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
This Non-Final office is a response to the papers filed on 01/30/2026.
Claims 1-10 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments file on 01/30/2026 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-7, and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al, (Pub. No. 20200313446 A1) further in view of Wang (CN 110690816 A).
Regarding claims 1 and 7, Park discloses:
A universal serial bus port controller on a power receiving device side (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, see par [0065-0066], The charging interface 110 may transfer a power supplied through a cable to the power supply circuit 130. The charging interface 110 may include a USB interface or a micro USB interface….),
a power receiving device equipped with the universal serial bus port controller, the power receiving device including a power supply terminal side (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, power supply terminal 110);
a capacitor connected to the power supply terminal (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, capacitor C1, C2 or C3), and
a discharge unit connected between the power supply terminal and a ground line (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, discharge resistance R2 and discharge switch 137),
the universal serial bus port controller comprising:
a discharge control unit configured to turn on the unit to discharge a voltage of the power supply terminal (see Par [0085-0090], In the case where a charging power is not supplied from the charging interface 110 or in the case where the charging adapter 50 or a wireless charger is separated from the charging interface 110, the PMIC 132 may control the fourth switch L2, the second switch H2, and the connection control switch 137 to be in a turn-on state such that the power….).
However, Park fails to disclose:
the universal serial bus port controller being compatible with a universal serial bus Type-C,
a discharge control unit configured to turn on the unit to discharge a voltage of the power supply terminal until the voltage reaches below a predetermined voltage, and turn off the discharge unit after the voltage of the power supply terminal has been discharged to the predetermined voltage.
Thus, Wang discloses:
the universal serial bus port controller being compatible with a universal serial bus Type-C (see Fig. 1, USB type-C),
a discharge control unit configured to turn on the unit to discharge a voltage of the power supply terminal until the voltage reaches below a predetermined voltage, and turn off the discharge unit after the voltage of the power supply terminal has been discharged to the predetermined voltage (see page 6-7, terminal switch TSW is turned on to enter the discharge period in the configuration detection period. the terminal switch TSW is opened (during discharge), control component D is cut off and the voltage of the CC pin P is pulled to the low potential under the reference voltage Vref1 of the terminal resistor TR….., see page 9-10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified a portable electronic device of Park to utilize a USB type-C in order to monitor the configuration channel of the voltage level (see Wang page 2).
Regarding claim 2. Park discloses:
wherein the discharge switch is included in the universal serial bus port controller (see par [0085-0090], the PMIC 132 may control the fourth switch L2, the second switch H2, and the connection control switch 137 to be in a turn-on state such that the power of the batteries 121 and 122 is supplied to the load 150….).
Regarding claim 3. Park discloses:
wherein the discharge resistance is included in the universal serial bus port controller (see par [0085-0090], the PMIC 132 may control the fourth switch L2, the second switch H2, and the connection control switch 137 to be in a turn-on state such that the power of the batteries 121 and 122 is supplied to the load 150….).
Regarding claim 5. Park discloses:
wherein the universal serial bus port controller is integrated on one semiconductor substrate (see par [0051-0054], A module may be a single integral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions….).
Regarding claim 6. Park discloses:
An electronic apparatus comprising: the universal serial bus port controller according to claim 1 (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8).
Regarding claim 9, Park discloses:
wherein the discharge unit comprises a discharge resistance and a discharge switch connected in series (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, discharge resistance R2 and discharge switch 137).
Regarding claim 10, Park discloses:
A universal serial bus port controller on a power receiving device side (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, see par [0065-0066], The charging interface 110 may transfer a power supplied through a cable to the power supply circuit 130. The charging interface 110 may include a USB interface or a micro USB interface….), the universal serial bus port controller comprising:
a first terminal configured to output a control signal to control an ON state and an OFF state of an input switch connected between a power supply terminal and an internal circuit included in a power receiving device (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, power supply terminal 110, terminal 132a);
a discharge unit connected between the power supply terminal and a ground line (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, discharge resistance R2 and discharge switch 137);
a second terminal connected between the power supply terminal and the discharge unit (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, terminal 132d); and
a discharge control unit configured to turn on the discharge unit to discharge a voltage of the power supply terminal (see Par [0085-0090], In the case where a charging power is not supplied from the charging interface 110 or in the case where the charging adapter 50 or a wireless charger is separated from the charging interface 110, the PMIC 132 may control the fourth switch L2, the second switch H2, and the connection control switch 137 to be in a turn-on state such that the power….).
However, Park fails to disclose:
the universal serial bus port controller being compatible with a universal serial bus Type-C,
a discharge control unit configured to turn on the unit to discharge a voltage of the power supply terminal until the voltage reaches below a predetermined voltage, and turn off the discharge unit after the voltage of the power supply terminal has been discharged to the predetermined voltage.
Thus, Wang discloses:
the universal serial bus port controller being compatible with a universal serial bus Type-C (see Fig. 1, USB type-C),
a discharge control unit configured to turn on the unit to discharge a voltage of the power supply terminal until the voltage reaches below a predetermined voltage, and turn off the discharge unit after the voltage of the power supply terminal has been discharged to the predetermined voltage (see page 6-7, terminal switch TSW is turned on to enter the discharge period in the configuration detection period. the terminal switch TSW is opened (during discharge), control component D is cut off and the voltage of the CC pin P is pulled to the low potential under the reference voltage Vref1 of the terminal resistor TR….., see page 9-10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified a portable electronic device of Park to utilize a USB type-C in order to monitor the configuration channel of the voltage level (see Wang page 2).
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.
Claims 4 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al, (Pub. No. 20200313446 A1) and Koga et al. (Pub. No. 20180019585 A1) further in view of Alperin et al. (Pub. No. 2004/0205363 A1).
Regarding claims 4 and 8. Park discloses:
A discharge unit includes a discharge switch (see Fig. 3, 4A-4B, 5-8, discharge resistance R2 and discharge switch 137)
the discharge control unit applies an off-level driving voltage to a control terminal of the discharge switch when a voltage is supplied from the feeding device to the power supply terminal (see Par [0085-0090], In the case where a charging power is not supplied from the charging interface 110 or in the case where the charging adapter 50 or a wireless charger is separated from the charging interface 110, the PMIC 132 may control the fourth switch L2, the second switch H2, and the connection control switch 137 to be in a turn-on state such that the power….).
However, Park fails to disclose:
wherein the discharge switch is a depletion transistor.
Thus, Alperin discloses:
wherein the discharge switch is a depletion transistor (See Fig. 2, see par [0025], The discharge switch may be comprised of a relay contact, a silicon-controller rectifier (SCR), a bipolar transistor, a junction field effect transistor, a power metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor MOSFET, either enhancement or depletion mode....).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention utilize discharge switch is a depletion transistor because it is well known in the art.
Conclusion
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/BRIAN NGO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851