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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR 10-2022-0146254, filed on 11/4/2022. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/28/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: Par. 68 refers to differential feedback signal VFB and differential common mode noise VCMN, however neither of these are shown in fig. 5, which this paragraph is describing. 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. 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, 9-12, and 16-20 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “generate an inverted pseudo output signal based on the differential output signal” in lines 14-15. However, the common mode canceller which does the generating is connected between the gate driver and the input of the output stage (as evident from figs. 4 and 5). It is not coupled to the differential output signal. Examiner is unsure how the inverted pseudo output signal is generated based on the differential output signal if the common mode canceller is not even connected to the output signal. The language here makes the claim unclear and indefinite. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 2-7, which depend on claim 1, inherit this rejection. Claim 16 states a very similar limitation, however it states that the differential pseudo output signal is based on the gate signal, and this makes sense with what is presented in the figures and specification.
Claim 2 recites the limitation “a differential pseudo output signal” in line 2 of page 2. It is unclear if this is the “inverted pseudo output signal” that is recited in claim 1. The differential pseudo output signal of claim 2 is generated based on the gate signal, which aligns with the figures and seems to be the same signal that is recited in claim 1, however, due to the claim language, it makes it seem like two different signals, and this makes the claim very unclear and indefinite. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 3-7, which depend on claim 2, inherit this rejection.
Claim 9 recites the limitation “an inverted modulated signal” in lines 3-4 of the claim. However, this seems to go against the limitation in claim 8 which states “an inverted pseudo signal.” Examiner believes these are the same signals however the claim language makes it seem like they are two different signals, and this makes the claim unclear and indefinite. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 10-12, which depend on claim 9, inherit this rejection.
Claim 13 recites the limitation “a differential output signal” in relation to a signal that the output stage generates. However, a few lines above it, there is reference to “an amplified differential output signal” (line 2 of page 6). Examiner is confused on if this is making a reference to the same signal or not. If so, there is a lack of antecedent basis. This difference in language makes the claim unclear and indefinite. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 14-20, which depend on claim 13, inherit this rejection.
Claim 16 recites the limitation “an inverted differential pseudo output signal” in line 7 of the claim, however, this was already defined in claim 13, which this claim is dependent on. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 17-19, which are dependent on claim 16, inherit this rejection.
Claim 20 recites the limitation “an inverted differential pseudo output signal” in lines 3-4 of the claim, however, this was already defined in claim 13, which this claim is dependent on. Appropriate correction is required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 2-7 and 9-20 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 8 is allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art was not able to reveal a class-d amplifier with a common mode canceller that output inverted pseudo signals based on a modulated signal from a pulse width modulator. The prior art also did not reveal a common mode canceller connected between an input node of the output stage and the summing nodes that come before the operational amplifier.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20220255516 by Lin et al. teaches a class-d amplifier with a common mode voltage compensation circuit.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAREH SHAMIRYAN whose telephone number is (703)756-4616. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:00AM-4:00PM PT.
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/NAREH SHAMIRYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843