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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed December 11, 2025 has been entered.
Amendments and arguments presented therein overcome the previous objection(s) in this application.
Amendments and/or arguments presented therein overcome the previous rejection of claims under 35 USC 112(b) as being indefinite.
Claims 1, 3, 5, and 8-14 are rejected over the previously applied reference(s).
Drawings
Fig. 47 is objected to because the numbers, letters, and reference characters letters therein do not have a sufficient height and are not clearly legible. Numbers, letters, and reference characters must measure at least.32 cm. (1/8 inch) in height. They should not be placed in the drawing so as to interfere with its comprehension. Therefore, they should not cross or mingle with the lines. They should not be placed upon hatched or shaded surfaces. When necessary, such as indicating a surface or cross section, a reference character may be underlined and a blank space may be left in the hatching or shading where the character occurs so that it appears distinct. See 37 CFR 1.84(p)(3).
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, 5, and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 5,663,671 to Steglich.
With respect to claim 1, Steglich discloses in Fig. 3 an amplification circuit, comprising:
an operational amplifier (e..302); and
a clamping circuit (e.g., 210) being respectively connected to an input terminal (e.g., 54) and an output terminal of the operational amplifier for clamping an input signal (e.g., when an input signal at 54 is not clamped but allowed to be too high, Vout, in inverse relation to 54 (an inverse input of 16), saturates to low and is not in a linear region; 212 and 214 conduct when 54 is higher than Vout by two diode drops via 212 and 214; thus, 54 is clamped to be within 2 diode drops (212 and 214) of Vout, and such clamping allows opamp 16 to operate within its linear limits (e.g., Abstract, the last four lines, and Col. 5 ll. 38-41)) of the amplification circuit to fluctuate within a certain range (e.g., within 2 diode drops via 212 and 214) to prevent the operational amplifier from generating a saturating output (e.g., Abstract, the last four lines, and Col. 5 ll. 38-41),
wherein the clamping circuit (e.g., 210) includes a diode (e.g., 212/214) and a voltage dividing resistor (e.g., 30 divides Vout according to current through 30 and provides the divided voltage to 204), one end of the voltage dividing resistor (e.g., 30 in Fig. 5) is directly connected to a reference voltage (e.g., a voltage of an input signal at 54 is a reference voltage to compare at the noninverting input of 16) and another end of the voltage dividing resistor (e.g., 30) is connected to the output terminal (e.g., Vout) of the operational amplifier.
With respect to claim 5, one end of the diode (e.g., 212/214 in Fig. 3) of the clamping circuit is connected to the input terminal (e.g., 54) and another end of the diode of the clamping circuit (e.g., 212/214) is connected to the output terminal (e.g., Vout) of the operational amplifier.
With respect to claim 10, the operational amplifier (e.g., 16) is an inverting amplifier circuit.
With respect to claim 11, a feedback circuit (e.g., 22) is configured to adjust an amplification factor of the operational amplifier.
With respect to claim 12, the feedback circuit (e.g., 22) includes a resistor.
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 3, 8-9, and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. 5,663,671 to Steglich.
With respect to claim 3, Steglich discloses in Fig. 3 a diode (e.g., 212/214). Steglich fails to explicitly disclose that the diode (e.g., 212/214) in Fig. 3 is a Zener tube or a TVS tube. However, it was notoriously well known to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that a diode may be formed of a Zener tube or a TVS tube; an official notice of the foregoing fact is hereby taken. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement diodes 212 and 214 in Fig. 3 of Steglich with the notoriously well-known diode formed of a Zener tube or a TVS tube because diodes 212 and 214 in Fig. 3 of Steglich require a specific implementation in fabrication and the notoriously well-known diode formed of a Zener tube or a TVS tube provides such a specific implementation.
With respect to claim 8, the voltage dividing resistor (e.g., 30) is disclosed. Steglich fails to explicitly disclose that resistor 30 in Fig. 3 includes two or more resistors. However, it was notoriously well known to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that a resistor may be formed of plural resistors in series to allow use of smaller resistors in series; an official notice of the foregoing fact is hereby taken. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement resistor 30 in Fig. 3 of Steglich with the notoriously well-known resistor formed of plural resistors in series because such a modification allows use of smaller resistors.
With respect to claim 9, the two or more resistors in the voltage dividing resistor (e.g., 30 formed of series resistors as discussed for claim 8) are connected in series, a connecting end of the two or more resistors is connected to (e.g., directly or indirectly through intervening components) one end of the diode, another end of one of the two or more resistors is connected to (e.g., directly or indirectly through intervening components) the reference voltage, and another end of the two or more resistors is connected to the output terminal (e.g., directly or indirectly through intervening components) of the operational amplifier.
With respect to claim 13, any diode (e.g., 212/214) of the feedback circuit (e.g., 210 and 30) is connected in parallel with a plurality of resistors (e.g., 30 formed of series resistors as discussed for claim 8) of the feedback circuit.
With respect to claim 14, the plurality of resistors in the feedback circuit are connected in series (e.g., 30 formed of series resistors as discussed for claim 8) to reduce parasitic parameters on the plurality of resistors in the feedback circuit to achieve high bandwidth (e.g., capacitor 220 in Fig. 3 reduces parasitic capacitance deleteriously effecting the bandwidth according to Col. 2 ll. 49-58).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22-23 are allowed.
Claims 7 and 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed December 11, 2025 have not been found persuasive. For example, Applicant argues that Steglich does not disclose the newly added features of claim 1. However, as stated above in the main body of the rejection, Steglich discloses such features.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jung KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-7964. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 9AM to 5:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Lincoln Donovan, 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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/JUNG KIM/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842