DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the arguments and amendments filed on 8/6/2026.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 8/6/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Regarding claim 25, the applicant argues that “Claims 25-27 were amended to replace "power stage" with "power converter" or to replace "power stages" with "power converters". Power converters 208 and 210 in FIG. 2 correspond to "power converter" or "power converter" in claim 25-27. For at least these reasons, Applicant respectfully requests that the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. § 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, be withdrawn. Claims 25-27 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. § 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite due to "power stage" limitations. Claims 25-27 were amended to replace "power stage" with "power converter" or to replace "power stages" with "power converters". Power converters 208 and 210 in FIG. 2 correspond to "power converter" or "power converter" in claim 25-27. For at least these reasons, Applicant respectfully requests that the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. § 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, be withdrawn”. The examiner does not agree with the applicant’s arguments. The applicant states that the power converters are elements 208 and 210. As shown in fig. 3 of applicant’s drawings, the amplifier is element that is a part of power converter 208. Therefore, it’s not clear as to how the power converter is coupled to the output of the amplifier.
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 power converter being coupled to the output of the amplifier of claim 25 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.
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 25-27 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. Regarding claim 25, the limitation “a power converter coupled to the output of the amplifier, the power converter having a power output, wherein a current provided at the power output is set based on a signal at an output of the amplifier”, is considered new matter. Dependent claims 26-27 inherits the deficiencies of claim 25 and are therefore also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 (a).
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 25-27 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. Regarding claim 25, it’s not clear as to how a power converter is coupled to the output of the amplifier because the amplifier is a part of the power converter (see fig. 3 of the instant application). Dependent claims 26-27 inherits the deficiencies of claim 25 and are therefore also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 (b).
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) 36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Khanna et al. (US Patent 8901909). Regarding claim 36, Khanna et al. discloses (see fig. 13) a circuit comprising: a synchronization terminal (Q_DPWM terminal); a frequency detector (1331) coupled to the synchronization terminal (connection to Q_DPWM terminal) and configured to derive, from an encoded clock signal, a derived clock signal (output from 1331 based on input from Q_DPWM terminal); a decoder (1335/1305) coupled to the synchronization terminal (connection to Q_DPWM terminal) and configured to derive, from the encoded clock signal, a voltage signal (VD output from 1335/1305); and a control circuit (1332/1334) coupled to the frequency detector and the decoder (connection to 1331 and 1335/1305), the control circuit having an output (output from 1332/1334) and configurable to provide power converter control signals at the output responsive to the voltage signal and the derived clock signal (outputs from 1332/1334 based on outputs from 1331 and 1335/1305).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 and 28-35 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claim 1, the prior art fails to teach or disclose a circuit comprising: a transmit circuit having an input and an output, the input of the transmit circuit coupled to the output of the amplifier, and the output of the transmit circuit coupled to the terminal, and the transmit circuit including a clock generator and an encoder coupled between the clock generator and the terminal, in combination with all the limitations set forth in claim 1. Regarding claim 28, the prior art fails a circuit comprising: an encoder coupled to the clock generator and to the synchronization terminal, the encoder configured to encode the outgoing clock signal based on the first control voltage signal to provide, at the synchronization terminal, an outgoing encoded clock signal, in combination with all the limitations set forth in claim 28.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claims 37-39 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
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 JEFFREY A GBLENDE whose telephone number is (571)270-5472. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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, Monica Lewis can be reached at 571-272-1838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEFFREY A GBLENDE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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