`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`APPLICATION NO.
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` FILING DATE
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`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
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`CONFIRMATIONNO.
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`13/590,423
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`08/21/2012
`
`Aleksandar Modrag Tasic
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`121973
`
`9482
`
`23696
`7590
`11/14/2013
`QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
`5775 MOREHOUSEDR.
`SAN DIEGO, CA 92121
`
`EXAMINER
`TRAN, KHANH C
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`2631
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`11/14/2013
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`ELECTRONICELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`us-docketing @ qualcomm.com
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`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`INTEL 1212
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`
`
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
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` 13/590,423 TASIC ET AL.
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventorto File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`2631KHANH C. TRAN No
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address--
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3MONTH(S) OR THIRTY(30) DAYS,
`WHICHEVER IS LONGER, FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
`after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`-
`-
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`Status
`1)] Responsive to communication(s)filed on 8/21/2012.
`L] A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiledon__
`2a)L] This action is FINAL.
`2b)X] This action is non-final.
`3)L] An election was made bythe applicant in responseto a restriction requirementset forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporatedinto this action.
`4)L] Sincethis application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordancewith the practice under Ex parte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims
`5)K] Claim(s) 1-20 is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`6)L] Claim(s)__ is/are allowed.
`7) Claim(s) 1,7,17 and 19 is/are rejected.
`)
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`8)X] Claim(s) 2-6,8-16,18 and 20 is/are objectedto.
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`9)L] Claim(s)
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement.
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`or send an inquiry to PPHfeecback@uspte.doy.
`isp
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)KX] The drawing(s)filed on 8/21/2012 is/are: a)>X] accepted or b)[_] objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)L] Acknowledgment is made ofa claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
`a)LJ All
`b)[) Some* c)L] None of the:
`1.0] Certified copiesof the priority documents have been received.
`2._] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.L] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`“ See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`
`
`Attachment(s)
`3) TC Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) X Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date.
`.
`.
`O Other:
`—_
`2) xX Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 08-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20131104
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`1
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 13/590,423
`Art Unit: 2631
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`1. The present application is being examined underthe pre-AlA first to invent
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`provisions.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis
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`for all obviousnessrejections set forth in this Office action:
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`(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described
`as set forth in section 102 of thistitle, if the differences between the subject matter sought to
`be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been
`obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which
`said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the
`invention was made.
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`The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148
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`USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining
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`obviousness under pre-AlA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) are summarized as follows:
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`1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
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`2. Ascertaining the differences betweenthe prior art and the claims at issue.
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`3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
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`4. Considering objective evidence presentin the application indicating
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`obviousness or nonobviousness.
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`2. Claims 1, 7, 17 and 19 are rejected underpre-AlA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being
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`unpatentable over Eisenhut et al. U.S. Patent 7,751,513 B2.
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 13/590,423
`Art Unit: 2631
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`Page 3
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`Regarding claim 1, Eisenhutet al. discloses an apparatus (see FIG. 1)
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`comprising:
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`a first amplifier stage configured to receive and amplify an input radio frequency
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`(RF) signal and providea first output RF signalto a first load circuit when the first
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`amplifier stage is enabled (signal path 6 including an amplifier and an analog/digital
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`conversion; column 5 lines 27-35. Eisenhutet al. further discloses the two signal paths
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`6 and 7 can beindividually activated or disconnected by a corresponding activation
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`signal at their associated inputs 62 and 72. The signal paths 6 and 7 can thus both be
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`active, both be disconnected, or one of them be active and the other be disconnected;
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`column 5 lines 20-23);
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`and a second amplifier stage configured to receive and amplify the input RF
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`signal and provide a second output RF signal to a second load circuit when the second
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`amplifier stage is enabled (signal path 7 including an amplifier and an analog/digital
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`conversion; column 5 lines 27-35. Eisenhutet al. further discloses the two signal paths
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`6 and 7 can beindividually activated or disconnected by a corresponding activation
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`signal at their associated inputs 62 and 72. The signal paths 6 and 7 can thus both be
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`active, both be disconnected, or one of them be active and the other be disconnected;
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`column 5 lines 20-23).
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`Eisenhutet al. differs from the application claim in that Eisenhut et al. does not
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`discloses the input RF signal comprising transmissions sent on multiple carriers at
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`different frequencies to a wireless device as setforth in the application claim.
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 13/590,423
`Art Unit: 2631
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`Page 4
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`Because the application claim recites the signal input being an input RF signal,
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`therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the
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`invention was made that one recognizes Eisenhut et al. would apply to the inout RF
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`signal as claimed.
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`Regarding claim 7, Eisenhutet al. further discloses a feedbackcircuit coupled
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`between an output and aninputof at least oneof the first and second amplifier stages
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`(FIG. 1 discloses a feedbackcircuit).
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`3. Claims 2-6, 8-16, 18 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a
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`rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all
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`of the limitations of the base claim and anyintervening claims.
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`Conclusion
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`4. The prior art madeof record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
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`applicant's disclosure.
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`Thomsen et al. U.S. Patent 6,249,687 B1.
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`Yates U.S. Patent 7,039,377 B1.
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`
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`Application/Control Number: 13/590,423
`Art Unit: 2631
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`Chen U.S. Patent 8,514,015 B1.
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`Page 5
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`Oskowskyet al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0008575 A1.
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`5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to KHANH C. TRAN whosetelephone numberis (571)272-
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`3007. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday- Friday from 08:00 AM -
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`05:00 PM.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Shuwang Liu can be reached on 571-272-3036. The fax phone numberfor
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`the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`
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`KCT
`
`/KHANH C TRAN/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631
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`