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 .
Non-Final communication in response to communication filed 3/26/25.
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 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.
(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 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Takuma 20190123541.
With respect to claim 1, figures 1-11 of Takuma disclose a switch device comprising an input terminal [T1], an output terminal [T2], a diagnostic terminal [S2], an output transistor [10] disposed between the input terminal and the output terminal, a control circuit [30] configured to control the output transistor to be ON or OFF in accordance with a control signal [S1] supplied to the switch device, an abnormality detection circuit [70,80] configured to detect an abnormality in the switch device, and a diagnosis output circuit [30, circuit monitoring S71, S72, S73; para 0067] configured to control a state of the diagnostic terminal, wherein
when an abnormality is detected after a reference period[fig. 11, t11-t13] while an abnormality is not detected and the output transistor is set to ON in accordance with the control signal, the control circuit performs a first abnormality response operation [t13-t15], in which the control circuit switches the output transistor from ON to OFF [para 0142], or restricts a value of current flowing in the output transistor to a limit value or less, [t13-t15] and switches a state of the diagnostic terminal from a first state [S2, Low] to a second state [S2, High] using the diagnosis output circuit, so as to switch a voltage level of the diagnostic terminal from a first level to a second level, [S2 is high] and
after the reference period, when the abnormality is not detected and the voltage level of the diagnostic terminal is changed from the first level to the second level, the control circuit performs a second abnormality response operation, in which the output transistor is switched from ON to OFF. [t16, Si=Low]
With respect to claim 2, figures 1-11 of Takuma disclose the switch device according to claim 1, wherein in the second abnormality response operation, the control circuit switches the output transistor from ON to OFF and then maintains the output transistor to be OFF.
With respect to claim 3, figures 1-11 of Takuma disclose the switch device according to claim 1, wherein in the second abnormality response operation, the control circuit switches the output transistor from ON to OFF, and then maintains the output transistor to be OFF until an error release condition is satisfied,
the error release condition is satisfied when a level of the control signal is changed from an ON command level instructing to set the output transistor to be ON to an OFF command level instructing to set the output transistor to be OFF, [fig. 11; t16] and
in the second abnormality response operation, the control circuit switches the output transistor from ON to OFF and then responds to the level of the control signal being set to the ON command level after the error release condition is satisfied, SO as to switch the output transistor from OFF to ON. [After the switch is turn OFF in can be turned back on]
With respect to claim 6, figures 1-11 of Takuma disclose the switch device according to claim 1, wherein
the abnormality includes an overcurrent abnormality [71], and the abnormality detection circuit compares a value of an output current flowing through the output transistor [current represented by Vs] with a predetermined overcurrent threshold value [current value represented by VIset], so as to determine presence or absence of the overcurrent abnormality, and
when the overcurrent abnormality is detected after the reference period, the control circuit performs the first abnormality response operation, and in the first abnormality response operation based on the detection of the overcurrent abnormality, the control circuit switches the output transistor from ON to OFF or restricts the value of current flowing in the output transistor to the limit value or less. [See claim 1]
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 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 of this title, 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) 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takuma in view of Djelassi et al. 9887532.
With respect to claim 7, figures 1-11 of Takuma disclose the switch device according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality includes a temperature abnormality,
But does not disclose the abnormality detection circuit compares temperature of the output transistor with predetermined protection temperature, or compares a temperature difference between the temperature of the output transistor and other temperature in the switch device with a predetermined protection temperature difference, SO as to determine presence or absence of the temperature abnormality, and
when the temperature abnormality is detected after the reference period, the control circuit performs the first abnormality response operation, and in the first abnormality response operation based on the temperature abnormality detection, the control circuit switches the output transistor from ON to OFF.
However, fig 4A of Djelassi et al. discloses an over-temperature detection to turn off the power MOSFET.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to turn off the power MOSFET 10 of Takuma when the temperature detection circuit detects an abnormality since it was a known technique in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 8-11 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 RYAN C JAGER whose telephone number is (571)272-7016. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 - 5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Taelor Kim can be reached on 571-270-7166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN JAGER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842
5/26/26
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