Appeal No. 2003-2105 Page 9
Application No. 08/755,928
circuits where a very small voltage less than some mV is significant are mixed.
Therefore, noise easily penetrates from the digital circuits via power supply lines and a
substrate to the analog circuits." Col. 1, ll. 13-18. The passage of the reference cited
by the examiner explains that "[t]he noise from the digital circuits via the power supply
lines to the analog circuits can be reduced by providing individual power supply lines for
the digital circuits and the analog circuits. . . ." Id. at ll. 19-22.
Here, in contrast to the problem addressed by Yukawa, we are unpersuaded that
Hara's current mirror circuit and constant current circuit constitute an analog/digital
hybrid. To the contrary, "the Examiner appears to conclude that all circuits in the Hara's
arrangement are digital circuits." (Reply Br. at 7.) Absent an analog/digital hybrid, we
are unpersuaded that it would have been desirable to provide individual power supply
lines for the current mirror circuit and the constant current circuit. Therefore, we reverse
the rejection of claim 32 and of claim 33, which depends therefrom.
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