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(s) 1-3, 5 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wloczysiak (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2018/0351594).
-Regarding claim 1, Wloczysiak discloses a radio frequency front end module (diversity receiver configuration D400, FIG. 20) comprising: a plurality of initial amplification stages each configured to amplify a corresponding radio frequency receive signal (amplifiers D314a-D314D, FIG. 20); a first secondary amplification stage (amplifier D324a, FIG. 20) and a first switch (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324a, FIG. 20), the first switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the first secondary amplification stage (paragraph 236); and a second secondary amplification stage (amplifier D324b, FIG. 20) and a second switch (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324b, FIG. 20), the second switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the second secondary amplification stage, one or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch also received by the second switch (paragraph 236).
-Regarding claim 2, Wloczysiak further discloses the first switch is configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least three of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to the input of the first secondary amplification stage (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324a, FIG. 20), and the second switch is configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least three of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to the input of the second secondary amplification stage (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324b, FIG. 20).
-Regarding claim 3, Wloczysiak further discloses two or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch are also received by the second switch (switch D321, FIG. 20).
-Regarding claim 5, Wloczysiak further discloses a plurality of filters, each of the plurality of filters connected to a corresponding initial amplification stage of the plurality of amplification stages, each of the plurality of filters having a different passband (filter D413a-D413d, FIG. 20; paragraph 406).
-Regarding claim 6, Wloczysiak further discloses the first secondary amplification stage has a first operational frequency range that encompasses the passbands of each of the filters connected to the at least two of the initial amplification stages that output the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch (filter D423a, FIG. 20; paragraph 409), and the second secondary amplification stage has a second operational frequency range that encompasses the passbands of each of the filters connected to the at least two of the initial amplification stages that output the intermediate amplified outputs received by the second switch (filter D423b, FIG. 20; paragraph 409).
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) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wloczysiak (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2018/0351594).
-Regarding claim 4, while Wloczysiak teaches a first tunable matching circuit connected to an output of the first secondary amplification stage and dynamically tunable based on which of the intermediate amplified outputs are selectively output by the first switch, and a second tunable matching circuit connected to an output of the second secondary amplification stage and dynamically tunable based on which of the intermediate amplified outputs are selectively output by the second switch in FIG. 20.
Wloczysiak teaches that this may be a variation in another embodiment since paragraph 421, describing figure 23 states, “shows that in some embodiments”. Figure 23 depicts a tunable matching circuit D616, FIG. 23; paragraph 422.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of different embodiments of Wloczysiak in order to provide tunable antenna matching circuit.
Claim(s) 8-10, 13-17, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gorbachov (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2010/0226292) in view of Wloczysiak (U.S. PG-PUB NO. 2018/0351594).
-Regarding claim 8, Gorbachov discloses a radio frequency front end system (FIG. 9) comprising: first (antenna 36a, FIG. 9) and second antennas (antenna 36b, FIG. 9); and first and second radio frequency sub-systems connected to the first and second antennas respectively (see FIG. 9).
Gorbachov is silent to teaching that each of the first and second radio frequency sub-systems including a plurality of initial amplification stages, first and second secondary amplification stages, and first and second switches, the first switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the first secondary amplification stage, the second switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the second secondary amplification stage, one or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch also received by the second switch. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Wloczysiak.
In the same field of endeavor, Wloczysiak teaches each of the first and second radio frequency sub-systems including a plurality of initial amplification stages (amplifiers D314a-D314D, FIG. 20), first (amplifier D324a, FIG. 20) and second secondary amplification stages (amplifier D324b, FIG. 20), and first (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324a, FIG. 20) and second switches (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324b, FIG. 20), the first switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the first secondary amplification stage (paragraph 236), the second switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the second secondary amplification stage, one or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch also received by the second switch (FIG. 20; paragraph 236).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Gorbachov with the teaching of Wloczysiak in order to increase data throughput.
-Regarding claim 9, the combination further discloses the first radio frequency sub-system is configured to aggregate at least two component carriers for downlink (Gorbachov, first primary receive port (RXA-1) 86, FIG. 9; paragraph 46), and the second radio frequency sub-system is also configured to aggregate the at least two component carriers for downlink (Gorbachov, first secondary receive port (RXA-2) 88, FIG. 9; paragraph 46).
-Regarding claim 10, the combination further discloses the first radio frequency sub-system implements a diversity path (Gorbachov, paragraph 74) and the second radio frequency sub-system implements a multi-input multi-output path (Wloczysiak, paragraph 17).
