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 .
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 wherein the first NMOS transistor is directly connected to the capacitor terminal as claimed in claim 6 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 223 in Figure 2.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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 Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 15, line 6, the Examiner suggests inserting –to—between “configurable” and “maintain”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-7 are 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.
a) regarding claim 1:
The limitations, “the second transistor having a second control terminal,” and “the second transistor having a third control terminal,” fails to comply with the written description requirement. The specification fails to disclose any transistor with multiple control terminals.
b) regarding claims 2 and 7:
The claims are rejected based on their dependence from claim 1.
c) regarding claim 3:
The limitation, “wherein the fourth PMOS gate terminal is connected the first control terminal,” fails to comply with the written description requirement. The “fourth PMOS gate terminal” appears to correspond to node 235 in Figure 2 and “the first control terminal” appears to correspond to node 239 in Figure 2. Nodes 235 and 239 are not connected.
d) regarding claims 4 and 6:
The claims are rejected based on their dependence from claim 3.
e) regarding claim 5:
The limitation, “the fifth PMOS gate terminal connected to the second control terminal,” fails to comply with the written description requirement. The “fifth PMOS gate terminal” appears to correspond to node 237 in Figure 2 and “the second control terminal” appears to correspond to node 235 in Figure 2. Nodes 235 and 237 are not connected.
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 10-13 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.
a) regarding claim 10:
It is unclear and therefore indefinite if, “the a gate terminal of the NMOS transistor” in lines 2-3 is the same or different from, “a NMOS gate terminal of the NMOS transistor” in lines 8-9 of claim 8.
b) regarding claims 11-13:
The claims are rejected based on their dependence from claim 10.
c) regarding claim 16:
It is unclear and therefore indefinite if, “a maximum drain-to-source voltage rating” in lines 4-5 is the same or different from, “a maximum tolerable drain-to-source voltage” in line 5 of claim 1.
d) regarding claims 17-20:
The claims are rejected based on their dependence from claim 16.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang (US Pub. No. 2024/0048048) .
The applied reference has a common applicant with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
a) regarding claim 15:
Zhang discloses an integrated circuit (Figure 2) comprising:
a power terminal (PVIN); and
a N-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor (212) and circuitry (214, 216, 222 and 224) coupled between the power terminal (PVIN) and a capacitor terminal (BST), the NMOS transistor having a maximum tolerable drain-to-source voltage of at least 20 volts (paragraph [0023]), and the circuitry (214, 216, 222 and 224) configurable maintain a voltage of the capacitor terminal (BST) within 5 volts of a source terminal voltage (VDD_BST) of a source terminal of the NMOS transistor (paragraphs [0024]-[0027]).
b) regarding claim 16 (as best understood):
Zhang discloses the integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the circuitry (214, 216, 222 and 224) further comprises a P-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor (216) coupled between the NMOS transistor (212) and the capacitor terminal (BST), the PMOS transistor (216) having a maximum drain-to-source voltage rating lower than a maximum drain-to-source voltage rating of the NMOS transistor (paragraph [0023]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 9 and 14 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record fails to disclose or make obvious an integrated circuit comprising: a P-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor coupled to a NMOS gate terminal of the NMOS transistor and to the capacitor terminal, the NMOS transistor having a length being at least 1.5 times as long as a length of the PMOS transistor, along with all the other limitations as required by claim 8.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Patrick O'Neill whose telephone number is (571)270-1677. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 9AM-5PM EST.
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/PATRICK O NEILL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842