Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/629,516

AMPLIFIER AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §112§Other
Filed
Apr 08, 2024
Priority
Apr 21, 2023 — TW 112114978
Examiner
NGUYEN, KHIEM D
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Realtek Semiconductor Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
1916 granted / 2234 resolved
+25.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
53 currently pending
Career history
2276
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
46.3%
+6.3% vs TC avg
§102
29.0%
-11.0% vs TC avg
§112
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 2234 resolved cases

Office Action

§112 §Other
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/08/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. TAIWAN 112114978, filed on 04/21/2023. 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 1-20 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. In Claims 1 & 11, the recitation of “the drain of the first N-type transistor, and the drain of the second N-type transistor is coupled to the output terminal” in line 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. In Claims 6 & 18, the recitation of “the second amplification stage, the first P-type transistor and the first N-type transistor are not in the cutoff region, and the second P-type transistor and the second N-type transistor are not in the cutoff region, either” it is not clear as how to determine that the second amplification stage, the first P-type transistor and the first N-type transistor would not operate in the cutoff region and similarly the second P-type transistor and the second N-type transistor would operate not in the cutoff region, either / wither. In Claim 18, the recitation of “wither”, does the applicant meant –either--? Clarification is needed. Claims 2-5, 7-10, 12-17 & 19-20 are rejected due to their dependency. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 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. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20140197887 A1: Fig. 1 of Hovesten et al. discloses an amplifier comprising transistor M6 connected in series with transistor M8 and output terminal connected to the transistor M6; and transistor M2 connected in series with transistor M4. US 6760381 B2: Fig. 2 of Lu discloses an amplifier circuit comprising transistor 34 being connected in series with transistor 32 and transistor 38 being connected in series with transistor 36 and wherein an output terminal being connected between transistors 34 and 36 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHIEM D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3941. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-5:00 PM EST. 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. /KHIEM D NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 08, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112, §Other (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+12.5%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 2234 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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