Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/517,695

HALF DUPLEX AMPLIFIER

Non-Final OA §102§103§112
Filed
Nov 22, 2023
Examiner
NGUYEN, KHANH V
Art Unit
2843
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Arris Enterprises LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
94%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 94% — above average
94%
Career Allow Rate
1105 granted / 1181 resolved
+25.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+1.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
1208
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
28.8%
-11.2% vs TC avg
§102
39.6%
-0.4% vs TC avg
§112
27.2%
-12.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1181 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103 §112
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 Objections Claims 10, 27-29 and 33 are objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 10, line 1, “wherein said amplifier said selectively” should correctly be “wherein said amplifier selectively”. Regarding claim 11, line 1, “wherein said amplifier said selectively” should correctly be “wherein said amplifier selectively”. Regarding claim 17, line 1, “wherein said amplifier said selectively” should correctly be “wherein said amplifier selectively”. Regarding claims 27-29 and 33, which are depended on canceled claim 21. Appropriate correction is required. 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 appl icant regards as his invention. Claims 18 and 19 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. Regarding claim 18, it is not clear how the frequency range of said downstream analog output signal is adjustable by said amplifier . Note, the specification does not disclose the claimed subject matter. Clarification is needed. Regarding claim 19, it is not clear how the frequency range of said upstream analog output signal is adjustable by said amplifier . Note, the specification does not disclose the claimed subject matter. Clarification is needed. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis ( i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. Claim(s) 1 and 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Jin et al. (20170019146), hereafter called JIN. Regarding claim s 1 and 34 , JIN (Fig. 23) discloses a communication system , such as CATV comprising: (a) said amplifier receiving a downstream analog input signal having a frequency spectrum from an input coaxial cable , path includes at least amplifier (202), also see para. [ 0041] ; (b) said amplifier converting said frequency spectrum of said downstream analog input signal to a downstream digital input signal, selectively modifying selected frequencies of said downstream digital input signal, converting said modified downstream digital input signal to a downstream analog output signal, and providing said downstream analog output signal to an output coaxial cable for a customer , see para. [0138] ; (c) said amplifier receiving an upstream analog input signal having a frequency spectrum from said output coaxial cable , path includes at least amplifier (204), also see para. [0041] ; (d) said amplifier converting said frequency spectrum of said upstream analog input signal to an upstream digital input signal, selectively modifying selected frequencies of said upstream digital input signal, converting said modified upstream digital input signal to an upstream analog output signal, and providing said upstream analog output signal to said input coaxial cable , see paras. [0142], [0143] and [0146] ; (e) wherein said amplifier is free from simultaneously providing said upstream analog output signal having a frequency range that is overlapping with said downstream analog output signal , see paras.[0042], [0044] and [0050] . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis ( i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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) 2 -4, 8 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over J IN. Regarding claim s 2 -4 , 8 and 9 , the difference between J IN and claimed invention is that a filter is provided . However, it is well known in the art that filter is often provided for enhanc ing circuit performance, such as remov e unwanted noise and improve signal quality and thus providing such as filter would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art. A llowable Subject Matter Claims 10-12, 16 and 17 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claims 10-12, prior art(s) does not disclose said amplifier selectively modifying selected frequencies of said downstream digital input signal includes using a transform to determine downstream transform coefficients that are a frequency domain representation of said downstream digital input and selectively modifying said downstream transform coefficients. Regarding claims 16 and 17, prior art(s) does not disclose said selectively modifying selected frequencies of said downstream digital input signal includes using a transform to determine downstream transform coefficients that are a frequency domain representation of said downstream digital input and selectively modifying said downstream transform coefficients based upon an output of a controller. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional reference ( s ) cited in PTO-892 show further analogous prior art circuitry. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Khanh V. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-1767 . The examiner can normally be reached from 8:3 0 AM – 5 :00 PM EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone 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, LINDGREN BALTZELL ANDREA can be reached on (571) 272- 5918 . The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application lnformation Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (E BC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /KHANH V NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 22, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103, §112 (current)

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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
94%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+1.9%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1181 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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