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 .
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for domestic benefit based on provisional application no. 63/308,691, filed February 10, 2022. It is noted, however, that the provisional application was not filed in English. An English-language translation of the non-English provisional application and a statement that the translation is accurate must be filed in the provisional application. See 37 CFR 1.78(a)(5).
Specification
The use of the term LTE®, which is a trade name or a mark used in commerce, has been noted in this application (Paragraphs 3, 40, and 337). The term should be accompanied by the generic terminology; furthermore the term should be capitalized wherever it appears or, where appropriate, include a proper symbol indicating use in commerce such as ™, SM , or ® following the term.
Although the use of trade names and marks used in commerce (i.e., trademarks, service marks, certification marks, and collective marks) are permissible in patent applications, the proprietary nature of the marks should be respected and every effort made to prevent their use in any manner which might adversely affect their validity as commercial marks.
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.
(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.
Claims 9-11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (Patent Publication Number US 2018/0123516 A1), hereafter referred to as Kim.
Regarding claim 9, Kim discloses:
A radio-frequency module (Kim, Fig. 16, 900), comprising: a first substrate (Fig. 16, consider collection of switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #1” and voltage generator 910) having a plurality of output terminals (Fig. 16, consider terminals at V1, V2, and VN); a second substrate (Fig. 16, consider collection of switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #2”) having a plurality of first input terminals that are respectively coupled to the plurality of output terminals, respectively (Fig. 16, see connections between switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #2” and switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #1” at terminals V1, V2, and VN); a first integrated circuit on the first substrate (Fig. 16, see collection of switches coupled to terminal “To PA #1” and voltage generator 910), the first integrated circuit including at least one switch (Fig. 6, see switches SW1b, SW2b, and SWNb) in a switched-capacitor circuit (Fig. 6, 350a-n); and a second integrated circuit on the second substrate (Fig. 16, consider collection of switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #2”), the second integrated circuit including a supply modulator (Fig. 16, consider collection of switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #2”), wherein: the switched-capacitor circuit is configured to generate a plurality of discrete voltages that are output from the first substrate via the plurality of output terminals (Paragraph 78, lines 5-12); and the supply modulator is configured to generate a power supply that is selected from the plurality of discrete voltages that are received via the plurality of first input terminals (Paragraph 78, lines 5-12).
Regarding claim 10, Kim further discloses:
wherein the supply modulator is configured to generate the power supply by selecting at least one of the plurality of discrete voltages based on an envelope signal (Kim, Paragraph 78, lines 5-12).
Regarding claim 11, Kim further discloses:
wherein: the supply modulator is a second supply modulator (Kim, Fig. 16, see two supply modulators formed by switches SW coupled to “To PA #1” and switches SW coupled to “To PA #2”); the power supply is a second power supply (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10); the plurality of output terminals is a plurality of second output terminals (Fig. 16, see connections between switches SW connected to terminal “To PA #1” and switches SW connected to terminal “To PA #2”); the first substrate further has a first output terminal (Fig. 16, see terminal “To PA #1”); and the first integrated circuit further includes a first supply modulator (Fig. 16, see collection of switches coupled to terminal “To PA #1” and voltage generator 910) configured to generate a first power supply to output via the first output terminal (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10), the first power supply being generated by selecting at least one of the plurality of discrete voltages based on a first radio-frequency signal (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10).
Regarding claim 13, Kim further discloses:
further comprising: a third substrate (Kim, Fig. 16, see switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #M”) having a plurality of second input terminals that are respectively coupled to in the plurality of second output terminals (Fig. 16, see connections between V1, V2, and VN and switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #M”), respectively; and a third integrated circuit on the third substrate (Fig. 16, see switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #M”), the third integrated circuit including a third supply modulator (Fig. 16, see switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #M”), wherein the third supply modulator is configured to generate a third power supply by selecting at least one of the plurality of discrete voltages that are received via the plurality of second input terminals (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10).
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.
