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 filed on 12/23/2024, 02/20/2026 and 07/15/2024 has been considered and placed in the application file.
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.
Claims 1-2, 5 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Salem et al. (U.S. 2018/0097486).
Regarding claim 1, Salem et al. (hereinafter, Ref~486) discloses (e.g., please see Figs. 8A/8B and related text for details) an amplifier (amplifier of Fig. 8A) comprising:
a first switched amplifier (see the first amplifier stage of Fig. 8A); and
a second amplifier (see second amplifier stage and the third amplifier stage of Fig. 8A of Fig. 1) comprising:
a first amplifying cell (see transistors cells from second stage of Fig. 8A) and a second amplifying cell (see transistor cells of Fig. 1), wherein the first amplifying cell is coupled between the first switched amplifier and the second amplifying cell as seen, meeting claim 1.
Regarding claim 2, Ref~486 discloses the amplifier of Claim 1, further comprising a feedforward connection (see connections from the first amplifying cells and the second amplifying cells from Fig. 8A) between the first amplifying cell and the second amplifying cell, meeting claim 2.
Regarding claim 5, Ref~486 discloses the amplifier of Claim 1, wherein the first switched amplifier is configured to operate as a Class D, Class H, or blended D-H amplifier as described throughout the disclosure, meeting claim 5.
Regarding claim 9, Ref~486 discloses the amplifier of Claim 1, wherein the first switched amplifier comprises a switched pair output stage and wherein the first and second amplifying cells each comprise at least one switch comprising a first switching speed substantially the same or greater than a second switching speed of the switched pair output stage in the first switched amplifier, since the same duty cycle employed for the system, meeting claim 9.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7-8, 10 and 12-14 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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-23 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 16-19 are allowed over the prior art of record. The prior art of record, considered individually or in combination, fails to fairly teach or suggest the claimed method comprising, among other limitations and unobvious limitations of “amplifying an output of the first switching amplifier to a second voltage via two or more amplifier cells comprising a lower voltage than the second voltage, wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage” structurally and functionally interconnected with other limitations in the manner as cited in the claims.
Claims 20-23 are allowed over the prior art of record. The prior art of record, considered individually or in combination, fails to fairly teach or suggest the claimed circuit comprising, among other limitations and unobvious limitations of “controlling a switching amplifier to apply gain to an input signal of the switching amplifier via Class D amplification, variable rails, or a blending of the two; and regulating power to two or more amplifying cells coupled to an output of the switching amplifier, the two or more amplifying cells comprising a first switching speed commensurate with or greater than a second switching speed of the switching amplifier” structurally and functionally interconnected with other limitations in the manner as cited in the claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hieu Nguyen whose telephone number is 571-272-8577. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8-5.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, YOUNGHUIE HAN (Jessica) can be reached on 571-272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.
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/HIEU P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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