Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/838,609

TRANSMISSION CIRCUIT AND COMPOSITE TRANSMISSION CIRCUIT

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Aug 15, 2024
Priority
Feb 25, 2022 — JP 2022-028005 +1 more
Examiner
LE, LANA N
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Kyocera Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allowance Rate
502 granted / 615 resolved
+21.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+13.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
648
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.8%
-37.2% vs TC avg
§103
56.2%
+16.2% vs TC avg
§102
20.9%
-19.1% vs TC avg
§112
9.6%
-30.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 615 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
CTNF 18/838,609 CTNF 77787 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15-03-aia AIA Claim s 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ishihara et al (US 2023/0,361,793; hereinafter Ishihara) . Regarding claim 1, Ishihara disclose a transmission circuit (28) (Figs. 1, 4) configured to be connected to an antenna, the transmission circuit comprising: a plurality of impedance circuits (L1, L2, L3) having different impedance from each other; a plurality of switch elements (150 1 , 150 2 , 150 3 ) each of which is connected to a respective one of the plurality of impedance circuits (L1, L2, L3) (paras. [0048]- [0054]; a compensation circuit (150 4 , 150 5 , 150 6 , C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) connected to each of the plurality of switch elements (150 1 , 150 2 , 150 3 ) and configured to selectively add a capacitance value (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) and a resistance value (R 1 ) to the transmission circuit (28) (paras. [0051]-[0061]); and a control circuit (27, 140) configured to control opening/closing of the plurality of switch elements (190), wherein the control circuit is controllable to selectively change the opening/closing of the plurality of switch elements and to rotate a reflection coefficient of an output terminal on the antenna side in a complex plane (Figs. 2, 4; paras. [0007], [0052], [0064]). Regarding claim 2, Ishihara disclose the transmission circuit according to claim 1, wherein the compensation circuit comprises a plurality of capacitors (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) selectively connected to the impedance circuit (L1, L2, L3) and resistive element (R) selectively connected to the impedance circuit (L1, L2, L3) (capacitor circuits 120 may also include one or more electrical elements among a plurality of inductor elements and the plurality of resistive elements; paras. [0049], [0060]). Regarding claim 3, Ishihara disclose the transmission circuit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit (27, 140) is configured to selectively connect the plurality of capacitors (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 ) and the plurality of resistive elements to the impedance circuit in accordance with a capacitance value and a resistance value of the transmission circuit (paras. [0063], [0044]-[0045]). Regarding claim 4, Ishihara disclose the transmission circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of impedance circuits comprise a plurality of inductor circuits (L1, L2, L3) configured to adjust inductance among reactance components of impedance (paras. [0051], [0053]). Regarding claim 5, Ishihara disclose the transmission circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of impedance circuits comprise a plurality of capacitor circuits configured to adjust capacitance among reactance components of impedance (paras. [0048], [0051], [0054], [0057]) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishihara et al (US 2023/0,361,793) in view of Nisbet et al (US 2022/0,060,202; hereinafter Nisbet) further in view of Yamada et al (US 2003/0,189,910; hereinafter Yamada) . Regarding claim 6, Ishihara disclose a composite transmission circuit configured to be connected to an antenna, the composite transmission circuit comprising a first transmission circuit (28) (Figs. 1, 4) comprising at least: a plurality of impedance circuits (L1, L2, L3) having different impedance from each other; a plurality of switch elements (150 1 , 150 2 , 150 3 ) each of which is connected to a respective one of the plurality of impedance circuits (L1, L2, L3) (paras. [0048]- [0054]; a control circuit (27, 140) configured to control opening/closing of the plurality of switch elements (190), wherein the control circuit is controllable to selectively change the opening/closing of the plurality of switch elements and to rotate a reflection coefficient of an output terminal on the antenna side in a complex plane (Figs. 2, 4; paras. [0007], [0052], [0064]). Ishihara do not disclose a first transmission circuit having a first characteristic related to a capacitance value and a resistance value; a second transmission circuit having a second characteristic different from the first characteristic with respect to a capacitance value and a resistance value; and a third transmission circuit having a third characteristic different from the first characteristic and the second characteristic with respect to a capacitance value and a resistance value. In the same field of endeavor, Nisbet disclose multiple transmission chains/circuits with variations of resistors and capacitors and other factors (¶ [0105]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to provide commonly known phase and magnitude offsets between the transmission circuits produced by variations in the values of the resistor and capacitors. Ishihara and Nisbet do not explicitly disclose the composite transmission circuit comprising a switch control circuit configured to selectively connect the first transmission circuit, the second transmission circuit, and the third transmission circuit to the antenna. In the same field of endeavor, Yamada disclose comprising a switch control circuit configured to selectively connect the first transmission circuit, the second transmission circuit, and the third transmission circuit to the antenna (switching control circuit to switch between three frequency bands of the transmitting circuits to the antenna; paras. [0270], [0291]-[0294]; Fig. 12). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to provide a three frequency branching circuit capable of switching different frequency band signals in a portable radio communication equipment (Yamada; ¶ [0001]). The examiner takes official notice that each of the first transmission circuit, the second transmission circuit, and the third transmission circuit would comprise the same components as the first transmission circuit of Ishihara as disclosed above, e.g. a plurality of impedance circuits, a plurality of switch elements, and a control circuit. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working part of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co ., 193 USPQ 8. Regarding claim 7, Ishihara, Nisbet, and Yamada disclose the composite transmission circuit according to claim 6, wherein the switch control circuit is configured to selectively connect the first transmission circuit, the second transmission circuit, and the third transmission circuit to the antenna in accordance with a degree of variations in the first characteristic, the second characteristic, and the third characteristic (Yamada, [0270], [0291]-[0294]; Nisbet, ¶ [0105]). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LANA N LE whose telephone number is (571) 272-7891. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-4:30pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wesley Kim, can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /LANA N LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648 Application/Control Number: 18/838,609 Page 2 Art Unit: 2648 Application/Control Number: 18/838,609 Page 3 Art Unit: 2648 Application/Control Number: 18/838,609 Page 4 Art Unit: 2648 Application/Control Number: 18/838,609 Page 5 Art Unit: 2648 Application/Control Number: 18/838,609 Page 6 Art Unit: 2648 Application/Control Number: 18/838,609 Page 7 Art Unit: 2648
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 15, 2024
Application Filed
May 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12744581
Method, Apparatus and Computer Program
2y 11m to grant Granted Sep 22, 2026
Patent 12739019
Reflective Devices for Conveying Radio-Frequency Signals
3y 3m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12739222
SIMULTANEOUS UNINTERRUPTED MEDIA PLAY, SOCIAL NETWORKING AND CALL MANAGEMENT USER INTERFACE
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12738977
DEVICES AND SYSTEMS INCLUDING TRANSMITTERS FOR BROADBAND MAGNETIC FIELD COMMUNICATION
1y 12m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12732794
EUICC PROVISIONING AND NOTIFICATION HANDLING THEREIN
3y 1m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
82%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+13.9%)
2y 11m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 615 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month