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 § 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by KANG (Pub. No.: US 2023/0108782A1).
With respect to claim 10:
KANG discloses a method for providing 2G and 4G downlink on a single frequency carrier, comprising: providing a 2G Global System for Mobile telecommunications (GSM) transceiver chain (fig. 8, item 850 as in parag. 0113); providing a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) transceiver chain (fig. 8, item 830 as in parag. 0113); intermixing samples of 2G and 4G into a single intermixed sample stream for transmission on a fronthaul interface to a digital radio frequency front end; (fig. 8, item with combiner that combines the three radios 817, 837, 857 and input to item 870); upsampling the intermixed sample stream to a carrier frequency compatible with both 2G and 4G (parag. 0074 discloses communication unit 310 may include various communication and upconvert to RF and transmit via antenna); and transmitting the upsampled intermixed sample stream (parag. 0074 discloses communication unit 310 may include various communication and upconvert to RF and transmit via antenna).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-9, 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANG (Pub. No.: US 2023/0108782A1) and further in view of Shaw (Pub. No.: US 2018/0139670 A1).
With respect to claim 1:
KANG discloses a radio frequency front end (RFFE), comprising: a 2G Global System for Mobile telecommunications (GSM) transceiver (fig. 8, item 850 as in parag. 0113); a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) transceiver (fig. 8, item 830 as in parag. 0113); and a combiner coupled to the 2G GSM transceiver and to the 4G LTE transceiver and to a radio head (fig. 8, item with combiner that combines the three radios 817, 837, 857 and input to item 870), wherein the combiner is coupled to the radio head via at least one stream of IQ samples, the at least one stream carrying samples derived from the 2G GSM transceiver and samples derived from the 4G LTE transceiver (Fig. 8, item 837 and 857 combined and coupled to RF 870).
KANG does not explicitly disclose a virtual radio access network (V-RAN).
Shaw discloses a virtual radio access network (V-RAN) (parag. 0018, 0033 and 0034 discloses virtual network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Shaw into the teaching of KANG thereby facilitating handovers in a communication system that includes different generations of cellular networks.
With respect to claim 2:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, wherein the RFFE is configured to provide downlink for 2G and 4G (parag. 0123).
With respect to claim 3:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, wherein the combiner is configured to upsample 2G signals from the 2G GSM transceiver to a 4G carrier frequency (parag. 0122 discloses deframer upsample GSM signal) .
With respect to claim 4:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, wherein the RFFE is configured to transmit both 2G and 4G on a same frequency band (fig. 8 with 837 and 857).
With respect to claim 5:
KANG discloses the e RFFE of claim 1, wherein the RFFE is configured to transmit both 2G and 4G on one or both of a 850 MHz frequency band or a 1900 MHz frequency band (parag. 0130).
With respect to claim 6:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, wherein the RFFE is an uplink RFFE, and wherein the combiner provides demultiplexing of received 2G GSM signals from 2G GSM UEs and received 4G LTE signals from 4G LTE UEs, and wherein the RFFE outputs 2G GSM samples to the 2G GSM transceiver and 4G LTE samples to the 4G LTE transceiver (fig. 8, parag. 0119-0123).
With respect to claim 7:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, wherein the at least one stream uses one of a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface (parag. 0008 and 0009).
With respect to claim 8:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, further comprising a 5G New Radio (NR) transceiver coupled to the combiner, and wherein the combiner is coupled to the radio head via at least one stream of IQ samples carrying samples derived from the 2G GSM transceiver and samples derived from the 5G NR transceiver (fig. 8, item 810, parag 0080 discloses 5G).
With respect to claim 9:
KANG discloses the RFFE of claim 1, wherein the radio head outputs both 2G and 4G downlink on a single frequency carrier (fig. 8, with item 837 and 857 output to 870).
With respect to claim 11:
KANG discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting both 2G and 4G on a same carrier frequency (fig. 8 with 837 and 857).
With respect to claim 12:
KANG discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising using one of a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface (parag. 0008 and 0011).
With respect to claim 13:
KANG discloses a method of wireless communications using a virtual radio access network (V- RAN), including a radio frequency front end (RFFE) (fig. 8, items 817, 837, 857), comprising: receiving first IQ data based on a 2G Global System for Mobile telecommunications (GSM) signal from a first transceiver (fig. 8, item 850 which is GSM); receiving second IQ data based on a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) signal from a second transceiver (fig. 8, item 830); upsampling the first IQ data to match a sampling rate of the second IQ data (fig. 8 with LTE going through process before combining) ; combining, by a combiner, the upsampled first IQ data and the second IQ data into a single IQ data stream (fig. 8, with combiner combing both signals together); and transmitting the single IQ data stream on a fronthaul link using one of a common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) protocol to a remote radio head (RRH) of the RFFE (fig. 8, discloses a signal output from combiner to item 870 for transmission).
KANG does not explicitly disclose a virtual radio access network (V-RAN).
Shaw discloses a virtual radio access network (V-RAN) (parag. 0018, 0033 and 0034 discloses virtual network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to utilize the teaching of Shaw into the teaching of KANG thereby facilitating handovers in a communication system that includes different generations of cellular networks.
With respect to claim 14:
KANG discloses the method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting a signal based on the single IQ stream from an antenna of the RFFE (fig. 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-20 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 10 and 13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AJIBOLA A AKINYEMI whose telephone number is (571)270-1846. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm, EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, YUWEN PAN can be reached at (571)-272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/AJIBOLA A AKINYEMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
Prosecution Insights