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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3, 7-13, 18-20, 22, 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weissman (Pub. No.: US 2020/0153598A1) and further in view of LEUNG (Pub. No.: US 2015/0118980A1).
With respect to claim 1:
Weissman discloses an integrated circuit (IC), comprising: a plurality of oscillator systems (fig. 2, items 224, 234 which are oscillators for mixers 226, 236) each configured to generate a respective oscillating signal, the plurality of oscillator systems each comprising a first oscillator and a second oscillator (fig. 2, items 224, 234), the first and second oscillator configured to provide a respective first and second oscillating signal (fig. 2 shows first and second oscillator 224 and 234 providing oscillating signal to mixers 226 and 236);
Weissman does not explicitly disclose a plurality of signal paths each coupled to a respective one of the plurality of oscillator systems; a first one of the plurality of signal paths comprising a mixer, another one of the plurality of signal paths comprising a tone generator; the tone generator of the another one of said plurality of signal paths configured to generate a tone signal based on [[the]] an oscillating signal from [[the]] a corresponding oscillator system; and the mixer of said first one of said plurality of signal paths coupled to the tone generator of said another one of said plurality of signal paths and configured to generate a mixed signal for residual sideband (RSB) calibration based on the tone signal from the tone generator of said another one of the plurality of signal paths and the oscillating signal from the oscillator system coupled to said first one of said plurality of signal paths.
LEUNG discloses a plurality of signal paths each coupled to a respective one of the plurality of oscillator systems (fig. 3A, with different signal path from mixer 308, 302 and TX path); a first one of the plurality of signal paths comprising a mixer (fig. 3A, item 308 which is the mixer having input signal), another one of the plurality of signal paths comprising a tone generator (fig. 3A with item 302 which represents tone generator having a signal path); the tone generator of the another one of said plurality of signal paths configured to generate a tone signal based on an oscillating signal from a corresponding oscillator system (fig.3A, item 302 which is a tone generator and the oscillator signal received from synthesizer); and the mixer of said first one of said plurality of signal paths coupled to the tone generator of said another one of said plurality of signal paths and configured to generate a mixed signal for residual sideband (RSB) calibration based on the tone signal from the tone generator of said another one of the plurality of signal paths and the oscillating signal from the oscillator system coupled to said first one of said plurality of signal paths (abstract, parag. 0006 and 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of LEUNG into the teaching of Weissman for calibration purpose.
With respect to claims 3, 22:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim, wherein each of the plurality of signal paths comprises a tone generator and a mixer (fig. 3A, items 302 is a tone generator and 308 is a mixer), wherein the tone generator of the first one of said plurality of signal paths and of the another one of said plurality of signal paths each is configured to generate a tone signal based on the respective second oscillating signal from the second oscillator of the corresponding oscillator system (parag. 0005).
With respect to claim 7:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein the first one of the plurality of signal paths is arranged adjacent to the another one of the plurality of signal paths on the IC (fig. 3A with the two mixers and tone generator all adjacent to each other).
With respect to claim 8:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of signal paths further comprises: a baseband filter coupled to an output of the mixer (fig. 3A, item 310 is a baseband filter), the baseband filter configured to generate a baseband filtered signal (fig. 3A) and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to an output of the baseband filter (fig. 3A, item 31 which is ADC) and configured to generate a digital inphase (I) signal and a digital quadrature-phase (Q) signal from the baseband filtered signal (fig. 3A, output of ADC generate I and Q).
With respect to claim 9:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 8, wherein the I and Q signals are provided to a residual sideband (RSB) calibration unit for residual sideband calibration (fig. 3A with I and Q output from ADC 312).
With respect to claim 10:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein the first oscillating signal is different in frequency than the second oscillating signal (parag. 0009-0011).
With respect to claim 11:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of signal paths further comprises a local oscillator comprising a divider and a driver, wherein the divider is configured to generate a divided signal based on the first oscillating signal, and wherein the driver is configured to output the divided signal to the mixer (fig. 3A, div and DA represents divider and driver).
With respect to claim 12:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of signal paths further comprises a switch coupled between an output of the second oscillator and an input of the driver (fig. 3A the switch as shown from tone generator).
With respect to claim 13:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein the mixer of said another one of said plurality of signal paths is coupled to the tone generator of said first one of said plurality of signal paths and configured to generate another mixed signal based on the tone signal from the tone generator of said first one of the plurality of signal paths and the first oscillating signal from the first oscillator of the oscillator system coupled to said another one of said plurality of signal paths (fig. 3A with mixer 308).
With respect to claim 18:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein the mixer is an in-phase (I)/quadrature-phase (Q) mixer, wherein the mixed signal comprises an I/Q signal (fig. 3A with mixers being I/Q mixers).
