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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 7-17, 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Komatsu (US PGPub 20180131344).
As per claim 1:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
An acoustic wave filter comprising:
an input port (202);
an output port (204);
a plurality of acoustic wave resonators (series resonators 222 and parallel resonators 224 in filter 220) electrically connected between the input port and the output port; and
an impedance matching acoustic wave resonator (210, [0040]) electrically connected on one side to a node between the plurality of acoustic wave resonators and one of the input port or the output port, and on a second side to one of ground or to the one of the input port or the output port (as seen in Fig. 5), the impedance matching acoustic wave resonator having a resonance frequency below a low edge of a passband of the acoustic wave filter and an antiresonance frequency above a high edge of the passband of the acoustic wave filter ([0041]), the impedance matching acoustic wave resonator being one of a surface acoustic wave resonator having a multilayer piezoelectric substrate or a bulk acoustic wave resonator ([0043]).
As per claims 2 & 13:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
the impedance matching acoustic wave resonator is inductive at all frequencies within the passband of the acoustic wave filter ([0048]).
As per claims 3 & 17:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
The acoustic wave filter of claim 1 or 12 configured as a ladder filter ([0038]).
As per claims 5 & 19:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6 & 16:
The acoustic wave filter of claim 1 configured as one of a receive filter or a transmit filter of a duplexer ([0086]).
As per claims 7 & 14:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
the plurality of acoustic wave resonators are surface acoustic wave resonators ([0038]).
As per claims 8 & 15:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
the plurality of acoustic wave resonators are bulk acoustic wave resonators ([0042]).
As per claims 9 & 16:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
the plurality of acoustic wave resonators include at least one surface acoustic wave resonator and at least one bulk acoustic wave resonator ([0042]).
As per claim 10:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6 & 16:
A radio frequency device module including the radio frequency filter of claim 1 (Fig. 16 shows the filter 200 included as a module as part of a duplexer, [0083]).
As per claim 11:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6 & 16:
A radio frequency device including the radio frequency device module of claim 10 (phone, tablet, modem, etc. [0084]).
As per claim 12:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6 & 15-16:
An acoustic wave device configured as one of a duplexer or a diversity receive module ([0083]) and including at least one acoustic wave filter comprising:
an input port (202);
an output port (204);
a plurality of acoustic wave resonators (series resonators 222 and parallel resonators 224 in filter 220) electrically connected between the input port and the output port; and
an impedance matching acoustic wave resonator (210, [0040]) electrically connected on one side to a node between the plurality of acoustic wave resonators and one of the input port or the output port, and on a second side to one of ground or to the one of the input port or the output port (as seen in Fig. 5), the impedance matching acoustic wave resonator having a resonance frequency below a low edge of a passband of the acoustic wave filter and an antiresonance frequency above a high edge of the passband of the acoustic wave filter ([0041]), the impedance matching acoustic wave resonator being one of a surface acoustic wave resonator having a multilayer piezoelectric substrate or a bulk acoustic wave resonator ([0043]).
As per claim 20:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6 & 16:
A radio frequency device including the acoustic wave device of claim 12 (phone, tablet, modem, etc. [0084]).
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.
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) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komatsu (US PGPub 20180131344)
As per claim 6:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6 & 15-17:
The acoustic wave filter of claim 1 included in a receive module ([0087]), and that the module may use multiple antennas ([0084]).
Komatsu does not disclose:
The acoustic wave filter of claim 1 included in a diversity receive module.
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the acoustic wave filter of claim 1 included in a diversity receive module as a known in the art type of receive module that can be used with multiple antennas, as is well-understood in the art.
Claim(s) 4 & 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komatsu (US PGPub 20180131344) in view of Bauer et al. (US PGPub 20100127799)
As per claims 4 & 18:
Komatsu discloses in Figs. 3-6:
The filter may include a longitudinal-coupling-type filter ([0042]).
Komatsu does not disclose:
a hybrid dual mode surface acoustic wave resonator/ladder filter (first partial filter TF1 is a ladder filter, second partial filter TF2 is a DMS filter, abstract).
Bauer et al. discloses in Fig. 1:
a hybrid dual mode surface acoustic wave resonator/ladder filter.
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art
For the filter of Komatsu to be formed as a hybrid dual mode surface acoustic wave resonator/ladder filter as an alternative/equivalent filter able to provide the same function and further improve power-compatibility and suppression as taught by Bauer et al. ([0011-0012])
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMUEL S OUTTEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7123. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30AM-6:00PM.
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, Andrea Lindgren Baltzell can be reached at (571) 272-1988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Samuel S Outten/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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