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
The foreign priority is not claim for the instant examining application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/20/2023. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 11 & 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Van Delden et al. (US 7586387 B2), hereinafter Van Delden.
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Regarding claim 1, Van Delden discloses in Figs. 5 & 21 wireless circuitry (Col. 5, line 2, mobile phone) comprising:
a radio-frequency amplifier (Col. 14, lines 19-22, amplifier 370 couple to the complex impedance 392 of the antenna); and
a tunable matching network (Col. 14, lines 9-20, adjustable impedance matching network comprising the inductance 374 connected to the inductance 378 and the capacitance 376 connected to ground, the inductance 378 is connected with the other terminal to the inductance 382 and the capacitance 380 connected to ground, the inductance 382 is connected with the other terminal to the capacitance 384 connected to ground and to the parallel circuit comprising the capacitance 386 and the capacitance 388 both connected to ground and the inductance 382 is connected with the other terminal also to the capacitance 390, the capacitance 390 is connected with the other terminal to the impedance 392 of the antenna) that is coupled to an output of the radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 370) and that includes a plurality of series inductors (Col. 6, lines 40-45, FIG. 5 shows a (note typo, tunable) inductor. The tunable inductor comprises a serial circuit of two parallel circuits comprising switch assemblies 26, 28, 38 and 40 and inductances with different values 30, 32, 34, 36, 42, 44, 46, and 48), a first plurality of switches (Fig. 5, switches 26, 28, 38, 40) coupled between the output of the radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 370) and a first portion of the plurality of series inductors (Fig. 5, inductors 30, 40 in series, inductors 32 & 44 in series and etc.), and a second plurality of switches (Fig. (Fig. 5, inductors 30, 40 in series, inductors 32 & 44 in series) coupled between the first portion of the plurality of series inductors and an output port (a terminal between capacitor 390 and impedance of antenna 392) of the tunable matching network.
Regarding claim 11, Van Delden discloses in Figs. 5 & 21 the wireless circuitry of claim 1, further comprising:
control circuitry (not shown, should be present in order to turn on and off of switches) configured to selectively activate and deactivate the first and second plurality of switches in three or more frequency tuning modes of the tunable matching network.
Regarding claim 17, Van Delden discloses in Figs. 5 & 21 wireless circuitry comprising:
a radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 370); and
a tunable matching network (tunable inductors 374, 378, 382) that includes a first tuning stage (inductors 30, 32, 34, 36, switch 28, 38, inductors 42, 44, 46, 48 and switch 40), first switches (switch 26 includes un-label switches ) coupled between an output of the radio-frequency amplifier (amplifier 370 of Fig. 21) and the first tuning stage, a second tuning stage (Fig. 5, form by switch 26, inductors 30, 32, 34, 36, switches 28, 38 and inductors 42, 44, 46, 48), and second switches (switch 40 includes un-label switches) coupled between the second tuning stage and an output port (a terminal between capacitor 390 and impedance of antenna 392) of the tunable matching network.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10 & 18-20 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.
Claims 2-10 are allowable since the closest prior art (i.e. Van Delden) does not teach about wherein the tunable matching network further comprises: a balun having a primary coil coupled to a second portion, different than the first portion, of the plurality of series inductors and having a secondary coil, wherein the secondary coil has a first terminal coupled to a power supply line and a second terminal coupled to the output port of the tunable matching network.
Claims 18-20 are allowable since the closest prior art (i.e. Van Delden) does not teach wherein the second tuning stage comprises an adjustable transformer.
Claims 12-16 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The independent claim 12 is allowable and the most relevant prior art reference of Van Delden et al. (US 7586387 B2 of record) does not teach specially, a tunable balun coupled between the second portion, different than the first portion, of the plurality of series inductors and an output port of the tunable matching network. As such, the combination of limitations of the independent claim 12 overcome the prior art. Claims 13-16 are allowable as being dependent on claim 12. Therefore, the applicant’s claimed invention has been determined to be novel and non-obvious. By virtue of dependency from claims 13-16 have also been determined to be novel and non-obvious.
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 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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ANDREA J LINDGREN BALTZELL can be reached at (571)272-5918. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843