Claims 1-3 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Kilari et al. (Patent Publication Number CA 2,405,143 A1), hereafter referred to as Kilari.
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses:
A tracker module (Kim, Fig. 16, 900), comprising: and a first output terminal (Fig. 16, see terminal at “To PA #1”) and a plurality of second output terminals (Fig. 16, consider terminals at V1, V2, and VN) that are configured to output signals of the tracker module (Fig. 16, consider connections between switches coupled to terminal “To PA #1” and switches coupled to terminal “To PA #2”), wherein: the at least one integrated circuit includes a first supply modulator (Fig. 16, see collection of switches coupled to terminal “To PA #1” and voltage generator 910) and at least one switch (Fig. 6, see switches SW1b, SW2b, and SWNb) in a switched-capacitor circuit (Fig. 6, 350a-n); the switched-capacitor circuit is configured to generate a plurality of discrete voltages (Fig. 16, see voltages V1, V2, and VN), the plurality of discrete voltages being supplied to the plurality of second output terminals to output (Fig. 16, see connections between V1, V2, and VN and switches connected to terminal “To PA #2”); and the first supply modulator is configured to generate a first power supply by selecting at least one of the plurality of discrete voltages (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10), the first power supply being provided to the first output terminal (Fig. 16, see connection between switches SW and terminal “To PA #1”), but fails to disclose a module laminate configured to provide interconnections to circuit components on the module laminate; at least one integrated circuit on the module laminate.
However, Kilari teaches a module laminate (Kilari, Page 7, lines 15-16) configured to provide interconnections to circuit components on the module laminate (Page 7, lines 15-17); at least one integrated circuit on the module laminate (Page 7, lines 15-17).
Kim and Kilari are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Kilari to include the modulate laminate of Kilari in the circuit of Kim, which would have the effect reducing excess heat in the circuit of Kim (Kilari, Page 7, lines 17-21).
Regarding claim 2, Kim further discloses:
wherein the first supply modulator is configured to generate the first power supply by selecting the at least one of the plurality of discrete voltages based on an envelope signal of a first radio-frequency signal (Kim, Paragraph 78, lines 5-12).
Regarding claim 3, Kim in view of Kilari further discloses:
wherein: the module laminate has a first side and a second side that oppose each other (Kim, Fig. 16, see terminals “To PA #1” and V1-VN on opposing sides of switches SW); the first output terminal is arranged along the first side (Fig. 16, see connection between “To PA #1” and switches SW); and the plurality of second output terminals is arranged along the second side (Fig. 16, see connection between terminals V1-VN and switches SW).
Regarding claim 6, Kim discloses:
A power amplifier module (Kim, Fig. 16, 900), comprising: a power amplifier (Fig. 16, consider power amplifier at terminal “To PA #1”) that is configured to amplify a radio-frequency signal (Fig. 14, see signal RFOUT1 that is amplification of RFIN1); a plurality of input terminals (Fig. 16, see terminals V1, V2, and VN) configured to receive a plurality of discrete voltages (Fig. 16, see voltages V1,V2, and VN); and a supply modulator (Fig. 16, see collection of switches coupled to terminal “To PA #1”) that is configured to generate a power supply to the power amplifier (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10), the power supply being selected from the plurality of discrete voltages based on the radio-frequency signal (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10), but fails to disclose a module laminate; [the power amplifier] is on the module laminate and; [the supply modulator] is on the module laminate.
However, Kilari teaches a module laminate (Kilari, Page 7, lines 15-16); [the power amplifier] is on the module laminate and (Page 7, lines 15-20); [the supply modulator] is on the module laminate (Page 7, lines 15-17).
Kim and Kilari are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Kilari to include the modulate laminate of Kilari in the circuit of Kim, which would have the effect reducing excess heat in the circuit of Kim (Kilari, Page 7, lines 17-21).
