Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 17/850,354

BOOST SCHEMES FOR WRITE ASSIST

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Jun 27, 2022
Priority
Oct 31, 2018 — provisional 62/753,760 +1 more
Examiner
NGUYEN, VAN THU T
Art Unit
2824
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
OA Round
4 (Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
792 granted / 957 resolved
+14.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+6.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
994
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
69.5%
+29.5% vs TC avg
§102
21.0%
-19.0% vs TC avg
§112
6.9%
-33.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 957 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This Office Action is in response to 03/10/2026 Amendment. Claims 1-20 are pending and examined. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 1 recites limitations: (a) “a first transistor switch connected between a word line voltage node and a supply voltage, wherein a gate of the first transistor switch is operative to receive a boost signal responsive to a write enable signal” on lines 2-4. (b) “a second transistor switch connected between the word line voltage node and the supply voltage, wherein a gate of the second transistor switch is coupled to the word line voltage node” on lines 5-7. (c) a first metal capacitor connected between a selected bit line and a gate of a third transistor switch, wherein the first metal capacitor is operable to drive the selected bit line to a negative voltage in response to the boost signal, and wherein the third transistor is connected between the selected bit line and the ground” on lines 8-11. (d) “a second metal capacitor having a first end coupled to the word line voltage node and a second end operative to receive the boost signal, wherein the second metal capacitor is operative to drive a word line voltage of the word line voltage node to a boosted value from the supply voltage in response to the boost signal” on line 12-15. There appears limitations (a), (b), and (d) belong to embodiment of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, while limitation (c) belong to embodiment of FIG.1 or FIG. 3. There is no suggestion that FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 is combined with FIG 1 or FIG. 3. In other word, specification does not describe features of claim 1 in one embodiment. Claims 10 and 16 recite similar limitations and is rejected for the same reason as that of claim 1. Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 10/27/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive due to rejection of 112, 1st paragraph above. As the result, no art is being applied to claims 1-20 in this Office Action. Conclusion 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VANTHU NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1881. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:00AM - 3:00PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Richard Elms can be reached on (571) 272-1869. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. April 9, 2026 /VANTHU T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2824
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 17 earlier events
Aug 26, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 27, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Nov 04, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 10, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Mar 10, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 14, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jul 10, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 16, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

5-6
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+6.5%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 957 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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