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 .
Election/Restrictions
Previous restriction is withdrawn due to applicant’s response to the restriction.
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.
Claims 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US Pub. 2011/0044121).
Regarding claim 10, Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 of Kim discloses an apparatus, comprising:
a sense amp [11] connected to a first digit line [BL_L] and a second digit line [BL_R];
a first isolation device [IST_L] connected to the first digit line [BL_L] and configured to, in association with a sensing operation, receive a first activation signal [IOS_L] at a first voltage [at starting of sensing operation, Va (VISO1) is at VPP level, Fig. 5]; and
a second isolation device [IST_R] connected to the second digit line [BL_R] and configured to, in association with the sensing operation, receive a second activation signal [IOS_R] at a second voltage [at starting of sensing operation, Vb is at VSS level, Fig. 5];
wherein the first voltage [VPP] is greater than the second voltage [VSS] to provide a balancing [paragraphs 0017, 0020, and 0021] effect for the sense amplifier by increasing a voltage on the first digit line [BL_L] as compared to the second digit line [BL_R].
Regarding claim 11, Fig. 4 of Kim discloses wherein the threshold voltage difference is to compensate for a word line and a memory cell connected to the second digit line [as discloses in paragraph 0111, the voltage difference on the digit line is compensated by controlling the voltages apply to both IOS lines].
Regarding claim 12, Fig. 1 of Kim discloses wherein the first isolation device [IST_L] is connected to a first gate of a first transistor [gate of P12] and the second isolation device [IST_R] is connected to a second gate of a second transistor [gate of N11].
Regarding claim 13, Fig. 1 of Kim discloses wherein a first drain of the first transistor [P12] is connected to the first digit line [BL_L] and a second drain of the second transistor [N11] is connected to the second digit line [BL_R].
Regarding claim 14, Fig. 1 of Kim discloses herein the first digit line [BL_L] is a reference digit line and the second digit line [BL_R] is an active digit line.
Regarding claim 15, Fig. 1 of Kim discloses a controller [column decoder] configured to send a first activation signal [signal to activate bit line BL_L] to the first digit line at a first time [BL_L] during a compensation window when the first isolation device and the second isolation device are deactivated.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 17-20 allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claims 1-9 and 17-20, the prior art does not teach or suggest either alone or in combination an apparatus and method comprising: apply a second activation signal to the second digit line at a second time during the compensation window, wherein the first time and the second time have a time difference that corresponds to a threshold voltage difference between the first digit line and the second digit line.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim 16 is 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 16, the prior art does not teach or suggest either alone or in combination the controller is configured to send a second activation signal to the second digit line at a second time during the compensation window, wherein the first time and the second time have a time difference that corresponds to a voltage threshold difference between the first digit line and the second digit line.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHAN T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8709. The examiner can normally be reached MON-FRI, 9AM-5:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander G Sofocleous can be reached at 571-272-0635. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHAN TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2825
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