US 8350763

Here is a concise summary of US Patent 8,350,763:

US Patent 8,350,763: Active Antennas for Multiple Bands in Wireless Portable Devices

• Title: Active antennas for multiple bands in wireless portable devices
• Assignee: Massively Broadband LLC
• Inventor: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Filing Date: August 14, 2009
• Issue Date: January 8, 2013
• Abstract: The patent describes wireless devices, particularly mobile devices such as cellphones, PDAs, computers, and navigation devices, which transmit or receive signals across multiple frequency bands. These devices can simultaneously transmit or receive on different bands, or transmit and receive simultaneously on different bands. The core innovation allows a single physical antenna structure to be used for both transmission and reception across many different bands. This antenna can be either actively tuned or passively tuned using electronically controlled elements.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: A wireless device is described that includes one or more antennas and multiple transmitting, receiving, or transceiving components operating in various frequency bands. At least one of these antennas is shared by these components across different bands. This shared antenna is either actively tuned or uses electronically controlled passive elements for tuning.
• Claim 6: This claim also describes a wireless device with one or more antennas. It specifies at least one component (transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) that works across multiple bands, a tuner connected to this component, and a controller that manages the tuner's adjustments for different bands. Similar to Claim 1, at least one antenna is shared by the multiband component, and its tuning is achieved either actively or through electronically selected/interconnected passive elements.
• Claim 10: This claim outlines a wireless device featuring at least one antenna and at least one transmitting, receiving, or transceiving component, both designed for multiple frequency bands. Crucially, a tuner connects the multiband antenna to the multiband component, and this tuner is capable of matching their impedances across various frequency bands simultaneously.
• Claim 13: A wireless portable device is described, having one or more antennas that send or receive electromagnetic energy across specific frequency bands, with at least one antenna handling multiple bands. It also includes one or more components (receivers, transmitters, or transceivers) connected to this antenna. The distinguishing feature is that either a single component operates simultaneously on two or more of these frequency bands, or multiple components collectively operate simultaneously on two or more of these bands.
• Claim 17: This claim covers a component for a wireless device, which can be a tuner, a set of tuners, a controller, or other circuitry. This component is designed to be connected to at least one antenna and multiple transmitting, receiving, or transceiving units that operate on various frequency bands. The arrangement dictates that the single antenna is utilized by these multiple units across different bands, and its tuning is either active or performed by electronically controlled passive elements.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, the provided patent information indicates a US case filed in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:25-cv-00608) and a PTAB case IPR2025-01565 which was not instituted due to procedural reasons. There is no authoritative information explicitly available regarding active dockets for patent US8350763 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for the year 2026 from the provided patent text or a live web search.

As a patent attorney, I have investigated litigation involving US patent 8350763.

Here's a summary of the known litigation:

• Case: 2:25-cv-00608
  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Status: Case filed
• Case: IPR2025-01565
  • Jurisdiction: PTAB
  • Status: Not Instituted - Procedural

Additional details regarding the plaintiff(s), defendant(s), and filing dates for these cases are not publicly available in the provided search results. To obtain these details, one would typically need to access PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), which provides detailed federal court records, though fees may apply for extensive access.

Proceedings overview

One AIA trial proceeding has been filed against US Patent 8,350,763, which resulted in a discretionary denial of institution. This outcome means that the patent claims have not been challenged on their merits in an IPR, and consequently, no claims have been invalidated or sustained by the PTAB. This gives a defendant a posture where the patent's validity against prior art has not been tested via IPR.

