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.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hur et al. (US 2017/0257068), in view Wheeler (US 4,110,790).
In regard to Claim 1:
Hur discloses, in Figure 1, an amplifier (100) comprising: a carrier amplifier (101); a peaking amplifier (102) coupled in parallel with the carrier amplifier (101), and a peaking power supply adaptive bias generator (113) coupled to bias control terminals of the peaking output transistors (102), wherein the peaking power supply adaptive bias generator is configured to sense supply voltage (106) to the peaking amplifier (102) and increase bias currents to the peaking output transistors as the supply voltage decreases (¶ 0028).
Hu does not disclose wherein the peaking amplifier is comprised of peaking output transistors configured to amplify a signal input to the peaking amplifier and coupled in a differential amplifier configuration.
Wheeler discloses, in Figure 4, wherein the peaking amplifier (42) is comprised of peaking output transistors (252, 253) configured to amplify a signal input to the peaking amplifier (Column 6: lines 44-51) and coupled in a differential amplifier configuration (Column 20: lines 43-46).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the peaking amplifier transistors taught by Wheeler with the peaking amplifier taught by Hu, since all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. (KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385).
In regard to Claim 16:
Hur discloses, in Figure 1, a method for amplifying signals using a carrier amplifier (101) and a peaking amplifier (102) coupled in parallel with the carrier amplifier (101 and 102 are coupled in parallel), and a peaking power supply adaptive bias generator (113) coupled to bias control terminals of the peaking output transistors (102), the method comprising a step of configuring the peaking power supply adaptive bias generator to sense supply voltage (106) to the peaking amplifier (102) and increase bias currents to the peaking output transistors as the supply voltage decreases (¶ 0028).
Hu does not disclose wherein the peaking amplifier is comprised of peaking output transistors configured to amplify a signal input to the peaking amplifier and coupled in a differential amplifier configuration.
Wheeler discloses, in Figure 4, wherein the peaking amplifier (42) is comprised of peaking output transistors (252, 253) configured to amplify a signal input to the peaking amplifier (Column 6: lines 44-51) and coupled in a differential amplifier configuration (Column 20: lines 43-46).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the peaking amplifier transistors taught by Wheeler with the peaking amplifier taught by Hu, since all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. (KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hur et al. (US 2017/0257068), in view of Wheeler (US 4,110,790) and Pehlke (US 2020/0350866)
In regard to Claim 20:
Hur discloses, in Figure 1, a wireless communication device comprising, wherein the transmit circuitry comprises: a carrier amplifier (101); a peaking amplifier (102) coupled in parallel with the carrier amplifier (101 and 102 are coupled in parallel), and a peaking power supply adaptive bias generator (113) coupled to bias control terminals of the peaking output transistors (102), wherein the peaking power supply adaptive bias generator is configured to sense supply voltage (106) to the peaking amplifier (102) and increase bias currents to the peaking output transistors as the supply voltage decreases (¶ 0028).
Hu does not disclose a baseband processor, transmit circuitry configured to receive encoded data from the baseband processor and modulate a carrier radio frequency signal with the encoded data, and wherein the peaking amplifier is comprised of peaking output transistors coupled in a differential amplifier configuration.
Wheeler discloses, in Figure 4, wherein the peaking amplifier (42) is comprised of peaking output transistors (252, 253) coupled in a differential amplifier configuration (Column 20: lines 43-46).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the peaking amplifier transistors taught by Wheeler with the peaking amplifier taught by Hu, since all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. (KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385).
Hu and Wheeler do not disclose a baseband processor and transmit circuitry configured to receive encoded data from the baseband processor and modulate a carrier radio frequency signal with the encoded data.
Pehlke discloses, in Figure 9, a baseband processor (801) and transmit circuitry (802) configured to receive encoded data from the baseband processor (801, ¶ 0123) and modulate a carrier radio frequency signal with the encoded data (¶ 0123).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to use the baseband processor and transmit circuitry taught by Pehlke with the peaking amplifier taught by Hu and Wheeler, in order to provide excellent efficiency at 6 dB power back-off, while also providing high efficiency over a wide range of power levels near maximum rated output power for a fixed supply (Pehlke ¶ 0112).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-15, 17-19, and 21-34 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Scott et al. (US 2020/0028472) discloses a main amplifier is configured to receive a first portion of a radio frequency (RF) signal at a main input and provide an amplified copy of the first portion of the RF signal at a main output. A peaking amplifier is configured to be controllably activated to receive a second portion of the RF signal at a peak input and provide an amplified copy of the second portion of the RF signal at a peak output. A saturation detector has a detector input coupled to the main output of the main amplifier and a first detector control output, wherein the saturation detector is configured to detect saturation of the main amplifier and activate the peaking amplifier as saturation of the main amplifier is detected and deactivate the peaking amplifier when saturation of the main amplifier is not detected by the saturation detector.
Mohamed et al. (US 2014/0347125) discloses a Doherty power amplifier that maintain efficiency over a large operating average power range are disclosed. In one embodiment, the Doherty power amplifier includes reconfigurable main and auxiliary output matching networks and a fixed combining network. The reconfigurable main and auxiliary output matching networks can be reconfigured such that together the reconfigurable main output matching network, the reconfigurable auxiliary output matching network, and the fixed combining network provide proper load modulation for multiple different back-off power levels. As a result, the Doherty power amplifier maintains high efficiency over an extended back-off power level range.
Tanaka et al. (US 2020/0358405) discloses a Doherty amplifier including a main amplifier and a peak amplifier is mounted on a package substrate. A low noise amplifier is further mounted on the package substrate. A transmit/receive switch switches in terms of time between a transmission connection state in which an output signal of the Doherty amplifier is supplied to an antenna and a reception connection state in which a signal received by the antenna is inputted to the low noise amplifier.
Hur et al. (US 2015/0295541) discloses a main amplifier stage and peaking amplifier stage of a power amplifier receive a modulated supply voltage. The peaking amplifier stage is biased dynamically to adjust the bias of peaking stage to compensate for changes in the power supply voltage. A bias voltage may be increased as the supply voltage on the peaking stage decreases, and the bias voltage may be decreased as the supply voltage on the peaking stage increases. Accordingly, bias characteristics of the peaking stage are maintained across supply voltage variations, and the efficiency of the power amplifier is improved.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John W Poos whose telephone number is (571)270-5077. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-5.
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/JOHN W POOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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