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.
Claims 1-3 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peng (9,041,421) in view of Chen (2019/0058531).
Regarding claim 1, Peng discloses an adjustable attenuation test system (See fig. 7), comprising: an adjustable attenuation circuit {3406}; a control circuit 72; and a device under test 70, connected to the adjustable attenuation circuit and the control circuit, wherein the device under test comprises: a transmitting end; and a receiving end, wherein when the device under test executes a built-in self-test, the device under test outputs a test pattern data from the transmitting end, the device under test generates a determining result based on the test pattern data received from the receiving end, the control circuit receives the determining result, and generates and outputs an attenuation control signal to the adjustable attenuation circuit based on the determining result (See fig. 7 and col. 9 line 38 to col. 10 line 3). However, Peng does not explicitly mention that the adjustable attenuation circuit having a variable impedance, wherein the adjustable attenuation circuit adjusts the variable impedance based on the attenuation control signal. Since Chen suggests an adjustable attenuation circuit 13 having a variable impedance, wherein the adjustable attenuation circuit adjusts the variable impedance based on the attenuation control signal (See fig. 1 and par [0037]); therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to utilize the adjustable attenuation circuit, as suggested by Chen, for the Peng’s system, for the advantage of expanding the capability of the system to various types of signal attenuators.
Claim 12 is rejected for the same reasons as set forth in claim 1, as method.
Regarding claim 2, Peng & Chen disclose as cited in claim 1. Chen further discloses the adjustable attenuation circuit is an adjustable T-shaped attenuator (See Chen, par [0037]), wherein the signal input end of the adjustable T-shaped attenuator is connected to the transmitting end, and the signal output end of the adjustable T-shaped attenuator is connected to the receiving end (See Peng, figure 7).
Regarding claim 3, Peng & Chen disclose as cited in claim 2. The Chen’s adjustable T-shaped attenuator is inherently disposed on a substrate (See fig. 1) with a characteristic impedance (See par [0037]).
Claims 4-11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peng & Chen as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Seki (2021/0184328).
Regarding claims 4-7 and 9-10, Peng & Chen disclose as cited in claim 1. Chen further discloses the adjustable attenuation circuit comprises a plurality of resistors (See par [0037]). However, they do not explicitly mention that the adjustable attenuation circuit comprises: a plurality of resistors; and a plurality of switches, respectively connected in parallel (or in series) with the plurality of resistors, wherein the plurality of switches configured to be turned on or off respectively based on the attenuation control signal, and wherein the plurality of switches are microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches and the plurality of resistors are micro-resistors, and the plurality of resistors have a difference of orders of magnitude from each other. Since Seki suggests an adjustable attenuation circuit (See figs. 4A, 4B) comprises: a plurality of resistors; and a plurality of switches, respectively connected in parallel (or in series) with the plurality of resistors, wherein the plurality of switches configured to be turned on or off respectively based on the attenuation control signal, and wherein the plurality of resistors have a difference of orders of magnitude from each other (See figs. 4A, 4B and par [0041-0042]) and (MEMS) switches as well as micro-resistors are known in the art (Official Notice taken by the examiner); therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art modify, as suggested by Seki and with the (MEMS) switches and the micro-resistors, the adjustable attenuation circuit of the Peng & Chen, for the advantage of expanding the capability of the system to various types of variable signal attenuators.
Regarding claims 8 and 11, Peng & Chen & Seki disclose as cited in claims 4-5. Seki further discloses the adjustable attenuation circuit turns on at least one of the plurality of switches based on the attenuation control signal (See figs 4A-4B and par [0041-0042]) to adjust the variable impedance of the adjustable attenuation circuit (See Chen, par [0037]).
Claim 13 is rejected for the same reasons as set forth in claims 8 and 11, as method.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
See PTO-892 for a listing of cited prior arts of record.
Conclusion
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/TUAN A TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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