IPR2025-01565 — [[[Samsung Electronics Co.](/litigations/by-defendant/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.), Ltd.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.%2C%20Ltd.) et al.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.%2C%20Ltd.%20et%20al.) v. Theodore S. Rappaport (Currently Assigned to Massively Broadband LLC)

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-09-25
• Status: Discretionary Denial (The PTAB declined to institute the IPR, meaning the trial on the merits of patentability did not proceed, and no claims were adjudicated as patentable or unpatentable).
• Judge panel: Information regarding the specific judge panel is not publicly available in the provided patent text or readily found through a quick web search.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims challenged, prior art references, and statutory bases (§ 102 / § 103 / § 112) for the petition are not explicitly detailed in the provided patent text or the Unified Patents IPR data.
• Institution decision: Denied. The IPR was not instituted due to procedural reasons, specifically a "Discretionary Denial," as confirmed by the "PTAB proceedings on file" and the Google Patents legal status, which states "Not Instituted - Procedural". The date of the last modification was 2026-04-09, which likely corresponds to the denial decision.
• Final Written Decision: Not issued, as the petition for IPR was denied institution.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as the proceeding was denied institution.
• Appeal: There is no indication of an appeal to the Federal Circuit for the discretionary denial, as the core of the IPR was not instituted on the merits.
• Defensive value: This proceeding indicates that Samsung's attempt to challenge the patent through this specific IPR petition was unsuccessful due to discretionary reasons. For a defendant facing assertion of this patent, it means the patent claims have not been subjected to a full IPR trial, and their validity against prior art remains unexamined by the PTAB in this instance. It also suggests that a new IPR petition would need to address the procedural issues or discretionary factors that led to this denial.

Strategic summary

Currently, all claims of US8350763 remain UNTESTED by an AIA trial on their merits. The single IPR filed, IPR2025-01565, was denied institution on discretionary grounds, not on the substantive patentability of the claims. This means there are no canceled or sustained claims from PTAB proceedings to consider. The patent owner, Massively Broadband LLC, has successfully fended off this particular challenge without the claims undergoing a full review.

The estoppel landscape remains open for most potential petitioners. Since IPR2025-01565 was denied institution on procedural grounds, neither the petitioner (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al.) nor their privies are barred under § 315(e)(2) from raising new grounds or the same grounds if the basis for the discretionary denial can be overcome in a future petition. For a new defendant, all prior-art grounds remain potentially available for an IPR challenge.

There isn't a clear pattern of aggressive PTAB appeals by the patent owner or multiple IPRs by the same petitioner, given only one IPR was filed and it was denied institution. Unified Patents, identified as the source of the IPR data, is an aggregator that often files IPRs on behalf of its members.

Recommended next steps

If you are a defendant facing assertion of this patent, note that the claims of US8350763 have not been substantively reviewed and validated or invalidated by the PTAB. Therefore:

• Review the IPR2025-01565 Institution Decision: Obtain and thoroughly review the specific decision document for IPR2025-01565 to understand the precise procedural or discretionary basis for the denial. This will be crucial for understanding what aspects to avoid or address in any potential future IPR filing.
  • The PTAB's decisions are publicly accessible through the USPTO PTAB E2E system. You would search for IPR2025-01565 to find the institution decision.
• Prior Art Search and Analysis: Conduct a robust prior art search and detailed analysis to identify strong invalidity arguments under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103 against the asserted claims of US8350763.
• Evaluate New IPR Petition: Based on the analysis of the IPR2025-01565 denial and new prior art, assess the viability of filing a new IPR petition. It would be essential to present compelling arguments that address any discretionary factors or procedural deficiencies that led to the denial of the previous IPR.
• Litigation Context: Consider the ongoing district court litigation (2:25-cv-00608 in Texas Eastern District Court) in conjunction with any PTAB strategy, as the outcomes of one can significantly impact the other.

Inventors

The sole named inventor for US Patent 8,350,763 is Theodore S. Rappaport. At the time of filing, the patent lists the "Original Assignee" as "Individual" and states "Application filed by Individual". This indicates that Theodore S. Rappaport, the inventor, was the original assignee, rather than an employer.

Original assignee

The entity named as the original assignee on the issued patent is "Individual" (Theodore S. Rappaport). It is unclear whether Theodore S. Rappaport, as an individual, shipped a product embodying the claims of the patent. Given the technical nature of "Active antennas for multiple bands in wireless portable devices," it is highly unlikely that an individual would directly ship such products. The primary line of business is not applicable for an individual inventor in this context. The current status is that the patent was later assigned to Massively Broadband LLC.

