DETAILED ACTION
This communication is in response to applicant’s response filed under 37 C.F.R. §1.111 in response to a non-final office action. Claims 1, 3, 11, 13, 17, and 20 have been amended; Claims 4-6 and 19 have been canceled; Claims 21-24 have been added. Claims 1-3, 7-18, 20-24 are subject to examination.
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 with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
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.
Claims 1-3, 7-18, and 20-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lan et al. (US 2019/0090297 A1, hereinafter “Lan”) in view of Nagumo et al. (US 2020/0177214 A1, hereinafter “Nagumo”) and further in view of Obiya et al. (US 2021/0091832 A1, hereinafter “Obiya”).
Regarding claims 1, 17, and 20, Lan teaches, a radio frequency front-end module (Lan, FIG. 2, UE 100; a UE device has a radio frequency front end (RFFE) that supports simultaneous LTE and NR communications, Par. 0012), comprising:
an antenna switch module (Lan, FIG. 2, antenna switch 212(b)), connected with a first antenna interface (Lan, FIG. 2, antenna tuner 214(b)), wherein the first antenna interface is configured to be connected with a first antenna (Lan, FIG. 1, second antenna 112(b); the second antenna is used for LTE transmission and reception, and for NR diversity reception, Par. 0028);
a first amplifier unit (Lan, FIG. 1, low-band power amplifier (LBPA) 204(b)), is configured to amplify a signal at a first frequency band received from a first signal interface (Lan, the RFFE receives an LTE Tx signal and an NR Tx signal from the RF processor, where the LTE Tx signal and NR Tx signal are provided simultaneously by the RF processor to the RFFE, Par. 0023), and transmit the signal at the first frequency band to the antenna switch module (Lan, the LBPA 204(b) amplifies the LTE Tx signal to create an amplified LTE Tx signal for transmission by the second antenna 112(b), Par. 0035);
wherein the second antenna interface is configured to be connected with a second antenna (Lan, FIG. 1, first antenna 112(a); the first antenna is used for NR transmission and reception, and for LTE diversity reception, Par. 0028); and
a second amplifier unit (Lan, FIG. 1, low-band power amplifier (LBPA) 204(a)), wherein the second amplifier unit is configured to amplify a signal at a second frequency band (Lan, the LBPA 204(a) amplifies the NR Tx signal to create an amplified NR Tx signal for transmission by the first antenna 112(a), Par. 0031), and transmit the signal at the second frequency band (Lan, the amplified NR Tx signal passes through an antenna switch, through an antenna tuner 214(a), and to the antenna 112(a), Par. 0032).
Lan fails to explicitly teach,
a first switch unit, connected with each of a second antenna interface and the antenna switch module,
wherein the first amplifier unit is connected with the antenna switch module,
wherein the second amplifier unit is connected with the first switch unit, and
the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the second frequency band to the second antenna interface or the antenna switch module;
wherein the second antenna interface is separated from the antenna switch module;
the first frequency band comprises a B3 or B66 frequency band, and the second frequency band is an N41 frequency band;
the first amplifier unit is further configured to receive and amplify a signal at a third frequency band and a signal at a fourth frequency band, the third frequency band is a B1 frequency band, and the fourth frequency band is a B25 frequency band;
the first signal interface is connected to a signal source of one frequency band at a time;
when the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, the antenna switch module is configured to transmit the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band after being amplified to the first antenna interface for transmission, and the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the N41 frequency band after being amplified to the second antenna interface for transmission; and
when the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band is received from the first signal interface, the antenna switch module is configured to transmit the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band after being amplified to the first antenna interface for transmission, and the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the N41 frequency band after being amplified to any one of the second antenna interface and the antenna switch module for transmission.
