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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 27 Nov 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
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 Objections
Claims 10-15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 10: recites the limitation “the controller circuitry”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11: the limitation “output terminal” should be changed to “load terminal” to match the specification [0048], "ripple cancellation circuit 320 provides a ripple cancellation current Iripple to terminal LOAD".
Claims 12-15: are objected to on the basis of their dependency to Claim 11.
Claim 12, line 1: the limitation “circuit” should be changed to “voltage converter circuit” to match the preamble of claim 11 since there is more than one circuit claimed.
Claims 13-15, line 1: suffer from the same discrepancy.
Claim 12: recites the limitation “the switching terminal”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 13-14: are objected to on the basis of their dependency to Claim 12.
Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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 11 and 15 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kay (US 7233130 B1).
Regarding Claim 11, Kay teaches a voltage converter circuit (40, Fig 1), comprising: a switched-mode voltage converter (40, Fig 1), configured to switch a current at an output terminal responsive to a voltage at a load terminal (40 switches current at the output of 54 responsive to voltage at the load connected TO PA, Fig 2); and a ripple cancellation circuit (52, Fig 1), having inputs coupled to the output terminal and the load terminal (52 has inputs coupled to the output of 54 and the load connected TO PA, Fig 4), and an output coupled to the output-load terminal (the output of 52 is coupled to the load connected TO PA, Fig 4), the ripple cancellation circuit configured to output a cancellation current corresponding to an integration of a difference between the voltage at the load terminal and a voltage at the output terminal (52 integrates the difference between the voltage at the load terminal connected TO PA and the output of 54, Fig 4).
Regarding Claim 15, Kay discloses all of the limitations of Claim 11 above, and further discloses an inductor (72, Fig 4), having a first terminal coupled to the output terminal (left side of 72, Fig 4), and a second terminal coupled to the load terminal (right side of 72, Fig 4); a second capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the load terminal, and a second terminal receiving a common potential terminal (74 connected between load and ground, Fig 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 16-20 are allowed.
Claim 10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the claim objections set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 12-14 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 JENNIFER C CAULK whose telephone number is (571)270-0623. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:30, every other Fri off.
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/J.C.C./Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/GARY L LAXTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838 6/30/2026
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