Assignment timeline

• 2024-12-31 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-31 — Reel 069707/0882
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: RAPPAPORT, THEODORE S.
  • Assignee: MASSIVELY BROADBAND LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Transfer from individual inventor to an LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8350763
    2008 : Priority date
    2009 : Filed by Theodore S Rappaport
    2013 : Issued to Theodore S Rappaport
    2024 : Assigned to Massively Broadband LLC
    2025 : Litigation filed TX East
         : PTAB case filed by Unified

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from the individual inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, to "Massively Broadband LLC, Texas" (Reel 069707/0882, effective 2024-12-31) indicates a shell entity. The name structure (LLC) combined with the transfer from an individual, and the existence of litigation activity, suggests a licensing-focused entity rather than an operating company that directly produces products.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The current assignee, Massively Broadband LLC, has been challenged by Unified Patents in a PTAB case (IPR2025-01565), which strongly suggests it is considered an NPE or asserter. Additionally, a US case (2:25-cv-00608) has been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court, a common venue for patent assertion entities.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The provided patent text does not specify the correspondent attorney or firm for the recorded assignment (Reel 069707/0882).

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. Only one assignment event is recorded in the provided information: the transfer from Theodore S. Rappaport to Massively Broadband LLC, effective 2024-12-31.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to Massively Broadband LLC was effective 2024-12-31 (Reel 069707/0882). A US case was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:25-cv-00608) in 2025, which falls within six months of the assignment date.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information in the provided records to suggest that the original assignee (Theodore S. Rappaport) or any prior entity filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no explicit information in the provided records to indicate that an operating company transferred the patent to Massively Broadband LLC to assert on its behalf against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Massively Broadband LLC, is involved in patent litigation as a plaintiff (in the Texas Eastern District Court case), and is not a known defensive aggregator like RPX or Unified Patents. Unified Patents, in fact, is petitioning to challenge the patent at the PTAB.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by three strong signals: the transfer from an individual inventor to an LLC (Massively Broadband LLC), the involvement of Massively Broadband LLC in litigation as a plaintiff in a known NPE venue (Texas Eastern District Court) and as a target of a Unified Patents IPR, and the pre-litigation timing of the assignment (effective 2024-12-31, with litigation filed in 2025). These factors collectively indicate that Massively Broadband LLC is operating as a non-practicing entity.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US8350763

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 8350763, I will focus on the "Citations" section within the patent document itself. The USPTO provides tools to search its database for patents and patent application publications, which is essential for prior art analysis. Prior art includes any publicly available information before a patent application is filed that might affect the novelty or originality of an invention, such as existing patents, publications, or public use. Patent examiners use prior art to determine if an invention is new and non-obvious.

Here are the prior art references cited within US patent 8350763, along with their publication/filing dates, brief descriptions, and potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

Patent Citations from US8350763:

1. US4499606A

   • Full Citation: US4499606A, "Reception enhancement in mobile FM broadcast receivers and the like"
   • Priority Date: 1982-12-27
   • Publication Date: 1985-02-12
   • Brief Description: This patent describes techniques for enhancing reception in mobile FM broadcast receivers. While the specific details aren't fully provided in the abstract, it generally relates to improving signal reception in mobile environments.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent might be considered relevant as general prior art for improving reception in mobile wireless devices. Depending on the specific claims, it could potentially anticipate aspects related to signal quality or antenna performance enhancements in mobile contexts, particularly for "receiving electromagnetic energy" as in claims 1, 6, 10, 13, and 17, if its methods inherently provide multi-band reception capability. However, without further detail on its multi-band nature or active tuning, it's less likely to directly anticipate the core inventive step of simultaneous multi-band use with active tuning of a single antenna.

