DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/16/24 has been considered by the examiner.
Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in South Korea on 12/05/23. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
4. The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: on the first line of paragraph [0007], "Summary" should be changed to --summary--. On line 3 of paragraph [0008], "the" should be changed to --a--, the reason being that the differential current provided to the load stage is not the same differential current that is received from the load stage (note the indefiniteness rejection of claim 14 below). Also in paragraph [0008], "the slew rate compensation current" on line 9 should be changed to
--a slew rate compensation current-- (again note the indefiniteness rejection of claim 14 below). On line 3 of paragraph [0017], the word "to" should be changed to --with-- (and note that the same change should also be made on line 3 of paragraph [0019]). On line 4 of paragraph [0021], "the differential current" should be changed to --a differential current-- (again note the indefiniteness rejection of claim 14 below). On line 9 of paragraph [0024], the word "to" should be deleted. On line 8 of paragraph [0047], the word "for" should be changed to --of--. On line 2 of paragraph [0049], the word "in" should be changed to --at-- (and note that the same change should also be made on the second line of paragraph [0050]). On line 2 of paragraph [0050], the word "voltages" should be changed to --voltage--. On the second line of paragraph [0051], the word "in" should again be changed to --at-- (and note that the same change should also be made on the second line of paragraph [0052]). On lines 3 and 4 of paragraph [0052], the word "is" should be changed to --are--. On the second line of paragraph [0058], "a gate terminal" should be changed to --gate terminals--, and on line 4 of this paragraph, the second occurrence of the word "the" should be deleted. Also in paragraph [0058], the word "terminal" on line 6 should be changed to --terminals-- (and note that the same change should also be made on line 8 of this paragraph). On line 9 of paragraph [0058], "a gate voltage" should be changed to --gate voltages--, and on the last line of this paragraph, the word "voltage" should be changed to --voltages--. On the second line of paragraph [0060], the word "in" should be changed to --at-- (and note that the same change should also be made on the second line of paragraph [0061]). On line 10 of paragraph [0062], "a current may flow more" should be changed to --a larger current may flow-- (and note that the same change should also be made on lines 10-11 of paragraph [0063]). On line 7 of paragraph [0065], the word "in" should be changed to
--to--, and on the penultimate line of this paragraph, "in the ground voltage" should be changed to --to ground potential-- (and note that the same change should also be made on the last two lines of paragraph [0066]). On line 7 of paragraph [0066], the word "in" should be changed to --to--. On line 3 of paragraph [0074], the word "in" should again be changed to --at-- (and note that the same change should also be made on line 3 of paragraph [0075]). On line 3 of paragraph [0076], the second occurrence of the word "the" should be deleted. On line 3 of paragraph [0078], "the first bias circuit" should be changed to --a first bias circuit--, and also on this line, "provide the first bias" should be changed to --provide a first bias--. On the penultimate line of paragraph [0078], "the second bias" should be changed to --a second bias--, and also on this line, "the" at the end of the line should be changed to --a--. On the first line of paragraph [0081], "the same" should be changed to --equal-- (and note that the same change should also be made on the first line of paragraph [0087]). On the first line of paragraph [0090], "the first differential" should be changed to --a first differential--, and on the second line of this paragraph, "the second differential" should be changed to --a second differential--. On the first two lines of paragraph [0093], "the first load" and "the second load" should be changed to --a first load-- and --a second load--, respectively. On the penultimate line of paragraph [0097], "the gate terminal" should be changed to --a gate terminal--. On the second line of paragraph [0110], the word "flowing" is superfluous and should therefore be deleted. On line 5 of paragraph [0121], "it will be described centering" should be changed to --the description will focus-- (and note that the same change should also be made on line 5 of paragraph [0125]). On lines 1 and 3 of paragraph [0131], the word "voltage" should be changed to --voltages--. On the penultimate line of paragraph [0167], the word "in" should be changed to --at-- (and note that the same change should also be made on line 7 of paragraph [0168]). On the first line of paragraph [0170], the word "through" should be changed to --at--. On line 7 of paragraph [0174], "of the same level as" should be changed to --equal to--, and on the penultimate line of this paragraph "to be" should be deleted.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
5. Claims 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
On the first line of claim 1, the word --for-- should be inserted after "circuit".
On line 7 of claim 3, the word "flowing" should be deleted because it is superfluous.
On line 7 of claim 4, the word "flowing" should again be deleted.
On line 3 of claim 8, "same as" should be changed to --equal to--, and note that the same change should also be made on line 5 of this claim.
On line 4 of claim 10, the word "to" should be changed to --with--.
On line 4 of claim 12, the word "to" should again be changed to --with--.
On the first line of claim 14, the word --for-- should be inserted after "circuit".
On line 9 of claim 14, the second occurrence of the word "to" should be deleted.
On line 12 of claim 17, the word "to" should be deleted.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
6. 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.
