DETAILED ACTION
Examiner’s Note
The examiner has cited particular passages including column and line numbers, paragraphs as designated numerically and/or figures as designated numerically in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claims, other passages, paragraphs and figures of any and all cited prior art references may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing an eventual response, to fully consider the context of the passages, paragraphs and figures as taught by the prior art and/or cited by the examiner while including in such consideration the cited prior art references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention. MPEP 2141.02 VI: “PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS." MPEP 2123 (I): “PATENTS ARE RELEVANT AS PRIOR ART FOR ALL THEY CONTAIN.”
Additionally, in an effort to provide a timely Office response to amendments the Applicant may file in response to this Office Action, it is respectfully requested that, on accompanying remarks/arguments papers, every effort be made to provide specific (page No., paragraph No., FIG. No., etc.) Specification/Drawings support for such amendments, particularly claim amendments.
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 (s) 3 has been cancelled.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 11-16 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the pertinent prior art of record, and in light of such record as a whole under MPEP 1302.14 guidance, and further guidance under MPEP 2103, in brief and saliently: “the claim as a whole must be considered,” does not teach or suggest the combination of claim limitations making the whole of the claim(s) of the claimed invention, particularly as set forth in representative claim(s) 11.
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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. As amended dated 6/24/2026, the scope of the whole of the claim includes, in brief and saliently, gates of first and second access transistors connected to word line and complementary word line; additionally, interpretation of the claim in light of the amendments has shifted to: “wherein respective positive supply inputs of the first inverter and the second inverter to couple to a voltage supply associated with a higher voltage level than the positive supply voltage of the apparatus.” First, as amended, the claim is directed, in brief, to “An apparatus comprising: a first inverter and a second inverter cross-coupled between a first node and a second node.” At least FIG. 1 of the drawings of the present Application presented such “apparatus” comprising first and second inverters 102 and 104 cross-coupled between first and second nodes S1 and S2. Such Apparatus includes a positive supply voltage VPHV. Additionally, under a first interpretation, the inputs of 102 and 104 couple to a voltage supply carried by bit line BL. Bit line BL, as published in FIG. 4, is driven by positive supply voltage VDD. While, paragraphs [0027] and [0028] disclose examples of VDD, from 1.2V to 5V; while VPHV is configured at 9V. Thus, the inputs of the inverters are driven by at most 5V, while the apparatus is drive at 9V. Therefore, the claim, as amended dated 6/24/26, is in direct contradiction to the teachings of the specification/drawings of the instant Application. A second interpretation may be that inputs of the inverters are at a positive supply voltage of VPHV, 9V; while the apparatus, as claimed, is also at VPHV. The claim, as amended 6/24/26 is also in direct contradiction to the disclosure as found in the specification/drawings. The claim, as amended 6/24/26, is found indefinite.
Claim(s) 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The reasons are similar to those found in the rejection to claim 1.
Claim(s) 2, 4-10 and 18-21 depend from claim(s) 1 and 17, and as such are also rejected for the same reasons.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FERNANDO N HIDALGO whose telephone number is (571)270-3306. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-7:30 ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amir Zarabian can be reached at 5712721852. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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FERNANDO N. HIDALGO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2827
/Fernando Hidalgo/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2827
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