2. US20030151556A1

   • Full Citation: US20030151556A1, "Fractal antenna ground counterpoise, ground planes, and loading elements and microstrip patch antennas with fractal structure"
   • Priority Date: 1997-11-07
   • Publication Date: 2003-08-14
   • Brief Description: This publication describes fractal antennas, including ground counterpoises, ground planes, loading elements, and microstrip patch antennas with fractal structures. These designs are often used to achieve multi-band operation in a compact form factor.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant to the concept of multi-band antennas, specifically mentioning fractal structures for achieving resonance across several frequency bands. The description of US8350763 notes that "Today, there are many passive antennas solutions that have been published in the literature, such as, for example, the broadband planar antenna developed by Prof. Chen at The University of Texas. Using Fractal programming (genetic algorithms), it is possible to do computer simulations that eventually create an antenna design that offers resonance for several different frequency bands." This directly points to fractal antennas as existing passive multi-band solutions. As such, US20030151556A1 could potentially anticipate the "one or more antennas" being used in "a plurality of different bands" (claims 1, 6, 10, 13, 17) if the fractal design itself inherently supports simultaneous operation across multiple bands without requiring active tuning. However, the active tuning aspect of US8350763 would differentiate it.

3. US6693600B1

   • Full Citation: US6693600B1, "Ultra-broadband antenna achieved by combining a monocone with other antennas"
   • Priority Date: 2000-11-24
   • Publication Date: 2004-02-17
   • Brief Description: This patent describes an ultra-broadband antenna design achieved by combining a monocone with other antennas. This aims to cover a very wide range of frequencies.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent addresses the goal of broad frequency coverage through antenna combination. It could potentially anticipate the concept of a "single physical structure (e.g., an antenna) for transmission and reception of many different bands" (claims 1, 6, 10, 13, 17) if the combination of antennas acts as a single functional unit for multiple bands. However, like the fractal antenna, if this patent relies solely on passive design for multi-band operation and lacks the active tuning elements or electronic control over passive elements as claimed in US8350763, it would likely not fully anticipate.

4. US7088299B2

   • Full Citation: US7088299B2, "Multi-band antenna structure"
   • Priority Date: 2003-10-28
   • Publication Date: 2006-08-08
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a multi-band antenna structure. While the abstract doesn't provide specific mechanisms, the title clearly indicates its focus on multiple frequency bands.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is directly relevant as "Multi-band antenna structure" explicitly aligns with the multi-band antenna concept central to US8350763. It could potentially anticipate claims 1, 6, 10, 13, and 17, particularly the aspect of a single antenna being used for multiple bands. However, the inventiveness of US8350763 lies in its active tuning or electronically controlled passive elements for tuning, and the capability for simultaneous multi-band operation. If US7088299B2 describes a purely passive multi-band antenna without these active or electronically controlled tuning features, it would not fully anticipate.

5. US20080158081A1

   • Full Citation: US20080158081A1, "Adjustable integrated circuit antenna structure"
   • Priority Date: 2006-12-29
   • Publication Date: 2008-07-03
   • Brief Description: This publication details an adjustable integrated circuit antenna structure. The "adjustable" aspect suggests some form of tuning or reconfigurability.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly significant because it mentions an "adjustable integrated circuit antenna structure." This directly relates to the "actively tuned antenna" (claims 1, 6, 17) or "tuned by one or more passive elements which are selected or interconnected using electronic control" (claims 1, 6, 17) of US8350763. The publication date of 2008-07-03 precedes the priority date of US8350763 (2008-08-14). Therefore, this prior art could potentially anticipate claims 1, 6, and 17 if its "adjustable" mechanism is capable of achieving the active or electronically controlled tuning for multiple bands, especially if it can do so simultaneously or through sequential tuning of multiple tuners for simultaneous operation. The specific details of how it achieves multi-band operation and simultaneity would be crucial for a full anticipation assessment.

