Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/530,080

CIRCUIT TO TRANSFER A SIGNAL BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOLTAGE DOMAINS AND CORRESPONDING METHOD TO TRANSFER A SIGNAL

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Dec 05, 2023
Priority
May 06, 2020 — IT 102020000010117 +2 more
Examiner
CHEN, SIBIN
Art Unit
2896
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
STMicroelectronics
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allowance Rate
889 granted / 1026 resolved
+18.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +5% lift
Without
With
+5.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1041
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
67.0%
+27.0% vs TC avg
§102
27.7%
-12.3% vs TC avg
§112
3.6%
-36.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1026 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 § 112 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 1, 4, and 6-10 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 2, it claims a capacitor [Cpump] of the first current path. However, the first current path is the path with the first current generator 2222a. The second current path is the path with 222b. The capacitor Cpump is not within the first current path because it is part of another path where the first and second current paths merge. Regarding claims 6 and 7, they depend on cancelled claim 5. Regarding claims 4 and 6-10, these claims are rejected since they depend on claim 2 above. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 11-13 and 16-24 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 SIBIN CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5768. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am - 5:00pm. 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. /SIBIN CHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 05, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Sep 09, 2025
Response Filed
Sep 23, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Nov 24, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action

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

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+5.1%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1026 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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