Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/735,813

DIGITAL PREDISTORTION WITH HYBRID BASIS-FUNCTION-BASED ACTUATOR AND NEURAL NETWORK

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Jun 06, 2024
Examiner
HA, DAC V
Art Unit
2633
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Analog Devices, Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
94%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 2m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 94% — above average
94%
Career Allow Rate
742 granted / 794 resolved
+31.5% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
10 currently pending
Career history
804
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
6.5%
-33.5% vs TC avg
§103
40.3%
+0.3% vs TC avg
§102
26.0%
-14.0% vs TC avg
§112
9.4%
-30.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 794 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 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) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bai – US 2013/0343483 in view of Ghannouchi et al. – US 2023/0268942. Re claim 18, Bai discloses: “actuator circuitry configured to perform a digital predistortion (DPD) operation using at least one of multiple neural networks associated with respective nonlinear characteristics of a nonlinear component of the RF transceiver, the multiple neural networks comprising” (Fig. 1, 2; elements 26, 36; para. 0025, 0029, 0034; Abstract; wherein Bai compensates for distortion introduced by a non-linear device and the artificial neural network (ANN)- based model comprises “multiple networks” as interconnected group of signal processing elements referred to as artificial neurons, ANs), “a first neural network for state estimation of a nonlinear component of the RF transceiver based on an input signal to the nonlinear component and a feedback signal indicative of an output of the nonlinear component, the feedback signal formed from looping the output of the nonlinear component back from a transmitter path to a receiver path in the RF transceiver” (para. 0035-0037 wherein at least some of the ANs model the device’s distortion using the input and output (feedback)), and “a second neural network for prediction of a state of the nonlinear component based on a second input signal of the nonlinear component (para. 0036, 0038; where at least some of the ANs model the predistorter’s response corresponding to the desired output (i.e. “predict”). Bai differs from the claimed invention that it does not explicitly disclose the above underlined claimed subject. Ghannouchi, in similar field of endeavor, teaches the above underlined claimed subject matter in a transceiver at a base station, that utilizes DPD model for mitigating the nonlinearity from nonlinearity component, including use of neural network (para. 0019) that provides feedback loop from the transmitter chain to the receiver chain in the transceiver for adapting the DPD (Fig. 3a; para. 0002, 0004, 0019, 0053, 0064, 0071, 0073). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing to have incorporated such teaching from Ghannouchi, into the base station of Bai to provide even more accurate adaptation for the DPD modeling. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-17, 19-21 are allowed. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on reference applied in the prior rejection of record for teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAC V HA whose telephone number is (571)272-3040. The examiner can normally be reached 7-3:30 M-F. 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, Sam Ahn can be reached at 571-272-3044. 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. /DAC V HA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 06, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 18, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Dec 22, 2025
Response Filed
Mar 06, 2026
Final Rejection — §103 (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

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
94%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+4.0%)
2y 2m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 794 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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