Ex Parte OGAWADownload PDFPatent Trials and Appeals BoardFeb 29, 201612796167 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Feb. 29, 2016) Copy Citation UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR 121796,167 06/08/2010 Takashi OGAWA 132192 7590 03/02/2016 SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC (RD) 5005 E. McDowell Road Maildrop A700 Phoenix, AZ 85008 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. 200900092 2312 EXAMINER 0 TOOLE, COLLEEN J ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 2842 NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE 03/02/2016 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): patents@onsemi.com PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD Ex parte T AKASHI OGAWA Appeal2014-003146 Application 12/796, 167 Technology Center 2800 Before CATHERINE Q. TIMM, BEVERLY A. FRANKLIN, and AVEL YN M. ROSS, Administrative Patent Judges. FRANKLIN, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION ON APPEAL Appellant seeks our review under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) of the Examiner's decision rejecting claims 1-8. We have jurisdiction over the appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b). Appeal2014-003146 Application 12/796, 167 STATEMENT OF THE CASE Claim 1 is illustrative of Appellant's subject matter on appeal and is set forth below (with text in bold for emphasis): 1. An offset cancelling circuit for a Hall element, comprising: a plurality of capacitors; a group of first switching elements to which a voltage is applied from outside such that a current flowing in the Hall element is switched, and which are controlled to be switched ON and OFF such that an output voltage of the Hall element is applied to one of the plurality of capacitors in each state; and a group of second switching elements which are provided at an output side of the plurality of capacitors and which are controlled to be switched ON and OFF such that an output voltage corresponding to charges which are charged in the plurality of capacitors is output in a state where the plurality of capacitors are connected in parallel to each other, wherein a dummy switching element is connected to at least a part of the group of the second switching elements in such a manner that the dummy switching element and the part of the group of the second switching elements are controlled to be switched ON and OFF exclusively with respect to each other, and the dummy switching element is connected with respect to the capacitor through the group of second switching elements. App. Br. 7 (Claims Appendix). The Examiner relies on the following prior art references as evidence of unpatentability: Altrichter Lee 6,727,693 B2 2003/0020530 Al THE REJECTION Apr. 27, 2004 Jan.30,2003 Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Altrichter in view of Lee. 2 Appeal2014-003146 Application 12/796, 167 ANALYSIS We adopt the Examiner's findings in the Answer and AFFIRM. We add the following for emphasis. Also, we select claims 1 as representative of all the claims on appeal, based upon Appellant's presented arguments. 3 7 C.F.R. § 41.37(c) (1) (iv). It is the Examiner's position that Altrichter suggests the claimed subject matter, but does not teach use of a dummy switch. Final Act. 2-3. The Examiner relies upon Lee for teaching use of a dummy switch, and concludes it would have been obvious to have made use of the dummy switch elements of Lee in the switched capacitor circuit of Altrichter to reduce charge injection in a current switch. Lee, para. [0005], Final Act. 3. Appellant argues that Lee teaches that the dummy switch is on an input side of the capacitor, and not the output side of the capacitor. Appeal Br. 4. Appellant submits that the Examiner has not cited to any reference showing the dummy switch element provided on an output side of the capacitor. Appeal Br. 5. In response, the Examiner states that Altrichter teaches a group of second switching elements controlled by signal PHdemand provided at an output side of the plurality of capacitors connected to Vl-V 4. Ans. 2-3. The Examiner relies upon Lee for teaching a switching element connected to a dummy switching element (Lee, Figure 3), and for teaching that the terminal where the dummy transistor resided will connect to the high impedance node of the circuit where the charge injection problem will occur, while the other signal terminal will connect to the low impedance node, where the previously stored charges in the main transistor switch are absorbed by the turning on of the dummy transistor. Lee, para. [0005], Ans. 3 Appeal2014-003146 Application 12/796, 167 3. The Examiner therefore explains that the combined circuit of Altrichter in view of Lee teaches a group of second switching elements provided at an output side of the plurality of capacitors. Thus, the Examiner submits that Appellants' arguments do not address the merits of the rejection because the arguments are directed to the references individually. Ans. 2. We agree and are thus unpersuaded by such argument. Furthermore, the Examiner refers to Akizuki (U.S. Patent 7,515,080, cited in the Information Disclosure Statement filed March 30, 2013) and states that Akizuki discloses in Figure 7 that errors caused by fluctuations in the charge amount of the capacitor 22 can be improved by the use of a dummy switch 21 at the output of the capacitor. Akizuki, col. 9, 11. 24-41. There is no Reply Brief of record that addresses this response made by the Examiner. In view of the above, we affirm the rejection. DECISION The rejection is affirmed. TIME PERIOD No time period for taking any subsequent action in connection with this appeal may be extended under 37 C.F.R. § 1.136(a). See 37 C.F.R. § 1.136(a). ORDER AFFIRMED 4 Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation