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
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 1-8 and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weissman et al. (US Pat Pub# 2017/0294951) in view of Cho et al. (US Pat Pub# 2023/0198638).
Regarding claims 1 and 15, Weissman teaches a first transmitter configured to provide a first transmission signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, first and second transmit chains etc.); a second transmitter configured to provide a second, different transmission signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, first and second transmit chains etc. one being a high/mid band and the other being a low band); a combiner 498 (Fig. 4) configured to receive the first and second transmission signals from the first and second transmitters and combine the first and second transmission signals into a combined signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, combining first and second transmit chains etc.); a power amplifier 402/482 (Fig. 4); a diplexer 479/481 (Fig. 4) configured to receive the amplified, combined signal and separate the amplified, combined signal into a first amplified transmission signal corresponding to the first transmission signal and a second amplified transmission signal corresponding to the second transmission signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, diplexer receiving an amplified combined signal from a first and second transmit chain etc.); and at least one antenna 414/424 (Fig. 4) configured to receive, from the diplexer, the first and second amplified transmission signals and to wirelessly transmit the first and second amplified transmission signals Fig. 4 and Section 0059, antenna receiving an amplified combined signal from a first and second transmit chain via a diplexer to transmit a signal etc.). Weissman fails to teach a power amplifier configured to receive the combined signal from the combiner.
Cho teaches a first transmitter configured to provide a first transmission signal (Fig. 3A and Section 0086, transmitting a signal etc.); a combiner 314a/315a (Fig. 3A); a power amplifier 318a (Fig. 3A) configured to receive the combined signal from the combiner 314a (Fig. 3A) and amplify the combined signal (Section 0086, amplify the combined signal etc.); and at least one antenna 350a (Fig. 3A) configured to receive the first and second amplified transmission signals 318a (Fig. 3A) and to wirelessly transmit the first and second amplified transmission signals (Section 0086, transmitting signals etc.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious at the time of the invention to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a power amplifier configured to receive the combined signal from the combiner as taught by Cho into Weissman’s system in order to improve communication functionality and efficiency.
Regarding claim 2, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the at least one antenna comprises a first antenna 414 (Fig. 4) configured to receive the first amplified 402/482 (Fig. 4) transmission signal from the diplexer 479 (Fig. 4); and a second antenna 424 (Fig. 4) configured to receive the second amplified 402/482 (Fig. 4) transmission signal from the diplexer 481 (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 3, the combination including Weissman teaches a first transmit/receive switch 277/281 (Fig. 2C) configured to receive the first amplified transmission signal from the diplexer; and a second transmit/receive switch 277/281 (Fig. 2C) configured to receive the second amplified transmission signal from the diplexer.
Regarding claim 4, the combination including Weissman teaches another diplexer configured to receive the first amplified transmission signal from the first transmit/receive switch (Figs. 2C and 4, first diplexer and switch); receive the second amplified transmission signal from the second transmit/receive switch (Figs. 2C and 4, second amplified transmission signals and switch); combine the first amplified transmission signal and the second amplified transmission signal into another combined signal (Figs. 2C and 4, first and second amplifiers and second combiner etc.); and pass the other combined signal to the at least one antenna 214/224 (Figs. 2C and 4).
Regarding claim 5, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the at least one antenna is a single antenna 414 (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 6, the combination including Weissman teaches a first antenna 214 (Fig. 2C) configured to receive the first amplified transmission signal from the first transmit/receive switch 277 (Fig. 2C); and a second antenna 224 (Fig. 2C) configured to receive the second amplified transmission signal from the second transmit/receive switch 281 (Fig. 2C).
Regarding claim 7, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the first transmission signal is in a first frequency range and the second transmission signal is in a second frequency range (Fig. 4, high/mid bands vs. low bands etc.).
Regarding claim 8, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the first frequency range is about 5.170 GHz to about 5.835 GHz and the second frequency range is about 5.925 GHz to about 7.125 GHz (Fig. 4, high/mid bands vs. low bands etc.).
Regarding claim 16, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the first frequency range is about 5.170 GHz to about 5.835 GHz and the second frequency range is about 5.925 GHz to about 7.125 GHz (Fig. 4, high/mid bands vs. low bands etc.).
