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
Acknowledgement is made of receipt of Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO-1449) filed 2/17/2025, 8/1/2025, and 3/12/2026. An initialed copy is attached to this Office Action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 5-7, 11, 14, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lakshmikumar et al. (2019/0131945), hereinafter’945.
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
Regarding claim 1, ‘945 discloses, in figures 1 and 4, a method, comprising: monitoring a frequency (monitoring a frequency 122 with a frequency comparator 406) (paragraph 0031)of a ring oscillator (420, ring oscillator; RO) of an electrical integrated circuit (110, electrical IC) connected to an optical modulator (106, electro-optic modulator) to determine operational characteristics of the electrical integrated circuit (110, electrical IC) (paragraph 0017 and 0032); and setting an amplification strength (206, programmable gain amplifier) for a plurality of tunable inverters based on the operational characteristics (paragraphs 0019 and 0050).
Regarding claim 5, ‘945 discloses, in figures 1 and 4, a method, wherein setting an amplification strength (206, programmable gain amplifier) for the plurality of tunable inverters (plurality of inverters connected in series) applies a stronger amplification to a subsequent tunable inverter of the plurality of tunable inverters (plurality of inverters connected in series) relative to prior tunable inverters of the plurality of tunable inverters (plurality of inverters connected in series) when the plurality of tunable inverters (plurality of inverters connected in series) are arranged in a chain (paragraphs 0048 and 0050).
Regarding claim 6, ‘945 discloses, in figures 1 and 4, a method, wherein the operational characteristics indicate a process corner of an electrical driver to which the plurality of tunable inverters and a plurality of fixed gain inverters belong (paragraphs 0048, 0050, and 0052).
Regarding claims 7 and 14, ‘945 discloses, in figures 1 and 4, a method, comprising: monitoring a frequency (monitoring a frequency 122 with a frequency comparator 406) (paragraph 0031) of a ring oscillator (420, ring oscillator; RO) of an electrical integrated circuit (110, electrical IC) connected to an optical modulator (106, electro-optic modulator) to determine operational characteristics of the electrical integrated circuit (110, electrical IC) (paragraph 0017 and 0032); based on the operational characteristics, a driving voltage for a plurality of tunable inverters and a plurality of fixed gain inverters that control the optical modulator (paragraphs 0019 and 0021-0022; and setting an amplification strength (206, programmable gain amplifier) for a plurality of tunable inverters based on the operational characteristics (paragraphs 0019 and 0050).
Regarding claims 11 and 18, ‘945 discloses, wherein setting the driving voltage comprises setting a voltage regulator to provide the driving voltage (paragraphs 0032, 0033, and 0039).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 8, and 15 are 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention, in conjunction with all the other claimed limitation, a method for a tunable driver having all the claimed features of applicant's instant invention, specifically including: in claim 2, further comprising: setting, based on the operational characteristics, a driving voltage for the plurality of tunable inverters and a plurality of fixed gain inverters that control the optical modulator, wherein each tunable inverter of the plurality of tunable inverters is connected in parallel with a corresponding fixed gain inverter of the plurality of fixed gain inverters on one of a first arm and a second arm connected to the optical modulator; and setting a driving voltage for a plurality of cross-coupled inverters, wherein a pair of cross-coupled inverters of the plurality of cross-coupled inverters is connected in parallel to the first arm and the second arm; in claims 8 and 15, wherein each tunable inverter of the plurality of tunable inverters is connected in parallel with a corresponding fixed gain inverter of the plurality of fixed gain inverters on one of a first arm and a second arm connected to the optical modulator, as set forth in the claims.
Lee (10,003,326) discloses a ring oscillator with a very high oscillation frequency that includes three inverters, three amplifiers, and three capacitors for suitability in different circuit designs. However, Lee is silent in regards wherein each tunable inverter of the plurality of tunable inverters is connected in parallel with a corresponding fixed gain inverter of the plurality of fixed gain inverters on one of a first arm and a second arm connected to the optical modulator.
Claims 3-4, 9-10, 12-13, 16-17, and 19-20 are dependent from claim 1 and are allowable for the reasons given above.
Conclusion
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/BRANDI N THOMAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872
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