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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1, 11, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (Pub 2023/0387900).
As to claim 1, Lee teaches an integrated circuit (IC) comprising (Fig 5a):
a voltage source (fig 2B, VDD) configured to generate a first voltage (VDD) having a temperature- dependent voltage level (paragraphs 33, and 70, the voltage and circuitry is effected by temperature changes which the oscillator does tuning to correct); and
a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) (310) comprising a feedback path and a first VCO cell (311) configured to receive the first voltage (fig 2B, paragraph 73, receives VDD), wherein
the first VCO cell comprises a series of stages (111, 121, 131, 132, 112, 123, 124, 133, 134),
a first stage (111) of the series of stages is configured to output a first signal internal to the first VCO cell based on the voltage level of the first voltage and an oscillation signal propagated on the feedback path (paragraph 43 and 44) 111 is the first inverter and will receive the feedback signal), and
a last stage (134) of the series of stages is configured to output a second signal external to the first VCO cell based on the first signal and the voltage level of the first voltage (paragraph 46, 134 is the last inverter in the cell and will generate the output signal).
As to claim 11, Lee teaches a second VCO cell (121) coupled between the first VCO cell and the feedback path.
As to claim 12, Lee teaches a frequency measurement circuit (320 and 330) coupled to the VCO and configured to generate an output signal based on a frequency of the oscillation signal (paragraphs 76 and 77).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-20 are allowed.
Claims 2-10 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.
None of the cited prior art teach or suggest the VCO cell has dummy gate with the array comprises rows as is recited in claims 2-4 and 13-20; and the voltage source in the first cell and the voltage source connected to the gate transistor in the first cell as is recited in claims 5-10.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Liu (Pub 2011/0175684) teaches a ring oscillator with temperature tuning. Tsai et al (Pub 2018/0287593) teaches a ring oscillator with a front cell receiving tuning.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY M SHIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7356. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm PST.
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, 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.
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.
/JEFFREY M SHIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
Prosecution Insights