DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the application filed on 24 September 2024.
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
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 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hu S. et al. “Design of A Transformer-Based Reconfiguration Digital Polar Doherty Power Amplifier Fully Integrated in Bulk CMOS”, IEEE, USA Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. No. 5, May 2015, XP011579942.
As to claim 1, Hu discloses substantially the invention as claimed, including a Doherty power amplifier (PA) (Figure 4, “A Compact Broadband Digital Polar Doherty Power Amplifier Chip in Bulk CMOS”), comprising:
a Main Amplifier (Figure 4, “Main PA Path”);
an Auxiliary Amplifier (Figure 4, “Auxiliary PA Path”);
a first inductor coupled between a first input of the Doherty PA and a first input of the main amplifier; a second inductor coupled between a node and a first input of the auxiliary amplifier, wherein the second inductor is magnetically coupled with the first inductor; a third inductor coupled between a second input of the Doherty PA and a second input of the main amplifier; a fourth inductor coupled between the node and a second input of the auxiliary amplifier, wherein the fourth inductor is magnetically coupled with the third inductor (Figure 4, for the first, second, third and fourth inductors and their interconnections as claimed it is referred to the “Quadrature Generation (90o, Shift)” that comprises said four coils that are interconnected exactly as claimed) and
an output circuit coupled to an output of the main amplifier and an output of the auxiliary amplifier, wherein the output circuit is configured to combine an output radio frequency (RF) signal from the output of the main amplifier and an output RF signal from the output of the auxiliary amplifier into a combined RF signal (see HU’s figure 4 comprising the “Doherty Output Network”).
As to claim 2, Hu discloses, wherein the Doherty PA is configured to receive a differential input radio frequency (RF) signal including a first RF signal and a second RF signal, the first input of the Doherty PA is configured to receive the first RF signal, and the second input of the Doherty PA is configured to receive the second RF signal (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 3, Hu discloses, wherein the second inductor and the fourth inductor are coupled in series between the first input of the auxiliary amplifier and the second input of the auxiliary amplifier (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 4, Hu discloses, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are configured to provide approximately a 90-degree phase shift between the first input of the main amplifier and the first input of the auxiliary amplifier at a frequency of the differential input RF signal (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 5, Hu discloses, wherein the third inductor and the fourth inductor are configured to provide approximately a 90-degree phase shift between the second input of the main amplifier and the second input of the auxiliary amplifier at the frequency of the differential input RF signal (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 6, Hu discloses, further comprising: a first coupling capacitor coupling the first inductor to the first input of the main amplifier; a second coupling capacitor coupling the second inductor to the first input of the auxiliary amplifier; a third coupling capacitor coupling the third inductor to the second input of the main amplifier; and a fourth coupling capacitor coupling the fourth inductor to the second input of the auxiliary amplifier (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 7, Hu discloses, wherein the output circuit comprises a voltage-combining output circuit (see HU’s figures 4, 7, and associated text, the voltage-mode combining circuits based on transformers).
As to claim 8, Hu discloses, wherein the output circuit comprises a current-combining output circuit (see HU’s figure 7, and associated text, the current-mode combining circuits based on transformers).
As to claim 9, Hu discloses, wherein the output circuit comprises: a fifth inductor coupled to the output of the main amplifier; a sixth inductor magnetically coupled with the fifth inductor; a seventh inductor coupled to the output of the auxiliary amplifier; an eighth inductor magnetically coupled with the seventh inductor, wherein the sixth inductor and the eighth inductor are coupled in series (see HU’s figures 4, and associated text, the four output circuit inductors in this instant claim 9 to be arranged to form a transformer, each of the Main Power Amplifier and the Auxiliary Power Amplifier that a known design option to arrange some of the inductors to be coupled to the ground as illustrated in Figure 1 in JUNG DOOHWAN et al. “A CMOS Highly Linear Doherty Power Amplifier With Multigated Transistors”).
As to claim 10, Hu discloses, wherein the sixth inductor and the eighth inductor are coupled in series between an output of the output circuit and a ground (see HU’s figures 4, and associated text, the four output circuit inductors in this instant claim 9 to be arranged to form a transformer, each of the Main Power Amplifier and the Auxiliary Power Amplifier that a matter of obvious design to implement the transformer based outlook network as illustrated in JUNG DOOHWAN et al. “A CMOS Highly Linear Doherty Power Amplifier With Multigated Transistors).
