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 § 112
Claims 1-8 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.
In claim 1, the recitation of “wherein the output voltage for generating the switching signal by the output voltage detection circuitry in a case where the temperature is a first temperature is larger than the output voltage for generating the switching signal by the output voltage detection circuitry in a case where the temperature is a second temperature lower than the first temperature” is not fully understood. It is unclear as to what are the conditions being set. Did the applicant mean the switching signal is generated when first temperature is larger than the output voltage and the first temperature is larger than a second temperature? Thus, the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be determined renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 2-8 are indefinite because of the technical deficiencies of claim 1.
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)(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, insofar as being understood, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 10(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kondou et al. (US 2017/0021733).
Regarding claim 1, Koudou et al.’s figure 2 shows A semiconductor switching element drive circuit (43) that drives a gate of a semiconductor switching element (30), the semiconductor switching element drive circuit comprising: a control circuitry (44) that switches a switching speed during turn-off operation of the semiconductor switching element (transistors 461, 462, 481, 482 controls the turn off speed of the switching element 30; paragraph 0082) based on a switching signal (output from 12; figure 1); and an output voltage detection circuitry (12) that generates the switching signal based on a temperature (62) related to the semiconductor switching element and an output voltage of the semiconductor switching element (sensed voltage through resistor 37; figure 2; paragraph 0075), wherein the output voltage for generating the switching signal by the output voltage detection circuitry in a case where the temperature is a first temperature is larger than the output voltage for generating the switching signal by the output voltage detection circuitry in a case where the temperature is a second temperature lower than the first temperature (insofar as being understood are disclosed in paragraphs 0112, 0116, 0132, 0136) as called for in claim 1.
Claim(s) 1, insofar as being understood, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 10(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (USP 10,491,095).
Regarding claim 1, Chen et al.’s figure 4 shows A semiconductor switching element drive circuit (402) that drives a gate of a semiconductor switching element (404), the semiconductor switching element drive circuit comprising: a control circuitry (402, 302) that switches a switching speed during turn-off operation of the semiconductor switching element (transistors 316, 324, 318, 326 control the turn off speed of the switching element 304) based on a switching signal (336); and an output voltage detection circuitry (306, 308, 412, 414) that generates the switching signal based on a temperature (410) related to the semiconductor switching element and an output voltage of the semiconductor switching element (sensed voltage of voltage divider in 308), wherein the output voltage for generating the switching signal by the output voltage detection circuitry in a case where the temperature is a first temperature is larger than the output voltage for generating the switching signal by the output voltage detection circuitry in a case where the temperature is a second temperature lower than the first temperature as called for in claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/TUAN T LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843 3/20/2026
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