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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 9-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 01/12/2026. Claims 1-8 are pending.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 7 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yen et al. (US 11,545,897 B2).
Regarding Claim 1, Yen et al. teaches in Figure 2A an apparatus comprising:
a charge pump having a first capacitor (Cboot), a second capacitor (Cdrv1), and a terminal (terminal node connected between S3 and Cdrv1); and
clamping circuitry (210, 212) having a terminal (terminal node is connected to terminal node between S3 and Cdrv1), the terminal of the clamping circuitry coupled to the first capacitor via the terminal (as connected to Cboot through S3) and the second capacitor via the terminal (as connected to Cdrv1).
Regarding Claim 7, Yen et al. further teaches the apparatus, wherein the clamping circuitry is fixed clamping circuitry (when skipping mode is high; see Figure 2B waveforms).
Regarding Claim 8, Yen et al. further teaches the apparatus, wherein the clamping circuitry is variable clamping circuitry that varies based on an output voltage of the charge pump (when skipping mode is low; see Figure 2B waveforms).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 2, the prior art does not disclose, teach or suggest the apparatus, wherein:
the first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the first capacitor coupled to a supply terminal via a first switch and a filter, the second terminal of the first capacitor coupled to a common terminal via a second switch; and
the second capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the second capacitor coupled to the first terminal of the first capacitor via a third switch, the second terminal of the second capacitor coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor via a fourth switch and a fifth switch, the second terminal of the second capacitor coupled to the common terminal via a sixth switch.
Claims 3-6 are objected to for depending from Claim 2.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Diana J Cheng whose telephone number is (571)270-1197. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9 am - 5:30 pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Menatoallah Youssef can be reached at (571)270-3684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DIANA J. CHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849
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