Regarding claim 17, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the at least one antenna comprises a single antenna 414 (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 18, the combination including Weissman teaches wherein the single antenna is further configured to transmit a third transmission signal in a third frequency range that is non-overlapping with both the first frequency range and second frequency range (Fig. 4, high/mid bands vs. low bands etc.).
Regarding claim 19, the combination including Weissman teaches a third transmitter configured to provide the third transmission signal (Fig. 4, low band); and a low-band front-end module configured to receive the third transmission signal from the third transmitter, wherein the single antenna is configured to receive the third transmission signal from the low-band front-end module and to wirelessly transmit the third transmission signal (Fig. 4, low band).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weissman et al. (US Pat Pub# 2017/0294951) in view of Cho et al. (US Pat Pub# 2023/0198638) and further in view of Trayling et al. (US Pat Pub# 2024/0388265).
Regarding claim 9, Weissman in view of Cho teaches the limitations in claims 1 and 7. Weissman and Cho fails to teach a bandpass filter.
Trayling teaches wherein the diplexer comprises: a first bandpass filter that allows a first portion of the amplified, combined signal in the first frequency range to pass to a first output; and a second bandpass filter that allows a second portion of the amplified, combined signal in the second frequency range to pass to a second output (Section 0028, first and second bandpass filters).
Therefore, it would have been obvious at the time of the invention to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a bandpass filter as taught by Trayling into a power amplifier configured to receive the combined signal from the combiner as taught by Cho into Weissman’s system in order to improve filtering of bands.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claim 20, the prior art of record, Weissman teaches a first transmitter configured to provide a first transmission signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, first and second transmit chains etc.); a second transmitter configured to provide a second, different transmission signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, first and second transmit chains etc. one being a high/mid band and the other being a low band); a combiner 498 (Fig. 4) configured to receive the first and second transmission signals from the first and second transmitters and combine the first and second transmission signals into a combined signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, combining first and second transmit chains etc.); a power amplifier 402/482 (Fig. 4); a diplexer 479/481 (Fig. 4) configured to receive the amplified, combined signal and separate the amplified, combined signal into a first amplified transmission signal corresponding to the first transmission signal and a second amplified transmission signal corresponding to the second transmission signal (Fig. 4 and Section 0059, diplexer receiving an amplified combined signal from a first and second transmit chain etc.); and at least one antenna 414/424 (Fig. 4) configured to receive, from the diplexer, the first and second amplified transmission signals and to wirelessly transmit the first and second amplified transmission signals Fig. 4 and Section 0059, antenna receiving an amplified combined signal from a first and second transmit chain via a diplexer to transmit a signal etc.); a second combiner 279 (Fig. 2C) configured to combine a third transmission signal; a second power amplifier 402/482 (Fig. 4); a second diplexer 481 (Fig. 4) configured to separate the amplified second combined signal into a third amplified transmission signal; and a second antenna 424 (Fig. 4) configured to wirelessly transmit the third.
Cho teaches a first transmitter configured to provide a first transmission signal (Fig. 3A and Section 0086, transmitting a signal etc.); a combiner 314a/315a (Fig. 3A); a power amplifier 318a (Fig. 3A) configured to receive the combined signal from the combiner 314a (Fig. 3A) and amplify the combined signal (Section 0086, amplify the combined signal etc.); and at least one antenna 350a (Fig. 3A) configured to receive the first and second amplified transmission signals 318a (Fig. 3A) and to wirelessly transmit the first and second amplified transmission signals (Section 0086, transmitting signals etc.).
The prior art of record fails to teach a system, comprising a first combiner configured to combine a first transmission signal and a second, different transmission signal into a first combined signal; a first power amplifier configured to amplify the first combined signal; a first diplexer configured to separate the amplified first combined signal into a first amplified transmission signal and a second amplified transmission signal; a first antenna configured to wirelessly transmit the first and second amplified transmission signals; a second combiner configured to combine a third transmission signal and a fourth, different transmission signal into a second combined signal; a second power amplifier configured to amplify the second combined signal; a second diplexer configured to separate the amplified second combined signal into a third amplified transmission signal and a fourth amplified transmission signal; and a second antenna configured to wirelessly transmit the third and fourth amplified transmission signals.
Claims 10-14 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.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW WENDELL whose telephone number is (571)272-0557. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30AM-5PM.
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/ANDREW WENDELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648 1/30/2026