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
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) 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over [Franchini et al (Fig. 10); 8,465,432] in view of [Korden (Fig. 1); 7,804,365].
Regarding claim 1, Franchini et al discloses an amplifier circuit comprising a first port (the node between the elements 102 and 104), a second port (28a), a first amplifying circuit (98) coupled to the first port (the node between the elements 102 and 104), a transmission circuit (104) coupled to the second port (28a) and comprising at least one transmission switch (switch in 104), a first switch (switch in 102) coupled to the first amplifying circuit (98), wherein at least one transmission switch (switch in 104) and the first switch (switch in 102) are configured to select one of a first path (18, 104, 28a) and a second path (18, 102, 98, 100, 28a) between the first port (the node between the elements 102 and 104) and the second port (28a) and both of the first path (18, 104, 28a) and the second path (18, 102, 98, 100, 28a) pass through the transmission circuit (104) and the first amplifying circuit (98). As described above, Franchini et al discloses all the limitations in claim 1 except for that the first port being disposed in a first chip and the second port being disposed in a second chip and the first amplifying circuit being disposed in the first chip and the transmission circuit being disposed in the second chip and the both of the first path and the second path pass through the first chip and the second chip. Korden discloses an amplifier circuit comprising a first chip (IC) and a second chip (SW). Chips are well-known means for mounting and connecting electronic devices to form an Integrated Circuit (IC). Therefore, it would have been obvious to have integrated the first amplifying circuit and first port of Franchini et al in the first chip of Korden, and have integrated the transmission circuit and first switch and second port of Franchini et al in the second chip of Korden, such as taught by Korden in order to provide the advantageous benefit of stabilizing the temperature variations of the amplifier circuit. Also, such a modification would have considered a mere application of well-known conventional chip construction.
Regarding claim 2, the limitations recited in claim 2 are obvious based on the well known in the amplifier art.
Regarding claim 3, wherein the elements of the first chip (IC) comprise bipolar transistors (bipolar transistors in IC), and the second chip (SW) has a capability to comprise complementary metal oxide semiconductors.
Regarding claim 4, wherein in a low power mode (switches in 102 and 100 are opened and the switch in 104 is closed), the multi-chip RF circuit (Fig. 1 of Korden) transmit a RF signal through the first path (18, 104, 28a), and in a high power mode (switches in 102 and 100 are closed and the switch in 104 is opened), the multi-chip RF circuit (Fig. 1 of Korden) transmit a RF signal through the second path (18, 102, 98, 100, 28a).
Regarding claim 5, wherein a number (zero) of amplifiers passed by the first path (18, 104, 28a) is smaller than a number (one) of amplifiers passed by the second path (18, 102, 98, 100, 28a).
Regarding claim 6, wherein the first switch (switch in 102) is disposed in the second chip (SW).
Regarding claim 7, wherein all switches (switches in 102 and 104) included in the multi-chip RF circuit (Fig. 1 of Korden) are disposed in the second chip (SW).
Regarding claim 8, wherein the first amplifying circuit (98) comprises a first amplifier and the first switch (switch in 102) is coupled between the first port (the node between the elements 102 and 104) and the first amplifier (98), and when the first path (18, 104, 28a) is selected, the first switch (switch in 102) is turned off (the switch 102 is opened) and when the second path (18, 102, 98, 100, 28a) is selected, the first switch (switch in 102) is turned on (the switch 102 is closed).
Regarding claim 9, wherein the at least one transmission switch (switch in 104) of the transmission circuit (104) comprises a first transmission switch (switch in 104) having a first terminal (left terminal of the switch in 104) coupled between the first port (the node between the elements 102 and 104) and the first switch (the switch in 102) and a second terminal (right terminal of the switch in 104) coupled to the second port (28a), and when the first path (18, 104, 28a) is selected, the first transmission switch (the switch in 104) is turned on, and when the second path (18, 102, 98, 100, 28a) is selected, the first transmission switch (the switch in 104) is turned off.
Claim(s) 12, 13 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over [Franchini et al (Fig. 10); 8,465,432] in view of [Korden (Fig. 1); 7,804,365] in further view of [Pratt (Fig. 3); 8,970,296].
Regarding claims 12 and 13, Franchini et al in view of Korden discloses all the limitations in claim 12 except for that the first shunt circuit and wherein the first shunt circuit comprises a first reactance element and the first reactance element being a first capacitor. Pratt discloses an amplifier circuit comprising a first shunt circuit (246) and the first shunt circuit (246) being a first capacitor and a first terminal (upper terminal of the capacitor 246) of the first shunt circuit (246) is coupled to the first amplifying circuit (280) and a second terminal (lower terminal of the capacitor 246) of the first shunt circuit (246) is coupled to a reference voltage terminal (ground) and further comprising a first switch (240) and the first reactance element (246) is coupled between the first switch (240) and the reference voltage terminal (ground). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made would have found it obvious to have employed the first shunt circuit and the first switch at the input terminal side of the amplifying circuit of Franchini et al (Fig. 10), such as taught by Pratt (Fig. 3) in order to provide the advantageous benefit of stabilizing the variation of the gain of the amplifier circuit.
Regarding claim 18, Franchini et al in view of Korden discloses all the limitations in claim 18 except for that the second shunt circuit and the second shunt circuit comprises a second reactance element and the second reactance element being a second inductor and a first terminal of the second shunt circuit is coupled between the first amplifying circuit and the and the second port and a second terminal of the second shunt circuit is coupled to the reference voltage terminal. Pratt discloses an amplifier circuit comprising a second shunt circuit (216) and the second shunt circuit (216) comprises a second reactance element and the second reactance element being a second inductor (216) and a first terminal (left terminal of 216) of the second shunt circuit (216) is coupled between the first amplifying circuit (280) and the and the second port (204) and a second terminal (right terminal of 216) of the second shunt circuit (216) is coupled to the reference voltage terminal (ground). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made would have found it obvious to have employed the second shunt circuit at the output terminal side of the amplifying circuit of Franchini et al (Fig. 10), such as taught by Pratt (Fig. 3) in order to provide the advantageous benefit of stabilizing the variation of the gain of the amplifier circuit.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10, 11, 14-17, 19 and 20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Henry Choe whose telephone number is (571)272-1760. The examiner can normally be reached MONDAY-FRIDAY 5AM-11:00PM.
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/HENRY CHOE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
# 2970
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