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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed August 29, 2025 has been entered.
Amendments and arguments presented therein overcome the previous prior art rejection(s) in this application.
Specification
The Abstract stating “The present disclosure concerns a driver” uses a phrase which can be implied; the phrase should be changed to “A driver”. A new Abstract with an amendment to remove such an implied phrase is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text.
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.
(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 18, 20, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2018/0026531 to Nagda et al. (“Nagda”)
With respect to claim 18, Nagda discloses in Fig. 2 a device, comprising:
a first power transistor (e.g., 38);
a driver (e.g., 34, 32, and 36) coupled to the first power transistor (e.g., 38), the driver including:
a second transistor (e.g., 68) coupled to (e.g., via 62 and 40) the first power transistor (e.g., 38);
a third transistor (e.g., 52) coupled to the second transistor (e.g., 60) and the first power transistor (e.g., 38);
a fourth transistor (e.g., 62) coupled to the third transistor (e.g., 52);
a triggering circuit (e.g., 36 triggers N1 to be a diode drop voltage lower than EXTVDD) coupled to the third and fourth transistors (e.g., 62 and 52);
a voltage regulation circuit (e.g., 88, 80, 78, and 66) coupled to (e.g., via 64) the fourth transistor (e.g., 62);
a first resistor (e.g., 56);
a fifth transistor (e.g., 64) coupled to the fourth transistor (e.g., 62) and the voltage regulation circuit (e.g., 88, 80, 78, and 66).
With respect to claim 20, the first resistor (e.g., 56) is coupled to (e.g., via 52) the fourth and fifth transistors (e.g., 62-64).
With respect to claim 25, a sixth transistor (e.g., 60) and the first resistor (e.g., 56) are coupled in parallel.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 29, 2025 are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 11-17, and 26-29 are allowed.
Claims 19 and 21-24 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jung KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-7964. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 9AM to 5:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Lincoln Donovan, can be reached at (571)272-1988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUNG KIM/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842