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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
Figure 4A (see paragraph [0064] of the specification) should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: The feed forward equalizer described in paragraphs [0039] and [0041] of the specification (also recited in claims 1 and 6). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to because at least some of the texts labeled in Figures 3B, 4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7A, and 7B are blurry. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph [0039], line 1, there should be a space between the words “is” and “small”.
Applicant is required to clarify where is the feedforward equalizer being implemented in the transmitter (110). There are conflicting statements described in the specification, for example, paragraph [0041] mentioned that “the transmitter 110 including a feed forward equalizer (FFE) may include a delay unit 210, a transition detection filter 220, and a voltage driver 230” while paragraph [0048] mentioned that “a transition detection filter 220 of a 2-tap feed forward equalizer is illustrated”. Clarification is required.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-9 are 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.
According to the invention discussed in the specification, paragraph [0041] mentioned that “the transmitter 110 including a feed forward equalizer (FFE) may include a delay unit 210, a transition detection filter 220, and a voltage driver 230” while paragraph [0048] mentioned that “a transition detection filter 220 of a 2-tap feed forward equalizer is illustrated”.
Both independent claims 1 and 6 recite a transmitter (110 in Figure 2) comprising: a delay unit (210), a transition detection filter (220), and a voltage driver (230). The preamble of claim 1 also recites the transmitter including a feed forward equalizer, which is also recite in the body of claim 6. Claims 1 and 6 are vague and indefinite because it is unclear how the feed forward equalizer is being implement in the transmitter since the feed forward equalizer recited in both claims 1 and 6 does not provide physical connection to any of the delay unit (210), the transition detection filter (220), and the voltage driver (230).
Claims 2-5 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 1, therefore they are also objected.
Claims 7-9 depend either directly or indirectly from claim 6, therefore they are also objected.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hollis relates to a communications system 100 in Figure 1 comprises a first circuit 110, a second circuit 120, and a channel 130. The first circuit 110 includes a differential mode transmitter 112, a common mode transmitter 114, a first adder 116, and a second adder 118. The second circuit 120 includes a differential mode receiver 122 and a common mode receiver 124.
Li et al. relates to a communication system 10 in Figure 1 comprises transmitter (TX) circuitry such as TX circuitry 62, a channel such as channel 66, and receiver (RX) circuitry such as RX circuitry 64. The TX circuitry 62 includes a TX data source such as data source 68, a TX equalizer such as equalizer 70, a TX driver such as driver 78, a TX phase-locked loop (PLL) such as PLL 72. The RX circuitry 64 includes an RX buffer such as buffer 80, an RX equalizer such as equalizer 82, a register (e.g., a flip-flop) such as register 84, an RX data destination such as data module 86, an RX PLL such as PLL 88.
Giridharan et al. relates to a communications system 10 in Figure 1 comprises transmitter (TX) circuitry such as TX circuitry 62, a channel such as channel 66, and receiver (RX) circuitry such as RX circuitry 64. The TX circuitry 62 includes a TX data source such as data source 68, a TX equalizer circuit such as equalizer 70, and a TX driver such as driver 72. The Receive circuitry 64 includes an RX buffer such as buffer 80, an RX equalizer such as equalizer 82, and a data latching circuit 84.
GAADE relates to a data transmission system 100A in Figure 1A comprises a transmitter circuit 102 and a receiver circuit 104. The TX circuit 102 includes a plurality of circuitries including a data serializer circuit 106, a pre-driver circuit 108A, a driver circuit 110, and a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuit 112.
GOTZ relates to a data bus system in Figure 1 comprises a transmitter S and a receiver E. The transmitter S includes first and second drivers D1 and D2 configured to control data lines d1 and d2, a common mode detector DT1 configured to monitor or measure the common mode values on the transmitter side S, a partial device C1 and C2 configured to detect a first common mode voltage swing and a second common mode voltage swing to generate a common mode signal K1, and another partial device T1 configured to evaluate the signal of the first common mode voltage swing.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Young T. Tse whose telephone number is (571)272-3051. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10:30am-7pm.
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, Chieh M Fan can be reached at 571-272-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Young T. Tse/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632