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 .
1. Claims 1-20 are present for examination.
Priority & submitted IDS paper (6/1/22) are hereby acknowledged & considered.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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)(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.
2. Claims 1 & 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ikegami et al (US 2020/0241840).
Claim 1, Ikegami et al (Fig. 1 & 5) shows an arithmetic/computing device comprising the following:
an arithmetic element part (or pair of MTJ elements 100A & 100B) and a controller (70 & 40), and the arithmetic element part further includes a first element (MTJ, 100A) including a first conductive member 20A and a first stacked body 21A, the first conductive member including a first portion XA, a second portion XB, and a third portion (20A) between the first portion and the second portion, the first stacked body 21A including a first magnetic layer 13A, and a first counter magnetic layer 11A provided between the third portion 20A and the first magnetic layer 13A, and a second element (MTJ, 100B) including a second conductive member 20B and a second stacked body 21B, the second conductive member including a fourth portion XA, a fifth portion XB, and a sixth portion 20B between the fourth portion and the fifth portion, the second stacked body 21B including a second magnetic layer 13B, and a second counter magnetic layer 11B provided between the sixth portion 20B and the second magnetic layer 13B, the second portion XA and the fourth portion XB being electrically connected (see Fig. 5), and the controller (70 & 40) being configured to perform an XNOR operation of a first input and a second input XA & XB, the first input corresponding to a first electrical resistance of the first stacked body and a second electrical resistance of the second stacked body, the second input corresponding to a potential of the first magnetic layer and a potential of the second magnetic layer.
For example, Fig. 5 shows each arithmetic element (or MTJ) has at least two I/O terminals (XA & XB) located at the ends of two electrical terminals T2 & T3), wherein each terminal can be selected as either input or output (depending on application of voltages (VCNT) and the respective current flow (Iwro or Iwr1) t5hrough each MTJ element as well-known to a skilled person in this art). Additionally, Fig. 6-8 shows the two inputs (or operands A & B) can be used to perform a plurality of different arithmetic operations such as OR, AND, or XNOR (Fig. 8) on the electrical resistances & respective potential applied to the respective magnetic layers of these two MTKJ as claimed. See below illustrations with explanations:
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image1.png
698
504
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
556
516
media_image2.png
Greyscale
[AltContent: textbox (- Two arithmetic elements = 2 MTJS 100A & 100B for storing two logical resistance/values;
- Controller/computer = circuits 70 and 40 for applying input voltages & perform calculations
- Fig. 8 shows XNOR operations for two inputs XA & XB
- a stacked body = MTJ element with 3 magnetic layers;
- Magnetic layers = 11A-12A and 11B-12B
- First, second & third portions of each MTJ = XA end, XB end, and middle portion 20A, as example
- zero or one (0,1) are two logical resistances/values of the two respective MTJs well-known in this art)]
Claim 20, Fig. 10 shows a plurality of transistors (T1-TR3) as claimed “selector” for being configured to be controlled by the controller (70 of Fig. 1), and for selecting to the respective MTJ elements 21 to be used in performing arithmetic operations (XNOR, Fig. 8) as already discussed above.
Claim Objections
3. Claims 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 & 18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In these claims, the terms “porality” is mis-spelled, and they should be revised as “polarity” as disclosed in the specification. Appropriate correction is required.
Additionally, the claims 2-19 are also objected as being dependent upon their rejected/parent claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
4. For the record, the above objected claims tentatively recite additional and novel limitations on the recited structure of claim1, which are not all clearly suggested by the prior arts at this time as detailed below:
- Claim 2 recites additional three operations (first supply operation, measurement operation, and third supply operation) using four different first to fourth currents onto the two MTJ elements, which are not obvious over Ikegami reference, alone or in combination with other arts at this time.
- Claim 3 recites the two first & second currents each has different orientations on their respective/different recited portions, which are not also obvious over Ikegami reference, alone or in combination with other arts at this time.