However, Nagumo, from an analogous field of endeavor (Nagumo, transmission signals and reception signals in a first frequency band are transmitted through a first circuit, and transmission signals and reception signals in a second frequency band are transmitted through a second circuit, where isolation between a transmission signal in the first frequency band and a transmission signal in the second frequency band may be provided solely by the two or more antennas and a first switch, Par. 0009) teaches,
a first switch unit (Nagumo, FIG. 4, switch module 23), connected with each of a second antenna interface (Nagumo, FIG. 4, antenna 5L) and the antenna switch module (Nagumo, FIG. 4, switch 6),
wherein the first amplifier unit (Nagumo, FIG. 4, TX amplifier circuit 62) is connected with the antenna switch module, wherein the second amplifier unit is connected with the first switch unit (Nagumo, in the non-CA mode, the transmission amplifier circuit amplifies reception signals in the transmission band of the band Bb and in the CA mode, the transmission amplifier circuit does not perform amplification, Par. 0131), and
the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the second frequency band to the second antenna interface or the antenna switch module (Nagumo, the switch module 23 is a double-pole, n-throw (DPnT) switch module including two common terminals and a plurality of selection terminals, where one of the two common terminals is connected to the main antenna 5L for a low band, and the other common terminal is connected to the switch 6, Par. 0109);
wherein the second antenna interface is separated from the antenna switch module (Nagumo, FIG. 4, antenna 5L is not connected to switch 6).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lan to include the above recited limitations as taught by Nagumo in order to support a carrier aggregation (CA) mode that involves simultaneous transmission of signals in a first frequency band and signals in a second frequency band (Nagumo, Par. 0095).
Lan - Nagumo fails to explicitly teach,
the first frequency band comprises a B3 or B66 frequency band, and the second frequency band is an N41 frequency band;
the first amplifier unit is further configured to receive and amplify a signal at a third frequency band and a signal at a fourth frequency band, the third frequency band is a B1 frequency band, and the fourth frequency band is a B25 frequency band;
the first signal interface is connected to a signal source of one frequency band at a time;
when the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, the antenna switch module is configured to transmit the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band after being amplified to the first antenna interface for transmission, and the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the N41 frequency band after being amplified to the second antenna interface for transmission; and
when the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band is received from the first signal interface, the antenna switch module is configured to transmit the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band after being amplified to the first antenna interface for transmission, and the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the N41 frequency band after being amplified to any one of the second antenna interface and the antenna switch module for transmission.
However, Obiya, from an analogous field of endeavor (Obiya, radio-frequency circuit 1 and communication device 7 according to the above embodiments are applied to communication systems such as 4G and 5G, and are typically applied to systems for performing simultaneous transmission of a 4G-LTE radio-frequency signal and a 5G-NR radio-frequency signal (EN-DC), Par. 0079), teaches,
the first frequency band comprises a B3 or B66 frequency band (Obiya, The middle band group includes, for example, LTE Band 3 (a transmission band from 1710 MHz to 1785 MHz and a reception band from 1805 MHz to 1880 MHz), and Band 66 (a transmission band from 1710 MHz to 1780 MHz and a reception band from 2110 MHz to 2200 MHz), Par. 0023), and the second frequency band is an N41 frequency band (Obiya, Band 41 (a transmission/reception band from 2496 MHz to 2690 MHz), Par. 0024; The first communication band is one of 4G-LTE B41 and 5G-NR n41, Par. 0136);
the first amplifier unit is further configured to receive and amplify a signal at a third frequency band and a signal at a fourth frequency band, the third frequency band is a B1 frequency band (Obiya, Power amplifier 41T is one example of the first transmission power amplifier and amplifies, for example, a B1 or B3 transmission signal, Par. 0031), and the fourth frequency band is a B25 frequency band (Obiya, The number of communication bands for radio-frequency signals transferred by transfer circuit 70A is not limited to two, that is, B1 and B3, and may be one or at least three, Par. 0057; The second communication band may be Band 2 or Band 25 of 4G-LTE, Par. 0129) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches that transfer circuit 70A is not limited to B1 and B3, and may include at least three bands (Par. 0057). Obiya further identifies B25 as a known 4G-LTE band in the same frequency group (Par. 0129). A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that B25 (TX: 1850–1915 MHz) falls within the mid-band frequency range handled by the first transfer circuit and would be an obvious additional band for the first amplifier unit to handle.];
