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 .
This is a response to the amendment filed 1/2/2026. Claims 1-5 and 7-19 are pending and are under examination.
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.
Claim 3 is 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 claim 3, the recitation of “the capacitor” (line 11) lacks proper antecedent basis, thus, the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be determined renders the claim indefinite.
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) 1-2, 4-5, 7-11 and 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chung (US 2004/0036545).
Regarding claim 1, Chung’s 6 shows A programmable ring oscillator, comprising: a Schmitt trigger (420) including an input (Vin) coupled to a first node, a control terminal (Vc) coupled to a configuration signal (signals control switches SW1 and SW2) , and an output (Vout) the Schmitt trigger including an input hysteresis comprising a low threshold (VIL) and a high threshold (VIH) for a hysteresis defined based on the configuration signal to the control terminal; and an oscillator circuit (430, 440) coupled to the output of the Schmitt trigger, the oscillator circuit configured to provide an output signal, as a clock signal (CLK), having an oscillating frequency, wherein the Schmitt trigger is configured to drive the oscillator circuit such that a variation in supply voltage causes the input hysteresis of the Schmitt trigger to vary the output of the Schmitt trigger by an amount or percentage equal to a change in the oscillating frequency resulting from a change in the supply voltage to the oscillator circuit, to maintain the oscillating frequency of the oscillator circuit at a constant value in response to variations in supply voltage to the programmable ring oscillator (see paragraphs 0041, 0048; 0061) as called for in claim 1.
Regarding claim 2, wherein the programmable ring oscillator comprises a relaxation oscillator.
Regarding claim 4, wherein the Schmitt trigger comprises an inverting comparator (421).
Regarding claim 5, wherein: the Schmitt trigger includes power terminals coupled to a supply voltage (VDD) and ground potential (GND); and the Schmitt trigger includes input hysteresis having a low threshold voltage (VIL) and a high threshold voltage (VIH).
Regarding claim 7, wherein the low threshold voltage (VIL) of the hysteresis is capable of being chosen to be equal to a first voltage between ground potential and one-half the supply voltage, and the high threshold voltage (VIH) of the hysteresis is capable of being chosen equal to a second voltage between one-half the supply voltage and the supply voltage (410; figure 6).
Regarding claim 8, wherein a difference between the low threshold voltage and the high threshold voltage is proportional to the supply voltage (410; figure 6).
Regarding claim 9, wherein the low threshold voltage and the high threshold voltage are based on one or more values of the configuration signal (signals control SW1 and SW2).
Regarding claim 10, wherein the one or more values of the configuration signal are based at least in part on an instantaneous value of the supply voltage, changes in the supply voltage, or both (410, figure 6).
Regarding claim 11, when the supply voltage decreases or is low, the one or more values of the configuration signal are in a first state that (i) causes the low threshold voltage of the hysteresis to increase and (ii) causes the high threshold voltage to decrease; and when the supply voltage increases or is high, the one or more values of the configuration signal are in a second state that causes (i) the low threshold voltage to decrease and causes (ii) the high threshold voltage to increase, to change the output of the Schmitt trigger to the oscillator circuit, the change causing the oscillator circuit to maintain the oscillating frequency at a constant value in response to variations in the supply voltage (see equation (1); paragraphs 0061).
Regarding claim 16, wherein the input hysteresis is responsive to a value of the configuration signal.
Regarding claim 17; wherein the input hysteresis is configured to maintain the oscillating frequency at a constant value in the presence of variations in the supply voltage (paragraph 0061).
Regarding claim 18; wherein the input hysteresis is configured to maintain the oscillating frequency at a constant value in the presence of variations in temperature (see paragraph 0061).
Regarding claim 19, wherein the programmable ring oscillator is capable of being a part of a low-power wireless device.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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, 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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sano et al. (USP 5,270,663) in view of Chung (US 2004/0036545).
