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 1-11 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 1, it claims a first latch [401, 402] and a second latch [403, 404], where the second latch has a second transistor [P7] such that no transistor of the second latch has a gate connected to any node driven from within the first latch, other than the gate of the second transistor. However, it appears that another transistor in the second latch, N7, also has a gate connected to a node driven from within the first latch (at D1). It is unclear how to interpret this limitation such that it is consistent with figure 4.
Regarding claims 2-11, these claims are rejected since they depend on claim 1 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 13, and 21-27 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 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.
Conclusion
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/SIBIN CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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