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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1, 10, 11, 18-19, 26 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ngai (Pub. No.: U.S 2020/0091605 A1).
With respect to claim 1:
Ngai discloses a millimeter wave (mmW) communication system located on a millimeter wave integrated circuit (MMW-IC), comprising: a phase shifter (fig. 2, item 124) selectively connected to a receive path by a first electromagnetic (EM) element (fig. 2, item 122 is a first EM element connected to phase shifter at receive node 212) and selectively connected to a transmit path by a second EM element (fig. 2, item 202 represents transmit path connected to phase shifter through transmit node 210 and EM 122 fig. 2 or 122-1 as in fig. 3); the first EM element configured to receive a transmit signal and configured to receive a receive signal from a low noise amplifier (LNA) (fig. 3, discloses the first and second EM element 122-1 and 122-N but fig. 2 shows the transmit and receive path with low noise amplifier and power amplifier); the second EM element configured to receive a phase shifted transmit signal (fig. 3, discloses the first and second EM element 122-1 and 122-N but fig. 2 shows the transmit and receive path with low noise amplifier and power amplifier) and a phase shifted receive signal from the phase shifter (fig. 2, item 224); and wherein the second EM element is configured to selectively provide the phase shifted transmit signal to a power amplifier on the mmW-IC (fig. 3, item 122-1 which is the EM antenna provide transmit signal 220-1 to wireless transceiver 120 which include power amplifier as in fig. 2) and the phase shifted receive signal to receive signal processing circuitry located off of the mmW-IC (fig.3, item 224-N is a phase shift receive signal).
With respect to claim 10:
Ngai discloses a method for phase shifting signals, comprising: selectively applying a transmit signal to an input of a shared phase shifter (fig. 2, item 218 represents input transmit signal) or a receive signal to the input of the shared phase shifter (fig. 2, item 224 represents receive signal); phase shifting the transmit signal and the receive signal (fig. 2, with phase shifter 124 phase shifting item 218 and 224 which are transmit and receive signal); and selectively applying the phase shifted transmit signal from an output of the shared phase shifter to a power amplifier (fig. 2, item 220 is being applied to amplifier 206) and selectively applying the phase shifted receive signal from the output of the shared phase shifter to a phased array output (fig.2, item 224 to array output).
With respect to claims 11, 19:
Ngai discloses the method of claim 10, wherein selectively applying the transmit signal or the receive signal to the input of the shared phase shifter comprises impedance matching (parag. 0038).
With respect to claim 18:
Ngai discloses a device for signal phase shifting, comprising: means for selectively applying a transmit signal to an input of a shared phase shifter or a receive signal to the input of the shared phase shifter (fig. 3, item 122-1 and 122-N are EM element for transmitting and receiving signals); means for phase shifting the transmit signal and the receive signal (fig. 3, item 124-1 and 124-N are means for phase shifting transmit and receive signals); and means for selectively applying the phase shifted transmit signal from an output of the shared phase shifter to a power amplifier (fig. 2, item 220 is a phase shifted transmit signal) and selectively applying the phase shifted receive signal from the output of the shared phase shifter to a phased array output (fig.2, item 224 to array output).
With respect to claim 26:
Ngai discloses a phased array element, comprising: receive circuitry (fig. 2, item 204 is the receive path that consist of receive circuitry); transmit circuitry (fig. 2, item 202 is the transmit path that consist of transmit circuitry); a first electromagnetic (EM) element coupled to the receive circuitry (fig. 2, item 122 is to an antenna as in fig. 3 antenna 122-1); a second EM element coupled to the transmit circuitry (fig. 2, item 122 is from an antenna as in fig. 3 antenna 122-N); and a phase shifter coupled between the first EM element and the second EM element (fig. 3, item 120 which include phase shifter 124 as in fig. 2), wherein the phased array element is configured such that the phase shifter is shared by the receive circuitry and the transmit circuitry (fig. 2, item 124 shared with the two node 210 and 212), and such that transmit signals and receive signals are routed through the phase shifter in a same direction (fig. 2, item 218 and 224).
With respect to claim 27:
Ngai discloses the phased array element of claim 26, wherein the phased array element is configured such that the transmit signals and receive signals follow a same path through the phase shifter (fig. 2, item 218 and 224 follow the same path).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9, 12-17, 20-25 28-30 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 10, 18 and 26 have 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AJIBOLA A AKINYEMI whose telephone number is (571)270-1846. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm, EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, YUWEN PAN can be reached at (571)-272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AJIBOLA A AKINYEMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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