With respect to claim 19:
LEUNG discloses the IC of claim 3, wherein the plurality of signal paths are coupled with each other in a daisy chain configuration or in a loop configuration such that each one of the plurality of signal paths is used to calibrate a respective other one of the plurality of signal paths (parag. 0064 discloses loop configuration).
With respect to claim 20:
Weissman discloses a method for residual sideband (RSB) calibration, comprising: generating by a plurality of oscillator systems a respective oscillating signal (fig. 2, item 224 and 234 generate respective oscillating signals), wherein each of a plurality of signal paths is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of oscillator systems (fig. 2 with item 224 and 234), the plurality of oscillator systems each comprising a first oscillator and a second oscillator, the first and second oscillator configured to provide a respective first and second oscillating signal (fig. 2, item 224 and 234 provide signal to mixers 226 and 236);
Weissman discloses the first plurality of signal to comprise mixer (fig. 2, item 226) but does not explicitly disclose another one of the pluralities of signal paths comprising a tone generator;
LEUNG discloses a first one of the pluralities of signal paths comprising a mixer and another one of the pluralities of signal paths comprising a tone generator (parag. 0051 and 0079 discloses that synthesizer generate the first LO while TG 302 generate the second LO); generating, by the tone generator of said another one of said plurality of signal paths, a tone signal based on an oscillating signal from a corresponding oscillator system generating, by the mixer of said first one of the plurality of signal paths, a mixed signal based on the tone signal from the tone generator of the another one of said plurality of signal paths and the oscillating signal of the corresponding oscillator system; and performing residual sideband (RSB) calibration of the first one of said plurality of signal paths based on the mixed signal (abstract, parag. 0006 and 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of LEUNG into the teaching of Weissman for calibration purpose.
With respect to claim 26:
Weissman discloses an apparatus, comprising: in each of a plurality of oscillator systems, means for generating a respective oscillating signal, the plurality of oscillator systems each comprising a first oscillator and a second oscillator (fig. 2, item 224 and 234 represents first and second oscillator), the first and second oscillator configured to provide a respective first and second oscillating signal (fig. 2 shows first and second oscillator 224 and 234 providing oscillating signal to mixers 226 and 236); a plurality of signal paths comprising a first one of the plurality of signal paths and another one of the plurality of signal paths, wherein each of the plurality of signal paths is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of the oscillator systems (fig. 2 with signal path coupled to oscillators 224 and 234);
Weissman does not explicitly disclose means for generating a tone signal comprised in the another of the plurality of signals paths, based on an oscillating signal of a corresponding oscillator system ;means for mixing comprised in the first one of the plurality of signal paths, the tone signal of the another one of said plurality of signal paths with the oscillating signal of the corresponding oscillator system to generate a mixed signal; and means for performing residual sideband (RSB) calibration of the first one of said plurality of signal paths based on the mixed signal.
LEUNG discloses means for generating a tone signal comprised in the another of the plurality of signals paths based on an oscillating signal of a corresponding oscillator system (fig. 3A, item 302 is a tone generator), means for mixing comprised in the first one of the plurality of signal paths (fig. 3A, item 308 is a mixer), the tone signal of the another one of said plurality of signal paths with the oscillating signal of the corresponding oscillator system to generate a mixed signal; and means for performing residual sideband (RSB) calibration of the first one of said plurality of signal paths based on the mixed signal (abstract, parag. 0006 and 0069).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of LEUNG into the teaching of Weissman for calibration purpose.
Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weissman (Pub. No.: US 2020/0153598A1), LEUNG (Pub. No.: US 2015/0118980A1) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Chen (Pub. No.: US 2014/0241335 A1).
With respect to claim 4:
The rejection of claim 1 is incorporated; Weissman and LEUNG do not explicitly disclose wherein the first oscillator is a high-power mode phase lock loop (HPM PLL), and the second oscillator is a low power mode phase lock loop (LPM PLL).
Chen discloses wherein the first oscillator is a high-power mode phase lock loop (HPM PLL), and the second oscillator is a low power mode phase lock loop (LPM PLL) (parag. 0010 and 0032). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Chen into the teaching of Weissman in view of LEUNG in order to generate an output signal at a desired frequency
With respect to claim 5:
Chen discloses the IC of claim 4, wherein the LPM PLL comprises a ring voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) coupled in a first PLL (abstract, 0090-0091).
With respect to claim 6:
Chen discloses the IC of claim 4, wherein the HPM PLL comprises an inductance capacitance voltage-controlled oscillator (LC VCO) coupled in a second PLL (fig. 7 with the inductance coupled to capacitor bank 218).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-17, 23-25, 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, see remark, filed 12/23/25, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 3-20, 22-26, 28-30under 103 rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Weissman and LEUNG.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/AJIBOLA A AKINYEMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649