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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-15 & 17-21 have been considered but are moot because newly found references. Newly added claim 21.
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 12-15 & 17-21 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.
In Claim 12, lines 6-7, the recitation of “a first plurality of switches coupled between the output of and radio- frequency amplifier” it is not clear because phrase “
and radio- frequency amplifier” it is not clear whether radio- frequency amplifier is additional to radio- frequency amplifier as cited in line 2 of Claim 12. Further clarification is needed.
In Claim 12, line 8, the recitation of “the second portion” unclear because the second portion is not clearly defined and it lacks of antecedent basis. Further clarification is needed.
Claims 13-15 are rejected due to their dependency.
In Claim 17, line 7, the recitation of “an output of the radio-frequency amplifier” is not clear because a first switches does not appear coupled between an output of the radio-frequency amplifier and an output of the radio-frequency amplifier is clearly defined. It is noted that in line 2 of the claim and the recitation “a radio-frequency amplifier having a first output terminal and a second output terminal”, thus is not clear which an output of the radio-frequency amplifier is the applicant referring to. Further clarification is needed.
Claims 18-21 are rejected due to their dependency.
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) 1-4, 12-13 & 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacNally et al. (US 6735418 B1, hereinafter, MacNally) in view of Van Delden et al. (US 7586387 B2, of record, hereinafter, Van Delden).
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Regarding claims 1, 12 & 17:
MacNally discloses in Fig. 2, a Wireless circuitry comprising:
a radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 146); and
a tunable matching network (matching 144) that is coupled to an output of the radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 146) and a balun (balun 142) is inherently having a primary coil (see HASSAN, reference 2021/0099140, Fig. 3, Balun 320, having primary coil L1 and secondary coil L2).
MacNally does not disclose the tunable matching network includes:
a plurality of series inductors,
a first plurality of switches coupled between the output of the radio- frequency amplifier and a first portion of the plurality of series inductors,
a second plurality of switches coupled between the first portion of the plurality of series inductors and an output port of the tunable matching network, and the balun having the primary coil coupled to a second portion, different than the first portion, of the plurality of series inductors.
Van Delden discloses in Figs. 5 & 21, a wireless circuitry (Col. 5, line 2, mobile phone) comprising:
a tunable matching network (Col. 14, lines 9-20, adjustable impedance matching network comprising inductor 374, 378, 382, and capacitors 376, 380, 384, 386, 388 and 390 and wherein the tunable matching network connected to an output of amplifier 370.
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 matching circuit of MacNally to have a specific tunable matching circuit as taught by Van Delden. Such a modification would have imparted the advantageous benefit of improving impedance match for example the complex impedance between an antenna and an power amplifier device for UMTS applications (see Col. 10, lines 7-12) and “the RF-loss can be reduced in providing a good match between the complex output impedance of the active power amplifying device and the complex input impedance of the passive matching network, and of course the output impedance of the matching network towards the load” (see Col. 11, lines 12-16) as taught by Van Delden to MacNally reference, thereby suggesting the obviousness of such a modification.
Accordingly, as an obvious consequence combination above, the combination further teaches the unable matching network includes a plurality of series inductors (Fig. 5 discloses plurality inductors and switches) a first plurality of switches (switches 26) coupled between the output of the radio-frequency amplifier and a first portion of the plurality of series inductors (Fig. 5, inductors 30, 32, 34, 36, note that similarly arrangement connected to another output terminal of the amplifier),
a second plurality of switches (Fig. 5, switches of circuit 38, note that same arrangement of Fig. 5 connected on the another output of the amplifier) coupled between the first portion of the plurality of series inductors and an output port (a node between capacitor 390 and antenna 392 / a node between balun 142 and filter 138 of Fig. 2) of the tunable matching network, and the balun having the primary coil coupled to a second portion, different than the first portion, of the plurality of series inductors (noted that the matching of circuit 144 having two inputs and two outputs).
Regarding claim 2:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses the wireless circuitry of claim 1,
wherein the balun further includes a secondary coil (see reference 2021/0099140, Fig. 3, Balun 320, having primary coil L1 and secondary coil L2) has a first terminal coupled to a power supply line (ground) and a second terminal coupled to the output port of the tunable matching network.
Regarding claim 3:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses the wireless circuitry of claim 2,
wherein the tunable matching network further comprises: a parallel inductor (inductor 42, 44, 46, 48) coupled to a portion of the second plurality of switches;
a first switch (at one switch in circuit 40) coupled between first terminals of the primary coil and the parallel inductor; and
a second switch (at least one switch of circuit 40, note on other side of matching circuit 144) coupled between second terminals of the primary coil and the parallel inductor.
