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
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kovacic (US 2022/0209836) in view of Kim et al. (hereinafter referred to as “Kim”, US 2019/0115880).
As to claim 1, Kovacic teaches an electronic device comprising: a plurality of antennas including a first antenna, a second antenna, a third antenna, and a fourth antenna (Figs. 4 and 6B, antennas 106aa-106az and 207a-507z, paragraphs [0164], Figs. 4 and 6B shows that the number of antennas can be four); first up-converting circuitry including: a first input terminal configured to obtain a first signal on a baseband, a first output terminal configured to output a first radio frequency (RF) signal having a first phase, a second output terminal configured to output the first RF signal having a second phase, and a third output terminal configured to output the first RF signal having a third phase, the first RF signal being converted from the first signal (Figs. 4 and 6b, data conversion/mixing 102a-102x, phase shifters 212a-212z, paragraphs 0165]-[0166] and [0179]); second up-converting circuitry including: a second input terminal configured to obtain a second signal on a baseband, a fourth output terminal configured to output a second RF signal having a fourth phase, a fifth output terminal configured to output the second RF signal having a fifth phase, and a sixth output terminal configured to output the second RF signal having a sixth phase, the second RF signal being converted from the second signal (Figs. 4 and 6b, data conversion/mixing 102a-102x, phase shifters 212a-212z, paragraphs 0165]-[0166] and [0179]); and one or more switches for the first output terminal connectable to any one of the plurality of antennas, the second output terminal connectable to any one of the plurality of antennas, the third output terminal connectable to any one of the plurality of antennas, the fourth output terminal connectable to any one of the plurality of antennas, the fifth output terminal connectable to any one of the plurality of antennas, and the sixth output terminal connectable to any one of the plurality of antennas (Fig. 6B, switches 206a-206z, paragraphs [0176] and [0179]).
Kovacic does not expressly teach that the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase being different from each other; and the fourth phase, the fifth phase, and the sixth phase being different from each other.
Kim further teaches a multi-antenna device comprising n phase shifters that shift the upconverted signals (Fig. 2, phase shifters 107-1b to 107-nb), wherein the phases are different (paragraph [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase being different from each other; and the fourth phase, the fifth phase, and the sixth phase being different from each other in order to control phases of the signals inputted to the plurality of antennas to perform beamforming.
As to claim 2, Kovacic further teaches that the one or more switches are configured to respectively connect, the first antenna, the second antenna, the third antenna, and the fourth antenna, to any four of the first output terminal, the second output terminal, the third output terminal, the fourth output terminal, the fifth output terminal, and the sixth output terminal (Figs. 6B and 8, shows that the number of antennas can be four, Fig. 6B, switches 206a-206z, paragraphs [0176] and [0179]).
As to claim 20, Kovacic further teaches the first phase of the first RF signal provided to the first antenna using the one or more switches for a transmission to a first external electronic device (Figs. 1, 6B, and 8, phase shifters, switches, and antennas) corresponds to a phase used for receiving a RF signal from the first external electronic device through the first antenna (Fig. 8, phase shifter 322a is shared among RF transmit chain/path and RF receive chain/path, paragraph [0203]), wherein the second phase of the first RF signal provided to the second antenna using the one or more switches for a transmission to the first external electronic device corresponds to a phase used for receiving a RF signal from the first external electronic device through the second antenna (Fig. 8, phase shifter 322b is shared among RF transmit chain/path and RF receive chain/path, paragraph [0203]), wherein the fourth phase of the second RF signal provided to the third antenna using the one or more switches for a transmission to a second external electronic device corresponds to a phase used for receiving a RF signal from the second external electronic device through the third antenna (Fig. 8, another phase shifter 322 is shared among RF transmit chain/path and RF receive chain/path, paragraph [0203]), and wherein the fifth phase of the second RF signal provided to the fourth antenna using the one or more switches for a transmission to the second external electronic device corresponds to a phase used for receiving a RF signal from the second external electronic device through the fourth antenna (Fig. 8, another phase shifter 322 is shared among RF transmit chain/path and RF receive chain/path, paragraph [0203]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-19 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.
Li, US 2024/0014876, Figs. 5 and 10
Liang et al., US 2012/0293362, Figs. 1-2
Cui et al., US 2023/0238701, Fig. 5
Huang et al., US 2023/0090113, Figs. 1-2
Bai, EP 3 540 966 A1, abstract, Figs. 5-10
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRESHTEH N AGHDAM whose telephone number is (571)272-6037. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10:30-7:00 ET.
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/FRESHTEH N AGHDAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632 2/20/2026