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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. TW113127294 1, filed on 07/22/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/27/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 35 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the IDS has been considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Restriction to one of the following inventions is required under 35 U.S.C. 121:
I. Claims 1-5, drawn to a radio frequency amplifier module comprising a phase shifter, a radio frequency amplifier, a memory, and a microcontroller configured to read a lookup table according to at least a frequency of the input radio frequency signal to output a phase offset to the phase shifter, classified in H03F3/19.
II. Claims 6-10, drawn to a radio frequency antenna module comprising a radio frequency antenna, a memory, and a microcontroller configured to read a lookup table according to at least a frequency of the amplified radio frequency signal to output a phase offset for a radio frequency signal to be shifted, classified in H01Q3/36.
III. Claims 11-19, drawn to an antenna array comprising a radio frequency signal generator, a first phase shifter, a radio frequency amplifier module, a radio frequency antenna module, and a third microcontroller configured to output to the first phase shifter a phase offset for the radio frequency signal based on at least offset of the radio frequency antenna, classified in H01Q21/00.
The claims are drawn to independent and distinct inventions because the RF amplifier module, RF antenna module, and antenna array are separately claimed apparatuses, each capable of separate classification and search, and each has materially different essential elements and search fields.
Due to time zone difference, the Examiner and Attorney of Record, Winston Hsu Reg. No. 41526, discussed the restriction requirement over email after authorization was given by the Attorney of Record.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 1, Claim 1-5 in the reply emailed on 05/15/ is acknowledged.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
There are inconsistent reference-numeral series across embodiments. The Specification [0031-0034] introduces “phased antenna array 900” and “radio frequency antenna modules 917” within FIG. 6A, while using 600-series numerals (signal generator 602, microcontroller 601, phase shifters 612, RF amplifier modules 613) for the very same elements that recur in FIGS. 6B, 7, and 8 (where the array itself is labeled 600, 700, and 800, respectively). Mixing a 9xx-series numeral (900, 917) with 6xx-series numerals (601, 602, 612, 613, 616, 618, 620, 622) inside a single figure (FIG. 6A) is inconsistent and obscures the relationship between embodiments. Applicant is required to harmonize the reference-numeral scheme so that elements common to multiple embodiments retain a consistent identifier, or to renumber FIG. 6A entirely using the 9xx-series.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 1, 2, and 4: lack of clear antecedent for the relationship between the stored “phase offsets of the radio frequency amplifier” and the “phase offset” of Claim 1. This does not rise to indefiniteness under 35 U.S.C. 112(b). Claim 1 recites singular “a phase offset” as the amount by which the phase shifter shifts the input RF signal. Claim 2 introduces plural “phase offsets of the radio frequency amplifier” stored in the lookup table without explicitly tying those stored values to the phase offset of Claim 1. The relationship is reasonably ascertainable under BRI (the stored phase offsets are the values read out to drive the phase shifter), but Applicant may wish to amend Claim 1 to introduce the storage relationship, or to amend Claims 2 and 4 to recite “phase offsets including the phase offset of claim 1,” or similar.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Staudinger et al. (US 2016/0094187 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses:
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: A radio frequency amplifier module ([0014]: “the present disclosure concerns techniques and apparatus for independently adjusting the signals processed along one or more amplification paths of a power amplifier”; [0015]: “FIG. 1 illustrates, in block diagram form, a modifiable signal adjustment device 110 incorporated in a system 100 that includes a Doherty power amplifier… Amplifier system 100 includes an input terminal 102, an output terminal 104, the modifiable signal adjustment device 110, an amplifier circuit 130, and a combiner circuit 150”; [0015]: “An input signal received at input terminal 102 (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) signal) is amplified by amplifier system 100”). The amplifier system 100, which integrates a signal adjustment device 110, an amplifier circuit 130, a microcontroller 160, a memory 162, and a temperature sensor 132 for amplifying a radio frequency input signal, constitutes the claimed radio frequency amplifier module.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: a phase shifter configured to shift a phase of an input radio frequency signal by a phase offset to generate a phase shifted radio frequency signal ([0019]: “a first RF signal adjustment circuit may include a first adjustable phase shifter 114 and a first adjustable attenuator 118 coupled between nodes 113, 119 along the first amplification path 106”; [0020]: “each phase shifter 114, 116 may be digitally controlled to apply one of a plurality of discrete phase shifts to the signals along paths 106, 108”; [0020]: “the range of phase shifts may be between about 0 degrees and about 49 degrees, with about 7.0 degrees between each selectable phase shift value”). The adjustable phase shifter 114 (and/or 116) receives an input RF signal on its amplification path and applies one of a plurality of discrete phase shift values (i.e., a phase offset) to the input RF signal to generate a phase shifted RF signal at the output of the phase shifter.