As to claim 11, Hu discloses, wherein the output of the output circuit is coupled to an antenna (HU, Figure 4 and associated text, the antenna is coupled to the Doherty Power Amplifier).
As to claim 12, Hu discloses, further comprising: a first capacitor coupled between the first input of the main amplifier and the second input of the main amplifier; and a second capacitor coupled between the first input of the auxiliary amplifier and the second input of the auxiliary amplifier (HU, Figure 4 and associated text, the capacitor parallel to the input of the Doherty PA in instant claim 12 (tunable) are well-known in Figure 12 of HU SONG et al., “A 28-/37-/39- GHz Linear Doherty Power Amplifier in Silicon for 5G Applications”).
As to claim 13, Hu discloses, wherein the first capacitor comprises a first tunable capacitor and the second capacitor comprises a second tunable capacitor (HU, Figure 4 and associated text, the capacitor parallel to the input of the Doherty PA in instant claim 13 (tunable) are well-known in Figure 12 of HU SONG et al., “A 28-/37-/39- GHz Linear Doherty Power Amplifier in Silicon for 5G Applications”).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HU and further in view of ZHAO et al. US 2026/0031764 A1.
As to claim 14, Hu discloses the Doherty Power Amplifier (DPA) in instant independent claim 1. However, HU does not explicitly disclose “a mixer configured to mix a baseband signal or an intermediate frequency (IF) signal with a local oscillator (LO) signal to generate a differential input radio frequency (RF) signal including a first input RF signal and a second input RF signal”.
ZHAO discloses in Figure 1, 8A and associated paragraphs that, “a mixer (Figure 8A, mixer 820) configured to mix a baseband signal or an intermediate frequency (IF) signal with a local oscillator (LO) signal to generate a differential input radio frequency (RF) signal (the signal 114) including a first input RF signal (Figure 1, the signal 144) and a second input RF signal (Figure 1, the signal 146)”.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the amplifier circuits art before the effective filing date of the claimed to have modified ZHAO’s teachings of the mixer with LO with the teachings of HU’s, for the purpose of generating the differential input RF signal to HU’s Digital Polar Doherty Power Amplifier in Figure 4.
As to claim 15, Hu-ZHAO discloses, further comprising an antenna coupled to an output of the output circuit (HU, Figure 4 and associated text, the antenna is coupled to the Doherty Power Amplifier).
As to claim 16, Hu-ZHAO discloses, wherein the second inductor and the fourth inductor are coupled in series between the first input of the auxiliary amplifier and the second input of the auxiliary amplifier (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 17, Hu-ZHAO discloses, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are configured to provide approximately a 90-degree phase shift between the first input of the main amplifier and the first input of the auxiliary amplifier at a frequency of the differential input RF signal (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 18, Hu-ZHAO discloses, wherein the third inductor and the fourth inductor are configured to provide approximately a 90-degree phase shift between the second input of the main amplifier and the second input of the auxiliary amplifier at the frequency of the differential input RF signal (see HU’s figure 4, and associated text, the interconnections of the input network inductors with the Main Power Amplifier and Auxiliary Power Amplifier so as to provide for 90 degrees phase shift in Quadrature Generation).
As to claim 19, Hu-ZHAO discloses, wherein the output circuit comprises a voltage-combining output circuit (see HU’s figures 4, 7, and associated text, the voltage-mode combining circuits based on transformers).
As to claim 20, Hu-ZHAO discloses, wherein the output circuit comprises a current-combining output circuit (see HU’s figures 4, 7, and associated text, the current-mode combining circuits based on transformers)..
The prior art cited in this Office Action are: Hu S. et al. “Design of A Transformer-Based Reconfiguration Digital Polar Doherty Power Amplifier Fully Integrated in Bulk CMOS”, IEEE, USA Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. No. 5, May 2015, XP011579942; HU SONG et al., “A 28-/37-/39- GHz Linear Doherty Power Amplifier in Silicon for 5G Applications”; JUNG DOOHWAN et al. “A CMOS Highly Linear Doherty Power Amplifier With Multigated Transistors”; ZHAO et al. US 2026/0031764 A1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAI V NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3901. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:00AM -3:30PM.
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, Kevin Pan can be reached at 571-272-7855. 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.
/HAI V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
Prosecution Insights