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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in CN on 2022-01-18. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 202210051876.3 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-12 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 2-8 & 11-12, the recitations of “The load modulation power amplifier” should change to read as --- The
high-bandwidth load modulation power amplifier---.
In claim 9-10, the recitations of “the load modulation power amplifier” should change to read as --- the
high-bandwidth load modulation power amplifier---.
In claim 1, the recitation of “an output end of the main power amplifier is connected to the main radio frequency signal matching network” should change to read as ---an output end of the main power amplifier is connected to an input end of the main radio frequency signal matching network----.
In claim 1, the recitation of “an output end of the auxiliary power amplifier is connected to the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network” should change to read as --- an output end of the auxiliary power amplifier is connected to an input end of the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network---.
In Claim 3, the recitation of “a ground end” in line 9, should change to read as ---the ground end---.
In Claims 4 & 5, the recitation of “a ground end” should change to read as ---the ground end---.
In Claim 8, the recitation of “a ground end” in lines 9 & 13, should change to read as ---the ground end---.
Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because both terminal of inductor L1 of Fig. 3 connected to same terminal. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1-12 are 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the other end" in 13 & 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the other end" in 16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the other end" in lines 5 & 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the other end" in lines 4-6, 8 & 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the other end" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the other end" in line 4-6 & 10-11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2, 6-7, 9-12 are rejected due to their dependency.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 & 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pengelly (US 20120235734 A1).
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Regarding claim 1 is best understood:
Pengelly discloses in Fig. 5, a high-bandwidth load modulation power amplifier (30), comprising
a main power amplifier (36) and
an auxiliary power amplifier (46), and
further comprising an orthogonal coupler (from by circuits 32 and 34, 44),
a main radio frequency signal matching network (38),
an auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network (48), and
an output combination radio frequency signal matching network (42), wherein
an input end (IP1) of the orthogonal coupler is connected to a radio frequency signal input end (terminal RFIN),
an output end (O1) with a phase of +45 degrees of the orthogonal coupler is connected to an input end (A1) of the main power amplifier (36),
an output end (A0) of the main power amplifier (36) is connected to an input end of (E1) the main radio frequency signal matching network (38),
an output end with (O2) a phase of -45 degrees of the orthogonal coupler is connected to an input end (B1) of the auxiliary power amplifier, and
an output end (B0) of the auxiliary power amplifier is connected to --an input end of (E3) the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network (48); and
[[the]] another end (E4) of the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network (48) and [[the]] another end (E4) of the main radio frequency signal matching network (38) are connected in parallel, and
then are connected to the output combination radio frequency signal matching network (42), and [[the]] another end of the output combination radio frequency signal matching network (42) is connected to a radio frequency signal output end (RFOUT); (Claim 10) the circuit of Pengelly may be used in electronic device such as mobile device and access points such as base stations, that are battery powered, see paragraph [0002].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 2 & 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pengelly in view of Grebennikov (US 20200321918 A1) .
Regarding claim 2:
Pengelly discloses the limitations as applied in claim 1 and further discloses wherein the main radio frequency signal matching network, the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network and each comprise a lumped element except for
the output combination radio frequency signal matching network is lumped element.
Grebennikov discloses in Fig. 3, a Doherty amplifier comprising an output impedance transformer includes lump element inductors (L6, L7, Lch and capacitors C6, C7 and Lbp).
Pengelly and Grebennikov are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely Doherty amplifier.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the impedance circuit (42) of Pengelly to have lump elements as taught by Grebennikov. Such a modification would have imparted the advantageous benefit of improving insertion loss, see paragraph [0019]), lines 1-3, as taught by Grebennikov to Pengelly reference, thereby suggesting the obviousness of such a modification.
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Regarding claim 5:
The combination (Pengelly in view of Grebennikov) discloses wherein the output combination radio frequency signal matching network comprises
a fifth inductor (e.g. inductor L6) and a fifth capacitor (e.g. capacitor C6), one end (E2) of the fifth inductor (L6) is connected to one end of the fifth capacitor (capacitor C6) and the radio frequency signal output end (RFOUT), and [[the other]] another end of the fifth capacitor is connected to a ground end (ground).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pengelly in view of Grebennikov (US 20200321918 A1) and further in view of Kuriyama et al. (US 20080125061 A1, hereinafter Kuriyama).
Regarding claim 8 as best understood:
The combination (Pengelly in view of Grebennikov) discloses the limitations of claim 2 except for the matching circuit includes the limitations as cited in claim 8.
Kuriyama discloses in Fig. 14, a power amplifier circuit comprising a matching network 270b that includes inductors 120m, 120o, capacitors 110r, 110t.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network as taught by Pengelly with the matching circuit 270b as taught by Kuriyama. Such a modification would have imparted the advantageous benefit of improving power transfer, stabilization and an increase in performance of the RF power amplifier module are possible (par. [0065], as taught by Kuriyama to Pengelly reference, thereby suggesting the obviousness of such a modification.
Accordingly, the combination further discloses wherein the auxiliary radio frequency signal matching network comprises a third inductor (120m, Fig. 14), a fourth inductor(120o), a third capacitor (110r), and a fourth capacitor (110t),
one end (15b) of the third inductor (120m) is connected to the output end of the auxiliary power amplifier, [[the other]] another end of the third inductor (120m) is connected to one end of the third capacitor (110r) and one end of the fourth capacitor (110t),
[[the other]] another end of the third capacitor (110r) is connected to a ground end (ground),
[[the other]] another end of the fourth capacitor (110t) is connected to one end of the fourth inductor (120o) and
one end of a fifth capacitor (e.g. C7 of Fig. 3) of the output combination radio frequency signal matching network, and [[the other]] another end of the fourth inductor (120o) is connected to [[a]] the ground end; and
the output combination radio frequency signal matching network comprises a fifth inductor (L7, Fig.3) and the fifth capacitor (C7, Fig. 3), [[the other]] another end of the fifth capacitor (C7) is connected to the fifth inductor and the radio frequency signal output end, and [[the other]] another end of the fifth inductor (L7) is connected to a ground end.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Khlat (US 20200321848 A1) in view of Pengelly.
Regarding claim 9:
Khlat discloses in Fig. 2A-2C (paragraph [0057], (RF front-end circuit 36 also includes a Doherty amplifier 38)) RF front-end circuit / electronic device includes a Doherty amplifier.
Pengelly discloses the Doherty amplifier comprising the limitations of Claim 1, as discussed above.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the Doherty amplifier as taught by Pengelly (discussed in claim 1) in order provided significant performance improvements (as states in Abstract of Pengelly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 & 6-7, 11-12 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph,
set forth in this Office action and if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHIEM D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3941. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-5:00 PM EST.
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Prosecution Insights