DETAILED ACTION
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 2, 9 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities: The claims appear to refer to limitations “a case,” “a signal parameter” and “a gain” that were already introduced in parent claims 1, 8 and 15.
Appropriate correction is required.
Contingent Limitations
Method claims 1-7 contain or are dependent on claims with contingent limitations (“in a case that…”). “The broadest reasonable interpretation of a method (or process) claim having contingent limitations requires only those steps that must be performed and does not include steps that are not required to be performed because the condition(s) precedent are not met” (MPEP 2111.04(II)).
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.
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.
Claims 1-3, 8-10 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qin (CN 106712812 A, cited in IDS. Citations made to English machine translation).
As to claim 1, Qin discloses a wireless device control method applied to a wireless device (Figs. 2-3), wherein the wireless device comprises:
a transceiver, an amplifier, a control switch, and an antenna (p. 4, 2nd to last paragraph and p. 5 ¶09, Figs. 2-3. Transceiver 23, amplifier 22, antenna 21. “The power amplifying unit 222 includes a multi-level gain and Bypass switch.”);
wherein a first end of the amplifier is electrically connected to the transceiver, a second end of the amplifier is electrically connected to the antenna, a bypass branch is provided between the first end and the second end of the amplifier, and the control switch is provided in the bypass branch (p. 4, 2nd to last paragraph and p. 5 ¶09, Figs. 2-3. Amplifier 22 between antenna 21 and transceiver 23. Bypass switch between first and second ends of amplifier.); and
the method comprises:
obtaining a target parameter, wherein the target parameter comprises a signal quality parameter of a target signal on the transceiver (p. 6 ¶07, Figs. 2-3. “Controlling the gain of the adjustable gain power amplifier 22 according to the received signal power and a preset received signal power threshold, the transmitted signal power and a preset transmitted signal power threshold.”);
in a case that the signal quality parameter is greater than a signal parameter threshold and a gain of the amplifier is greater than 0, reducing the gain of the amplifier (p. 6 ¶10. “When the two sides are close to each other, the received signal power is generally high, and the data processor 24 can control the gain of the adjustable gain power amplifier 22 to be a low-level gain or even 0 level (gain is 0), so as to reduce the power consumption of the Bluetooth receiving circuit.”); and
in a case that the signal quality parameter is greater than the signal parameter threshold and the gain of the amplifier is equal to or less than 0, controlling the control switch to be in a conducted state so that the bypass branch is in a conducted state (p. 6 ¶09-10. “When the two sides are close to each other, the received signal power is generally high, and the data processor 24 can control the gain of the adjustable gain power amplifier 22 to be a low-level gain or even 0 level (gain is 0), so as to reduce the power consumption of the Bluetooth receiving circuit.” “When receiving a gain control adjustment signal that is sent by the data processor 24 and adjusts the gain to 0, the Bypass switch is closed, so that the adjustable gain power amplifier 22 operates in a Bypass mode, that is, the gain is zero.”).
Qin does not expressly disclose the wireless device is a wireless earphone.
However, wireless earphones are a type of wireless device that is well-known in the art and would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. The motivation would have been using the known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
As to claim 2, Qin discloses wherein the in a case that the signal quality parameter is greater than a signal parameter threshold and a gain of the amplifier is greater than 0, reducing the gain of the amplifier comprises: in a case that the signal quality parameter is greater than the signal parameter threshold and the gain of the amplifier is greater than 0, reducing the gain of the amplifier to a target gain, wherein the target gain is greater than 0 (p. 6 ¶10. “When the two sides are close to each other, the received signal power is generally high, and the data processor 24 can control the gain of the adjustable gain power amplifier 22 to be a low-level gain.” Low-level gain is target gain.).
As to claim 3, Qin discloses wherein the method further comprises:
determining a working scenario of the wireless earphone (p. 6 ¶10. Close or long distance between devices is working scenario.); and
determining the signal parameter threshold based on the working scenario, wherein different working scenarios correspond to different signal parameter thresholds (p. 6 ¶10. “When the distance between the local terminal Bluetooth radio frequency circuit and the opposite terminal Bluetooth radio frequency circuit is relatively long, the received signal power is generally relatively low... When the two sides are close to each other, the received signal power is generally high.” ).
Claims 8 and 15 are directed to substantially the same subject matter as claim 1 and are therefore rejected using the same motivation as claim 1 above.
Claims 9-10 and 16-17 are rejected under claims 8 and 15 using the same motivation as claims 2-3 above.
Claims 4, 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qin, as applied to claims 1, 9 and 16 above, in view of Runyon et al. (US 2022/0038251 A1), hereinafter “Runyon.”
As to claim 4, Qin does not expressly disclose wherein the amplifier comprises a receive amplifier and a transmit amplifier, and the control switch comprises a first control switch and a second control switch, wherein a first end of the receive amplifier is electrically connected to the transceiver, a second end of the receive amplifier is electrically connected to the antenna, a first bypass branch is provided between the first end and the second end of the receive amplifier, and the first control switch is provided in the first bypass branch; and
a first end of the transmit amplifier is electrically connected to the transceiver, a second end of the transmit amplifier is electrically connected to the antenna, a second bypass branch is provided between the first end and the second end of the transmit amplifier, and the second control switch is provided in the second bypass branch.
Runyon discloses wherein the amplifier comprises a receive amplifier (408) and a transmit amplifier (406), and the control switch comprises a first control switch and a second control switch (SW5, SW6, SW7), wherein a first end of the receive amplifier is electrically connected to the transceiver (Fig. 2, 78 connected to transmission line 62, using a transceiver is an obvious variation), a second end of the receive amplifier is electrically connected to the antenna (Fig. 2, 78 connected to Antenna 58), a first bypass branch is provided between the first end and the second end of the receive amplifier (SW7 branch), and the first control switch (SW7) is provided in the first bypass branch (Runyon, ¶0074, ¶0076, Figs. 2 and 11. “Any of the amplitude adjustment circuits 370, 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 can correspond to the amplitude adjustment circuits 78 and 80 in the example of FIG. 2.” “The second signal path 404 includes a power amplifier 406 that is configured to amplify the transmit signal in the transmit mode. Additionally, the amplitude adjustment circuit 400 includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 408 that is arranged in parallel with the third switch SW.sub.7, arranged as a single-pole single-throw switch. Therefore, in the receive mode, the receive signal is amplified by the LNA 408, and in the transmit mode, the transmit signal is provided in a bypass short-circuit through the closed switch SW.sub.7.”); and
a first end of the transmit amplifier is electrically connected to the transceiver (Fig. 2. 78 connected to transmission line 62, using a transceiver is an obvious variation), a second end of the transmit amplifier is electrically connected to the antenna (Fig. 2, 78 connected to Antenna 58), a second bypass branch is provided between the first end and the second end of the transmit amplifier (path 402), and the second control switch (SW5 and SW6) is provided in the second bypass branch (Runyon, ¶0074, ¶0076, Figs. 2 and 11. Obvious that a single switch could replace and perform the same function as SW5 and SW6 do together.).
Qin and Runyon are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor with respect to wireless transmission circuits.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have transmit and receive amplifiers, as taught by Runyon. The motivation would have been it would be obvious to replace the single element performing two different functions with two different elements.
Claims 11 and 18 are rejected under claims 8 and 15 using the same motivation as claim 4 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 12-14 and 19-20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES K MOONEY whose telephone number is (571)272-2412. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM -5:00 PM EST.
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/JAMES K MOONEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2695