the first signal interface is connected to a signal source of one frequency band at a time (Obiya, Switch 31 is disposed on transmission paths between power amplifier 41T and transmission filters 11T and 12T, and switches the connection of power amplifier 41T between transmission filter 11T and transmission filter 12T. Switch 31 is, for example, a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch circuit including common terminal 31a and selector terminals 31b and 31c. Common terminal 31a is connected to the output terminal of power amplifier 41T, Par. 0032) [Examiner’s Note: Because switch 31 connects the power amplifier to one filter path (i.e., one band) at a time, the input to the amplifier is connected to one signal source of one frequency band at a time.];
when the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, the antenna switch module is configured to transmit the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band after being amplified to the first antenna interface for transmission, and the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the N41 frequency band after being amplified to the second antenna interface for transmission (Obiya, When a frequency of intermodulation distortion in simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal is included in at least one of the first communication band or the second communication band, the switch circuit is configured to connect the first selector terminal to the first antenna connector terminal and connect the second selector terminal to the second antenna connector terminal, Par. 0007; The second communication band may be n77 of 5G-NR, the first communication band may be Band 1, Band 3, Band 66, or Band 41 of 4G-LTE, and switch 10 may be configured to connect connector terminal 10c to antenna connector terminal 10a and connect selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10b in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, Par. 0126; The second communication band may be n78 of 5G-NR, the first communication band may be Band 3 or Band 66 of 4G-LTE, and switch 10 may be configured to connect selector terminal 10c to antenna connector terminal 10a and connect selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10b in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, Par. 0127) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches the principle that when B3 or B66 is simultaneously transmitted with an NR signal that produces intermodulation distortion overlapping with the communication band, the first and second transfer circuits are connected to different antennas (i.e., the NR signal is routed to a separate antenna from the B3/B66 signal). Applying this principle to the combined system of Lan-Nagumo, the first switch unit would be configured to transmit N41 to the second antenna interface (separate from the antenna switch module) when B3 or B66 is active.]; and
when the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band is received from the first signal interface, the antenna switch module is configured to transmit the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band after being amplified to the first antenna interface for transmission, and the first switch unit is configured to transmit the signal at the N41 frequency band after being amplified to any one of the second antenna interface and the antenna switch module for transmission (Obiya, When the frequency of the intermodulation distortion is not included in either of the first communication band and the second communication band, the switch circuit is configured to connect both of the first selector terminal and the second selector terminal to one of the first antenna connector terminal or the second antenna connector terminal, Par. 0007; The second communication band may be 5G-NR n78, the first communication band may be 4G-LTE Band 1, Band 2, Band 7, Band 40, or Band 41, and switch 10 may be configured to connect both of selector terminal 10c and selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10a in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, Par. 0132; In the case where a radio-frequency signal of the first communication band is used in 4G and a radio-frequency signal of the second communication band is used in 5G, when the frequency of intermodulation distortion between the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal is not included in either of the first communication band and the second communication band in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, switch 10 may be configured to connect selector terminal 10c to antenna connector terminal 10a and connect selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10b, Par. 0140) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches that when B1 is the first communication band and the NR signal is the second communication band, and the intermodulation distortion frequency is not included in either band, the switch may connect both transfer circuits to the same antenna (Par. 0132), or alternatively may connect them to different antennas for EN-DC power control purposes (Par. 0140). This teaches that the routing of the NR signal is flexible (i.e., to any one of the same antenna or a separate antenna) when B1 is the active 4G band. The same principle applies to B25, which also does not generate problematic intermodulation distortion with N41.].
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lan - Nagumo to include the above recited limitations as taught by Obiya in order to reduce the generation of intermodulation distortion due to the simultaneous transmission of radio-frequency signals having different frequencies (Obiya, Par. 0006) and to enhance communication accuracy for the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal in EN-DC (Obiya, Par. 0141).
