# Designing Electronic Networks for Efficient Power Amplification > This patent describes how to design electronic networks that allow power amplifiers to work efficiently over a wide range of frequencies without overheating or failing. - **Patent:** US 6552634 - **Original title:** Wideband, minimum-rating filters and multicouplers for power amplifiers - **Owner:** Individual - **Granted:** 2003 - **Status:** Public domain (expired) - **Times cited:** 57 - **Field:** telecommunications, consumer_electronics, semiconductors ## What it does This patent details a method and circuit design for power amplification systems. The core idea is to select the components of an electronic network (like filters or matching networks) so that the input side of the network has a 'minimum-rating characteristic.' This means the network is designed to handle the input voltage and current without exceeding specific limits, even when delivering a set amount of signal power to a load across a range of frequencies. It also covers systems where multiple amplifiers, each optimized for different frequency bands, combine their outputs into a single load, presenting a stable, resistive load to each amplifier and avoiding power loss in the combining network. An example would be a radio transmitter needing to operate across many channels; this patent's method helps ensure the power amplifiers don't get overloaded. ## What it does NOT cover - Electronic networks that are not designed to minimize input voltage and current ratings. - Systems that do not deliver a specified amount of signal power to a load. - Methods that do not operate across a specified frequency band. - Amplification systems that do not use an electronic network between the amplifier and the load. - Combining networks where the passbands of individual networks significantly overlap and load each other. ## The clever bit The key innovation is designing the network components not just for signal performance, but specifically to minimize the stress (voltage and current ratings) on the amplifier driving it, while still meeting performance goals across a wide frequency band. ## Real-world examples 1. RF power amplifiers in wireless base stations 2. Power amplifiers in radio transmitters 3. Broadband amplifiers for test equipment 4. Components in high-frequency communication systems ## Why it matters This patent addresses a fundamental challenge in radio frequency (RF) and wireless communications: efficiently amplifying signals across broad frequency ranges. Before this, amplifiers might have been over-engineered or operated inefficiently to handle varying loads and frequencies. This invention provides a systematic way to design the supporting networks, leading to more compact, reliable, and power-efficient amplifiers, which are crucial components in everything from mobile phones to base stations. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Designing Electronic Networks for Efficient Power Amplification cover? This patent describes how to design electronic networks that allow power amplifiers to work efficiently over a wide range of frequencies without overheating or failing. ### Who owns patent US 6552634? Individual owns this patent, granted in 2003. ### When does this patent expire? This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely. ### What is patent US 6552634 cited by? This patent has been cited by 57 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent addresses a fundamental challenge in radio frequency (RF) and wireless communications: efficiently amplifying signals across broad frequency ranges. Before this, amplifiers might have been over-engineered or operated inefficiently to handle varying loads and frequencies. This invention provides a systematic way to design the supporting networks, leading to more compact, reliable, and power-efficient amplifiers, which are crucial components in everything from mobile phones to base stations. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Electronic networks that are not designed to minimize input voltage and current ratings. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6552634/wideband-minimum-rating-filters-and-multicouplers-for-power-amplifiers **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US6552634 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How to Make Radio Amplifiers More Efficient](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8269555/efficient-linear-linc-power-amplifier) — This patent describes a method for tuning radio frequency power amplifiers to boost their efficiency and maintain a stable signal phase, especially when handling signals with changing loudness and direction. - [Combining Radio Signals Efficiently with Special Wires](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9141832/multiway-lossless-power-combining-and-outphasing-incorporating-transmission-line) — MIT's 2015 patent describes a clever way to combine multiple radio signals using specific lengths of transmission lines to boost power efficiently and linearly. - [How Wireless Radios Automatically Adjust to Avoid Signal Overload](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12255678/falcon-1) — A method for wireless devices to automatically rearrange their internal signal-processing components when incoming radio signals are too strong and threaten to overwhelm the hardware. - [How Smartphones Calibrate Their Radio Power Across Different Temperatures](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8831529/airplay-wireless-streaming) — A method for testing and calibrating a phone's wireless radio performance in a temperature-controlled chamber to ensure it stays accurate as the device heats up or cools down. - [How to Measure Stability in Complex Power Grids Using D-Q Impedance](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8044672/method-for-measuring-d-q-impedance-of-polyphase-power-grid-components) — A method for testing how electrical components in a power grid react to disturbances to ensure the grid remains stable and doesn't crash.