Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/477,538

DIFFERENTIAL ALL-PASS COUPLING CIRCUIT WITH COMMON MODE FEEDBACK

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Sep 28, 2023
Priority
Nov 02, 2022 — provisional 63/381,939
Examiner
CHOE, HENRY
Art Unit
2843
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
MediaTek Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
92%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 92% — above average
92%
Career Allowance Rate
1259 granted / 1362 resolved
+24.4% vs TC avg
Minimal -1% lift
Without
With
+-1.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
1y 10m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
1372
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
38.8%
-1.2% vs TC avg
§102
46.9%
+6.9% vs TC avg
§112
3.8%
-36.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1362 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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(s) 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by [He (Fig. 3); 5,914,638]. He discloses an amplifier network comprising the method steps of sensing (100) an output common mode voltage (92) associated with a differential signal (70, 72) of an input stage (SW2, SW3, C2, C3, SW5, SW6, 86, 88) of a receiver (60), determining (M1-M4) a difference between the sensed output common mode voltage (92) and a target output common mode voltage (94), determining (M1-M4) whether the difference satisfies a threshold (94), and in response to determining (M1-M4) that the difference satisfies the threshold (94) and outputting a voltage to a switched capacitor signal processing circuit (SW11, C1, SW12, C4, AMP1) within an all pass circuit to adjust the output common mode voltage (92). Allowable Subject Matter Claim 20 is 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. Reasons for Allowance Claims 1-18 are allowed. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Henry Choe whose telephone number is (571)272-1760. The examiner can normally be reached MONDAY-FRIDAY 5AM-11:00PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at 571-272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /HENRY CHOE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 28, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
May 27, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 11, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
92%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (-1.1%)
1y 10m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1362 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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