Appeal No. 2005-0826
Application No. 09/989,563
Switching element SW0 is composed of a field effect transistor with its gate connected
to the ROM fuse circuit 14. Col. 7, ll. 39-50. An equivalent circuit is depicted in Figure
6. Col. 5, ll. 30-35.
Programming of the ROM fuse circuit 14 is described at column 9, line 12 et seq.
of the reference. Various examples are provided in Figure 7A through Figure 8D,
showing equivalent circuits, responsive to how the ROM fuse circuit may be
programmed by melting and disconnecting particular fuse elements. Figure 8A
represents the bypassing of diode T4 by programming SW0 as “ON.”
Different output voltages for the circuit of Figure 5 are thus effected by controlling
the total threshold voltages of the diodes, the sum of which sets the circuit’s constant
output voltage VDD. In appellants’ “clamp circuit” as described in the specification, the
threshold voltages of the diodes are not controlled individually. However, the relevant
circuit in Furumochi appears to operate on the same principle as appellants’ “clamp
circuit.” The instant clamp circuit operates to limit the voltage at (output) node 319
(instant Fig. 3A) corresponding to the summation of the threshold voltages of the
diodes. In Furumochi’s circuit of Figure 5, the output voltage VDD appears to be
determined by the sum of the threshold voltages of the diodes.
The record thus supports the examiner’s finding that Furumochi describes a
clamp circuit having a clamping threshold within the meaning of instant claim 1.
Appellants may hold that what appellants consider to be a “clamp circuit” might operate
differently from the circuit described by Furumochi when placed in some other
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