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 5/27/2024 seems to be in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 17, line 12 – “… M1 is coupled between the first node of the inductor L1 and a ground… “ should be “… M2 is coupled between the first node of the inductor L1 and a ground… “.
Paragraph 30, line 11 – “… operational amplifier 805… “ should be “… operational amplifier 807… “
Appropriate correction is required.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 6-7 and 15-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species II and III as there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3/23/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 9-10, 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fukushima US Publication 20220239228 (Fukushima).
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Regarding claim 1, Fukushima discloses a switch mode power supply (SMPS) (i.e., 10R) (Fig. 3), configured to receive an input voltage (i.e., Vin) (Fig. 3)to generate an output voltage (i.e., Vout) (Fig. 3), wherein the SMPS comprises: an inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 3); two power transistors (i.e., M1, M2) (Fig. 3), configured to selectively couple a first node of the inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 3) to an input voltage or a ground voltage; a driver (i.e., 290) (Fig. 3), configured to control the two power transistors (i.e., M1, M2) (Fig. 3) according to a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal (see COT signal -paragraph 60); a capacitor (i.e., C1) (Fig. 3), coupled between a second node of the inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 3) and a ground voltage, wherein the second node of the inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 3) is configured to generate the output voltage (i.e., Vout) (Fig. 3); an error amplifier (i.e., 210) (Fig. 3), configured to compare the output voltage (i.e., Vout) (Fig. 3) with a reference voltage (i.e., Vref) (Fig. 3) to generate a comparison result; a PWM signal generator (see elements 260, 280) (Fig. 3), configured to receive the comparison result and a ramp signal to generate the PWM signal (for example see element 260 receiving ramp signal); and a ramp signal generator (i.e., 220) (Fig. 3), configured to generate the ramp signal according to the PWM signal (i.e., COT signal) (Fig. 3); wherein the ramp signal generator comprises: a filter (i.e., 240) (Fig. 3), configured to filter the PWM signal to generate a filtered PWM signal (i.e., Vctrl) (see paragraph 65); and a charge pump (for example see element 230, SW2, C2), configured to receive the PWM signal (i.e., COT) (Fig. 3) and the filtered PWM signal (i.e., Vctrl) (Fig. 3) to generate an output current, wherein the ramp signal (i.e., Vc2) (Fig. 3) is generated according to the output current.
Regarding claim 2, Fukushima, as applied in linking claims, discloses the filter being a low-pass filter (for example see paragraph 79).
Regarding claim 9, Fukushima, as applied in linking claims, discloses the charge pump working as a transconductance amplifier (for example see paragraph 63).
Regarding claim 10, Fukushima, discloses a ramp signal generator of a switch mode power supply (SMPS) ((i.e., 220R) (Fig. 3),comprising: a filter (i.e., 240) (Fig. 3), configured to filter a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal (i.e., COT) (Fig. 3) to generate a filtered PWM signal (i.e., Vctrl) (Fig. 3); and a charge pump (for example elements 230, SW2, C2) (Fig. 3), configured to receive the PWM signal (i.e., COT) (Fig. 3) and the filtered PWM signal (i.e., Vctrl) (Fig. 3) to generate an output current, wherein the output current is used to generate a ramp signal (i.e., Vc2) (Fig. 3), and the ramp signal is used for a PWM signal generator (for example see 260, 280) (Fig. 3) to generate the PWM signal (i.e., COT) (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11, Fukushima, as applied in linking claims, disclose the filter being a low-pass filter (for example see paragraph 79).
Regarding claim 18, Fukushima, as applied in linking claims, discloses the charge pump working as a transconductance amplifier (for example see paragraph 69).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukushima US Publication 20220239228 (Fukushima) in view of Zhang US Patent 10826380 (Zhang).
Regarding claim 8, Fukushima discloses the claimed invention, as applied above, but fail to disclose a charge pump with a low-pass filter at the output node.
Zhang in the same field of endeavor discloses a charge pump with a low-pass filter (see elements R2, C2) (Fig. 2) at the output node in order to eliminate ripples to a voltage to be received by a comparator.
Therefore, It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a charge pump with a low-pass filter at the output node in Fukushima, as taught by Zhang, in in order to eliminate ripples to a voltage to be received by a comparator.
Regarding claim 17, Fukushima discloses the claimed invention, as applied above, but fail to disclose charge pump with a low-pass filter at the output node.
Zhang in the same field of endeavor discloses a charge pump with a low-pass filter (see elements R2, C2) (Fig. 2) at the output node in order to eliminate ripples to a voltage to be received by a comparator.
Therefore, It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a charge pump with a low-pass filter at the output node in Fukushima, as taught by Zhang, in in order to eliminate ripples to a voltage to be received by a comparator.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record, as applied above, discloses the claimed invention but fail to disclose “a second current source, coupled between a ground voltage and the output node of the charge pump, configured to provide a second current to the output node of the charge pump; wherein the first switch is controlled by the PWM signal, and the second current source is controlled by the filtered PWM signal” in combination with all the recited elements of linking claims.
Claims 4-5 depend on claim 3.
Regarding claim 12, the Prior art of record, as applied above, discloses the claimed invention but fail to disclose “a second current source, coupled between a ground voltage and the output node of the charge pump, configured to provide a second current to the output node of the charge pump; wherein the first switch is controlled by the PWM signal, and the second current source is controlled by the filtered PWM signal” in combination with all the recited elements of linking claims.
Claims 13-14 depend on claim 12.
Conclusion
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/YAHVEH COMAS TORRES/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/THIENVU V TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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