Regarding claim 7, Kim further discloses:
wherein the supply modulator is configured to generate the power supply by selecting at least one of the plurality of discrete voltages based on an envelope signal of the radio-frequency signal (Kim, Paragraph 78, lines 5-12).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Kilari as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sanchez et al. (Patent Publication Number US 2022/0200643 A1), hereafter referred to as Sanchez.
Regarding claim 4, Kim and Kilari fail to disclose:
wherein the first output terminal is configured to provide the first power supply to a first power amplifier that is configured to amplify a cellular network Sub6 signal or a wireless local area network 2.4-GHz band signal.
However, Sanchez teaches wherein the first output terminal is configured to provide the first power supply to a first power amplifier that is configured to amplify a cellular network Sub6 signal or a wireless local area network 2.4-GHz band signal (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4).
Kim, Kilari, and Sanchez are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Sanchez to include a cellular network Sub6 signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4).
Claims 5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Kilari as applied to claims 1 and 6, respectively, above, and further in view of Wolberg et al. (Patent Publication Number US 2017/0005854 A1), hereafter referred to as Wolberg.
Regarding claim 5, Kim further discloses:
wherein the plurality of second output terminals is configured to provide the plurality of discrete voltages to a second supply modulator (Kim, Fig. 16, see connection between terminals V1, V2, and VN to switches SW coupled to terminal “To PA #2”) that is configured to generate a second power supply to power a second power amplifier (Fig. 16, see connection between switches SW and terminal “To PA #2”), but fails to disclose [the second power amplifier] that is configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal or a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal.
However, Wolberg teaches [the second power amplifier] that is configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal or a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Kim, Kilari, and Wolberg are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Wolberg to include a cellular network millimeter-wave signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Regarding claim 8, Kim fails to disclose:
wherein the radio-frequency signal is a cellular network millimeter-wave signal.
However, Wolberg teaches wherein the radio-frequency signal is a cellular network millimeter-wave signal (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Kim, Kilari, and Wolberg are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Wolberg to include a cellular network millimeter-wave signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Sanchez and Wolberg.
Regarding claim 12, Kim further discloses:
wherein: the first output terminal is configured to provide the first power supply to a first power amplifier (Kim, Paragraph 78, lines 5-10) and the plurality of second output terminals are configured to provide the plurality of discrete voltages to the second supply modulator (Fig. 16, see terminals V1, V2, and VN and connections to switches SW connected to terminal “To PA #2”) to generate the second power supply that is configured to power a second power amplifier (Paragraph 78, lines 5-10) but fails to disclose [the first power amplifier] that is configured to amplify a cellular network Sub6 signal or a wireless local area network 2.4-GHz band signal; [the second power amplifier] configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal or a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal.
However, Sanchez teaches [the first power amplifier] that is configured to amplify a cellular network Sub6 signal or a wireless local area network 2.4-GHz band signal (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4); but fails to teach [the second power amplifier] configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal or a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal.
However, Wolberg teaches [the second power amplifier] configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal or a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Kim, Sanchez and Wolberg are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Sanchez and Wolberg to include a cellular network Sub6 signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4), and to include a cellular network millimeter-wave signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Claims 14, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Sanchez.
Regarding claim 14, Kim further discloses:
wherein the first output terminal is coupled to a first power amplifier (Kim, Fig. 16, see terminal “To PA #1”), but fails to disclose [the first power amplifier] that is configured to amplify a cellular network Sub6 signal.
However, Sanchez teaches [the first power amplifier] that is configured to amplify a cellular network Sub6 signal (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4).
Kim, Kilari, and Sanchez are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Sanchez to include a cellular network Sub6 signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4).
Regarding claim 18, Kim further discloses:
wherein: the plurality of first input terminals is coupled to the plurality of second output terminals via a plurality of first wirings (Kim, Fig. 16, see connections between switches coupled to terminals “To PA #1” and “To PA #2”); but fails to disclose and a first length of a first one of the plurality of first wirings configured to be applied with a highest voltage in the plurality of discrete voltages is shorter than a second length of a second one of the plurality of first wirings configured to be applied with a lowest voltage in the plurality of discrete voltages.
