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 .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 08/14/2026 has been entered. Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome the objections previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 05/14/2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 12-13, filed 08/14/2026, with respect to claims 1, 2, and 9 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of these claims has been withdrawn due to the inclusion of allowable subject matter.
Applicant's arguments regarding the 35 U.S.C. 112(B) rejection of claims 6-7 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. See rejection below.
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.
Claim 3 is 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. It’s not clear how the second amplifier stage has an output coupled to a control terminal of the current circuit. This is not shown in the figures or said in the specification.
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 6-7 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 6, applicant’s arguments state that figure 8 is the figure that describes this claim, however, some of the limitations do not make sense with this figure or any of the other figures. It says that there is a third transistor (106) corresponding to a first output terminal (Vop) of the differential output but in fig. 8, it shows that it corresponds to the second output terminal (Von). It also says that the control terminal (gate) of 106 is coupled to the first terminal (drain) of the first transistor (102) but in fig. 8 the gate of 106 is connected to current source 860 and the drain of 864. The limitations about the fourth transistor (108) have the same exact issues. It also says there is a sixth transistor (864) with the first terminal (drain) coupled to the first terminal (drain) of the first transistor (102) and the control terminal (gate) of the sixth transistor (864) coupled to the second terminal (source) of the third transistor (106) but that is not what is shown in fig. 8. The limitations about the seventh transistor (866) have the same exact issues.
Regarding claim 7, applicant’s arguments state that figure 9 is the figure that describes this claim, however, some of the limitations do not make sense with this figure or any of the other figures. It says that the third transistor (106) has a first terminal (drain) coupled to a second terminal (source) of the first transistor (102), corresponds to a first output terminal (Vop), and that the control terminal (gate) of the third transistor (106) is connected to the first terminal (drain) of the first transistor, but this is not what’s shown in fig. 9. The fourth transistor (108) has these same exact issues. It also says that the first terminal of the first resistor (110) is connected to the first terminal (drain) of the third transistor (106) and that the first terminal of the second resistor (112) is connected to the first terminal (drain) of the fourth transistor, but this is not what’s shown in fig. 9.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9, 11-15, and 16-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to teach a second amplifier stage having an input coupled to the differential output, a voltage output common-mode control circuit having an input coupled to the differential output of the amplifier and having an output coupled toa control terminal of the tail current transistor, a voltage output common-mode control circuit having an input coupled to the differential output of the second terminals of the pair of first resistors, and a voltage input common-mode control circuit having an input and an output, the input of the voltage input common-mode control circuit coupled to the output of the voltage output common-mode control circuit, and the output of the voltage input common-mode control circuit coupled to the differential input of the amplifier.
Claims 6-7 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.
The prior art fails to teach a sixth and seventh and eight and ninth transistor connection as taught in claims 6 and 7, respectively.
Conclusion
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 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.
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/NAREH SHAMIRYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/ANDREA LINDGREN BALTZELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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