Regarding claim 2, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 1, further comprising:
a first filter unit, wherein the first filter unit is connected with each of the first amplifier unit and the antenna switch module, and is configured to filter a signal output by the first amplifier unit (Nagumo, the quadplexer 30B is a first multiplexer including transmitting filters 30aT and 30bT, Par. 0053; Obiya, Duplexer 11 includes transmission filter 11T and reception filter 11R. Transmission filter 11T is a filter having, as a passband, the transmission band of B3, Par. 0028). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 3, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 2, wherein the first filter unit comprises:
a duplexer (Obiya, FIG. 1, duplexer 11 and duplexer 12; Note that duplexer 11 and duplexer 12 may constitute a quadplexer, Par. 0030), wherein an output terminal of the duplexer is connected with the antenna switch module (Obiya, The output terminal of transmission filter 11T and the input terminal of reception filter 11R are commonly connected to input/output terminal 110, Par. 0028; Selector terminal 10c is connected to input/output terminal 110 of transfer circuit 70A, Par. 0048), and the duplexer is configured to receive and filter the signal at the first frequency band and the signal at the third frequency band (Obiya, Transmission filter 11T is a filter having, as a passband, the transmission band of B3 (a first communication band), Par. 0028; Transmission filter 12T is a filter having, as a passband, the transmission band of B1 (a first communication band), Par. 0029); and
a first filter, wherein an output terminal of the first filter is connected with the antenna switch module, and the first filter is configured to receive and filter the signal at the fourth frequency band (Obiya, The number of communication bands for radio-frequency signals transferred by transfer circuit 70A is not limited to two, that is, B1 and B3, and may be one or at least three, Par. 0057) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches that additional filters may be added for additional bands beyond B1 and B3. A person of ordinary skill in the art would add a filter for B25 as the fourth frequency band.]. The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 7, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 3, further comprising:
a second switch unit, wherein the second switch unit is connected with each of the first amplifier unit, the duplexer and the first filter (Obiya, Switch 31 is disposed on transmission paths between power amplifier 41T and transmission filters 11T and 12T, and switches the connection of power amplifier 41T between transmission filter 11T and transmission filter 12T, Par. 0032), and the second switch unit is configured to switch the duplexer or the first filter to be connected with the first amplifier unit (Obiya, Switch 31 is, for example, a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch circuit including common terminal 31a and selector terminals 31b and 31c. Common terminal 31a is connected to the output terminal of power amplifier 41T, selector terminal 31b is connected to the input terminal of transmission filter 11T, and selector terminal 31c is connected to the input terminal of transmission filter 12T, Par. 0032). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 8, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 7, wherein the second switch unit comprises:
a first single-pole triple-throw switch (Obiya, Switch 31 is, for example, a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch circuit, Par. 0032; The number of communication bands for radio-frequency signals transferred by transfer circuit 70A is not limited to two, that is, B1 and B3, and may be one or at least three, Par. 0057) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches that the switch may accommodate at least three bands. A person of ordinary skill in the art would expand the SPDT to a SP3T switch to accommodate three bands (B3, B1, B25), as it is a routine modification to add throw terminals to handle additional frequency bands.], wherein a common terminal of the first single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with the first amplifier unit (Obiya, Common terminal 31a is connected to the output terminal of power amplifier 41T, Par. 0032), a first throw terminal of the first single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with a first input terminal of the duplexer (Obiya, selector terminal 31b is connected to the input terminal of transmission filter 11T, Par. 0032), a second throw terminal of the first single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with a second input terminal of the duplexer (Obiya, selector terminal 31c is connected to the input terminal of transmission filter 12T, Par. 0032), and a third throw terminal of the first single-pole triple-throw switch is connected to the first filter. [Examiner’s Note: Adding a third throw terminal connected to an additional filter for B25 would be an obvious extension of the SP2T switch taught by Obiya when the circuit is expanded to handle three bands.] The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 9, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 1,
