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 .
DETAILED ACTION
2. This Office Action responds to the Amendment filed on 5/26/2026. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 17 and 20 have been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection as cited below. Response to Applicant’s remarks are addressed in the Response to Applicant’s Remarks section cited below.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. Claim(s) 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Maejima (U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0230435 A1).
As per claim 17, Maejima discloses:
A memory array, comprising:
a plurality of electrode lines formed at a first level and traversing a plurality of memory cell regions (See Figure 7, i.e. WL and BL), each memory cell region formed between socket interconnect regions in a first direction (See Figure 7, i.e. dashed region C, R considered memory region is between region with connector 6, considered as the socket interconnection regions),
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wherein the plurality of electrode lines have a pitch in a second direction (See Figure 7, i.e. WL and BL have spacing) and include digit lines and word lines that intersect in the plurality of memory cell regions (See Figure 7, i.e. WL and BL intersecting),
wherein each electrode line is coupled with a second level, that is above the first level in a third direction or below the first level in the third direction, using at least one socket interconnect region (See Figure 7, i.e. contact 6 & Para [0052], i.e. The bit lines BL in the memory block 2 formed on the control circuit area 3 are connected via the bit line contacts 6 to the column-related control circuits C located beneath, See Para [0037]-[0056]).
As per claim 20, Maejima discloses all of the features of claim 17 as discloses above wherein Maejima also discloses wherein: the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and to the second direction, or the third direction crosses the first direction and the second direction and is non- perpendicular to the first direction and to the second direction (See Figure 7, i.e. contact 6 & Para [0052], i.e. The bit lines BL in the memory block 2 formed on the control circuit area 3 are connected via the bit line contacts 6 to the column-related control circuits C located beneath, See Para [0037]-[0056] –[prior art teach first and second directions is in the x, and y direction, while third direction is beneath, being the z direction, therefore teaching the third direction as cited above]).
Response to Applicant’s Remarks
5. With respect to Applicant’s remarks, the following are addressed:
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 17 and 20 have been considered but are moot in view of new ground of rejection as cited above.
In the current rejection of the claims, claim(s) 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Maejima (U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0230435 A1), as cited above.
Double Patenting rejection of the claims are withdrawn, as Applicant filed Terminal Disclaimer.
Claims 1-16 are indicated as allowed, as Applicant remarks are persuasive.
Claims 18 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 17 and 20 are rejected under newly cited prior art Maejima as cited above. This office action is Final.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 1-16 are allowed.
7. Claims 18 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: With respect to claims 1-16, Applicant’s remarks filed 5/26/2026 (Pages 7-10) are persuasive.
With respect to claims 18 and 19 the prior art does not teach the limitations of
claim 18, wherein claim 19 depend on claim 18.
Conclusion
9. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NHA T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1405. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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/NHA T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851
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