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 .
Miscellaneous
The Applicant has cancelled claims 8-20 and added new claims 34-35; therefore, only claims 1-7 and 21-35 remain for this Office Action.
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 current limiting circuit having an input coupled to the bootstrap capacitor terminal and an output coupled to a control terminal of the transistor 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.
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.
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 1-7 and 34-35 are 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.
In regards to claim 1, the newly amended subject matter calls for “a current limiting circuit having an input coupled to the bootstrap capacitor terminal and an output coupled to a control terminal, and an output coupled to a control terminal of the transistor; however, such subject matter is not readily apparent anywhere in the Applicant’s disclosure, including the Specification, Drawings or the originally filed Claims. In particular, there is no obvious element that has an input coupled to the bootstrap capacitor terminal and an output coupled to a control terminal of the transistor rendering the claim indefinite. Claims 2-7 and 34-35 are also rejected as being dependent on claim 1. Furthermore, the Examiner has interpreted the claims as written for Examination Purposes Only in regards to the application of prior art rejection as seen below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wu (US 11,133,797).
In regards to claim 1, Wu discloses of an integrated circuit including: a bootstrap capacitor terminal (VB, 105), a supply voltage terminal (VDD, 107): a charging circuit coupled between the bootstrap capacitor terminal (VB, 105) and the voltage supply terminal (VDD, 107), the charging circuit including a transistor (133 in Fig 1, 230 in Fig 2) configurable to conduct a current from the supply voltage terminal (VDD, 107) to the bootstrap capacitor terminal (VB, 105, see Figs 1-2); and a current limiting circuit (150, 250) having an input coupled to the bootstrap capacitor terminal (VB, 105) and an output coupled to a control terminal (see connection to 136, 236 in Figs 1-2), and an output coupled to a control terminal of the transistor (133, 230 at 136, 236, see Figs 1-2, 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21-33 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
In regards to claim 21, the prior art does not disclose of a circuit comprising: an integrated circuit including: a bootstrap capacitor charging circuit including: a transistor having first and second terminals, the second terminal coupled to a bootstrap capacitor terminal; and a current mirror coupled to a supply voltage terminal and to the first terminal of the transistor; a high-side transistor coupled between an input voltage terminal and a switched terminal and having a control terminal; a low-side transistor coupled between the switched terminal and a ground terminal; a driver circuit having an output coupled to the control terminal of the high-side transistor, a first supply voltage input coupled to the bootstrap capacitor terminal, and a second voltage input coupled to the switched terminal, nor would it have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to do so. Claims 22-28 are also allowed as being dependent on claim 21.
In regards to claim 29, the prior art does not disclose of a system comprising: a converter circuit including: a high-side transistor coupled between an input voltage terminal and a switched terminal and having a control terminal; a low-side transistor coupled between the switched terminal and a ground terminal; a bootstrap capacitor charging circuit including: a first transistor having first and second terminals, the second terminal coupled to a bootstrap capacitor terminal; a second transistor having first and second terminals and a control terminal, the first terminal of the second transistor coupled to a supply voltage terminal, the second terminal of the second transistor coupled to the first terminal of the first transistor; and a third transistor having first and second terminals and a control terminal, the first terminal of the third transistor coupled to the supply voltage terminal, the control and second terminals of the third transistor coupled to the control terminal of the second transistor; and a capacitor coupled between the bootstrap capacitor terminal and the switched terminal, nor would it have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to do so. Claims 30-33 are also allowed as being dependent on claim 29.
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 Jason M Crawford whose telephone number is (571)272-6004. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6:00am-3:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander Taningco can be reached at 571-272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON M CRAWFORD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844