wherein the first switch unit comprises: a single-pole double-throw switch (Nagumo, the switch module 23 is a double-pole, n-throw (DPnT) switch module including two common terminals and a plurality of selection terminals, Par. 0109), where a common terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the second amplifier unit (Nagumo, the matching circuit functions in such a way as to transmit or absorb signals in the transmission band of the band Bb when the common terminal is electrically connected to the selection terminal, Par. 0131), a first throw terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the antenna switch module (Nagumo, the other common terminal is connected to the switch 6, Par. 0109), and a second throw terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected with the second antenna interface (Nagumo, one of the two common terminals is connected to the main antenna 5L for a low band, Par. 0109). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 10, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 9,
wherein the second amplifier unit is further configured to receive and amplify a signal at a fifth frequency band (Obiya, Transfer circuit 70C includes input/output terminal 130, filters 14, 15, and 16, switch 33, power amplifier 43T, and low-noise amplifier 43R, Par. 0039; Filter 16 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n79 (a second communication band), Par. 0042) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches that the second amplifier (power amplifier 43T) amplifies transmission signals for multiple NR bands (n77, n78, n79) which demonstrates the principle of a second amplifier unit handling multiple NR frequency bands.], and the radio frequency front-end module further comprises:
a second filter, wherein the second filter is connected with the common terminal of the single-pole double-throw switch, and is configured to filter the signal at the second frequency band (Obiya, Filter 14 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n77 (a second communication band). Filter 14 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130 and the other terminal connected to selector terminal 33c of switch 33, Par. 0040); and
a third filter, wherein the third filter is connected with the antenna switch module, and is configured to filter the signal at the fifth frequency band (Obiya, Filter 16 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n79 (a second communication band). Filter 16 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130 and the other terminal connected to selector terminal 33e of switch 33, Par. 0042). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 10,
wherein the fifth frequency band is N40 (Obiya, The second communication band may be 5G-NR n78, the first communication band may be 4G-LTE Band 1, Band 2, Band 7, Band 40, or Band 41, Par. 0132; The high band group is a frequency band group including a plurality of communication bands used in 4G and 5G, is located on a high-frequency side of the middle band group, and has a frequency range of from 2.4 GHz to 2.8 GHz, Par. 0024) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya explicitly identifies Band 40 as a known 4G-LTE communication band in the high band group (Par. 0132). N40 (2300-2400 MHz) is a known 5G-NR band corresponding to Band 40. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to include N40 as an additional NR band handled by the second amplifier unit, as it is a commonly used TDD band in the same frequency region.]. The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 12, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 10, further comprising:
a third switch unit, connected with each of the second amplifier unit, the second filter and the third filter (Obiya, Switch 33 is disposed on signal paths between power amplifier 43T and filters 14 through 16 and between low-noise amplifier 43R and filters 14 through 16, and switches the connection of power amplifier 43T among filters 14 through 16, Par. 0045; Switch 33 is, for example, a double pole three throw (DP3T) switch circuit including common terminals 33a and 33b as well as selector terminals 33c, 33d, and 33e, Par. 0046). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 13, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 12, further comprising:
a third antenna interface, configured to be connected with a third antenna, and being separated from the antenna switch module (Obiya, switch 10 including antenna connector terminals 10a (a first antenna connector terminal) and 10b (a second antenna connector terminal), and selector terminals 10c, 10d, and 10e, Par. 0048; Antenna connector terminal 10b is connected to antenna 22, Par. 0048) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches a second antenna connector terminal 10b connected to a second antenna 22 that is separate from the first antenna connector terminal 10a. In the combined system, this corresponds to a third antenna interface that is separate from the antenna switch module.];
wherein the third switch unit comprises:
