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.
Claim(s) 1, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang et al. – US 2026/0019095 (hereinafter Chang).
Re claim 1, Chang discloses:
“An amplifier circuit (Fig. 4, 11A; as whole) comprising:
“a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier” (Fig. 4 and 11A, PA32 and PA31, respectively);
“a first tracker and a second tracker that are capable of outputting a variable power supply voltage” (Fig. 11A; element ETM31; para. 0072, 0075; 0104; wherein the supply voltage changes in accordance with the envelope signal);
“a first switch connected between an output port of the first tracker and an output port of the second tracker” (Fig. 11A, 11C, switch S11; para. 0103, 0105; wherein Output2 and Output1 teaches “an output port of the first tracker and an output port of the second tracker”, respectively); and
“a second switch connected between the output port of the second tracker and the second power amplifier” (Fig. 11A, 11C; switch S12; para. 0103),
“wherein the output port of the first tracker is connected to the first power amplifier” (Fig. 11A; Output2).
Chang differs from the claimed invention in that Chang does not discloses “the first tracker and the second tracker” separately. That is, Chang discloses one envelope tracking modulator (ETM31) that is capable of performing the task of both “first tracker and second tracker” and supplying variable power voltage to both PA32 and PA31 instead of utilizing individual ETM for each PA. As such, Chang would save space for the printed circuit board (PCB) (para. 0071, 0075, 0104).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing to look to Chang for the utilization of one ETM instead of “first tracker and second tracker” to arrive at the claimed invention with the above-mentioned benefits.
Re claim 10, Chang discloses:
“A tracker module (Fig. 11A; as whole) comprising:
“a first output terminal and a second output terminal” (Fig. 11A, 11C; Output2 and Output1, respectivley);
“a first tracker capable of outputting a first variable power supply voltage to the first output terminal and the second output terminal”
a second tracker capable of outputting a second variable power supply voltage to the first output terminal and the second output terminal” (Fig. 11A; element ETM31; para. 0103-0106; wherein ETM31 provides supply voltage to both Output2 and Output1);
“a first switch connected between an output port of the first tracker and an output port of the second tracker” (Fig. 11A, 11C, switch S11; para. 0103, 0105; wherein node A1 and B1 teach “an output port of the first tracker and an output port of the second tracker”); and
“a second switch connected between the second tracker and the second output terminal” (Fig. 11A; switch S12).
Chang differs from the claimed invention in that Chang does not discloses “the first tracker and the second tracker” separately. That is, Chang discloses one envelope tracking modulator (ETM31) that is capable of performing the task of both “first tracker and second tracker” and supplying variable power voltage to both terminals Output2 and Output1. As such, Chang would save space for the printed circuit board (PCB) (para. 0071, 0075, 0104).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing to look to Chang for the utilization of one ETM instead of “first tracker and second tracker” to arrive at the claimed invention with the above-mentioned benefits.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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.
Claim(s) 14, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chang.
Re claim 14, Chang discloses:
“An amplifying module (Fig. 4, 11A; as whole) comprising:
“a first input terminal (Fig. 11A, 11C; node A1) to which a first variable power supply voltage is applied (Vpa32; Fig. 11C; para. 0105) and a second input terminal (Fig. 11A, 11D; node B1) to which a second variable power supply voltage is applied (Vpa31; Fig. 11D; para. 0106)”;
“a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier” (Fig. 11A; PA32 and PA31, respectively);
“a first switch connected between the first input terminal and the second input terminal” (Fig. 11A; switch 11); and
“a second switch connected between the second power amplifier and the second input terminal” (Fig. 11A, switch S12),
“wherein the first power amplifier is connected to the first input terminal” (Fig. 11A; PA32 and node A1).
Re claim 20, Chang further discloses “a signal processing circuit that processes a radio frequency signal” (Fig. 4, 11A; processor 310; para. 0075);
“the amplifying module according to Claim 14 that transmits the radio frequency signal between the signal processing circuit and an antenna” (see claim 14 and Fig. 4, 11A); and
“a tracker module including a tracker that is connected to the signal processing circuit and that supplies the variable power supply voltage to the amplifying module” (see claim 14 and Fig. 4, 11A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9, 11-13, 15-19 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.
Moon et al. – US 12,627,270
Jang et al. – US 12,620,989
Khlat – US 9,843,294
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/DAC V HA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633
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