Prior Art Cited by the Examiner (Families Citing this Family):
While not directly cited by US8350763, it's also important to consider patents that cite US8350763, as they might have been considered by the examiner or represent related technologies. The provided list "Families Citing this family" includes many patents, several of which directly relate to tunable antennas and impedance matching, often involving the work of Paratek Microwave. These would be crucial to a complete prior art analysis, particularly those with priority dates earlier than US8350763 (August 14, 2008). Some prominent examples from this list, mentioned in the "Background of the Invention" of US8350763, include:

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,828 by Shamsaifar (Paratek Microwave): This patent is explicitly mentioned in the background of US8350763 as pioneering active antenna tuning for cellphones, where two different antennas (high band and low band) each have an active element that may be tuned. US8350763 states that prior art like US7369829 (which appears to be a typo and likely refers to US7369828 based on the context) did not contemplate the present invention's allowance of a single antenna for simultaneous transmission/reception for multiple bands. This highlights a key distinguishing feature of US8350763.

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,202,747 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,012,483 (Agile Materials): These patents, also cited in the background, describe self-tuning variable impedance circuits and tunable bridge circuits, respectively, using BST tunable capacitive material. These demonstrate prior art in tunable circuits and impedance matching.

The distinction made in US8350763's description from these earlier active tuning patents, particularly US7369828, is the allowance of a single antenna for simultaneous multi-band use. This is a critical point of differentiation for claims 3, 7, 10, 11, and 13.

Legal Note on 35 U.S.C. § 102 (Anticipation):
Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a claim is anticipated if every element of the claimed invention is disclosed, either explicitly or inherently, in a single prior art reference. The effective filing date for US8350763 is August 14, 2009, with a priority date of August 14, 2008. Any prior art reference publicly available before August 14, 2008, would be considered for anticipation.

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 8,350,763 Under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis examines whether the claims of US Patent 8,350,763 (hereinafter '763 patent) would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as of its priority date (August 14, 2008), based on combinations of prior art references acknowledged or discussed within the '763 patent itself. A PHOSITA in 2008 would likely be an electrical engineer or antenna designer with expertise in wireless communications, RF circuits, tunable components, impedance matching, and multi-band antenna design.

The '763 patent identifies its core innovation as enabling a "single antenna to be used for simultaneous transmission (or reception) for multiple bands" in wireless portable devices, stating that prior art had not contemplated this simultaneous multi-band operation on a single antenna. Previous actively tuned antenna solutions, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,828 ('828 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,829 ('829 patent), were characterized as tuning either distinct antennas for high and low bands, or a single antenna for one band at a time (e.g., a single cellular telephone call).

Combination of Prior Art References

A compelling combination of prior art that would render the claims of the '763 patent obvious would include:

1. U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,828 ('828 patent) by Shamsaifar (Paratek Microwave): This patent discloses an electronically tunable multiple band antenna system. Specifically, it describes "providing a high band antenna with at least one voltage tunable varactor associated therewith, ...; providing a low hand antenna with at least one voltage tunable varactor associated therewith, ...; and inputting control data to the controller and controlling a first bias voltage for biasing the at least one voltage tunable varactor associated with the high band antenna and a second bias voltage for biasing the at least one voltage tunable varactor associated with the low band antenna" [Definitions: a method of transmitting and receiving RF signals...]. The '828 patent uses a controller to tune active elements (varactors) for operation across multiple cellular bands (e.g., quad-band cellular) [Definitions: the multiple band antenna is a quad band antenna...]. The underlying tunable dielectric materials (e.g., BSTO) and their use in tunable capacitors are also well-established by Paratek and Sengupta et al.'s patents cited in the '763 patent-.
2. General knowledge in the art concerning RF signal management and isolation (e.g., D. Pozar's books "Microwave Engineering" and "Microwave and RF Design of Wireless Systems", IEEE conference teachings): These resources teach fundamental RF engineering principles, including the design and use of splitters, combiners, couplers, mixers, switches, filters (including trap circuits), and buffer/tuned amplifiers. Such components are crucial for routing, combining, separating, and isolating RF signals.
3. The existing problem of multiple antennas in wireless portable devices: The '763 patent explicitly highlights this problem: "Today's cellphones and laptops typically require multiple antennas, each antenna designed for resonance or desired performance at a particular frequency band... Computer makers and cellphone makers have difficulty with the mechanical design of their equipment... it is not inconceivable to eventually have wireless portable devices requiring 10 or more separate frequency bands...".