a second single-pole triple-throw switch (Obiya, Switch 33 is, for example, a double pole three throw (DP3T) switch circuit including common terminals 33a and 33b as well as selector terminals 33c, 33d, and 33e, Par. 0046), wherein a common terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with the second amplifier unit (Obiya, Common terminal 33a is connected to the output terminal of power amplifier 43T, Par. 0046), a first throw terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with the second filter (Obiya, selector terminal 33c is connected to the other terminal of filter 14, Par. 0046), a second throw terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with the third filter (Obiya, selector terminal 33d is connected to the other terminal of filter 15, Par. 0046), and a third throw terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with the third antenna interface (Obiya, selector terminal 33e is connected to the other terminal of filter 16, Par. 0046; Antenna connector terminal 10b and selector terminal 10e of switch 10 are connected to each other, Par. 0097) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches that selector terminal 33e connects through filter 16 to input/output terminal 130 which is then connected to a separate antenna (antenna 22) via switch 10. In the combined system, the third throw terminal of the second SP3T switch would be connected to a third antenna interface that is separated from the antenna switch module.]. The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 14, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 13,
wherein a fourth filter is provided between the third antenna interface and the third antenna, the fourth filter is configured to connect the third antenna and the third antenna interface (Obiya, Filter 16 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n79 (a second communication band). Filter 16 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130, Par. 0042), and
the fourth filter is configured to filter the signal at the fifth frequency band when the third throw terminal and the common terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch are connected (Obiya, Switch 33 connects power amplifier 43T to at least one of filter 14, filter 15, or filter 16 according to the communication band of a transmission signal outputted from transfer circuit 70C, Par. 0045). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 15, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 1, further comprising:
a packaging housing (Lan, FIG. 5, device 500), provided with an accommodating portion (Lan, FIG. 5, RFFE 110), wherein the antenna switch module, the first amplifier unit, the second amplifier unit and the first switch unit are provided in the accommodating portion (Lan, the RFFE is configured for simultaneous transmission of both LTE and NR signals, Par. 0023; Nagumo, a radio frequency front-end circuit includes a first circuit, a second circuit, two or more antennas, and a first switch, Par. 0009). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 16, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 15,
wherein the first antenna interface and the second antenna interface are provided at the packaging housing (Nagumo, the RFFE transmits and receives on each of two antennas, Par. 0022; Lan, the antenna tuner 214(a) and 214(b) are connected to corresponding antennas 112(a) and 112(b), Par. 0028). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the antenna system of claim 17, further comprising:
a first antenna, connected with the first antenna interface (Lan, FIG. 1, second antenna 112(b); the second antenna is used for LTE transmission and reception, Par. 0028); and
a second antenna, connected with the second antenna interface (Lan, FIG. 1, first antenna 112(a); the first antenna is used for NR transmission and reception, Par. 0028). The motivation is the same as in claim 17.
Regarding claim 21, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the radio frequency front-end module of claim 13,
wherein when the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, and the signal at the fifth frequency band is received by a second signal interface and amplified by the second amplifier unit, the common terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch is connected with the third throw terminal of the second single-pole triple-throw switch, to transmit the signal at the fifth frequency band to the third antenna interface (Obiya, In the case where a radio-frequency signal of the first communication band is used in 4G and a radio-frequency signal of the second communication band is used in 5G, when the frequency of intermodulation distortion between the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal is not included in either of the first communication band and the second communication band in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, switch 10 may be configured to connect selector terminal 10c to antenna connector terminal 10a and connect selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10b, Par. 0140; The second communication band may be 5G-NR n79, the first communication band may be 4G-LTE Band 1, Band 3, Band 40, or Band 66, and switch 10 may be configured to connect both of selector terminal 10c and selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10a in the simultaneous transmission, Par. 0138) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya teaches the principle that when B3 or B66 is active, NR signals from a different band group can be routed to a separate antenna via a third throw terminal of the switch. Applying this to the fifth frequency band (N40), when B3/B66 is active, a person of ordinary skill in the art would route N40 to the third antenna interface to maintain isolation from the B3/B66 path.]; and
