DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a first diode device having a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output and an anode coupled to the first input” as recited in claim 1 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The amendment filed 5/18/2026 is objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132(a) because it introduces new matter into the disclosure. 35 U.S.C. 132(a) states that no amendment shall introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention. The added material which is not supported by the original disclosure is as follows:
With respect to claim 1, the recitation of “a first diode device having a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output and an anode coupled to the first input” is not supported by the original disclosures.
Applicant is required to cancel the new matter in the reply to this Office Action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-6 and 8 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.
With respect to claim 1, the recitation of “a first diode device having a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output and an anode coupled to the first input” is not supported by the original disclosures.
Claims 2-3, 5-6 and 8 are rejected for the same reasons as claim 1.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-6 and 8 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to claim 1, the recitation of “a first diode device having a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output and an anode coupled to the first input” cannot be understood since the original disclosure fails to provide support for such a limitation.
As far as can be understood “the first diode device” of Applicant’s instant drawings is interpreted as one of Q1 of Fig. 1, Q1 of Fig. 2 and Q8 of Fig. 3. As can be seen Q1 of Figs. 1 and 2 and Q8 of Fig. 3 are implemented as a diode connected PNP bipolar transistors having a base shorted to the collector of the PNP bipolar transistor. In such diode connected PNP bipolar transistors the emitter terminal is equivalent to the anode a diode of the diode connected PNP bipolar transistor and the combined/shorted base and collector is equivalent to the cathode of the diode connected PNP bipolar transistor. This is further evidenced by Dosho et al. (USPN 5,751,142) in Fig. 6(c) (i.e., diode connected PNP transistor) and Fig. 6(e) (i.e., diode having an anode equivalent to the emitter of Fig. 6(c) and a cathode equivalent to the base/collector of Fig. 6(c)) Therefore, the anode (i.e., emitter) of Q1 and/or Q8 of Figs. 1-3 is connected to the reference voltage output (VBG) and the cathode (i.e., base/collector) of Q1 and/or Q8 of Figs. 1-3 is connected to the first input of the amplifier (i.e., inverting terminal 120). Thus, the diode device of Applicant’s original disclosure is not connected such that diode device has “a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output and an anode coupled to the first input” and the above limitation cannot be understood.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Krishnan et al. (USPAPN 2021/0349490).
With respect to claim 1, as far as can be understood, Krishnan et al. discloses, in Fig. 1, an apparatus (Fig. 1), comprising:
a bandgap reference circuit (Fig. 1) having a reference voltage output (Vbg) and including:
an operational amplifier (OP AMP) (OP1) having a first input (non-inverting terminal), a second input (inverting terminal), and an output (123), the output coupled to the reference voltage output (Vbg);
a first diode device (M1) having a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output (Vbg; the cathode of M1 will be connected to Vbg due to the current flowing across the p to n junction of the diode connected transistor of M1) and an anode coupled to the first input (non-inverting terminal via R1; the anode of M1 is coupled to the cathode of M1 via the current flowing across the p to n junction of M1. Thus, the anode of M1 is coupled to the non-inverting terminal of OP1);
a resistor (R3) coupled to a ground terminal (ground);
a first current source coupled between the first input and the resistor (M2) and configurable to provide a first current to the first diode device (current generated by M2);
a second diode device coupled between the second input and the resistor (M4); and
a second current source coupled between the reference voltage output and the second input (M3) and configurable to provide a second current to the second transistor (current generated by M3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 11-14 and 17-21 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/18/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The above arguments are not persuasive since Applicant’s original disclosure fails to disclose “a first diode device having a cathode coupled to the reference voltage output and an anode coupled to the first input” as recited in claim 1 for at least the reasons discussed above with respect to the rejections under 35 U.S.C Section 112.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 Thomas J. Hiltunen whose telephone number is (571)272-5525. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00AM-5:30PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Menatoallah Youssef can be reached at (571)270-3684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THOMAS J. HILTUNEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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