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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/07/2025 and 07/23/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1, 7-15 & 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tahara et al. (US 20240128932 A1, JP priority date 2021-07-07, hereinafter Tahara).
Regarding claims 1 & 9-10:
Tahara discloses in Fig. 1, a transmitter comprising:
a plurality of power amplifiers (amplifiers 11 & 12), each of the plurality of power amplifiers being configured to receive an RF input signal;
a parallel power combiner (e.g., transformer 21 configured to combine outputs of the plurality of power amplifiers (11, 12) to generate an RF output signal 101) configured to combine outputs of the plurality of power amplifiers to generate an RF output signal (input terminal 111, see paragraph 0061, input terminal 111 is a terminal for receiving transmission signals of band A and band B from the outside of the power amplifier circuit 10);
a supply voltage switch (power supply circuit 5, see paragraph 0037, power supply circuit 5 is a digital envelope tracker that is able to supply a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels. More specifically, in accordance with a control signal from the RFIC 3, the power supply circuit 5 can supply a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels that track the envelope of a radio-frequency signal. For example, the power supply circuit 5 presets a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels and selects one of the preset voltage levels by using a switch (not shown) and outputs the selected voltage level. The power supply circuit 5 can thus implement high-speed switching using the switch to change the level of the power supply voltage to be supplied to the power amplifier circuit 10) configured to provide one supply voltage to the plurality of power amplifiers, the one supply voltage being selected from among a plurality of supply voltages of different voltage levels; and
a controller (controller 71 and RFIC 3, Fig.1) configured to control an output power of the RF output signal by selecting the one supply voltage from among the plurality of supply voltages ( "Based on the envelope signal, the RFIC 3 selects or sets the voltage level of the power supply voltage used in the power amplifier circuit 10 from among a plurality of discrete voltage levels(S101)", paragraph 0090; see also Fig.1), and controlling whether to activate each of the plurality of power amplifiers (paragraph 0078 "control circuit 71 controls the power amplifiers 11 to 13 and the switch 41 . For example, the control circuit 71 receives control signals from the RFIC 3 and outputs control signals to the power amplifiers 11 to 13 and the switch 41” and paragraph 0090, “Based on the envelope signal of a radio-frequency signal, the RFIC 3 determines whether to use the power amplifier 12 to amplify the radio-frequency signal (S103). That is, the RFIC 3 determines whether to use both of the power amplifiers 11 and 12 or to use only the power amplifier 11 to amplify the radio-frequency signal”); and (Claim 9), wherein each of the plurality of power amplifiers is a differential amplifier (see paragraph 0079, the power amplifier circuit 10 may be a differential composition amplifier circuit) and (Claim 10) wherein each of the plurality of power amplifiers (amplifier 11, 12, class AB) has a common power gain (paragraph 0069, the power amplifier 11 is not restricted to a Class AB amplifier).
Regarding claim 7:
Tahara discloses in Fig. 1, wherein each of the plurality of power amplifiers (amplifier 11 & 12) is configured to: output an amplified signal corresponding to the RF input signal (the signal at the terminal 111) in an activated state; and not output the amplified signal corresponding to the RF input signal in a deactivated state (see controller as discussed above in claim 1).
Regarding claim 8:
Tahara discloses in Fig. 1, wherein each respective power amplifier among the plurality of power amplifiers (amplifier 11 & 12) includes a corresponding activation control port for determining activation or deactivation of the respective power amplifier; and the controller (control 71) is configured to control whether to activate each respective power amplifier among the plurality of power amplifiers by providing a corresponding control signal to the corresponding activation control port.
Regarding claim 11:
Tahara discloses wherein the plurality of power amplifiers include a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier having different power gains (paragraph 0071, The power amplifier 12 is not restricted to a Class AB amplifier. A Class C amplifier, for example, may be used as the power amplifier 12).
Regarding claim 12:
Tahara discloses wherein the RF output signal has an output power level corresponding to a power mode selected from among a plurality of power modes (paragraph 0169, the power amplification method may be applied to another mode), each of the plurality of power modes having a corresponding output power level; and the controller (control circuit 5) is configured to select one power mode from among the plurality of power modes by selecting one supply voltage from among the plurality of supply voltages (controller 71 and RFIC 3, Fig.1), and controlling whether to activate each of the plurality of power amplifiers (see paragraph 0090, as discussed above in claim 1).
Regarding claim 13:
Tahara discloses wherein the output power of the RF output signal increases as a higher supply voltage is selected as the one supply voltage from among the plurality of supply voltages (power supply circuit 5, see paragraph 0037, power supply circuit 5 is a digital envelope tracker that is able to supply a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels. More specifically, in accordance with a control signal from the RFIC 3, the power supply circuit 5 can supply a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels that track the envelope of a radio-frequency signal. For example, the power supply circuit 5 presets a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels and selects one of the preset voltage levels by using a switch (not shown) and outputs the selected voltage level. The power supply circuit 5 can thus implement high-speed switching using the switch to change the level of the power supply voltage to be supplied to the power amplifier circuit 10).