when the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, and the signal at the fifth frequency band is received by the second signal interface and amplified by the second amplifier unit, the third switch unit is switched to transmit the signal at the fifth frequency band to any of the third antenna interface and the antenna switch module for transmission (Obiya, When the frequency of the intermodulation distortion is not included in either of the first communication band and the second communication band, the switch circuit is configured to connect both of the first selector terminal and the second selector terminal to one of the first antenna connector terminal or the second antenna connector terminal, Par. 0007; Par. 0132; Par. 0140) [Examiner’s Note: When B1 or B25 is active, no problematic intermodulation distortion is generated with N40. Following Obiya’s teaching, the NR signal (N40) may be routed to either the same antenna (via the ASM) or a separate antenna (via the third antenna interface), providing the claimed flexibility.];
wherein the second signal interface is further configured to receive the signal at the second frequency band, and the second signal interface is connected with a signal source of one frequency band at a time (Obiya, Switch 33 connects power amplifier 43T to at least one of filter 14, filter 15, or filter 16 according to the communication band of a transmission signal outputted from transfer circuit 70C, Par. 0045) [Examiner’s Note: Because switch 33 connects the power amplifier to one filter (one band) at a time, the second signal interface is connected to a signal source of one frequency band at a time.]; and
the fifth frequency band is an N40 frequency band (Obiya, The second communication band may be 5G-NR n78, the first communication band may be 4G-LTE Band 1, Band 2, Band 7, Band 40, or Band 41, Par. 0132) [Examiner’s Note: Obiya identifies Band 40 as a known band. N40 (2300-2400 MHz) is the 5G-NR designation for the same frequency range. It would be obvious to include N40 as an additional NR band.]. The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 22, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the antenna system of claim 17,
wherein the second amplifier unit is further configured to receive and amplify a signal at a fifth frequency band (Obiya, power amplifier 43T is one example of the second transmission power amplifier and amplifies, for example, an n77, n78, or n79 transmission signal, Par. 0044; The number of communication bands for radio-frequency signals transferred by transfer circuit 70C is not limited to three, that is, n77, n78, and n79, and may be at most two or at least four, Par. 0059), and
the antenna system further comprises:
a third switch unit, an input terminal of the third switch unit being connected with an output terminal of the second amplifier unit (Obiya, Switch 33 is disposed on signal paths between power amplifier 43T and filters 14 through 16, Par. 0045; Common terminal 33a is connected to the output terminal of power amplifier 43T, Par. 0046);
a third antenna interface, being connected between one output terminal of the third switch unit and a third antenna, and being separated from the antenna switch module (Obiya, Antenna connector terminal 10b is connected to antenna 22, Par. 0048; selector terminal 10e is connected to input/output terminal 130 of transfer circuit 70C, Par. 0048) [Examiner’s Note: In Obiya, antenna 22 is connected via antenna connector terminal 10b which is separate from antenna connector terminal 10a. In the combined system, this corresponds to a third antenna interface separated from the antenna switch module.];
a second filter, wherein one terminal of the second filter is connected to another output terminal of the third switch unit, another terminal of the second filter is connected with an input terminal of the first switch unit, and the second filter is configured to filter the signal at the second frequency band (Obiya, Filter 14 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n77 (a second communication band). Filter 14 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130 and the other terminal connected to selector terminal 33c of switch 33, Par. 0040) [Examiner’s Note: In the combined system, the second filter (corresponding to filter for N41) connects between the third switch unit output and the first switch unit input, filtering the N41 signal before it is routed by the first switch unit to either the second antenna interface or the ASM.]; and
a third filter, wherein one terminal of the third filter is connected with a further output terminal of the third switch unit, another terminal of the third filter is connected with an input side of the antenna switch module, and the third filter is configured to filter the signal at the fifth frequency band (Obiya, Filter 15 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n78 (a second communication band). Filter 15 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130 and the other terminal connected to selector terminal 33d of switch 33, Par. 0041);
wherein a first output terminal of the first switch unit is connected with the input side of the antenna switch module (Nagumo, the other common terminal is connected to the switch 6, Par. 0109), a second output terminal of the first switch unit is connected with the second antenna interface (Nagumo, one of the two common terminals is connected to the main antenna 5L for a low band, Par. 0109), and an output side of the antenna switch module is connected with at least the first antenna interface (Lan, FIG. 2, antenna switch 212(b) connected to antenna tuner 214(b)). The motivation is the same as in claim 17.
