DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 12/18/2025.
Applicant's election with traverse of group I in the reply filed on 12/18/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the groups are obvious variants. This is not found persuasive because the groups require separate searches in different areas of classification.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Applicant Admitted Prior Art (AAPA) in view of Tong et al (WO 2023/022901 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Figure 2 of AAPA discloses a resonant switch having three ports [Figure 2].
Figure 2 of AAPA does not explicitly disclose
said resonant switch comprising a plurality of switching elements coupled in series between a first port and a second port of said three ports, with each switching element having a resistance in the ON-state and having a parasitic capacitance across
said plurality of switching elements comprising a first set of switching elements and a second set of switching elements, each of said first set of switching elements and second set of switching elements also being coupled as a corresponding series, said first set of switching elements and said second set of switching elements being connected at a junction
a first capacitor coupled between said junction and a constant reference potential
Figure 7 of Tong discloses
said resonant switch comprising a plurality of switching elements coupled in series between a first port and a second port, with each switching element having a resistance in the ON-state and having a parasitic capacitance across [702]
said plurality of switching elements comprising a first set of switching elements and a second set of switching elements, each of said first set of switching elements and second set of switching elements also being coupled as a corresponding series [paragraph 62], said first set of switching elements and said second set of switching elements being connected at a junction [702]
a first capacitor coupled between said junction and a constant reference potential [Cs1]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have included a resonant switch as taught by Tong in the three port system of AAPA for the purpose of implementing the switch with reduced capacitance [paragraph 40 Tong] and current leakage [paragraph 60 Tong].
Regarding claim 2, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 1, discloses wherein said junction is selected such that effective capacitance between said first port and said second port is least compared to any other position for said junction [paragraph 40 Tong].
Regarding claim 3, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 2, discloses wherein a number of switching elements in said first set of switching elements equals that in said second set of switching elements [paragraph 62 Tong].
Regarding claim 4, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 2, discloses wherein said plurality of switching elements are comprised in a switch stack [paragraph 62 Tong].
Regarding claim 5, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 1, discloses wherein one end of said first set of switching elements is coupled to said first port, the other end of said first set of switching elements being coupled to said junction, wherein one end of said second set of switching elements is coupled to said junction, the other end of said second set of switching elements being coupled to said second port, said resonant switch further comprising: a second capacitor coupled between said second port and said constant reference potential; an inductor coupled between said second port and a third port of said three ports; and another switching element coupled between said third port and said constant reference potential [Figure 2 AAPA].
Regarding claim 6, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 5, discloses wherein each switching element in said plurality of switching elements as well as said another switching element are operable to be closed in a first set of intervals to cause a first signal received at said second port to flow to said first port, and wherein each switching element in said plurality of switching elements as well as said another switching element are operable to be open in a second set of intervals to cause a second signal received at said second port to flow to said third port [Figure 7 Tong; Figure 2 AAPA].
Regarding claim 7, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 6, discloses wherein coupling of said first capacitor between said junction and said constant reference potential enables greater isolation between said first port and said third port in said second set of intervals as well as lower insertion-loss between said first port and said second port in said first set of intervals than if said first capacitor is coupled between said first port and said constant reference potential [paragraph 40 Tong; paragraph 60 Tong].
Regarding claim 8, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 6, discloses wherein the capacitance of said first capacitor, the capacitance of said second capacitor and the inductance of said inductor have magnitudes to cause said first capacitor, said second capacitor and said inductor to operate as a resonant LC (inductor-capacitor) network in said first set of intervals, wherein said magnitudes of said capacitance of said second capacitor and said inductance of said inductor also cause an impedance at said third port to be transformed when seen from said second port [Figure 2 AAPA].
Regarding claim 9, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 5, discloses wherein each of said plurality of switching elements is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) [Figure 7 Tong].
Regarding claim 10, the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 5, does not explicitly disclose wherein dimensions of switching elements in said first set of switching elements are smaller than dimensions of switching elements in said second set of switching elements.
However, it would have been obvious to of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of the combination of AAPA and Tong, as applied to claim 5, by using the desired dimensions as a matter of simple design-choice, since it would have been a matter of simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results.
Conclusion
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/TOMI SKIBINSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842