DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the application as originally filed on 11/28/2024. The detail office action to the pending claims 1-5 is as shown below.
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 § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hyun et al. “A 20Gb/s Dual-Mode PAM4/NRZ Single-Ended Transmitter with RLM Compensation”, IEEE 2019 (hereinafter “Hyun”) in view of US 2022/0076716 to Um et al. (“Um”, henceforth) (Note: The remarks and/or references placed inside parentheses apply to the prior art)
RE claim 1, Hyun discloses a dual-mode transmitter (e.g. Title of Hyun) configured to operate in either a non-return to zero (NRZ) mode or a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)-4 mode (e.g. Title, Abstract , Fig. 3 of Hyun), the dual-mode transmitter comprising: a pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) generator configured to generate a transmission signal to be transmitted to a dual-mode receiver (e.g. Hyun, Fig. 3, Section III: an on-chip pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) generator that is configured to create 32-bit parallel data which are sent to a receiver); at least one serializer configured to serialize the transmission signal (e.g. Hyun, Fig. 3, Section III B: 32:4 serializer that has three internal stages which perform 32:16, 16:8, and 8:4 serialization); a single-ended to differential (S2D) configured to convert the serialized transmission signal in a form of a single-ended signal into a differential signal (e.g. Hyun, Fig.3. Sections, III: a converter which converts the serialized transmission signal to a differential signal) ; a ZQ calibration configured to generate a result code for matching an impedance value at an output terminal of the dual-mode transmitter with a terminating resistance value of the dual-mode receiver (e.g. Hyun, Figs. 2 (b), 3 and Section II: a reference impedance (ZQ) calibration which perform impedance termination on the channel and output a code as an output signal at the output driver of the dual-mode transmitter to reduce reflection of the impedance mismatch); a pre-driver that is configured to combine the differential signal obtained by the converting and the result code (e.g. Hyun, Fig. 3 and Section III: Selector for combining the differential signal and the code output obtained and determining whether the data should be treated as a PAM4 signal or an NRZ signal); a controller (e.g. clock buffer and mode selector of Figs. 3) configured to control to generate a mode signal and a clock (CLK) signal for performing an operation in the PAM-4 mode or the NRZ mode according to a transmission rate of the transmission signal (e.g. Hyun, Figs.3, 4. Sections, III: generates a mode selection signal and clock signal (CLKP, CLKN) for performing an operation in the PAM-4 or NRZ mode) ; and an output driver comprising at least one most significant bit (MSB) data path and at least one least significant bit (LSB) data path and configured to output the combined differential signal and result code as an output signal in a form of a combination of MSB data and LSB data (e.g. Hyun, Figs. 2(a), 3 and Section II: Fig. 2(a) shows an output driver of the dual-mode transmitter consisting of a most significant bit (MSB) driver and a least significant bit (LSB) driver configured to output the combined differential signal and result code as an output signal in a form of a combination of MSB data and LSB data) wherein the output driver further comprises a switch in each of the at least one MSB data path and the at least one LSB data path (e.g. Hyun, Figs. 2, 3 and Section II: comprises means for applying D1=1 & D0=0 state signals in each of the at least one MSB data path and the at least one LSB data path), the switch being controlled to be turned on or off according to the mode signal and the CLK signal such that the output driver is configured to be connected to the at least one MSB data path and the at least one LSB data path in the PAM-4 mode, and to the at least one MSB data path or the at least one LSB data path in the NRZ mode (e.g. Hyun, Figs. 2(a), 2(b), 3 and Sections II, III: being controlled to be turned on or off (D1=1 and D0=0 states) according to the mode selection and the clock signals so as the output driver is connected to the at least one MSB data path and the at least one LSB data path in the PAM-4 and NRZ modes).
While Hyun discloses the means for combining the differential signal and the code output obtained and determining whether the data should be treated as a PAM4 signal or an NRZ signal, as discussed above, the subject matter of claim 1 differ from Hyun in that Hyun does not expressly teach or suggest a pre-driver means that is a stand-alone unit or an independent structure. However, Um teaches or suggests, in the same technical field, a pre-driver that is that is a stand-alone unit or an independent structure (see for example, Figs. 3, 11, 13, Paras [0017], [0039, [0042 of Um). Hence the prior art includes each element/feature as claimed, although not necessarily in a single prior art reference, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art being the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference. Thus, it would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the features disclosed by Hyun with Um’s teaching or suggestion so as to provide a stand-alone pre-driver that may combine differential signals and plurality of calibration code signals for adjusting driving strength of each of the pull-up and pull-down circuits included in the output driver of the NRZ/PAM-4 transmitter (see Figs. 3, 11, 13, Paras [0017], [0039, [0042 of Um). Therefore one of ordinary skill in the art, such as an individual working in a field generally relate to the fields of digital communications could have combined the features/elements as claimed by known methods, and that in combination, each feature/method merely performs the same function as it does separately, with each feature/method retaining its advantageous function, yielding predictable result/s. It is for at least the aforementioned reasons that the Examiner has reached a conclusion of obviousness with respect to claim 1.
Objected but Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, are objected to as being dependent upon rejected base claims, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of their respective base claims and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are (See the attached Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)). These prior arts are considered pertinent because they relate generally to the fields of digital communications. More specifically, they relate to relates to dual-mode transmitters which operate in one of a non-return to zero (NRZ) mode and four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) mode..
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BERHANU TADESE whose telephone number is (571)272-2478. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (9 - 5 PM EST).
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, Chieh M. Fan can be reached on 571.272.3042. 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.
/BERHANU TADESE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632