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 .
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, 5, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Chen (US 20200389091)
Chen discloses
1. An apparatus comprising:
an input circuit (circuit that includes TG and BG) configured to receive power from an external source;
an error amplifier (112) configured to generate an error signal (VCOMP) based on a difference between a current limit value and a value of an input current (Isns) generated by the input circuit (Fig. 1, 6, 10);
a calibration circuit configured to perform, using the error signal, a calibration to determine the current limit value (ICONMAX - ISLP; par. 33, 38); and
a limit circuit (switching circuit 110, 1010) configured to regulate the input current received by the input circuit based on the current limit value (Figs. 2-7, par. 39-40, 54: switching circuit adjusts a switching duty cycle to produce a regulated output voltage using an error signal representative of a difference between a target voltage value and the output voltage.).
2.1, wherein the input circuit includes a first pass (TG, TB) device coupled to an input pin, wherein the first pass device is further coupled to a first input of the error amplifier, wherein the input circuit further includes a sense circuit having a second pass device coupled to the input pin, wherein the second pass device is further coupled to a second input of the error amplifier (TG & TB are connected to a first input VFB of the EA 112).
5.1, wherein the calibration circuit includes: a first comparator (126) configured to generate a first signal in response to the error signal reaching a first value; and a second comparator (740) configured to generate a second signal in response to the error signal reaching a second value.
11. A method comprising: receiving, at an input circuit (circuit that includes TG and BG), power from an external source; generating, using an error amplifier (112), an error signal based on a difference between a current limit value and a value of an input current generated by the input circuit; performing, using a calibration circuit and the error signal, a calibration to determine the current limit value (ICONMAX - ISLP; par. 33, 38); and regulating, using a limit circuit (switching circuit 110, 1010), the input current based on the current limit value.
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, 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) 10, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 20200389091)
Re claim 10, Chen discloses [0052] The slope compensation current I.sub.SLP is determined by the oscillator circuit 1214. I.sub.SLP is then subtracted from the maximum peak inductor current command value ICON.sub.MAX determined using the dynamic clamp circuit 1030. The difference (ICON.sub.MAX-I.sub.SLP) sets the maximum peak inductor current value I.sub.L,PK,MAX to implement the improved slope compensation of FIG. 4. The sensed inductor current I.sub.SNS is compared to I.sub.L,PK,MAX and the switching of the voltage regulator circuit 1000 is enabled according to the comparison. Again, this regulation with I.sub.L,PK,MAX occurs only under conditions in which a very high peak inductor current is needed at the load. Normally, the peak inductor current I.sub.L,PK is determined by the feedback to regulate the output voltage to the target voltage.
Chen is silent to the load being a battery. However, a load is well known to include battery.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to extend Chen’s teachings to a battery and to charge the battery.
17. A system comprising: a charging circuit configured to charge a rechargeable battery
(Chen is silent to the load being a battery. However, a load is well known to include battery.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to extend Chen’s teachings to a battery and to charge the battery);
a control circuit (100) configured to control an input current generated by the charging circuit, wherein the control circuit includes:
an input circuit (circuit that includes TG and BG) configured to convey power from an external source to the charging circuit;
an error amplifier (112) configured to generate an error signal based on a difference between a first voltage indicative of the input current and a second voltage based on a current limit value;
a calibration circuit configured to perform, using the error signal, a calibration to determine the current limit value (ICONMAX - ISLP; par. 33, 38); and
a limit circuit (switching circuit 110, 1010) configured to regulate the input current received by the input circuit based on the current limit value.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 20200389091) in view of Mohan (US 20250240854)
Re claim 19.17, Chen is silent to wherein the limit circuit comprises a register configured to store a calibrated current limit value received from the calibration circuit, wherein, during normal operation, the limit circuit is configured to regulate the input current based on the calibrated current limit value.
Mohan discloses [0059] In some embodiments, once the controller 110 enters dimmer calibration mode, the controller 110 regulates the output voltage V.sub.OUT of the converter 50 to its maximum voltage (e.g., 24 V) by setting the reference signal to its highest value, and measures the output current I.sub.OUT. The controller 110 then stores this value, which is the maximum drive/load current when the dimmer level is at 100%, in the memory 114 as the maximum current I.sub.max for later use.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date the invention was made to incorporate the teachings of Mohan at least for saving time.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3-4, 6-9, 12-16, 18, 20 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 prior art does not disclose all limitations as set forth in claims 3-4, 6-9, 12-16, 18, 20 in conjunction with their parent claims.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
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/THIEN T MAI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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