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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “234” has been used to designate both resistor 234 and amplifier/inverter 234 in Fig. 1; amplifier/inverter “234” should be changed to “232” according to Para. 45.
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: 221 mentioned in Para. 52 should be used to designate the dotted box within the doted box 220 in Fig. 1.
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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: in Para. 54, the phrase “may be absent one” should be changed to “may exclude one”; in Para. 56, the phrase “may substantially limit impact oscillation circuitry” should be changed to “may substantially limit impact on oscillation circuitry”.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
(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.
Claims 1, 3, 8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 10,090,992 to Polster et al. (“Polster”).
With respect to claim 1, Polster discloses in Figs. 1-2 and 4 a system for generating a clock signal in a device, the system comprising:
an optical receiver (e.g., 202 in Fig. 2) configured to receive light energy corresponding to a reference oscillation signal (e.g., CLK via 108), the optical receiver (e.g., 202) operable to generate a receiver output (e.g., IN) based on the light energy; and
an oscillator (e.g., 206-210) configured to generate an oscillating signal (e.g., OUT), the oscillator (e.g., 206-210) being operably coupled to the receiver output of the optical receiver (e.g., 202), wherein the oscillating signal (e.g., OUT) of the oscillator is substantially locked (e.g., as discussed below) to the reference oscillation signal (e.g., CLK via 108) received via the optical receiver (e.g., 202). Polster further discloses that 112 uses an injection locking reception technique to lock CLK, which is an optical signal transmitted through 110 and received by 112 and reconverted into a voltage signal CLK to enable optical data to be correctly received and to bring “the oscillating frequency of the ring oscillator from the frequency FF to the desired frequency FF” (e.g., Col. 5 ll. 25-58). As such, Fig. 1 shows CLK transmitted by 108 is reproduced as CLK by 112. Thus, the frequency of CLK reproduced by 112 is substantially locked onto the frequency of CLK transmitted by 108.
As to the feature that the optical receiver and the oscillator are provided in the device, and wherein the device is operable in a low-power mode in which one or more components of the device other than the optical receiver and the oscillator are substantially unpowered, and wherein, in the low-power mode, the oscillating signal of the oscillator is substantially locked to the reference oscillation signal, such a feature is considered to be a recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention: the claim invention does not positively recite he device as an element of the claim. A recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. Here, the Figs. 1-2 and 4 system of Polster is capable of the recited use (e.g., the Figs. 1-2 and 4 system of Polster being used with or inside a device that is operable in a low-power mode in which one or more components of the device other than the optical receiver and the oscillator are substantially unpowered, and wherein, in the low-power mode, the oscillating signal of the oscillator is substantially locked to the reference oscillation signal).
With respect to claim 3, the amplifier (e.g., 413 in Fig. 4) includes a first amplifier stage (e.g., 414) operably connected to the oscillator (e.g., 402) and configured to generate a clock signal based on the oscillating signal.
With respect to claim 8, a reference oscillator (e.g., the clock generator generating CLK) is operable to generate the reference oscillation signal; an optical transmitter (e.g., 108) operably coupled to the reference oscillator, the optical transmitter (e.g., 108) arranged to generate the light energy corresponding to the reference oscillation signal (e.g., CLK); wherein the optical receiver (e.g., 202 in Fig. 2) and the oscillator (e.g., 206-210) are disposed in the device; and wherein the reference oscillator (e.g., the clock generator generating CLK) and the optical transmitter (e.g., 108) are disposed in a remote device that is remote from the device (e.g., 112 is spaced from 108 and 110 and is connected through 110), the optical receiver (e.g., 202), and the oscillator (e.g., 206-210).
With respect to claim 10, a slave device includes the optical receiver (e.g., 202) and the oscillator (e.g., 402), and wherein the system includes a plurality of such slaves (e.g., 202 and 402 forming one slave and 413 forming another slave) each capable of locking (e.g., OUT and ᵠ2 are each locked to CLK) with the reference oscillation signal.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-22 are allowed.
Claims 2-7 and 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jung KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-7964. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 9AM to 5:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Lincoln Donovan, can be reached at (571)272-1988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUNG KIM/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842