DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the 05/26/2026 Request to Continued Examination (RCE).
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 .
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 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.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/26/2026 has been entered.
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 “second gain circuitry having an output terminal coupled to the input terminal of the switch control circuitry, and clamping circuitry coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry” of claim 1 and claim 28, and “wherein the first gain circuitry has a gain control input coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry” of claim 21 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
With respect to Fig. 2, and claims 1 and 28, it appears that the claimed first gain circuitry corresponds to element 221 (gm2), the second gain circuitry corresponds to 220 and the clamping circuitry corresponds to 232. The second gain circuitry appears to corresponds to 220 because the claim recites “second gain circuitry having an output terminal coupled to the input terminal of the switch control circuitry”, however, 220 does not have the output terminal (output of gm3) coupled to the input of clamping 232. Clarification is requested.
With respect to Fig. 2 and claim 21, the first gain circuitry (corresponding to 221) does not have any gain control input coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry 220. Clarification is requested.
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 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.
Claim 27 is 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 27 recites “further comprising circuitry coupled to the inductor and configurable to provide a signal indicative of an inductance of the inductor”. There is no support in the original disclosure for said limitation.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or
nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
US Pub. No. 2023/0412077; (hereinafter Oshita) in view of US Patent No. 11,099,589; (hereinafter Laur).
Regarding claim 1, Oshita [e.g. Fig. 3] discloses a circuit comprising: switch control circuitry [e.g. 17, 20, 21] including an input terminal [e.g. at non-inverting input of 17] and output terminals [e.g. G1, G2]; a current sensor [e.g. 13 ]including input terminal [e.g. input terminal of 13] and output terminal [e.g. having Isns]; first gain circuitry [e.g. gain of amplifier 14] having input terminals [e.g. inverting and non-inverting inputs] coupled to the output terminals of the current sensor [e.g. see coupling of inverting and non-inverting inputs of 14 in Fig. 10] and an output terminal [e.g. WR2] coupled to the input terminal of the switch control circuitry [e.g. Vc]; second gain circuitry [e.g. 11] having an output terminal [e.g. WR1] coupled to the input terminal of the switch control circuitry [e.g. via 12, ground and 15 or via 14]; and clamping circuitry [e.g. 18] coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry [e.g. at Verr] and including: modulation circuitry [e.g. 18b; Fig. 8 corresponding to the clamping circuit 18] including an input terminal [e.g. Fig. 8; left terminal of 18b] and an output terminal [e.g. Fig. 8; upper terminal of 12a], the input terminal of the modulation circuitry coupled to a reference [e.g. Fig. 8; 18a].
Oshita fails to disclose the current sensor including input terminals and output terminals.
Laur [e.g. Fig. 9] teaches the current sensor [e.g. 105] including input terminals [e.g. inverting and non-inverting inputs] and output terminals [e.g. I_diffp and I_diffn].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Oshita by the current sensor including input terminals and output terminals as taught by Laur in order of being able to provide improved accuracy, col. 11, lines 34 - 36.
Claim(s) 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Oshita in view of Laur and further in view of US Pub. No. 2017/0331371; (hereinafter Parto).
Regarding claim 27, Oshita fails to disclose further comprising circuitry coupled to the inductor and configurable to provide a signal indicative of an inductance of the inductor.
Parto teaches further comprising circuitry coupled to the inductor and configurable to provide a signal indicative of an inductance of the inductor [e.g. paragraph 0224 recites “Block 1903 can include measuring the inductance of the inductor(s)”].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Oshita by further comprising circuitry coupled to the inductor and configurable to provide a signal indicative of an inductance of the inductor as taught by Parto in order of being able to reduce losses, Abstract.
Claim(s) 23 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oshita in view of Laur and further in view of US Patent No. 10,348,185; (hereinafter Michar).
Regarding claim 23, Oshita [e.g. Fig. 3] discloses further comprising: an inductor [e.g. L1]; and switches [e.g. M1, M2] coupled to the inductor and to the switch control circuitry.
Oshita fails to disclose the inductor coupled across the input terminals of the current sensor.
Michal [e.g. Fig. 2A] teaches the inductor [e.g. L] coupled across the input terminals of the current sensor [e.g. RLP1, RLP2, RCAL1, capacitor, RCAL2, 234].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Oshita by the inductor coupled across the input terminals of the current sensor as taught by Michal in order of being able to provide an accurate current measurement.
