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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Specie I (which corresponding to Figure 2) in the reply filed on 03/19/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Applicant indicates that claims 1, 3-5, 7-14, 16-18 and 20-26 are readable on the elected Specie I (Figure 2). Applicant also indicates that claims 2, 6, 15 and 19 are withdrawn from further consideration.
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.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7-10, 14, 16-18 and 20-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2021/0391790).
For claims 1 and 14, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches a spread spectrum control circuit (102), for generating a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal (PWM2 and /PWM2 which is output of inverter 222) switched at a switching frequency (PWM1) to control a switching power converter (110), wherein the switching power converter (110) includes a power stage circuit (110), the power stage circuit (110) includes an inductor (206) and at least one power switch (202, 204) coupled to each other, and is configured to switch the at least one power switch (202, 204) according to the PWM signal (PWM2 and output of inverter 222) to convert an input voltage (VIN 224) to generate an output voltage (VOUT 228); the spread spectrum control circuit (102) comprising: a spread spectrum adjustment circuit (all elements in 108 except for 216 and 222), configured to generate a spread spectrum adjustment signal (COMP2) based on an operating parameter of the switching power converter (110), thereby controlling the switching frequency exhibiting a spread spectrum characteristic; and a PWM circuit (216, 222), configured to adaptively adjust a spread spectrum adjustment parameter (IL, output voltage FB and/or frequency) of the spread spectrum characteristic based on the spread spectrum adjustment signal (COMP2), so that the spread spectrum adjustment parameter is adaptively adjusted with changes in the operating parameter, thereby generating the PWM signal (PWM2, and output of inverter 222) exhibiting the spread spectrum characteristic (also see [0015]-[0016], [0023, [0025] and [0029]). Note that the apparatus of Figure 2 as discussed also teach all the method steps of the method claim.
For claims 3 and 16, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches wherein the spread spectrum adjustment parameter (IL, output voltage FB and/or frequency) of the spread spectrum characteristic includes a spread spectrum variation range of the switching frequency (see [0016], [0028] and [0038]-[0039]).
For claims 4-5 and 17-18, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches wherein the operating parameter includes an inductor current- related signal (IL), the switching frequency, and/or a relationship between the input voltage and the output voltage (Vout), wherein the inductor current-related signal (IL) is related to an inductor current flowing through the inductor (206).
For claims 7 and 20, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches wherein the relationship between the input voltage (Vin) and the output voltage (Vout) includes at least one of the following: a ratio of the input voltage (Vin) to the output voltage (Vout); or a ratio of the output voltage (Vout) to the input voltage (Vin) (see [0023] which is based on the ratio resistor 208 and resistor 210 which generates voltage FB based on the output voltage Vout).
For claims 8 and 21, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches wherein the spread spectrum variation range is positively corelated with the inductor current-related signal (IL), the switching frequency (PWM1), and/or the relationship between the input voltage (Vin) and the output voltage (Vout) (see[0016]-[0018], [0034]).
For claims 9 and 22, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches wherein the power stage circuit (110) is configured as a buck power stage circuit (110), wherein the spread spectrum variation range is positively corelated with a ratio of the input voltage (Vin) to the output voltage (Vout, by way of feedback voltage FB, see [0023]).
For claims 10 and 23, Figure 2 of Lee et al. teaches wherein the spread spectrum adjustment circuit (all elements in 108 except for 216 and 222) is further configured to generate the spread spectrum adjustment signal (COMP2) based on a comparison between the operating parameter and at least one threshold (comparator 212 compares FB and reference VREF), thereby adjusting the spread spectrum adjustment parameter.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 and 24-26 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kikuchi (US 2009/0218999) teaches a power converter which has switching power control unit.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directly to Examiner Long Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-1753. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Regis Betsch, can be reached at (571) 270-7101. The fax number for this group is (571) 273-8300.
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/Long Nguyen/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
Prosecution Insights