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
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 12 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.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the reference current" in line 14. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wada et al (USPAPN 2023/0223867).
With respect to claim 12, as far as can be understood, Wada et al. discloses in Figs. 10-13, a driving device (Fig. 10 lest 11, see also Fig. 13) of a power semiconductor (11), comprising:
a current sensing unit (2) which senses a magnitude of a load current supplied from the power semiconductor to a load (via the sensing of Is which is a replica of the current Im through/to the load connected to 11, e.g., MG of Fig. 13);
a temperature sensing unit which senses a device temperature of the power semiconductor (3);
a driving control unit (49) which, based on the load current and the device temperature (under the control of 48 which is based on the load current and temperature), controls a driving current of the power semiconductor (driving current of 49 to drive 11); and
a control memory (memory of 48, see 50 of Fig. 12) which has recorded the driving current to be set for each of a plurality of combinations of a value of the load current and a value of the device temperature (see Fig. 11 and paragraph 0094),
wherein the driving control unit reads out from the control memory a setting recording signal indicating the driving current corresponding to a sensed combination of the value of the load current and the value of the device temperature (the sense ratio Rsense is read out from the memory corresponding to the sensed combination of the temperature and load current, see paragraph 0094),
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the driving control unit controls a magnitude of the reference current (there is no explicit definition of “the reference current”. Im’ is interpreted as “the reference current” since it is a current value that is used to set the drive level of 49, e.g., the driving current. Thus, the amount of drive of 49 is referenced to the Im’ value generated by 48. Therefore, Im’ is a “reference current”) to control the driving current (Im’ controls the driving current generated by 49), and
the driving control unit changes the driving current either each time the load current exceeds one or more preset current thresholds (the driving current is changed each time the load current, as determined by Rsense and Isense, exceeds the “command current”, i.e., a preset threshold, as determined by the comparison provided by 48 such that there is a small difference between the command current and the sensed current, see paragraph 0094), or each time the device temperature exceeds one or more preset temperature thresholds.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-11, 14-15 and 17-18 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 Thomas J. Hiltunen whose telephone number is (571)272-5525. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00AM-5:30PM EST M-F.
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, Menatoallah Youssef can be reached at (571)270-3684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THOMAS J. HILTUNEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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