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 .
Examiner Notes
Examiner cites particular columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the recited element(s) such as “generate direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 1; and “generating, using the input reference and replica generation circuit, direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 11, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Figures 1A, 1B and 2 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 210 (as disclosed in paragraph [0006]). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: the claimed limitations such as “generate direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 1; and “generating, using the input reference and replica generation circuit, direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 11, which are not described in the specification how the input reference and replica generation circuit can perform those recited functions. Correction and/or clarification is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “corresponding comparison circuit”, line 7, should be changed to --comparison circuit-- for being consistency with the term “comparison circuit” throughout the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “the I/P load stage”, line 10, should be changed to --the input load stage-- for being consistency with the term “input load stage” throughout the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “corresponding comparison circuit”, line 7, should be changed to --comparison circuit-- for being consistency with the term “comparison circuit” throughout the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The recitations such as such as “generate direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 1; and “generating, using the input reference and replica generation circuit, direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 11. Neither the disclosure nor the drawings adequately discloses the above subject matter. Therefore, claims 1 and 11 are rejected as failing to comply with the written description requirement.
Furthermore, Claims 2-10 and 12-20 are rejected due to their dependencies on the base claims 1 and 11, respectively.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. The claimed limitations such as “generate direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 1; and “generating, using the input reference and replica generation circuit, direct current biasing for the instantaneous replica voltage”, as recited in claim 11. The details of such claimed structural cooperative relationships of components and/or above functions/results are not seen in the description of the preferred embodiment, i.e. 304 in Fig. 3. Therefore, it is not clear as currently defined, how the instant invention can perform the above recited functions/results.
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.
Claim 1 is indefinite because the recited limitation “wherein the comparison circuit is configured to generate an output voltage based on the one or more input voltages from the input reference and replica generation circuit” is misdescriptive. As depicted in Fig. 3, the comparison circuit 306 generates the output voltage based on the one or more input voltages AVDD_HI, AVDD_LO and instantaneous replica voltage AVDD_REP from the input reference and replica generation circuit rather than just based on the one or more input voltages, as recited in the claim. Claims 2-10 are rejected due to their dependencies on base claim 1.
Claim 2 is indefinite because the recited limitation “wherein the comparison circuit is configured to generate an output voltage based on the one or more input voltages from the input reference and replica generation circuit” is unclear. It is not clear whether the term “comparator” (line 7) is referred to “the comparison circuit” (line 2), “first comparator” (line 2), or “second comparator” (line 2). Correction and/or clarification is required.
Claim 11 is indefinite because the recited limitation “generating, using the comparison circuit, an output voltage based on the one or more input voltages from the input reference and replica generation circuit” is misdescriptive. As depicted in Fig. 3, the comparison circuit 306 generates the output voltage based on the one or more input voltages AVDD_HI, AVDD_LO and instantaneous replica voltage AVDD_REP from the input reference and replica generation circuit rather than just based on the one or more input voltages, as recited in the claim. Claims 12-20 are rejected due to their dependencies on base claim 11.
Claim 12 is indefinite because the recited limitation “wherein the comparison circuit is configured to generate an output voltage based on the one or more input voltages from the input reference and replica generation circuit” is unclear. It is not clear whether the term “comparator” (line 7) is referred to “the comparison circuit” (line 2), “first comparator” (line 2), or “second comparator” (line 2). Correction and/or clarification is required.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAI L NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1747. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 09:00am to 06:00pm Eastern time.
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, Lincoln Donovan can be reached on 571-272-1988. 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.
/HAI L NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842 January 29, 2026