Detailed Action
Summary
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 .
1.This office action is in response to the application filed on November 12,2024.
2. Claims 1-20 are pending and has been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
3.The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/16/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
4. The drawings submitted on 11/12/2024 are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
5. 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 7-20 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.
Claim 7 recites “said number of stages” in line 20. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation.
Claim 12 recites “the required number of power stages” in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation.
Claim 14 recites “said number of stages” in line 24. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation.
Claim 19 recites “the required number of power stages” in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation.
Claims 8-11 and 13 are dependent on claim 7, thus are also rejected because of their dependency.
Claims 15-18 and 20 are dependent on claim 14, thus are also objected because of their dependency.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. 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 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) (a)(1) as being anticipated by Shenoy “20150207400”.
In regarding to claim 1, Shenoy discloses a method performed in a phase controller of a multi-phase switching converter (Figs. 1-8: shows a method controlling a multiphase DC-DC conversion system ), said phase controller (controller 16 ) configured to provide corresponding phase control signals (Fig.1: control signals 14-1, 14-2, 14-3 and 14-4) to a plurality of power stages (Fig.1: four DC-DC converter phases 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 and 4-4 (respectively labeled "DC-DC .phi.1", "DC-DC .phi.2", "DC-DC .phi.3" and "DC-DC .phi.4")) that together operate to provide a regulated supply voltage from an input voltage (Vin), said method comprising: activating a set of power stages in said plurality of power stages and keeping inactive remaining ones of said plurality of power stages (see abstract , see parag. 0003-004, 0006, 0029-0030, 0034 ), wherein a first power stage in said set of power stages is operated as a master stage (converter phase 4, see parg.0040, 0043 and see Fig. 8); changing said set of power stages when required for supporting a present load-current ( selectively successively activating individual converter phases for increasing load conditions according to a phase sequence, see prag.0008); if a number of stages in said set of power stages is greater than or equal to a threshold count (predefined load transitions include the demanded load transitioning below a fixed percentage of the overall rated system output, such as a transition below a threshold at which the phase activation/deactivation algorithm 36 calls for deactivation of all but one (e.g., the base) converter phase 4, see prag.0006 and parag.0040), selecting as the master stage a power stage other than said first power stage among said changed set of power stages (see parag.0008,0025).
In regarding to claim 3, Shenoy discloses (Figs. 1-8) wherein said master stage is changed when the number of stages in said changed set of power stages is greater than or equal to said threshold count for a threshold time duration (see parag.0040 and Figs. 6-7).
In regarding to claim 4, Shenoy discloses (Figs. 1-8), wherein said master stage is selected in a round-robin sequence among power stages in said changed set of power stages (he present disclosure with the thermal balancing circuit 22 modifying the phase sequence 24 in response to a predefined load or phase transition according to a predefined load or phase transition algorithm or logic 44 in FIG. 2, see parag.0040-0042. Furthermore, see Fig.6)
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 2 and 5-6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Claim 2 is objected because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest the method including the limitation of “wherein said threshold count equals a total number of power stages in said plurality of power stages such that the master stage corresponding to a first rail of said plurality of rails is changed only when all power stages assigned to said first rail are operative as said changed set of power stages, wherein said first rail provides said regulated supply voltage. ”
Claim 5 is objected because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest the method including the limitation of “wherein said master stage is indicated by a first signal comprising a first plurality of bits, with each bit representing a respective index in said first signal and corresponding to a respective power stage of said plurality of power stages, wherein a value of one in an index of said first signal indicates that the corresponding power stage is the master stage.”
Claim 6 is dependent on claim 5, thus is also objected because of its dependency.
8. Claims 7-20 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.
Claim 7 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a phase controller including the limitation of “…a phase distributor to receive said common control signal and to generate said corresponding phase control signals timed according to said transitions of said common control signal; a phase activator to receive information comprising present load-current and to generate active-phases signal indicating a set of power stages to be driven to an active state to support said present load-current; and a master-phase selector to receive said active-phases signal and to generate a master-phase signal indicating the power stage in said set of power stages to be operated as a master stage, wherein said phase activator changes said set of power stages when required for supporting said present load-current, if said number of stages is greater than or equal to a threshold count, said master-phase selector selects a power stage other than said first power stage among said changed set of power stages.”
Claim 14 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a multi-phase switching converter including the limitation of “….a phase distributor to receive said common control signal and to generate said corresponding phase control signals timed according to said transitions of said common control signal; a phase activator to receive information comprising present load-current and to generate active-phases signal indicating a set of power stages to be driven to an active state to support said present load-current; and a master-phase selector to receive said active-phases signal and to generate a master-phase signal indicating the power stage in said first set of power stages to be operated as a master stage, wherein said phase activator changes said set of power stages when required for supporting said present load-current, if said number of stages is greater than or equal to a threshold count, said master-phase selector selects a power stage other than said first power stage among said changed set of power stages.”
Claims 8-11 and 13 dependent on claim 7, thus are also allowed because of their dependency.
Claims 15-18 and 20 dependent on claim 14, thus are also allowed because of their dependency.
9. As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant’s reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Youngkook Ahn “NPL: multiphase buck converter with a rotating phase shedding scheme for efficient light load control” discloses the multiphase converter implements a rotating phase shedding scheme to distribute the switching activity concentrated on single phase, resulting in a distributing of the aging effects among the phases instead of a single phase.
Chakraborty “9106201” the invention discloses a regulated, power supply system is described using multiphase DC-DC converters with dynamic fast-turnon, slow-turnoff phase shedding, early phase turn-on, and both load-voltage and drive-transistor feedback to pulse width modulators to provide fast response to load transients.
Hureau “20210167688” this disclosure relates to multiphase DC-DC converters, converter sub-units thereof, local control-units thereof, and methods of operating the same.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SISAY G TIKU whose telephone number is (571)272-6898. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-6:00PM. 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, Crystal L Hammond can be reached at (571) 270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SISAY G TIKU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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