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 .
Claims 1-23 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Faulkner et al. (Faulkner1) (US 20220113789 A1).
As to claim 1, Faulkner teaches an apparatus comprising:
a plurality of processor cores [FIG. 26: processor cores 2607]; and
control circuitry [controller 110] coupled to the plurality of processor cores, the control circuitry configured to:
detect at least one of a power characteristic and a frequency characteristic of at least one of the plurality of processor cores [0052: “baseboard power consumption is determined by summing power consumption for individual computing units 106 forming baseboards 104.”] [0060; “controller 110 iteratively determines an operating frequency for baseboards 104 by comparing baseboard power consumption at a given operating frequency and increasing an operating frequency until baseboard power consumption at baseboard power budget or within a threshold amount below baseboard power budget.”] [power consumption and operating frequency are monitored.];
determine that a frequency control opportunity is present with respect to at least one of the plurality of processor cores based on at least one of the power characteristic and the frequency characteristic [0060; “…increasing an operating frequency until baseboard power consumption … within a threshold amount below baseboard power budget.”]; and
adjust a power parameter of at least one of the plurality of processor cores responsive to determining that the frequency control opportunity is present, such that (1) a thermal design power headroom condition is maintained [0060; “…increasing an operating frequency until baseboard power consumption … within a threshold amount below baseboard power budget.”] [A threshold amount below power budget is the TPD headroom.] and (2) a frequency stability condition is established [0060; “controller 110 iteratively determines an operating frequency for baseboards 104 by comparing baseboard power consumption at a given operating frequency and increasing an operating frequency until baseboard power consumption…within a threshold amount below baseboard power budget.”] [The frequency is stabilized when baseboard power consumption is within a threshold amount below baseboard power budget.].
As to claims 2-23, The rejections are respectfully maintained for the reasons as set forth in the last office action mailed on 11/05/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 01/09/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In the remark, Applicant argued that Faulkner fails to teach the limitation of “such that (1) a thermal design power headroom condition is maintained and (2) a frequency stability condition is established.
The examiner respectfully traverses the Applicant’s argument with the reasons recited in the rejection above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/XUXING CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2176
1 Faulkner was cited as a prior art in the last office action mailed on 11/05/2025.