Regarding claim 23, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya disclose the antenna system of claim 22,
wherein the fifth frequency band is an N40 frequency band (Obiya, The second communication band may be 5G-NR n78, the first communication band may be 4G-LTE Band 1, Band 2, Band 7, Band 40, or Band 41, Par. 0132) [Examiner’s Note: Same reasoning as claim 11.];
when the signal at the B3 or B66 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, and the signal at the fifth frequency band is received by a second signal interface and amplified by the second amplifier unit, the third switch unit is switched to transmit the signal at the fifth frequency band to the third antenna interface for transmission (Obiya, The second communication band may be n77 of 5G-NR, the first communication band may be Band 1, Band 3, Band 66, or Band 41 of 4G-LTE, and switch 10 may be configured to connect connector terminal 10c to antenna connector terminal 10a and connect selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10b in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, Par. 0126; In the case where a radio-frequency signal of the first communication band is used in 4G and a radio-frequency signal of the second communication band is used in 5G…switch 10 may be configured to connect selector terminal 10c to antenna connector terminal 10a and connect selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10b, Par. 0140) [Examiner’s Note: When B3 or B66 is active, Obiya teaches routing the NR signal to a separate antenna. Applying this to N40, the third switch unit routes N40 to the third antenna interface.]; and
when the signal at the B1 or B25 frequency band is received by the first signal interface, and the signal at the fifth frequency band is received by the second signal interface and amplified by the second amplifier unit, the third switch unit is switched to transmit the signal at the fifth frequency band to any of the third antenna interface and the antenna switch module for transmission (Obiya, The second communication band may be 5G-NR n78, the first communication band may be 4G-LTE Band 1, Band 2, Band 7, Band 40, or Band 41, and switch 10 may be configured to connect both of selector terminal 10c and selector terminal 10e to antenna connector terminal 10a in the simultaneous transmission of the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, Par. 0132; Par. 0140) [Examiner’s Note: When B1 or B25 is active and no problematic IMD is generated with N40, Obiya teaches that the routing is flexible — either to the same antenna or separate antennas.];
wherein the second signal interface is further configured to receive the signal at the second frequency band, and the second signal interface is connected with a signal source of one frequency band at a time (Obiya, Switch 33 connects power amplifier 43T to at least one of filter 14, filter 15, or filter 16 according to the communication band of a transmission signal outputted from transfer circuit 70C, Par. 0045). The motivation is the same as in claim 17.
Regarding claim 24, Lan - Nagumo - Obiya teaches, the electronic device of claim 20,
wherein the second amplifier unit is further configured to receive and amplify a signal at a fifth frequency band (Obiya, power amplifier 43T is one example of the second transmission power amplifier and amplifies, for example, an n77, n78, or n79 transmission signal, Par. 0044; The number of communication bands for radio-frequency signals transferred by transfer circuit 70C is not limited to three, that is, n77, n78, and n79, and may be at most two or at least four, Par. 0059), and
the electronic device further comprises:
a third switch unit, an input terminal of the third switch unit being connected with an output terminal of the second amplifier unit (Obiya, Switch 33 is disposed on signal paths between power amplifier 43T and filters 14 through 16, Par. 0045; Common terminal 33a is connected to the output terminal of power amplifier 43T, Par. 0046);
a third antenna interface, being connected between one output terminal of the third switch unit and a third antenna, and being separated from the antenna switch module (Obiya, Antenna connector terminal 10b is connected to antenna 22, Par. 0048) [Examiner’s Note: Same reasoning as claim 22.];
a second filter, wherein one terminal of the second filter is connected to another output terminal of the third switch unit, another terminal of the second filter is connected with an input terminal of the first switch unit, and the second filter is configured to filter the signal at the second frequency band (Obiya, Filter 14 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n77 (a second communication band). Filter 14 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130 and the other terminal connected to selector terminal 33c of switch 33, Par. 0040) [Examiner’s Note: Same reasoning as claim 22.]; and
a third filter, wherein one terminal of the third filter is connected with a further output terminal of the third switch unit, another terminal of the third filter is connected with an input side of the antenna switch module, and the third filter is configured to filter the signal at the fifth frequency band (Obiya, Filter 15 is a filter having, as a passband, the frequency range of n78 (a second communication band). Filter 15 has one terminal connected to input/output terminal 130 and the other terminal connected to selector terminal 33d of switch 33, Par. 0041) [Examiner’s Note: Same reasoning as claim 22.]. The motivation is the same as in claim 20.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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NOEL R. BEHARRY
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2416
/NOEL R BEHARRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2416
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