-Regarding claim 13, the combination further discloses the first switch is configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least three of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to the input of the first secondary amplification stage (Wloczysiak, switch D321 associated with amplifier D324a, FIG. 20; paragraph 236), and the second switch is configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least three of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to the input of the second secondary amplification stage (Wloczysiak, switch D321 associated with amplifier D324b, FIG. 20; paragraph 236).
-Regarding claim 14, the combination further discloses two or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch are also received by the second switch (Wloczysiak, switch D321, FIG. 20).
-Regarding claim 15, the combination further discloses a first tunable matching circuit connected to an output of the first secondary amplification stage and dynamically tunable based on which of the intermediate amplified outputs are selectively output by the first switch, and a second tunable matching circuit connected to an output of the second secondary amplification stage and dynamically tunable based on which of the intermediate amplified outputs are selectively output by the second switch (Wloczysiak, tunable matching circuit D616, FIG. 23; paragraph 422).
-Regarding claim 16, the combination further discloses a plurality of filters, each of the plurality of filters connected to a corresponding initial amplification stage of the plurality of amplification stages, each of the plurality of filters having a different passband (filter D413a-D413d, FIG. 20; paragraph 406).
-Regarding claim 17, the combination further discloses the first secondary amplification stage has a first operational frequency range that encompasses the passbands of each of the filters connected to the at least two of the initial amplification stages that output the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch (Wloczysiak, filter D423a, FIG. 20; paragraph 409), and the second secondary amplification stage has a second operational frequency range that encompasses the passbands of each of the filters connected to the at least two of the initial amplification stages that output the intermediate amplified outputs received by the second switch (Wloczysiak, filter D423b, FIG. 20; paragraph 409).
-Regarding claim 19, Gorbachov discloses a mobile device (FIG. 9) comprising: first (antenna 36a, FIG. 9) and second antennas (antenna 36b, FIG. 9); a primary path radio frequency sub-system connected to the first antenna and configured to support uplink and downlink for at least two radio frequency bands, and to support carrier aggregation for at least the downlink (path for TXA 82, RXA-1 86, RXA-2 88, FIG. 9); and a diversity path radio frequency sub-system connected to the second antenna and configured to support downlink carrier aggregation (path for RXB-1 90, RXB-2 92, FIG. 9).
Gorbachov is silent to teaching that the diversity path radio frequency sub-system including a plurality of initial amplification stages, first and second secondary amplification stages, and first and second switches, the first switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the first secondary amplification stage, the second switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the second secondary amplification stage, one or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch also received by the second switch. However, the claimed limitation is well known in the art as evidenced by Wloczysiak.
In the same field of endeavor, Wloczysiak teaches the diversity path radio frequency sub-system including a plurality of initial amplification stages (amplifiers D314a-D314D, FIG. 20), first (amplifier D324a, FIG. 20) and second secondary amplification stages (amplifier D324b, FIG. 20), and first (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324a, FIG. 20) and second switches (switch D321 associated with amplifier D324b, FIG. 20), the first switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the first secondary amplification stage (paragraph 236), the second switch configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least two of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to an input of the second secondary amplification stage, one or more of the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch also received by the second switch (FIG. 20; paragraph 236).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Gorbachov with the teaching of Wloczysiak in order to increase data throughput.
-Regarding claim 20, the combination further discloses the first switch is configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least three of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to the input of the first secondary amplification stage (Wloczysiak, switch D321 associated with amplifier D324a, FIG. 20; paragraph 236), the second switch is configured to receive intermediate amplified outputs from at least three of the initial amplification stages and to selectively output one of the intermediate amplified outputs to the input of the second secondary amplification stage (Wloczysiak, switch D321 associated with amplifier D324b, FIG. 20; paragraph 236).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 11, 12 and 18 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Cited references do not teach the allowable subject matter or the claimed limitations, such as the first secondary amplification stage has a first operational frequency range that is wider than any of operational frequency range of the at least two of the initial amplification stages that output the intermediate amplified outputs received by the first switch, and the second secondary amplification stage has a second operational frequency range that is wider than any operational frequency range of the at least two of the initial amplification stages that output the intermediate amplified outputs received by the second switch as claims 7 and 18; a third radio frequency sub-system that implements a primary path configured to aggregate the at least two component carriers for downlink and that also implements uplink functionality as in claims 11 and 12.
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 PING Y HSIEH whose telephone number is (571)270-3011. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Mehmood can be reached at (571) 272-2976. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PING Y HSIEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2664