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 § 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)(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.
(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.
Claims 1, 7-10 and 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uriu et al. (US2003/0092397 A1).
In regards to claims 1 and 9, Uriu et al. teaches in Figs. 1 and 5 a diplexer comprising:
A dielectric substrate (Fig. 5: N1-N11) including a first major surface (Fig. 5: Top Layer N11) and a second major surface (Fig. 5: Bottom layer below N1) facing each other and multiple dielectric layers; an input terminal (Fig. 1: P1), a first output terminal (Fig. 1: P2), and a second output terminal (Fig. 1: P3) on the second major surface (Fig. 5: All terminal located on second major surface below N1);
A first filter device (Fig. 1: LPF 82 EGSM Band) connected between the input terminal (Fig. 1: P1) and the first output terminal (Fig. 1: P2); and
A second filter device (Fig. 1: HPF 83 DCS/UMTS Band) connected between the input terminal (Fig. 1: P1) and the second output terminal (Fig. 1: P3);
Wherein the first filter device (Fig. 1: LPF 82) has a pass band in a range lower than a first frequency (first filter device is a LPF EGSM Band filter which will operate below a DCS/UMTS frequency band, hence a “first frequency” can be a frequency between the EGSM band and DCS/UMTS band, and the LPF passband can be considered to be higher than a “predetermined frequency” below the LPF passband);
the second filter device (Fig. 1: HPF 83) includes a first filter circuit that has a pass band in a range higher than the first frequency;
The first filter circuit (Fig. 1: LPF 82) includes:
A first resonant circuit (Fig. 1: L3, L1 and C1) connected between the input terminal and the second output terminal; and
A second resonant circuit (Fig. 1: L2 and C2) connected between the first resonant circuit and a ground potential;
Each of the first resonant circuit and the second resonant circuit includes an LC resonant circuit including a capacitor and an inductor; and based on Fig. 5, in the dielectric substrate, a portion of the inductor (Lp3 which forms part of inductor L2, see paragraph [0224]) included in the second resonant circuit is on or in a dielectric layer between the inductor (Lp2 which forms part of inductor L3, see paragraph [0224]) included in the first resonant circuit and the first major surface (top surface of N11).
In regards to claims 7 and 16, based on related Fig. 2 and paragraphs [0190]-[0191], a frequency of an attenuation pole (AP1) defined by the first resonant circuit is closer to a pass band than a frequency of an attenuation pole defined by the second resonant circuit (AP2).
In regards to claims 8 and 17, based on related Fig. 11, a third capacitor (present but not labeled) is connected between the first terminal (ANT) and the first resonant circuit (82).
In regards to claim 10, based on Fig. 1, the second filter device (83 HPF) further includes a second filter circuit connected between the first filter circuit and the second output terminal (P3); the second filter circuit has a pass band in a range lower than a second frequency (second frequency can be a frequency lower than a frequency outside an upper range of HPF passband); the second frequency is higher than the first frequency; and with the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit, the second filter device functions as a bandpass/passband filter.
In regards to claims 18 and 19, based on related Fig. 10, the diplexer is part of a radio-frequency front end (90) which is part of a communication/mobile device (see paragraph [0002]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 and 11-15 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORGE L SALAZAR JR whose telephone number is (571)-272-9326. The examiner can normally be reached between 9am - 6pm Monday-Friday.
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/JORGE L SALAZAR JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
