DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1, 3, 5-20 are pending. Claims 2, 4 are cancelled.
Priority: October 24, 2022
Assignee: Micron
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim(s) 1, 13 and 20 recite the following limitations that contain insufficient antecedent basis or are otherwise unclear.
Claim 1:
in response to receiving a first read command requesting a second data set, determine that [first] the second data set is not stored in the cache, and read the [first] the second data set from a memory array;
in response to determining that [second data] the second data set read from the memory array has an error, correct the second data set, store the corrected second data set in the cache, and set a flag for the second data set; and
in response to receiving a second read command requesting the second data set, determine that the second data set is stored in the cache, determine the flag is set, write the corrected second data set from the cache to the memory array, and read the corrected second data set from the cache.
Claim 13:
An apparatus comprising:
a cache; and
a controller configured to:
determine that a first data set read from a memory array has an error, correct the first data set, store the corrected first data set in the cache, and set a scrub flag for the first data set;
receive a read command from a host device, the read command requesting the first data set;
in response to receiving the read command, determine the first data set is stored in the cache and that the scrub flag for the first data set is set;
in response to determining that the scrub flag is set, write back the corrected first data from the cache to the memory array;
read the corrected first data set from the cache; and
send the corrected first data set to the host device.
Claim 17:
A method comprising:
in response to determining that a first data set read from a memory array has an error, correcting the first data set;
storing the corrected first data set in a scrub area of a cache memory;
receiving a request to read the first data set;
in response to determining that the first data is stored in the scrub area, writing back the corrected first data set from the scrub area to the memory array; and
providing the corrected first data set from the scrub area in reply to the request.
Regarding the dependent claims
All instances of “the first/second/third read command” should be appended with “requesting the first/second/third data set”.
All instances of “second/third data” should be replaced with “the second/third data set”, with the exception of the very first instance which should should have the indefinite article “a” instead of “the”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-20 contain allowable subject matter based on the prior art.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance.
Claim(s) 1, 13 and 17 each contain the following limitations that distinguish the claims from the prior art:
“…and in response to receiving a second read command, determine that second data is stored in the cache, determine a flag is set indicating the second data needs correction, write the second data from the cache to the memory array, and read the second data from the cache…”(Claim 1);
“…in response to receiving the read command, determine the first data is stored in the cache and that a scrub flag for the first data is set;in response to determining that the scrub flag is set, write back the first data, and read the first data from the cache; and send the first data to the host device…”(claim 13).
“…in response to determining that the first data is not stored in either of the scrub area or the cache area, writing back the first data, providing the first data from the scrub area in reply to the request.…”(claim 17).
A relevant prior art is Anantaraman et al.(20160350237) where the electronic device has a cache memory communicatively coupled to processor. A controller is communicatively coupled to the cache memory and has logic, partially including hardware logic, to receive a first transaction to operate on a first data element in the cache memory. A lookup operation is performed for the first data element in the volatile memory. A cache scrub hint is generated, the cache scrub hint is forwarded to a cache scrub engine and cache lines are identified to scrub based in portion on the cache scrub hint, in response to a failed lookup operation.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Regarding claims 1, 3, 5-20, the previous grounds for the 112(b) have been dropped. However new grounds for a 112(b) have been entered based on insufficient antecedent basis, and additional clarity issues. Please see the rejection(s) 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARVIND TALUKDAR whose telephone number is (303)297-4475. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 10 am-6pm EST.
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Arvind Talukdar
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2132
/ARVIND TALUKDAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2132