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 01/10/2025 has been considered and
placed in the application file.
Double Patenting
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,081,178 and/or over claims 1-20 of U.S Patent No. 11,424,724. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because all limitations/features of the present claims are present in the patented claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Zanbaghi et al., U.S. 9,397,692, discloses (please see Fig. 4 and related text for details) a circuit, comprising:
a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO 204 Fig. 4) configured to convert an analog error signal (output from 418 of Fig. 4) into a frequency signal;
a quantizer (406 of Fig. 4) configured to compare the frequency signal to a reference signal (Eq1 of Fig. 4) and output a phase signal based on the frequency signal;
a digital control circuit (206 and/or 208 of Fig. 4) configured to output a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal (212 of Fig. 4) based on the phase signal;
an output driver (not expressly shown, but a typical/audio class-D output stage would obviously be employed as widely used in the field for a digital/audio system as broadly mentioned in col. 1, between lines 25-35) configured to generate an output signal based on the PWM signal.
However, it appears that the above reference lacks the claimed/details “a filter configured to filter the output signal to generate a feedback signal”.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HIEU P NGUYEN whose telephone number is 571-272-8577. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:30AM-6:00PM.
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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