DETAILED ACTION
The instant application having Application No. 18/015,200 filed on 1/9/2023 is presented for examination by the examiner. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because it should read “The random number generator according to claim 9, wherein the signal generator is a ring oscillator.” Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-9, 13-14 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
As per Claim 1, it recites “a random number generating circuit used for generating configured to generate a pulse signal…” and “a feedback update circuit used for updating the control word…” (emphasis added). However, the phrase “used for” raises a question as to the limitations’ limiting effect on the claim, because limitations that merely recite an intended use are generally not accorded any patentable weight. Therefore, the use of the phrase “used for” renders the claim unclear and indefinite.
As per Claims 2-4, 6-9 and 13, they similarly recite the phrase “used for” or “is used for”, which renders the claims unclear and indefinite as described above.
As per Claims 5, 14 and 16-20, they are rejected for the reasons presented above, due to their dependency upon their respective base claims.
The Examiner suggests amending the claims as proposed by the Examiner in the interview held on 6/24/2026, in order to overcome the above rejection(s). The Examiner’s proposed amendment is attached to the instant Office action.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9, 13-14, and 16-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action.
Claims 10-12 and 15 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The closest found prior art is Xiu (US 2019/0123749)
Xiu discloses a digitally controlled oscillator that generates a synthetic clock signal, i.e. a pulse signal, based on a control word, the pulse signal including a first period and a second period that appear alternately, wherein proportions of the first period and the second period are controlled by the control word.
However, Xiu fails to teach generating a random number signal according to the pulse signal i.e. by a random number generating circuit, and updating the control word based on the random number signal i.e. by a feedback update circuit. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW SANDIFER whose telephone number is (571)270-5175. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm.
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, James Trujillo can be reached at (571) 272-3677. 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.
/MATTHEW D SANDIFER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2151
Prosecution Insights