Motivation for Combination

The motivation for a PHOSITA to combine the '828 patent with general RF signal management techniques would be to address the persistent and growing problem of physical space constraints, mechanical design complexity, and increased bill of materials associated with using multiple dedicated antennas for an increasing number of wireless communication bands in portable devices. The '763 patent itself articulates this challenge and states that it "greatly simplifies the mechanical design and layout of wireless portable devices by allowing multiple transmitter (or receiver) bands to simultaneously use one or more antennas for simultaneous multi-purpose use".

A PHOSITA, aware of the active tuning capabilities demonstrated by Paratek ('828 patent) for multi-band operation (albeit often on separate antennas or one band at a time), would naturally seek to extend these benefits to further reduce antenna count by enabling simultaneous multi-band operation on a single physical antenna structure.

Specific motivations for combination and how they render claims obvious:

• Miniaturization and Space Saving: The '828 patent already demonstrated the advantage of tunable elements to achieve multi-band operation, thus avoiding the need for a separate fixed-tuned antenna for every single frequency within a band. Extending this concept to a single antenna for all bands, rather than separate high-band and low-band antennas as in '828, would be a logical next step for space-constrained portable devices.
• Simultaneous Multi-Band Operation: While '828 focused on one-at-a-time operation for cellular calls, the preamble of the '763 patent acknowledges the need for new standards like IEEE 802.11ad, which might require simultaneous capabilities in 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, and 60 GHz bands. A PHOSITA would recognize that to achieve this simultaneous operation on a shared antenna, known RF techniques for managing multiple signals (e.g., using splitters to feed a single antenna from multiple transceivers, as shown in FIG. 3 of the '763 patent) would be necessary. The '763 patent itself describes the use of "individual RF tuners 30, 32, and 34" for different transceivers, feeding a single antenna, and mentions that "input signals are split and routed to each of the respective tuner circuits, and may use a Wilkinson or simple ohmic splitter". These are well-known techniques.
• Isolation Requirements: The '763 patent explicitly states that a "key to proper operation is to also, while providing good matching, provide sufficient RF isolation so that the transmitters in other hands do not overload the front end receiver of a band that is receiving". A PHOSITA would know that achieving simultaneous multi-band operation on a single antenna would necessitate robust isolation. The '763 patent suggests solutions like adjusting the tuner for high impedance at other bands, using "low cost LC circuits... to create an RF Trap," "buffer amplifiers, tuned amplifiers, as well as tuned trap circuits," and "RF antenna switches". These are all standard RF components and techniques taught in general RF engineering literature (e.g., Pozar) and known to a PHOSITA. Furthermore, the use of frequency selective surfaces (FSS) or metamaterials for isolation, as referenced by Ragan et al. in US patent publication 20080238801, further strengthens the obviousness of achieving isolation.
• Controller Functionality (Claims 4, 6, 17): The '828 patent already teaches a controller providing bias voltages to tune varactors. A PHOSITA would find it obvious to expand the functionality of such a controller to manage multiple tuners or a more complex single multiband tuner to facilitate simultaneous operation across multiple bands, especially given the availability of increasingly integrated multiband transceiver chips (as noted in the '763 patent, FIG. 4 and its description). The controller's functions described in '763, such as receiving feedback, adjusting control signals, and managing power, are standard for optimizing performance in active RF systems.
• Simultaneous Matching (Claim 10): The requirement for a tuner to match an antenna to a transceiver "simultaneously" across multiple bands (Claim 10) is a direct consequence of implementing simultaneous multi-band operation on a single antenna. Given the existing tunable antenna technology ('828, Paratek, Agile) and the clear need for multi-band devices, a PHOSITA would be motivated to develop or adapt impedance matching networks to achieve this simultaneous matching, utilizing the known active elements and control systems. The description of individual tuners for each band in FIG. 3, which collectively feed a single antenna, implicitly teaches a system capable of simultaneous matching.

