Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/476,773

DOHERTY AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 28, 2023
Examiner
NGUYEN, KHIEM D
Art Unit
2843
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allow Rate
1872 granted / 2187 resolved
+17.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
73 currently pending
Career history
2260
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
44.5%
+4.5% vs TC avg
§102
30.7%
-9.3% vs TC avg
§112
15.2%
-24.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 2187 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/28/2023. 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)(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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by van der Heijden et al., hereinafter called van der Heijden (US 20220416725 A1). Regarding claim 1, van der Heijden (Fig. 2A) discloses a Doherty amplifier circuit comprising: a carrier amplifier (see path 230) comprising one or more first amplifiers(driver stage205) ; and a peaking amplifier (see path 250) comprising one or more second amplifiers (driver stage 305), wherein at least one amplifier of the first amplifiers or the second amplifiers comprises: a transistor (transistor 244) that receives a radio frequency signal (RF input node 212) and that receives a changing bias voltage bias voltage control circuit 246 which provide bias voltage to the base terminal of transistor 244) or a changing bias current at a base or a gate of the transistor, and that outputs an amplified radio frequency signal from a collector or a drain of the transistor (collector of transistor 244), and a feedback circuit (feedback circuit include capacitor 249) configured to provide a voltage or a current based on the amplified radio frequency signal to the base or the gate of the transistor (base of the transistor 244), or to an emitter or a source of the transistor. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 2-11 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 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. 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, 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. 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. /KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 28, 2023
Application Filed
Jan 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603626
MULTI-PHASE-BASED DOHERTY POWER AMPLIFIER METHOD AND APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12599329
Sense Amplifer For a Physiological Sensor and/or Other Sensors
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12599000
NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND MONITORING CHANNEL STRUCTURES AND NON-VOLATILE MEMORY SYSTEM COMPRISING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12599018
PACKAGE STRUCTURE WITH ENHANCEMENT STRUCTURE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12592674
SELF-BIAS SIGNAL GENERATING CIRCUIT USING DIFFERENTIAL SIGNAL AND RECEIVER INCLUDING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+12.5%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 2187 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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