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 .
Response to Amendment
1. This office action is responsive to communication(s) filed on 9/2/2026.
2. Claims 1-12 are presented for examination.
3. Applicant's arguments with respect to the newly added limitations have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejections as follows:
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103
4. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
5. Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Li et al. US Pub. No. 8754794 (previous cited) in view of Schie US Pub. No. 20140344200.
As per claims 1 and 7, Fig. 4 of Li is directed to an adjustable programming circuit for generating a programming voltage that comprises one of a plurality of different voltages to program a non-volatile memory cell (col. 3, lines 47-49) for a neural network to store one of a plurality of different voltages on a floating gate of the non- volatile memory cell, comprising: an operational amplifier (214) comprising a first input terminal (+ terminal of 214), a second input terminal (- terminal of 214), and an output terminal (TB), the first input terminal receiving a reference voltage (-Vref), the output terminal providing a voltage to program the non-volatile memory cell (col. 3, lines 47-49); a first switched capacitor network (218 or Fig. 5) coupled between the second input terminal of the operational amplifier and the output terminal of the operational amplifier; and a second switched capacitor network (216 or Fig. 5) coupled between an input voltage and the second input terminal of the operational amplifierB,) that varies (Fig. 6) in response to a capacitance (Fig. 5) of the first switched capacitor network and a capacitance (Fig. 5) of the second switched capacitor network.
Li discloses a second switched capacitor network (216 or Fig. 5) coupled between an input voltage and the second input terminal of the operational amplifier but fails to disclose while the first switched capacitor network is coupled between the second input terminal of the operational amplifier and the output terminal of the operational amplifier. However, Fig. 1, 3, 4 or 14 of Schie discloses the first switched capacitor network (2, or 2p) is coupled between the second input terminal (- terminal, Fig.1 or 4) of the operational amplifier (12 or 24, Fig.1 or 4) and the output terminal (Vout) of the operational amplifier. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time invention was made to modify Li’s adjustable programming circuit which utilizes the first capacitor network as taught by Schie in order to the first switched capacitor network and the second switched capacitor network are electrically coupled by the switches 2 and 4 (par. 11 or 40).
As per claims 2 and 8, Fig. 4 or 5 of Li discloses wherein the first switched capacitor network comprises an adjustable capacitor (218).
As per claims 3-4 and 9-10 , Fig. 4 or 5 of Li discloses wherein the second switched capacitor network comprises an adjustable capacitor (216).
As per claims 5-6 and 11-12, a column 3, lines 47-52 of Li discloses wherein the non-volatile memory cell is a stacked-gate memory cell (other suitable types of memory).
Response to Arguments
6. Applicant's arguments with respect to the newly added limitations have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejections as set forth in the rejection above.
For the above reasons, it is believed that the rejections should be sustained. Feature of an invention not found in the claims can be given no patentable weight in distinguishing the claimed invention over the prior art.
7. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). See MPEP 706.07(a). Applicants are reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for response to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the date of this action. In the event a first response 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 will the statutory period for response expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
8. When responding to the office action, Applicants are advised to provide the examiner with the line numbers and page numbers in the application and/or references cited to assist the examiner to locate the appropriate paragraphs.
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOAI V HO whose telephone number is (571)272-1777. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM -- 5:30 PM from Thursday and Friday of the first week of a bi-week and Tuesday and Wednesday of the second week.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amir Zarabian can be reached on (571) 272-1852. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571)-273-8300.
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/HOAI V HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2827