Regarding claim 3, Sano et al.’s figure 1 shows oscillator circuit comprises: a first CMOS inverter (IV2) including an input coupled to the output of an input inverter (IV1) and an output coupled to a second node; a second CMOS inverter (IV3) including an input coupled to the second node and an output coupled to an output terminal of a ring oscillator, the output terminal configured to provide an output signal having an oscillating frequency; a first resistor (15b) coupled between the output terminal and a third node; a second resistor (15a) coupled between the third node and the first node; and wherein the oscillating frequency of the output signal is based on an RC time constant of the first resistor, the second resistor, and the capacitor (15c).
Sano et al.’s figure 1 does not show the input inverter (IV1) as a Schmitt trigger inverter as called for in claim 3.
Chung’s 6 shows A programmable ring oscillator, comprising: a Schmitt trigger (420) including an input (Vin) coupled to a first node, a control terminal (Vc) coupled to a configuration signal (signals control switches SW1 and SW2) , and an output (Vout) the Schmitt trigger including an input hysteresis comprising a low threshold (VIL) and a high threshold (VIH) for a hysteresis defined based on the configuration signal to the control terminal. The output of the Schmitt trigger coupled to an input of another inverter to form a programmable ring oscillator. Therefore, it would have been obvious to person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to replace Sano et al.’s input inverter with Chung’s Schmitt trigger for the purpose of providing an oscillator signal independent from power supply and temperature variation as taught by Chung reference (see paragraph 0061).
Claim(s) 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung (US 2004/0036545) in view of Koh et al. (US 2011/0210798).
Regarding claims 12-13, Chung reference does not teach the configuration signal are based at least in part on an operating temperature of the programmable ring oscillator and when the operating temperature decreases or is low, the one or more values of the configuration signal are in a first state that (i) causes the low threshold voltage to decrease and causes (ii) the high threshold voltage to increase; and when the operating temperature increases or is high, the one or more values of the configuration signal are in a second state that (i) causes the low threshold voltage to decrease and causes (i) the high threshold voltage to increase to change the output of the Schmitt trigger to the oscillator circuit, the change causing the oscillator circuit to maintain the oscillating frequency at a constant value in response to variations in the operating temperature as called for in claims 12 and 13. However, one skilled in the art would have already recognized that ring oscillator’s output frequency generally affects by changes of temperatures. Chung teaches that the frequency of the ring oscillator is constant regardless of changes in power supply and temperature (paragraph 0061). On the other hand, Koh et al. teaches that temperature dependent output frequency of a ring oscillator can be compensated by varying the control signal (702; Koh et al.’s figure 7). Therefore, it would have been obvious to person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have Chung’s configuration signal takes on different voltage levels corresponding on temperature changes which would effectively changing the relative high threshold voltage and relative low threshold voltage. Therefore, outside of any non-obvious results, the obviousness of compensating for changes in operation temperature by changing the high threshold voltage and low threshold voltage will not be patentable under 35USC 103.
Claim(s) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chung (US 2004/0036545).
Regarding claim 14, Chung reference does not show the configuration signal are based at least in part on low-power parameters associated with a wireless device. Since wireless technology is widely used nowadays, one skilled in the art would have been readily recognized that Chung’s configuration signal (signals controls SW1 and SW2) can also be applied for wireless base generated signal. Therefore, it would have been obvious to person skilled in the art before the effective filing of the present invention to have Chung’s configuration signal generated based on low power parameters wireless device.
Regarding claim 15, Chung reference does not show when the low-power parameters are in a first state or have first values, one or more values of the configuration signal are in a first state that (i) causes the low threshold voltage to decrease and (ii) causes the relatively high threshold voltage to increase; and when the low-power parameters are in a second state or have second values, the one or more values of the configuration signal are in a second state that (i) causes the relatively low threshold voltage to increase and (ii) causes the relatively high threshold voltage to decrease, to change the output of the Schmitt trigger to the oscillator circuit, the change causing the oscillator circuit to maintain the oscillating frequency at a constant value in response to the low-power. However, Since Chung’s configuration signal can take on different voltage levels which also effectively change the frequencies of the ring oscillator (see paragraphs 0061); different output frequencies consume different power levels. Thus, outside of any non-obvious results, the obviousness of assigning the configuration signal to different values to indicate low /high power parameter in order to change the frequency of the ring oscillator will not be patentable under 35USC 103.
Conclusion
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/TUAN T LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842 3/5/2025