Claims 1-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
On lines 9-10 of claim 1, it is incorrect to recite that the slew rate compensation circuit is configured to provide a slew rate compensation current to the load stage or receive the slew rate compensation current from the load stage, the reason being that the slew rate compensation current provided to the load stage and the slew rate compensation current received from the load stage are two different slew rate compensation currents. In order to overcome this rejection, lines 9-10 of claim 1 should be amended so as to read as follows: --a slew rate compensation circuit configured to provide a first slew rate compensation current to the load stage or receive a second slew rate compensation current from the load stage based on--.
On line 5 of claim 2, "the output voltage following the input voltage" lacks antecedent basis. Also in claim 2, on lines 8-9, "the second slew rate compensation current" and "the output voltage following the input voltage" lack antecedent basis.
On line 3 of claim 4, "a second comparator" lacks antecedent basis, the reason being that neither claim 1 nor claim 2 recites any first comparator, and the recitation of a first comparator is necessary, for purposes of proper antecedent basis, prior to reciting a second comparator. In order to overcome this rejection, "2" on the first line of claim 4 should be changed to --3--, i.e., the first comparator is recited in claim 3, not claim 2. Note the same type of problem with regard to the recitation of "a third current source" on line 6 of claim 4, i.e., there is no first or second current source recited in either claim 1 or claim 2 (note that the first and second current sources are introduced in claim 3, not in claim 1 or claim 2). In order to overcome this rejection, again "2" on the first line of claim 4 should be changed to --3--. Note also the same problem regarding the recitation of "a second slew rate transistor" on line 9 of claim 4, and the same problem with the recitation of "a fourth current source" on line 12 of claim 4.
On line 7 of claim 10, the recitation of "a third node" lacks antecedent basis using the same reasoning noted above, i.e., there is no recitation of any first or second node in claim 1 or claim 9. Note the same problem regarding the recitation of "a fifth node" and "a seventh node" on lines 10 and 14 of claim 10, i.e., these recitations similarly lack proper antecedent basis.
On lines 7, 10, 13 and 17, of claim 12, "a fourth node", "an eighth node", and "a fifth bias voltage" similarly lack antecedent basis using the same reasoning noted above, i.e., there are no first through seventh nodes recited in claim 1 or claim 9, nor are there any first through fourth bias voltages recited in claim 1 or claim 9.
Claim 14 is indefinite in view of the recitation on lines 3-4 regarding the differential current provided to the load stage and the differential current received from the load stage, i.e., this is the same type of problem as noted above in claim 1, i.e., these two differential currents are not the same differential current, similar to the above-noted problem in claim 1, on lines 9-10. Also in claim 14, on lines 10 and 13, it cannot be determined what is meant by "an N-th H section" of a voltage level of an input voltage, i.e., in response to this office action applicant should amend claim 14 so as to clearly indicate what is meant by this (or alternatively, provide an explanation in the remarks section of applicant's response which clearly indicates what applicant means by this). Note that the same problem exists on lines 3 and 7 of claim 18. Also in claim 14, it appears that "an input voltage" should be changed to --the input voltage-- on lines 13-14, i.e., "an input voltage" recited on line 11 of claim 14 appears to be referring to the same input voltage as "an input voltage" recited on lines 13-14 of claim 14.
Claims 3, 5-9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19 and 20 are rejected as being indefinite in view of their dependencies, directly or indirectly, on indefinite claims 1, 14 and 18.
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claim 17 is allowed.
Claims 1-16 and 18-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: none of the prior art of record discloses or suggests a buffer circuit for generating an output voltage based on an input voltage comprising an input stage, a load stage, an output stage, a slew rate compensation circuit, an offset control signal output stage, and an offset blocking circuit, wherein these circuit components are configured as recited in independent claims 1 and 14, nor does any of the prior art of record disclose or suggest a method for controlling a buffer circuit comprising the steps of comparing an input voltage to an output voltage, providing or receiving a slew rate compensation current, turning off transistors of a load stage, increasing or decreasing a gate voltage of an output transistor of an output stage, increasing a slew rate in a rising transition or a falling transition of an output voltage, receiving first and second control signals, and controlling first and second switches, wherein these steps include the specific details recited in independent claim 17.
Prior Art Not Relied Upon
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The closest prior art uncovered during the examiner's search of the prior art is USP 9,543,912 issued to Lee (cited on the attached PTO-892 form), wherein figure 1 of this reference shows a buffer circuit including input and output stages 110 and 150, respectively, a load stage 130, and a slew rate compensating circuit 160. This reference does not disclose or suggest, however, the claimed buffer circuit for generating an output voltage based on an input voltage comprising an input stage, a load stage, an output stage, a slew rate compensation circuit, and offset control signal output stage, and an offset blocking circuit configured as recited in independent claims 1 and 14, nor does this reference disclose or suggest a method for controlling a buffer circuit comprising the steps of comparing an input voltage to and output voltage, providing or receiving a slew rate compensation current, turning off transistors of a load stage, increasing or decreasing a gate voltage of an output transistor of an output stage, increasing a slew rate in a rising transition or a falling transition of an output voltage, receiving first and second control signals, and controlling first and second switches as recited in independent claim 17.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH B WELLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1757. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, LINCOLN DONOVAN can be reached at (571)272-1988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KENNETH B WELLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842 December 5, 2025