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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hong (DOI: 10.1109/ISOCC56007.2022.10031576).
Regarding claims 1 and 12, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses an neuromodulation device (biopotential recording amplifier as described in the Introduction) for measuring one or more biological electrical signals in response to a neural modulation of biological tissue, wherein the neuromodulation device comprises one or more amplifier circuits including: an input stage [at Vin] with two input terminals, configured to receive an input voltage signal [Vin], which is based on the biological electrical signal and comprises a common mode, CM, voltage signal and a differential mode, DM, voltage signal; a differential transconductor [Gm1] comprising a non-inverting input [+] and an inverting input [-], each connected to one of the two input terminals, and comprising an output for providing an output current signal based on the DM voltage signal; wherein the transconductor is configured to provide a first CM voltage signal (to ACM), which is tapped after the non-inverting input, and a second CM voltage signal (to ACM), which is tapped after the inverting input; and a CM amplifier [ACM] configured to combine the first CM voltage signal with the second CM voltage signal to obtain a combined CM voltage signal (at drain of transistor in Gm1 receiving VCMFB and at inverting input terminal of VCM), amplify the combined CM voltage signal with an inverting gain to obtain an inverted CM voltage signal, and provide the inverted CM voltage signal to the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the transconductor.
Regarding claim 2, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses a first capacitive feedback line configured to feedback the inverted CM voltage signal from the CM amplifier to the non-inverting input of the transconductor; and a second capacitive feedback line configured to feedback the inverted CM voltage signal from the CM amplifier to the inverting input of the transconductor; wherein each of the first and the second capacitive feedback line comprises a first capacitor (feedback lines from the output of ACM through respective CACM).
Regarding claim 3, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses wherein: each of the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the transconductor is connected to one of the two input terminals of the input stage via a respective second capacitor; and the second capacitor has a higher capacitance than the first capacitor (input lines at Vin/ECM through respective Cin).
Regarding claim 4, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses wherein: each of the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the transconductor is connected to one of the two input terminals of the input stage via a respective second capacitor; and the second capacitor has a higher capacitance than the first capacitor (input lines at Vin/ECM through respective Cin).
Regarding claim 5, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses wherein the transconductor comprises: a first transistor [top left transistor in Gm1] connected with its gate to the non-inverting input and coupled with its source to a supply voltage; a second transistor [top right transistor in Gm1] connected with its gate to the inverting input, connected with its source to the source of the first transistor, and coupled with its source to the supply voltage; a third transistor [transistor in Gm1 below the first transistor] connected with its gate to the non-inverting input, connected with its drain to the drain of the first transistor, and coupled with its source to a ground voltage; and a fourth transistor [transistor in Gm1 below the second transistor] connected with its gate to the inverting input, connected with its drain to the drain of the second transistor, connected with its source to the source of the third transistor, and coupled with its source to the ground voltage; wherein the first CM voltage signal is tapped between the sources of the first and the second transistor, and the second CM voltage signal is tapped between the sources of the third and the fourth transistor.
Regarding claim 6, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses such that a tail current of the source- connected third and fourth transistor is higher than a tail current of the source-connected first and second transistor in use of the amplifier circuit.
Regarding claim 10, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses a DM feedback circuit [Cfb, Rfb] configured to provide a feedback voltage signal, which is based on the output current signal of the transconductor, to the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the transconductor.
Regarding claim 11, fig. 1-3 of Hong discloses wherein: the DM feedback circuit comprises a first capacitive feedback path and a second capacitive feedback path (on respective Cfb paths); and each capacitive feedback path comprises a respective fifth capacitor that is connected in parallel to a respective second resistor (on respective Rfb paths).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 13-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong in view of Perez-Prieto (DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.681085).
Regarding claim 13, Hong discloses the device as indicated above except for the details of the electrodes as claimed. However, fig. 9 of Perez-Prieto discloses an array of electrodes [electrodes of array] comprising a first set of electrodes and a second set of electrodes, wherein each electrode of the first set is connected to a respective amplifier circuit [e.g. respective LNA] of the one or more amplifier circuits, and wherein each electrode of the second set is configured to cause a respective neural modulation of the biological tissue. In view of such teaching, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention as indicated above by incorporating the plurality of amplifier circuits with electrodes as taught in Perez-Prieto for the purpose of utilizing a suitable and well-known type of amplifier array.
Regarding claim 14, the combination as indicated above discloses wherein each electrode of the second set of electrodes comprises a stimulator, which is configured to provide a stimulation signal to cause the neural modulation of the biological tissue.
Regarding claim 15, the combination as indicated above discloses multiple of the amplifier circuits [e.g. LNA of respective elements of the array]; wherein the amplifier circuits share a single CM amplifier [e.g. AZ]; and the CM amplifier is configured to provide, for each of the amplifier circuits, a respective inverted CM voltage signal to the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the transconductor of that amplifier circuit.
Regarding claim 16, Hong discloses the device as indicated above except for the details of the amplifiers as claimed. However, fig. 9 of Perez-Prieto discloses multiple of the amplifier circuits [e.g. respective LNA of array]; wherein the amplifier circuits share a single CM amplifier [AZ]; and the CM amplifier is configured to provide, for each of the amplifier circuits, a respective inverted CM voltage signal to the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the transconductor of that amplifier circuit. In view of such teaching, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention as indicated above by incorporating the plurality of amplifier circuits as taught in Perez-Prieto for the purpose of utilizing a suitable and well-known type of amplifier array.
Regarding claim 17, the combination as indicated above discloses one or more shared buffers [Buffer] connected to the multiple amplifier circuits and to the single CM amplifier, wherein the output of each amplifier circuit is connected by a respective switch to the shared buffers; wherein the neuromodulation device is configured to sequentially operate the switches, which causes the multiple amplifier circuits to sequentially output their respective current signal and causes the CM amplifier to sequentially provide the respective inverted CM voltage signal to the respective transconductor of one of the amplifier circuits.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong in view of Perez-Prieto, in view of Pena Serrada (US 2022/0257945).
Regarding claim 18, Hong in view of Perez-Prieto discloses the device as indicated above except for the details of the bi-directional neural interface. However, Pena Serrada discloses a bi-directional neural interface comprising at least one needle (par. 71); wherein the neural interface is configured to provide the neural stimulation to the biological tissue, to receive the one or more biological electrical signals, and to provide them to the one or more amplifier circuits. In view of such teaching, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention as indicated above by incorporating the neural stimulation with a needle as taught in Pena Serrada for the purpose of utilizing a suitable and well-known type of electrical stimulation input device.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong in view of Pena Serrada.
Regarding claim 19, Hong discloses the device as indicated above except for the details of the bi-directional neural interface. However, Pena Serrada discloses a bi-directional neural interface comprising at least one needle (par. 71); wherein the neural interface is configured to provide the neural stimulation to the biological tissue, to receive the one or more biological electrical signals, and to provide them to the one or more amplifier circuits. In view of such teaching, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention as indicated above by incorporating the neural stimulation with a needle as taught in Pena Serrada for the purpose of utilizing a suitable and well-known type of electrical stimulation input device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wang discloses a dynamic feed-forward op-amp-based circuit. Lu discloses a duty cycle correction of a multi-gigahertz clock signal with crossover point control. Jain discloses a CML to CMOS conversion circuit. Vigraham discloses a circuit for switched-mode operational amplifiers.
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/SIBIN CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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