Regarding claim 4:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses the wireless circuitry of claim 2,
wherein a first series inductor (inductors 30, 32) in the plurality of series inductors has a first terminal coupled to a first amplifier output (one terminal output of amplifier 146) of the radio-frequency amplifier and has a second terminal coupled to a first terminal of the primary coil, and
a second series inductor (similarly inductors 30, 32) in the plurality of series inductors has a first terminal coupled to a second amplifier output (another output terminal of amplifier 146) of the radio-frequency amplifier and has a second terminal coupled to a second terminal of the primary coil.
Regarding claim 12:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden, as discussed above in claim 1) discloses Wireless circuitry comprising:
a radio-frequency amplifier (Fig. 2, amplifier 146); and
a tunable matching network (Fig. 2, matching 144) that is coupled to an output of the radio-frequency amplifier (146) and that includes a plurality of series inductors (Fig. 5 of Van Delden, inductors 30, 32, 34, 36)
a first plurality of switches (switches as shown in circuit 26 of Fig. 5) coupled between the output of [[and]] –the -- radio- frequency amplifier and a first portion of the plurality of series inductors (inductor 30, 32, 34 and 36), and
a tunable balun (balun 142 of Fig. 2 of MacNally, see reference 2021/0099140, Fig. 3, Balun 320 inherently, having primary coil L1 and secondary coil L2) coupled between [[the]] –a-- second portion, different than the first portion, of the plurality of series inductors and an output port of the tunable matching network.
Regarding claim 13:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses the wireless circuitry of claim 12,
wherein the tunable balun comprises:
a primary coil (HASSAN , Fig. 3 of coil L1) coupled to the second portion of the plurality of series inductors; and a secondary coil (L2), wherein the secondary coil has a first terminal coupled to a ground line (ground) and a second terminal coupled to the output port of the tunable matching network.
Regarding claim 17:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses a Wireless circuitry comprising: a radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 146) having a first output terminal and a second output terminal; and
a tunable matching network (matching circuit 144) that includes a first tuning stage having a first series inductor (inductors 30, 32, 34, 36 of Fig. 5) coupled to the first output terminal and a second series inductor (similar arrange inductors 30, 32, 34, 36 of Fig. 5) coupled to the second output terminal,
first switches (switches in circuit 26 of Fig. 5) coupled between [[an]] the first and second output terminals of the radio-frequency amplifier and the first tuning stage, a second tuning stage (switches in circuit 38), and second switches (switches in the circuit 38) coupled between the second tuning stage and an output port (a port between the matching circuit 144 and Balan circuit 142) of the tunable matching network.
Regarding claim 18:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses the wireless circuitry of claim 17,
wherein the first tuning stage further comprises first, second, third and fourth series inductors (inductors 30, 32, 34, 36), and wherein the second tuning stage comprises an adjustable transformer (balun 142 and switches of circuit 40 of Fig. 5), further comprising: control circuitry (controller is not shown, it is necessary included a controller to control switches) configured to adjust the first and second switches (switches in circuit 26) so that current flows through the first and second series inductors (inductors 30, 32, 34, 36)without flowing through the third and fourth series inductors.
Regarding claim 19:
The combination (MacNally in view of Van Delden) discloses the wireless circuitry of claim 18,
wherein the control circuitry is capable of further configured to adjust the first and second switches (switches of circuit 26 and switches of circuit 38) so that the first and third series inductors (inductor 30, 34) are coupled in parallel and currents flowing through the first and third inductors are in a same direction, and the second and fourth series inductors (inductor 32 and 36) are coupled in parallel and currents flowing through the second and fourth inductors are in a same direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 5-11 is/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.
Claim 5 is allowable since the closest prior art (i.e., MacNally) does not disclose wherein a third series inductor in the plurality of series inductors has a first terminal coupled to a first half of the first plurality of switches and has a second terminal coupled to a first half of the second plurality of switches, and a fourth series inductor in the plurality of series inductors has a first terminal coupled to a second half, different than the first half, of the first plurality of switches and has a second terminal coupled to a second half, different than the first half, of the second plurality of switches.
Claims 6-11 are allowable due to their dependency.
Claims 14-15, 20 & 21 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 to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims and if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Prosecution Insights