Regarding claim 14:
Tahara discloses wherein the output power of the RF output signal increases as a number of activated power amplifiers among the plurality of power amplifiers increases (see paragraph 0099-0101, switch 41 is turned OFF and the power amplifier 12 is not used and the switch 41 is turned ON and the power amplifier 12 is used).
Regarding claim 15:
Tahara discloses wherein an impedance viewed from an output terminal of an activated power amplifier toward the parallel power combiner (21) increases as a number of deactivated power amplifiers (amplifiers 11 & 12) among the plurality of power amplifiers increases, the activated power amplifier being among the plurality of power amplifiers (controller 71 and switch 41 for controlling amplifier).
Regarding claim 19:
Tahara discloses in Fig. 1, a power amplification system comprising: a plurality of power amplifiers (amplifier 11 & 12), each of the plurality of power amplifiers being configured to receive an RF input signal (signal at terminal 111);
a parallel power combiner (transformer 21) configured to generate an RF output signal (signal at terminal 101) based on an output of at least one among the plurality of power amplifiers; and
a supply voltage switch (power supply circuit 5, see paragraph 0037, power supply circuit 5 is a digital envelope tracker that is able to supply a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels. More specifically, in accordance with a control signal from the RFIC 3, the power supply circuit 5 can supply a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels that track the envelope of a radio-frequency signal. For example, the power supply circuit 5 presets a power supply voltage of multiple discrete voltage levels and selects one of the preset voltage levels by using a switch (not shown) and outputs the selected voltage level. The power supply circuit 5 can thus implement high-speed switching using the switch to change the level of the power supply voltage to be supplied to the power amplifier circuit 10) configured to provide one supply voltage to the plurality of power amplifiers, the one supply voltage being selected from among a plurality of supply voltages of different voltage levels ( "Based on the envelope signal, the RFIC 3 selects or sets the voltage level of the power supply voltage used in the power amplifier circuit 10 from among a plurality of discrete voltage levels(S101)", paragraph 0090; see also Fig.1), and controlling whether to activate each of the plurality of power amplifiers (paragraph 0078 "control circuit 71 controls the power amplifiers 11 to 13 and the switch 41 . For example, the control circuit 71 receives control signals from the RFIC 3 and outputs control signals to the power amplifiers 11 to 13 and the switch 41” and paragraph 0090, “Based on the envelope signal of a radio-frequency signal, the RFIC 3 determines whether to use the power amplifier 12 to amplify the radio-frequency signal (S103). That is, the RFIC 3 determines whether to use both of the power amplifiers 11 and 12 or to use only the power amplifier 11 to amplify the radio-frequency signal”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 & 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.
Claims 2-4 are allowable since the closes prior art does not disclose wherein the parallel power combiner includes: a plurality of primary windings respectively connected to output terminals of the plurality of power amplifiers; and a single secondary winding inductively coupled with the plurality of primary windings.
Claims 5 & 6 are allowable since the closes prior art does not disclose wherein the supply voltage switch includes a plurality of switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of supply voltages; the parallel power combiner includes a plurality of primary windings respectively connected to output terminals of the plurality of power amplifiers; and each of the plurality of switches has a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to a corresponding supply voltage among the plurality of supply voltages, and the second end being connected to center tap ports of the plurality of primary windings.
Claims 19 & 20 are allowable since the closes prior art does not disclose wherein the parallel power combiner includes: a plurality of primary windings respectively connected to output terminals of the plurality of power amplifiers; and a single secondary winding inductively coupled with the plurality of primary windings; and/or (Claim 20) wherein the supply voltage switch includes a plurality of switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of supply voltages; the parallel power combiner includes a plurality of primary windings respectively connected to output terminals of the plurality of power amplifiers; and each of the plurality of switches has a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to a corresponding supply voltage among the plurality of supply voltages, and the second end being connected to center tap ports of the plurality of primary windings.
Claims 16 & 17 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The independent claim 16 is allowable over prior art, the prior art of Tahara et al. (US 20240128932 A1) found in search of the prior art discloses
a plurality of power amplifiers, each of the plurality of power amplifiers being configured to receive an RF input signal; a single secondary winding inductively coupled with the plurality of primary windings, the single secondary winding being configured to generate an RF output signal; a supply voltage switch configured to provide one supply voltage to the plurality of power amplifiers, the one supply voltage being selected from among a plurality of supply voltages of different voltage levels; and a controller configured to select the one supply voltage from among the plurality of supply voltages, and control whether to activate each of the plurality of power amplifiers but fail to disclose a plurality of primary windings respectively connected to output terminals of the plurality of power amplifiers nor would it have been obvious to combine the prior art of record thus claim is allowable.
Claim 17is allowable as being dependent on claim 16.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