Regarding claim 28, Oshita [e.g. Fig. 3] discloses an apparatus comprising: a power converter including: an inductor [e.g. L1]; and switches [e.g. M1, M2] coupled to the inductor; and a control circuit including: switch control circuitry [e.g. 17, 20, 21] including an input terminal [e.g. at non-inverting input of 17] and output terminals [e.g. G1, G2]; a current sensor [e.g. 13 ]including input terminal [e.g. input terminal of 13] and output terminal [e.g. having Isns]; first gain circuitry [e.g. gain of amplifier 14] having input terminals [e.g. inverting and non-inverting inputs] coupled to the output terminals of the current sensor [e.g. see coupling of inverting and non-inverting inputs of 14 in Fig. 10] and an output terminal [e.g. WR2] coupled to the input terminal of the switch control circuitry [e.g. Vc]; second gain circuitry [e.g. 11] having an output terminal [e.g. WR1] coupled to the input terminal of the switch control circuitry [e.g. via 12, ground and 15 or via 14]; and clamping circuitry [e.g. 18] coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry [e.g. at Verr] and including: modulation circuitry [e.g. 18b; Fig. 8 corresponding to the clamping circuit 18] including an input terminal [e.g. Fig. 8; left terminal of 18b] and an output terminal [e.g. Fig. 8; upper terminal of 12a], the input terminal of the modulation circuitry coupled to an input reference voltage terminal [e.g. Fig. 8; 18a].
Oshita fails to disclose the current sensor including input terminals and output terminals and the input terminals of the current sensor coupled across the inductor.
Laur [e.g. Fig. 9] teaches the current sensor [e.g. 105] including input terminals [e.g. inverting and non-inverting inputs] and output terminals [e.g. I_diffp and I_diffn].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Oshita by the current sensor including input terminals and output terminals as taught by Laur in order of being able to provide improved accuracy, col. 11, lines 34 - 36.
Michal [e.g. Fig. 2A] teaches the input terminals of the current sensor [e.g. RLP1, RLP2, RCAL1, capacitor, RCAL2, 234] coupled across the inductor [e.g. L].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Oshita by the input terminals of the current sensor [e.g. RLP1, RLP2, RCAL1, capacitor, RCAL2, 234] coupled across the inductor as taught by Michal in order of being able to provide an accurate current measurement.
Examiner's Note
Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied on for proper interpretation and also to verify and ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 11, 21 – 22, 24 – 26 and 29 – 30 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reason for the indication of the allowability of claim 2 is the inclusion therein, in combination as currently claimed as a whole, of the limitation of “wherein clamping circuit includes: a first amplifier including a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, the first input terminal of the first amplifier coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry, the second input terminal of the first amplifier coupled to the output terminal of the modulation circuitry; a transistor including a first current terminal, a second current terminal, and a control terminal, the first current terminal of the transistor coupled to the first input terminal of the first amplifier and the output terminal of the second gain circuitry, the second current terminal of the transistor coupled to ground, and the control terminal of the transistor coupled to the output terminal of the first amplifier; and wherein the modulation circuitry includes: a second amplifier including a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, the first input terminal of the second amplifier coupled to the reference terminal; a first switch including a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the first switch coupled to the output terminal of the second amplifier; a second switch including a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the second switch coupled to the second terminal of the first switch, the second terminal of the second switch coupled to ground; and a resistor including a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the resistor coupled to the second terminal of the first switch and the first terminal of the second switch, the second terminal of the resistor coupled to the second input terminal of the second amplifier”.
The primary reason for the indication of the allowability of claim 21 is the inclusion therein, in combination as currently claimed as a whole, of the limitation of “wherein the first gain circuitry has a gain control input coupled to the output terminal of the second gain circuitry”.
The primary reason for the indication of the allowability of claim 29 is the inclusion therein, in combination as currently claimed as a whole, of the limitation of “wherein the control circuit is configurable to clamp an input current of the power converter or a current of the inductor using the clamping circuitry”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alex Torres-Rivera whose telephone number is (571)272-5261. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:30 ET.
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/ALEX TORRES-RIVERA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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