amplifiers and the balun (120), the inverter providing output impedance matching to the one or more power amplifiers.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-17 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.
The most relevant prior art reference is Ji et al. (US 20230291359 A1, of record) as discussed above. However, Ji et al. does not teach: in regards to claim 2, wherein the inverter includes a first differential input and a second differential input coupled to the one or more power amplifiers, and a first differential output and a second differential output coupled to the balun; in regards to claim 11, wherein the balun includes a center tap, the front-end module further comprising a balun matching network coupled to the center tap of the balun. Therefore, the applicant’s claimed invention has been determine to be novel and non-obvious. By virtue of dependency from claims 2 & 11, claims 3-10 & 12-16, respectively, have also been determine to be novel and non-obvious.
Ji et al. does not teach: in regards to claim 17, further comprising a first power-amplifier balun and a second power-amplifier balun, the one or more power amplifiers including at least one first power amplifier coupled to the first power-amplifier balun and at least one second power amplifier coupled to the second power-amplifier balun. Therefore, the applicant’s claimed invention has been determine to be novel and non-obvious.
Claims 21-23 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The most relevant prior art reference is Ji et al. (US 20230291359 A1, of record) as discussed above. However, Ji et al. does not teach: in regards to claim 21, the inverter providing output impedance matching to the one or more power amplifiers and including a first differential input and a second differential input coupled to the one or more power amplifiers, and a first differential output and a second differential output coupled to the balun; in regards, claim 22, the inverter providing output impedance matching to the one or more power amplifiers; and a balun matching network coupled to the center tap of the balun; in regards, claim 23, a second power-amplifier balun, the one or more power amplifiers including at least one first power amplifier coupled to the first power-amplifier balun and at least one second power amplifier coupled to the second power-amplifier balun. Therefore, the applicant’s claimed invention has been determine to be novel and non-obvious.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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 KHIEM D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3941. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-5:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ANDREA J LINDGREN BALTZELL can be reached at (571)272-5918. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843