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 .
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.
Claim(s) 16, 18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chang (US 10,693,461).
Regarding claim 16, fig. 1 of Chang discloses a method of reducing gate leakage current [e.g. via 140] comprising: receiving a digital control signal [SIGctrl]; based on the digital control signal, distributing a bias current through one or more of a plurality of transistors [M1A, M2A]; and coupling an operating transistor [P3] to an operating voltage node [e.g. voltage at gate of P3] and a ground transistor [N3] to a ground voltage node [VS], the coupling reducing a gate-to-source voltage of the one or more transistors [via 140], wherein the operating transistor includes a source/drain terminal connected to a gate terminal of the one or more transistors.
Regarding claim 18, fig. 1 of Chang discloses wherein the operating transistor is a PMOS operating transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the operating voltage node.
Regarding claim 20, fig. 1 of Chang discloses wherein the plurality of transistors are included in one of a plurality of current branches.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15, and 21-25 are allowed.
Claims 17 and 19 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16 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.
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.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Taelor Kim can be reached at (571) 270-7166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SIBIN CHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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