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 .
Examiner’s Comments
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 03/11/25. Examiner acknowledged that claims 1-16 are pending.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/11/25, 06/12/25, 03/19/26 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Biebach (CA 2395014) in view of Miller (US 20210408917).
Regarding Claim 13, Biebach teaches a method of producing rectangular voltage output pulses (Fig. 10), the method comprising: a. generating a high-voltage-pulse signal at an output of a switching circuit using a series connection of a high-side-switching element and a low-side-switching element (Fig. 8: driver 11, 12, N1, N2), the series connection being connected to a voltage source (Fig. 8: 2), b. providing the HV pulse signal at the output via a primary winding of a transformer (Fig. 8: T1), and c. rectifying (Fig. 8: rectifier connected to secondary winding of T1) a current induced in a secondary winding of the transformer.
Biebach does not teach a plasma processing load.
Miller is in the field of plasma (abstract) and teaches a plasma processing load (Fig. 4: 135 is the plasma load).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling of the claimed invention to modify the device of Biebach with a plasma load as taught by Miller in order to use HV for driving plasma load since HV pulse smooth HF input signals [0139].
Regarding Claim 14, the combination of Biebach and Miller teach the method according to claim 13, wherein, during charging and discharging of a load capacitance connected to the output, energy is fed back to the voltage source (Miller [0473]) the energy recovery circuit (Miller 1705) whereby, when the waveform generator (1745) is turned on, current may charge the load stage (106) and some current may flow through inductor (1715) when the voltage and the secondary side of the transformer (T1) rises above the charge voltage on the power supply (C7).
Regarding Claim 15, the combination of Biebach and Miller teach the method according to claim 13, further comprising reducing oscillations by providing a. an overvoltage-protecting circuit (Miller 1735 in the form of a diode), and/or b. a negative-voltage-protecting circuit connected to the output.
Regarding Claim 16, the combination of Biebach and Miller teach the method according to claim 15, wherein the reducing oscillations further comprises providing a first damping resistor (Miller [0232] “switch may act as a resistive damping element and can mitigate ringing during its transition”) connected in series to the overvoltage-protecting circuit, and/or a second damping resistor connected to the negative-voltage-protecting circuit.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The primary reasons for allowance of the claims 1-12 are due to the inclusion of the following limitations after a comprehensive search of the prior art:
"…a rectifying circuit configured to be connected with a positive end of a DC-side thereof to a positive connection of the DC voltage source, with a negative end of the DC-side thereof to a negative connection of the DC voltage source…a primary winding configured to be connected in series between the switching unit and an output of the energy refeeding module…" and in combination with the remaining claimed limitations as claimed in the claim(s), i.e., claim 1, (claims 2-12 are allowed as being dependent on claim 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENRY T LUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7008. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday: 8:00-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander Taningco can be reached at (571) 272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Henry Luong/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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