- Claim 4 recites that “the first current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the second current has the orientation from the fourth portion to the fifth portion, when the first electrical resistance is in a first low resistance state, and the second electrical resistance is in a second low resistance state, the first input is “0”, and when the first electrical resistance is in a first high resistance state higher than the first low resistance state, and the second electrical resistance is in a second high resistance state higher than the second low resistance state, the first input is “1”, and when the second input is “0”, in the first supply operation, the potential of the first magnetic layer is a first potential, and the potential of the second magnetic layer is a fourth potential,
when the second input is “1”, in the first supply operation, the potential of the first magnetic layer is a second potential, and the potential of the second magnetic layer is a third potential, and the polarity of the second potential is opposite to polarity of the first potential, and polarity of the fourth potential is opposite to polarity of the third potential, and the polarity of the fourth potential is opposite to the polarity of the first potential”. All these claim limitations are not seen in Ikegami et al or elsewhere at this time.
- Claims 5 & 11recite that “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion corresponds to substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the fourth current has the orientation from the fourth portion to the fifth portion”. All these claim limitations are not seen in Ikegami et al or elsewhere at this time.
- Claim 6 recites that “the first current has the orientation from the first portion to the second portion, and the second current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and when the first electrical resistance is in a first low resistance state, and the second electrical resistance is in a second low resistance state, the first input is “0”, and when the first electrical resistance is in a first high resistance state higher than the first low resistance state, and the second electrical resistance is in a second high resistance state higher than the second low resistance state, the first input is “1”, and when the second input is “0”, in the first supply operation, the potential of the first magnetic layer is a second potential, and the potential of the second magnetic layer is a third potential, and when the second input is “1”, in the first supply operation, the potential of the first magnetic layer is a first potential, and the potential of the second magnetic layer is a fourth potential, and porality of the second potential is opposite to polarity of the first potential, and porality of the fourth potential is opposite to polarity of the third potential, and the polarity of the fourth potential is opposite to the polarity of the first potential”. All these claim limitations are not seen in Ikegami et al or elsewhere at this time.
- Claim 7 recites that “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion corresponds to substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and in the second supply operation, the first magnetic layer is at the second potential, and the second magnetic layer is at the fourth potential, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the fourth current has the orientation from the fourth portion to the fifth portion”. All these claim limitations are not seen in Ikegami et al or elsewhere at this time.
- Claim 9 recites “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion corresponds to substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and in the second supply operation, the first magnetic layer is at the second potential, and the second magnetic layer is at the fourth potential, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the first portion to the second portion”, which are also not disclosed by prior arts at this time.
- Claim 13 recites “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point corresponds to the substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the first portion to the second portion”, which are not suggested by the prior arts at this time.
- Claim 15 recites “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the first portion to the second portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fourth portion to the fifth portion, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point corresponds to the substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion”. All these claim limitations are not seen in Ikegami et al or elsewhere at this time.
- Claim 17 recites “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point corresponds to the substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the fourth current has the orientation from the fourth portion to the fifth portion”, which are not suggested by the prior arts at this time.
- Claim 19 recites “in the measurement operation, when a first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and a potential at a connection point of the second portion and the fourth portion is higher or lower than substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the second portion to the first portion, and the fourth current has the orientation from the fifth portion to the fourth portion, and in the measurement operation, when the first potential difference is applied to the first magnetic layer with reference to the second magnetic layer, and the potential at the connection point corresponds to the substantially 1/2 of the first potential difference, the third current has the orientation from the first portion to the second portion”, which are not disclosed by prior arts at this time.
Similarly, the other objected claims 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 & 18 including some misspelled errors (as a discussed above), but they also at least include some novel limitations, as already cited from these claims above, which are also not clearly suggested or obvious in view of other prior art teachings at this time.
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIET Q NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1788. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-3PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amir Zarabian can be reached at 571-272-1852. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/VIET Q NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2827