However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the wiring applied with the highest voltage shorter than the wiring applied with the lowest voltage, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 20, Kim further discloses:
wherein the second substrate and the third substrate are of a same substrate (Kim, Fig. 16, see that switches coupled to both of terminals “To PA #2” and “To PA #M as part of switch unit 720).
Claims 15-17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Sanchez as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Wolberg.
Regarding claim 15, Kim further discloses:
wherein the plurality of second output terminals is coupled to a second power amplifier via the plurality of first input terminals and the second supply modulator (Kim, Fig. 16, see connection between terminals V1, V2, and VN and terminal “To PA #2” via switches SW), and is coupled to a third power amplifier via the plurality of second input terminals and the third supply modulator (Fig. 16, see connection between terminals V1, V2, and VN and terminal “To PA #M” via switches SW), but fails to disclose the second power amplifier being configured to amplify a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal, the third power amplifier being configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal.
However, Sanchez further teaches the second power amplifier being configured to amplify a wireless local area network 5-GHz band signal (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4), but fails to teach the third power amplifier being configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal.
However, Wolberg teaches the third power amplifier being configured to amplify a cellular network millimeter-wave signal (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Kim, Sanchez and Wolberg are all considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of improving power amplifiers used in radio frequency communications. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Kim to incorporate the teachings of Sanchez and Wolberg to include a cellular network Sub6 signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Sanchez, Paragraph 3, lines 1-4), and to include a cellular network millimeter-wave signal for the power amplifiers of Kim, which would have the effect of utilizing the circuit of Kim for a well-known signal frequency (Wolberg, Paragraph 39, lines 10-16).
Regarding claim 16, Kim further discloses:
wherein: the plurality of first input terminals is coupled to the plurality of second output terminals via a plurality of first wirings (Kim, Fig. 16, see connections between switches coupled to terminals “To PA #1” and “To PA #2”); the plurality of second input terminals is coupled to the plurality of second output terminals via a plurality of second wirings (Fig. 16, see connections between switches coupled to terminals “To PA #2” and “To PA #M”); but fails to disclose and the plurality of second wirings is shorter than the plurality of first wirings.
However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the plurality of second wirings shorter than the plurality of first wirings, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 17, Kim further discloses:
wherein: the plurality of first input terminals is coupled to the plurality of second output terminals via a plurality of first wirings (Kim, Fig. 16, see connections between switches coupled to terminals “To PA #1” and “To PA #2”); the plurality of second input terminals is coupled to the plurality of second output terminals via a plurality of second wirings (Fig. 16, see connections between switches coupled to terminals “To PA #2” and “To PA #M”); but fails to disclose and the plurality of second wirings is wider than the plurality of first wirings.
However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the plurality of second wirings wider than the plurality of first wirings, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 19, Kim further discloses:
The radio-frequency module according to claim 15, wherein: the plurality of first input terminals is coupled to the plurality of second output terminals via a plurality of first wirings (Kim, Fig. 16, see connections between switches coupled to terminals “To PA #1” and “To PA #2”); but fails to disclose and a first width of a first one of the plurality of first wirings configured to be applied with a highest voltage in the plurality of discrete voltages is wider than a second width of a second one of the plurality of first wirings configured to be applied with a lowest voltage in the plurality of discrete voltages.
However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the wiring applied with the highest voltage wider than the wiring applied with the lowest voltage, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Drogi et al. (Patent Publication Number US 2020/0336110 A1) discloses (Fig. 6) power supply modulators for two power amplifiers based on an envelope signal.
Anderson (Patent Publication Number US 2017/0077877 A1) discloses (Paragraph 132) a power amplifier operating with a 2.4 GHz band.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Lance T Bartol whose telephone number is (703)756-1267. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 6:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CT, Alternating Fridays 6:30 - 3:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Andrea 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.
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/LANCE TORBJORN BARTOL/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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