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: a radio frequency amplifier coupled to the phase shifter, and configured to amplify the phase shifted radio frequency signal to output an amplified radio frequency signal ([0016]: “amplifier system 100 is a two-stage Doherty amplifier, which includes a main amplifier stage 140 (biased in a class-AB mode during operation) along a first amplification path 106, and a peaking amplifier stage 142 (biased in a class-C mode during operation) along a second amplification path 108”; [0019]: “The RF signal adjustment circuits are coupled between the outputs of the power splitter 112 (or nodes 113, 115) and the inputs to the amplifier stages 140, 142 (or nodes 119, 121)”; [0015]: “An input signal received at input terminal 102 (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) signal) is amplified by amplifier system 100 and provided to a load (e.g., an antenna, not illustrated) via output terminal 104”). The amplifier stage 140 (and/or 142) is coupled along the amplification path 106 (and/or 108) downstream of the phase shifter 114 (and/or 116) and amplifies the phase shifted RF signal output by the phase shifter to produce an amplified RF signal at output terminal 104.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: a memory configured to store a lookup table ([0044]: “a ”calibration table” may be generated during the calibration procedure, where the calibration table (or a portion thereof) is used by microcontroller 160 to determine which LUT entry to select at any given time”; [0057]: “FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a calibration table 300… Calibration table 300 includes a plurality of entries, with each entry corresponding to a set of operational conditions, and including phase shifts and attenuations that were determined to meet performance criteria under those operational conditions”). The memory 162 is configured to store the calibration table 300, which constitutes the claimed lookup table because it stores phase shift values indexed by operational conditions and is read by the microcontroller to look up the phase shift to be applied.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: and a microcontroller coupled to the phase shifter and the memory, and configured to read the lookup table according to at least a frequency of the input radio frequency signal to output the phase offset to the phase shifter ([0038]: “Microcontroller 160 may determine which LUT entry to indicate based on an evaluation of one or more current operational conditions that are selected from a temperature, a power of the input RF signal (e.g., at input 102), a power of the output RF signal (e.g., at output 104), a signal frequency (e.g., the fundamental or center frequency of the input RF signal)”; [0038]: “a “calibration table” (e.g., calibration table 300, FIG. 3) is stored in memory 162, which enables microcontroller 160 to determine which LUT entry to select based on the current operational conditions”; [0041]: “when the mode select signal is provided (e.g., by microcontroller 160 or some other source) to device 110 with a state that places the signal adjustment device 110 in the direct controller mode… the phase shift and attenuation values may be received through the digital interface 128 from an external processing component (e.g., microcontroller 160 or some other processing component)”; [0037]: “the controller circuit 122 controls the first phase shifter 114 to apply a phase shift corresponding to the first phase shift value, controls the second phase shifter 116 to apply a phase shift corresponding to the second phase shift value”). The microcontroller 160 is coupled to memory 162 (which stores the calibration table) and is coupled via the digital interface 128, MUX/access circuit 124, and controller circuit 122 to the phase shifters 114, 116. The microcontroller 160 reads the calibration table 300 according to the operational signal frequency of the input RF signal and outputs the resulting phase shift value (i.e., the phase offset) — either directly as a phase shift value in direct controller mode, or as a LUT entry selection signal in controller LUT mode — that causes the phase shifter to apply the looked-up phase offset.
Regarding Claim 2, Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses the radio frequency amplifier module according to Claim 1.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: wherein the lookup table stores phase offsets of the radio frequency amplifier corresponding to a plurality of radio frequencies ([0057]: “Calibration table 300 includes a plurality of entries, with each entry corresponding to a set of operational conditions, and including phase shifts and attenuations that were determined to meet performance criteria under those operational conditions”; [0058]: “The frequency field 304 may specify a frequency of the input RF signal provided to the device 110 when the phase shift and attenuation values were determined”; [0058]: “the attenuation and phase shift fields 310, 312, 314, 316 include the attenuation and phase shift values determined (e.g., in blocks 210, 214) while the device 110 was being tested under the operational conditions specified in fields 304, 306, 308”; [0059]: “the example calibration process was used to test device under a range of frequencies between 2110 megahertz (MHz) to 2200 MHz”). The calibration table 300 includes a frequency field 304 specifying the signal frequency for each entry and phase shift fields 314, 316 specifying the phase shift values determined for the RF amplifier under those operational conditions, with entries spanning a plurality of frequencies (e.g., 2110 MHz to 2200 MHz). The phase shift values that calibrate amplifier behavior at the respective frequencies constitute the claimed phase offsets of the radio frequency amplifier corresponding to a plurality of radio frequencies.
