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 Objections
Claims 21-36 are objected to because of the following informalities: in claim 21, the recitation “at least” at line 15 should be changed to --at least--; in claim 29, the recitation “second receiving port, an” at line 15 should be changed to --second receiving port, and--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As to claim 22, the recitation “a third receiving” at line 2 should be changed to --a third receiving port--.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 21-26, 29-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 2020/0136716) in view of Pehlke (US 2021/0099199).
As to claim 21, Liu discloses a portable communication device (see at least figure 7) comprising: a plurality of antennas ANT1-ANT6 comprising a first antenna ANT6 and a second antenna ANT1; a transceiver 12 comprising a transmitting port (see the port coupled to “TX/PRX path”), a first receiving port (see the port coupled to “DRX path 5”), and a second receiving port (see the port coupled to “DRX path 2”); a switching circuit 11 configured to establish at least one signal path between the transceiver 12 and at least one of the first antenna ANT6 or the second antenna ANT1; and at least one processor 1220 (see figure 12) configured to: establish, using the switching circuit 11, a first signal-receiving path (see “DRX path 5”) between at least the first receiving port and the first antenna ANT6 to receive a signal detected through the first antenna ANT6, and replace, using the switching circuit 11, the first signal-receiving path (see “DRX path 5”) with a second signal-receiving path (see “DRX path 2”) between at least the second receiving port and the first antenna ANT1 based at least in part on reception performance associated with the first signal-receiving path satisfying a specified condition (see paragraph [0041] lines 1-3, paragraph [0042] lines 1-8, paragraph [0065]; in this instance, the claimed limitations of “replace” operation reads on Liu when the first antenna ANT6 switches from “DRX path 5” to “DRX path 2”).
Liu fails to disclose a plurality of radio frequency (RF) circuits comprising a first RF circuit electrically connected with the first antenna ANT6 and a second RF circuit electrically connected with the second antenna ANT1. Pehlke discloses a plurality of radio frequency (RF) circuits comprising a first RF circuit 53 (see figure 2A) electrically connected with a first antenna 55 and a second RF circuit 54 electrically connected with a second antenna 56. Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Pehlke to Liu, in order to improve signal quality transmitted and/or received at the antennas.
As to claims 22, 30, Liu discloses a third receiving port (see figure 7, the port coupled to “DRX path 4”) formed between the first receiving port and the second receiving port, and wherein the at least one processor 1220 (see figure 12) is further configured to: as part of the replacing, select the second receiving port based at least in part on a determination that the second receiving port is spaced apart from the first receiving port at least by the third receiving port (see figure 7 which shows that the second receiving port is spaced apart from the first receiving port at least by the third receiving port).
As to claims 23, 31, the combination of Liu and Pehlke discloses that the second RF circuit (see RF circuits 53, 54 in figure 2A of Pehlke) is electrically connected between the second antenna ANT1 (see Liu, figure 7) and the transmitting port (see the port coupled to “TX/PRX path” in Liu, figure 7).
As to claims 24, 32, the combination of Liu and Pehlke discloses that the at least one processor is further configured to: establish, using the switching circuit 11 (see Liu, figure 7), a third signal-receiving path (see Liu, figure 7, “DRX path 4”) between a third receiving port (see Liu, figure 7, the port coupled to “DRX path 4”) of the transceiver 12 and the second RF circuit (see RF circuits 53, 54 in figure 2A of Pehlke) while the first signal-receiving path or the second signal-receiving path is remained as established (see Liu, paragraph [0042]).
As to claims 25, 33, the combination of Liu and Pehlke discloses that the second RF circuit (see RF circuits 53, 54 in figure 2A of Pehlke) comprises a duplexer (see Pehlke, paragraph [0121]) via which the second antenna is electrically connected with the transmitting port and the third receiving port at the same time (inherent functions of a duplexer).
As to claims 26, 34, Liu discloses that the specified condition comprises a received signal strength (see paragraphs [0038], [0047], [0065]); but fails to disclose that the specified condition comprises a received signal strength less than a specified received signal strength. The examiner, however, takes Official Notice that it is known in the art to switch from a first receiving path to a second receiving path when a received signal strength of the first receiving path is less than a specified received signal strength. Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Liu as claimed, in order to yield predictable results such as preventing frequent switching between two receiving paths.
As to claim 29, it is rejected for similar reasons with respect to independent claim 21 as set forth above.
Claims 27-28, 35-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 2020/0136716) in view of Pehlke (US 2021/0099199) as applied to claims 21, and 29 above and further in view of Yan (US 2013/0310045).
As to claims 27, 35, the combination of Liu and Pehlke fails to disclose that the at least one processor 1220 (see Liu, figure 12) is further configured to: replace the first signal-receiving path with the second signal-receiving path based on transmitting a signal using the second RF circuit. Yan discloses replacing a first signal-receiving path with a second signal-receiving path based on transmitting a signal using a second RF circuit 370a (see paragraphs [0068], [0080], [0081], [0082]). Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the combination of Liu and Pehlke as claimed, in order to yield predictable results such as preventing signal interference.
As to claims 28, 36, the combination of Liu and Pehlke fails to disclose that the at least one processor 1220 (see Liu, figure 12) is further configured to: replace the first signal-receiving path with the second signal-receiving path based on receiving a signal using the second RF circuit. Yan discloses replacing a first signal-receiving path with a second signal-receiving path based on receiving a signal using a second RF circuit 370a (see paragraphs [0068], [0080], [0081], [0082]). Therefore, it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the combination of Liu and Pehlke as claimed, in order to yield predictable results such as preventing signal interference.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bai (US 10,355,738), Lee (US 2020/0186400), Ono (US 2020/0313714), Lee (US 10,404,305) disclose switching receiving paths in electronic device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NGUYEN THANH VO whose telephone number is (571)272-7901. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-5.
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/NGUYEN T VO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646