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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 17, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lehtola (US 2018/0026594), in view of Gotou et al. (US 2005/0231286).
In regard to Claim 1:
Lehtola discloses, in Figure 11, a radio frequency module comprising:
a carrier amplifier (1107) and a peak amplifier (1108);
a branching circuit (1102) connected to an input end of the carrier amplifier (1107 input) and an input end of the peak amplifier (1108 input);
a synthesis circuit (1110) connected to an output end of the carrier amplifier (107 output) and an output end of the peak amplifier (108 output); and
a control circuit (1182) configured to vary a threshold value of a bias voltage of the peak amplifier (¶ 0094) based on a radio frequency signal input (1162) to the branching circuit (1102) or the carrier amplifier (1107), and a signal indicating a drive level of the carrier amplifier (¶ 0093).
Lehtola does not disclose wherein the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier are included in a first integrated circuit, the control circuit is included in a second integrated circuit, and the second integrated circuit is disposed adjacent to the first integrated circuit on a carrier amplifier side out of the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier.
Gotou discloses, in Figure 13, wherein the carrier amplifier (16) and the peak amplifier (18) are included in a first integrated circuit (14a),
the control circuit (46) is included in a second integrated circuit (12), and
the second integrated circuit (12) is disposed adjacent to the first integrated circuit (14a) on a carrier amplifier side out (16 output) of the carrier amplifier (16) and the peak amplifier (18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the integrated circuits taught by Gotou with the carrier and peak amplifiers taught by Lehtola, in order to provide a compact Doherty high-frequency power amplifier having a simple configuration that outputs signals of good quality with minimized distortion (Gotou Paragraph 0120).
In regard to Claim 17:
Lehtola discloses, in Figure 11, a radio frequency module comprising:
a carrier amplifier (1107) and a peak amplifier (1108);
a branching circuit (1102) connected to an input end of the carrier amplifier (1107 input) and an input end of the peak amplifier (1108 input);
a synthesis circuit (1110) connected to an output end of the carrier amplifier (107 output) and an output end of the peak amplifier (108 output); and
a control circuit (1182) configured to vary a threshold value of a bias voltage (¶ 0094) of the peak amplifier (1108), wherein a first input end of the control circuit (1182) is connected to the input end of the carrier amplifier (1182 input is connected to 1107 input via 1102), a second input end (1130) of the control circuit is connected to a bias circuit of the carrier amplifier (1107, ¶ 0093), an output end of the control circuit (1182) is connected to a bias circuit of the peak amplifier (1108).
Lehtola does not disclose the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier are included in a first integrated circuit, the control circuit is included in a second integrated circuit, and the second integrated circuit is disposed adjacent to the first integrated circuit on a carrier amplifier side out of the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier.
Gotou discloses, in Figure 13, wherein the carrier amplifier (16) and the peak amplifier (18) are included in a first integrated circuit (14a),
the control circuit (46) is included in a second integrated circuit (12), and
the second integrated circuit (12) is disposed adjacent to the first integrated circuit (14a) on a carrier amplifier side out (16 output) of the carrier amplifier (16) and the peak amplifier (18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the integrated circuits taught by Gotou with the carrier and peak amplifiers taught by Lehtola, in order to provide a compact Doherty high-frequency power amplifier having a simple configuration that outputs signals of good quality with minimized distortion (Gotou Paragraph 0120).
In regard to Claim 19:
Lehtola discloses, in Figure 11, a radio frequency module comprising:
a carrier amplifier (1107) and a peak amplifier (1108);
a branching circuit (1102) connected to an input end of the carrier amplifier (1107 input) and an input end of the peak amplifier (1108 input);
a synthesis circuit (1110) connected to an output end of the carrier amplifier (107 output) and an output end of the peak amplifier (108 output); and
a control circuit (1182), wherein a first input end of the control circuit (1182) is connected to an input end of the branching circuit or the input end of the carrier amplifier (1182 input is connected to 1107 input via 1102), a second input end of the control circuit (1182) is connected to the output end of the carrier amplifier (1130 of 1107), an output end of the control circuit (1182) is connected to the peak amplifier (1108, ¶ 0093).
Lehtola does to disclose the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier are included in a first integrated circuit, the control circuit is included in a second integrated circuit, and the second integrated circuit is disposed adjacent to the first integrated circuit on a carrier amplifier side out of the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier.
Gotou discloses, in Figure 13, wherein the carrier amplifier (16) and the peak amplifier (18) are included in a first integrated circuit (14a),
the control circuit (46) is included in a second integrated circuit (12), and
the second integrated circuit (12) is disposed adjacent to the first integrated circuit (14a) on a carrier amplifier side out (16 output) of the carrier amplifier (16) and the peak amplifier (18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the integrated circuits taught by Gotou with the carrier and peak amplifiers taught by Lehtola, in order to provide a compact Doherty high-frequency power amplifier having a simple configuration that outputs signals of good quality with minimized distortion (Gotou Paragraph 0120).
Claims 2-16, 18, and 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.
In regard to Claim 2:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the control circuit includes a drive level detection circuit connected to the output end of the carrier amplifier and configured to output the signal indicating the drive level of the carrier amplifier, and a peak bias control circuit connected to an input end of the branching circuit or the input end of the carrier amplifier, and the drive level detection circuit, and configured to output a control signal for varying the threshold value of the bias voltage of the peak amplifier to a bias circuit of the peak amplifier.
In regard to Claim 18:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
further comprising: a module substrate, wherein the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit are disposed on a main surface of the module substrate, and in a plan view of the module substrate, the second integrated circuit is disposed closer to the carrier amplifier than the peak amplifier.
In regard to Claim 20:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
further comprising: a module substrate, wherein the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit are disposed on a main surface of the module substrate, and in a plan view of the module substrate, the second integrated circuit is disposed closer to the carrier amplifier than the peak amplifier.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim et al. (US 2004/0113698) discloses a signal amplifier includes a splitter for splitting an input signal into first and second signals, first and second bias control networks for generating a base bias signal for a Doherty amplifier in accordance with a power level of the input signal, a carrier amplifier for amplifying the first input signal, a peaking amplifier for amplifying the second input signal and a Doherty output network for combining the amplified signals.
Nishimori (US 2017/0264247) discloses a power amplification apparatus which is a Doherty power amplification apparatus includes a main amplifier configured to amplify an input signal, and an auxiliary amplifier configured to amplify the input signal when a level of the input signal is higher than a predetermined level.
Imai (US 2024/0186956) discloses the doherty amplification circuit (10) has a carrier amplifier (12) that amplifies an input high-frequency signal. A peak amplifier (16) amplifies the input high-frequency signal. A first bias circuit (14,15) biases the carrier amplifier. A second bias circuit (18,19) biases the peak amplifier. A control circuit (21) controls the second bias circuit based on an input high-frequency signal and a signal representing the drive level of the carrier amplifier.
Khlat (US 11,108,360) discloses a Doherty amplifier system includes a carrier amplifier having a main input for receiving a first portion of a radio frequency (RF) signal and a main output in communication with a RF signal output. A peaking amplifier has a peak input for receiving a second portion of the RF signal and a peak output in communication with the RF signal output.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John W Poos whose telephone number is (571)270-5077. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at 571-272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOHN W POOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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