Regarding Claim 3, Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses the radio frequency amplifier module according to Claim 1.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: further comprising a temperature sensor coupled to the microcontroller, and configured to sense a temperature of the radio frequency amplifier module ([0039]: “when microcontroller 160 determines which LUT entry to indicate based on temperature, system 100 may include a temperature sensor 132, which provides a signal to microcontroller 160 that indicates a current temperature reading. For example, temperature sensor 132 may be placed in proximity to or may be integrated with amplifier circuit 130”). The temperature sensor 132 is coupled to the microcontroller 160 and is positioned to sense the temperature of the amplifier circuit 130 of the amplifier system 100, thereby sensing the temperature of the radio frequency amplifier module.
Regarding Claim 4, Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses the radio frequency amplifier module according to Claim 3.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: wherein the lookup table stores phase offsets of the radio frequency amplifier corresponding to a plurality of temperatures and a plurality of radio frequencies ([0057]: “Calibration table 300 includes a plurality of entries, with each entry corresponding to a set of operational conditions, and including phase shifts and attenuations that were determined to meet performance criteria under those operational conditions”; [0058]: “The frequency field 304 may specify a frequency of the input RF signal provided to the device 110 when the phase shift and attenuation values were determined… The temperature field 306 includes a value indicating the device or ambient temperature when the phase shift and attenuation values were determined”; [0059]: “the example calibration process was used to test device under a range of frequencies between 2110 megahertz (MHz) to 2200 MHz, temperatures from 0 degrees Celsius to 150 degrees Celsius”; [0056]: “the device 110 may be re-tested at a different temperature, using a different input signal frequency, at different bias voltages… a new entry is generated in the calibration table for each different combination of operational conditions under which the device 110 is tested”). The calibration table 300 includes a frequency field 304 and a temperature field 306, with entries populated across a plurality of frequencies (2110–2200 MHz) and a plurality of temperatures (0–150 °C), each entry containing the phase shift values 314, 316 determined for that frequency/temperature combination. The calibration table thereby stores phase offsets of the RF amplifier corresponding to a plurality of temperatures and a plurality of radio frequencies as claimed.
Regarding Claim 5, Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses the radio frequency amplifier module according to Claim 4.
Staudinger et al. (‘187) discloses: wherein the microcontroller reads the lookup table according to the frequency of the input radio frequency signal and the temperature of the radio frequency amplifier module to output the phase offset of the input radio frequency signal ([0038]: “microcontroller 160 may determine which LUT entry to indicate based on an evaluation of one or more current operational conditions that are selected from a temperature, a power of the input RF signal… a signal frequency (e.g., the fundamental or center frequency of the input RF signal)”; [0038]: “a ‘calibration table’ (e.g., calibration table 300, FIG. 3) is stored in memory 162, which enables microcontroller 160 to determine which LUT entry to select based on the current operational conditions”; [0039]: “temperature sensor 132, which provides a signal to microcontroller 160 that indicates a current temperature reading”). The microcontroller 160 reads the calibration table 300 by evaluating the current operational conditions — namely the signal frequency of the input RF signal and the temperature sensed by temperature sensor 132 — to identify the calibration table entry whose frequency field 304 and temperature field 306 correspond to the present operating conditions, and thereby outputs the looked-up phase offset to the phase shifter (via the LUT entry selection signal in controller LUT mode of [0037], or as a directly provided phase shift value in direct controller mode of [0041]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shuangshuang et al. (CN 117240236 A) “provides a power amplifier module and a manufacturing method thereof. The power amplifier module comprises a radio frequency input end, a radio frequency output end, a power amplifier chip and an output matching network, the power amplifier chip comprises an input end for receiving an input signal, an output end for sending an output signal and a grounding end.”
Marr et al. (US 2021/0242582 A1) “uses circuits and methods to improve the power efficiency and linearity and power out performance of the amplifier devices.”
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REMASH R GUYAH whose telephone number is (571)270-0115. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Resha H Desai can be reached at (571) 270-7792. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/REMASH R GUYAH/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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