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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LIN et al. (CN111600554), hereafter called LIN, see IDS filed on 01/30/2024.
Regarding claim 1, LIN (Fig. 2) discloses a power amplifier circuit comprising:
an amplifier (FET transistor) that amplifies a high-frequency signal from (Vin); and block (1) read as an impedance adjustment unit that adjusts an impedance for a high frequency as seen from the amplifier to a load side, wherein the impedance adjustment unit comprises a distributed constant circuit (11 and 12), see para. [0029], and a lumped constant circuit (13 and 3), the distributed constant circuit comprising a transmission line (11 and 12 of Fig. 3) having a line length that resonates with a harmonic, the lumped constant circuit comprising a resonance circuit (31 and 33) that resonates with harmonics other than the harmonic in the distributed constant circuit and a fundamental wave, see para. [0053].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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(s) 2-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIN.
Regarding claim 2, LIN discloses claimed invention except the transmission line of the distributed constant circuit is an open stub that conducts impedance adjustment to obtain zero impedance for an even harmonic, the resonant circuit of the lumped constant circuit is an inductive load that conducts the impedance adjustment to obtain high impedances for the fundamental wave and an odd harmonic, and the impedance adjustment unit conducts the impedance adjustment for a class-F operation, see paras. [0023]-[0058]. However, utilizing the short circuit transmission line with an open stub transmission line is well-known in the art and thus would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, see JP2011-55152 cited in IDS filed on 01/30/2024.
Regarding claim 3, wherein in LIN, the resonance circuit of the inductive load consists of an inductor (31) connected between a node on an output part of the distributed constant circuit and a node on an input part of a load and a capacitor (33) connected between the node on the input part of the load and a grounding end.
Regarding claim 4, LIN does not disclose the lumped constant circuit comprises a resonance circuit in place of an open stub for conducting the impedance adjustment to obtain zero impedance for a second harmonic. However, utilizing the short circuit transmission line with an open stub transmission line is well-known in the art and thus would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, see JP2011-55152 cited in IDS filed on 01/30/2024.
Regarding claims 5-7, wherein replacing class F power amplifier with an inverse class F power amplifier is well known in the art, see JP2011-55152, paras. [0001]-[0004] and [0018]-[0043].
Regarding claims 8-11, wherein class F power amplifier and an inverse class F power amplifier could easily be applied to a well-known push-pull circuit, see Dent (20020105384), paras. [0092]-[0095], that is connected to a load through an output transformer. Further, a configuration of a capacitor or inductor of a resonance circuit in which a transformer is used is a matter that could be addressed, as appropriate, by a person skilled in the art.
Regarding claim 12, with respect to a class F power amplifier and an inverse class F power amplifier, configuring the open stub of a harmonics processing circuit using a transmission line provided with a line length of 1/4 wavelength of each harmonic is a well-known feature, see JP2011-55152 cited in IDS filed on 01/30/2024, paras. [0050] and [0051] and Fig. 4.
Regarding claims 13 and 14, wherein configuring a distributed constant circuit from a multilayer substrate having a metal layer and a dielectric substrate layer is a well-known feature, see JP2001111362 cited in IDs filed on 01/30/2024, paras. [0025] and [0026] and Figs. 3 and 5. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art could easily use the metal layer as a GND layer.
Conclusion
The prior arts made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The references cited are closed. However, they do not disclose all the units claimed. Goto (5,352,990) discloses resonance circuit, but does not disclose the distributed constant circuit; Hatsukawa (8,536,930) discloses open stub transmission line; and others disclose similar subject matters.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Khanh V. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-1767. The examiner can normally be reached from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone 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, JESSICA HAN can be reached on (571) 272-2078. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application lnformation Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KHANH V NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Prosecution Insights