In summary, the '763 patent takes the known concept of actively tuned multi-band antennas (as taught by '828) and applies it to a single antenna for simultaneous multi-band operation. This extension is motivated by well-recognized problems in the art (space, cost, complexity) and is achieved by combining existing active tuning techniques with conventional RF signal splitting, combining, switching, and isolation methods, which are all within the purview of a PHOSITA.

US Patent 8,350,763: Patent Term and Family Information

This section details the patent term adjustments, extensions, related applications, and the projected expiration date for US Patent 8,350,763.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Patent Term Extensions (PTE)

The provided patent information does not explicitly state whether any Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) or Patent Term Extensions (PTE) were granted for US8350763. PTA is typically granted to compensate for delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a patent application, while PTE can mitigate term loss due to regulatory approval processes. Without direct access to the patent's full prosecution history from the USPTO Patent Center or a specialized patent term calculator, the exact PTA/PTE cannot be definitively determined.

Continuation and Divisional Applications

The patent text indicates a direct relationship to several other applications, which are categorized as either priority applications or applications claiming priority.

• Priority Applications: US8350763 claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/088,829, filed August 14, 2008. [Description]
• Continuation Applications:
  • US8593358B2 (application US13/713,804) lists US8350763B2 as a "Priority to US13/713,804" and is also categorized under "Related Child Applications" as a "Continuation" [patent/US8350763B2/en, patent/US8593358B2/en]. This means US8593358B2 is a continuation of an application that claimed priority to the same provisional as US8350763. A continuation application shares the same disclosure as its parent but pursues different claims.
• Other Related Applications (claiming priority from the same original priority date, but not explicitly designated as continuations or divisionals of 8350763's direct parent application):
  • US11063625B2 (application US13/966,853), titled "Steerable antenna device". [patent/US8350763B2/en, patent/US11063625B2/en]
  • US11876548B2 (application US17/346,533), also titled "Steerable antenna device". [patent/US8350763B2/en, patent/US11876548B2/en]
  • US20240313816A1 (application US18/517,550), also titled "Steerable Antenna Device". [patent/US8350763B2/en, patent/US20240313816A1/en]

Divisional applications arise when the USPTO determines that a single application contains two or more independent and distinct inventions. While there are continuation applications, the provided text does not explicitly identify any applications as direct "divisional" applications of US8350763 itself, although US8593358B2 is a continuation and part of the same patent family.

Related Family Members

The patent explicitly lists several related family members, identified under "Priority Applications," "Applications Claiming Priority," and "Related Child Applications." These indicate a family of patents and applications that share a common priority date (August 14, 2008) or lineage.

The following are the identified family members:

• US12/541,764 (application leading to US8350763B2) [patent/US8350763B2/en]
• US8593358B2 (application US13/713,804), titled "Active antennas for multiple bands in wireless portable devices" [patent/US8593358B2/en]
• US11063625B2 (application US13/966,853), titled "Steerable antenna device" [patent/US11063625B2/en]
• US11876548B2 (application US17/346,533), titled "Steerable antenna device" [patent/US11876548B2/en]
• US20240313816A1 (application US18/517,550), titled "Steerable Antenna Device" [patent/US20240313816A1/en]
• US20100060531A1 (publication) [patent/US20100060531A1/en]

Projected Expiration Date

For utility patents filed on or after June 8, 1995, the patent term generally ends 20 years from the earliest filing date for which a benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §§ 120, 121, or 365(c). US8350763 has a priority date of August 14, 2008, and a filing date of August 14, 2009. [patent/US8350763B2/en]

The patent information explicitly states the "Adjusted expiration" date as 2031-03-08. This date already incorporates any patent term adjustments or other factors that might modify the standard 20-year term from the effective filing date. [patent/US8350763B2/en]

Therefore, the projected expiration date for US Patent 8,350,763 is March 8, 2031. [patent/US8350763B2/en]