Ex Parte Shin

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Sep 26, 2016

11527300 (P.T.A.B. Sep. 26, 2016)

UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE
111527,300 0912512006
20995 7590 09/28/2016
KNOBBE MARTENS OLSON & BEAR LLP
2040 MAIN STREET
FOURTEENTH FLOOR
IRVINE, CA 92614
FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
Dong Yong Shin
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www .uspto.gov
ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
SDCSHN.037 AUS 4934
EXAMINER
MIDKIFF, AARON
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2621
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
09/28/2016 ELECTRONIC
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
following e-mail address( es):
j ayna.cartee@knobbe.com
efiling@knobbe.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte DONG YONG SHIN
Appeal2013-009246
Application 11/527,300
Technology Center 2600
Before: ELENI MANTIS MERCADER, JOHN G. NEW, and
JOHN F. HORVATH, Administrative Patent Judges.
MANTIS MERCADER, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
Appeal2013-009246
Application 11/527,300
STATEMENT OF CASE
Appellant appeals under 35 U.S.C. § 134 from a rejection of claims 1,
2, 5-11, and 14--20. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
We reverse.
THE INVENTION
The claimed invention is directed to a de-de converter having an input
unit with an input voltage (Vin) connected with a first capacitor (Cl 1)
through the first switch (SWl 1) and a reference voltage (Vret) connected
with a first capacitor (Cl 1) through second and sixth switches (SW12,
SWl 6) (Spec. i-f 38). Also, the reference voltage (Vret) is charged into a
third capacitor (C13) by the switching operations of the second switch
(SW12) and the sixth switch (SW16) (Id.). A third capacitor (C13) has a
first electrode connected to the second switch (SW12) and a second
electrode connected to the output port of the second inverter, and receives
the voltage transmitted through the output port of the second inverter to
control the voltage input to the first inverter (Id.). See also Fig. 5.
Claim 1, reproduced below, is illustrative of the claimed subject
matter:
1. A comparator configured to receive an input voltage and a
reference voltage and to determine an output corresponding to a
difference between the input voltage and the reference voltage,
the comparator comprising:
an input unit configured to transmit the input voltage with
a first switch and to transmit both the reference voltage and a
feedback voltage with a second switch;
an amplification unit comprising at least one inverter
configured to operate according to:
the input voltage transmitted with the first switch,
the feedback voltage transmitted with the second
switch, and
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Appeal2013-009246
Application 11/527,300
the reference voltage;
a feedback unit configured to receive a voltage output
from the amplification unit so as to generate the feedback voltage
and to transmit the feedback voltage to the second switch so as
to control the voltage transmitted to the amplification unit; and
an output unit configured to receive the voltage output
from the amplification unit and to generate the output voltage of
the comparator.
REFERENCES
The prior art relied upon by the Examiner in rejecting the claims on
appeal is:
Kondou
Yamano
Nii
US 6,911,849 B2 June 28, 2005
US 2004/00663 63 A 1 Apr. 8, 2004
JP 2001-292052 Oct. 19, 2001
REJECTIONS
The Examiner made the following rejections:
Claims 1, 2, 5, and 7 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. §102(b) as being
anticipated by Nii.
Claim 9 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being
unpatentable over Nii.
Claims 6 and 8 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being
unpatentable over Nii in view of Kondou.
Claims 10, 11, 14, 16, and 18-20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Yamano in view of Nii.
Claims 15 and 17 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Yamano, Nii, and Kondou.
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Appeal2013-009246
Application 11/527,300
ANALYSIS
Claim 1 recites the limitation of "an input unit configured to transmit
the input voltage with a first switch and to transmit both the reference
voltage and a feedback voltage with a second switch" (emphasis added).
Appellant argues that no switches taught by Nii transmit both the reference
voltage and the feedback voltage (App. Br. 6). The Examiner finds that
reference voltage (VIN2) and feedback voltage (OUTP) are transmitted with
a second switch SW3 transmitting both voltages (Final Act. 4). We do not
agree with this finding because to transmit VIN2 both switches SW2 and
SW3 have to be closed at the same time (see Fig. 3) and based on the clock
diagram (Fig. 4) SW2 and SW3 are never closed at the same time (i.e., they
are never both high). Thus, contrary to the Examiner's finding, SW3 does
not transmit VIN2.
Accordingly, we reverse the Examiner's rejection of claim 1 and for
the same reasons the rejections of claims 2, 5-11, and 14--20.
CONCLUSION
The Examiner erred in finding that Nii discloses "an input unit
configured to transmit the input voltage with a first switch and to transmit
both the reference voltage and a feedback voltage with a second switch."
DECISION
For the above reasons, the Examiner's rejection of claims 1, 2, 5-11,
and 14--20 is reversed.
REVERSED
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