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
This is in response to the RCE filed on 11/24/2025. Claims 1-4, 6-8, and 11-20 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains.
Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chase et
al., US Pub. No.20110138190 in view of Chiang et al., Us Pub. No.20170017426 and further in view of Pedawi, US Pub. No,20180350021.
As to claim 1, Chase discloses a storage device comprising: a memory and a
storage controller configured to:
generate a hash value, generate scrambled data by scrambling input data with
the hash value, and store the scrambled data and the hash value in association with
each other in the memory (the resultant scrambled value at the scrambled location
which has been determined by the location determination module which can be
implemented using keyed Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC) functionality, in
association with any hash algorithm, see abstract, fig.3, [0055] to [0057]).
Chase does not specifically disclose the plurality of nonvolatile memories
connected to the storage controller through a plurality of channels, respectively the
storage controller being further configured to encode the scrambled data and the hash
value into a plurality of pieces distribute and store the plurality of pieces of the encoded
data in the plurality of nonvolatile memories, and each of the plurality of pieces of the
encoded data comprises a part of the scrambled data and a part of the hash value.
However, Chiang discloses the plurality of nonvolatile memories connected to the
storage controller through a plurality of channels , (controller 160 may continue to
perform a write operation on the other blocks) respectively the storage controller being
further configured to encode the scrambled data and the hash value into a plurality of
pieces distribute and store the plurality of pieces of the encoded data in the plurality of
nonvolatile memories, and each of the plurality of pieces of the encoded data comprises
a part of the scrambled data and a part of the hash value (retrieving the seed RS2 to
encode the data sector and writing the encoded data sectors and using the controller to
calculate an offset index according to the number of times that the block B0 has been
erased (the erase count of the block B0) and using the hash algorithm to obtain a
remainder of "2", and serves the remainder of "2" as the offset index OFS. Next, the
controller 160 locates the seed RS2 of the random seed table RST according to the
offset index OFS to take the seed RS2 as the target seed. Then the different data
sectors can be scrambled for storing the irregular data or for data security, see fig.4,
[0031] to [00032]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to implement Chiang's teachings into to control data security because it would have prevented the data stored in the flash memory from damage in a computer network.
Neither Chase nor Chiang specifically disclose each of the encoded data comprising a corresponding scrambled data and a corresponding part of the hash value. However, Pedawi discloses each of the encoded data comprising a corresponding scrambled data and a corresponding part of the hash value (modifying the encoded text string by using an encryption scheme, e.g., a hash function, may be applied to further scramble the bits/blocks so a third party cannot scan the code, only optical scanners that are configured to decode the specific encryption techniques, see [0095] to [0098]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention was made to implement Pedawi's teachings into the computer system of Chase to control data security because it would have enabled global address QR code to include the encode text input strings that can be decoded without the aid or the internet or another data network (see Pedawi’s [0095]).
As to claim 2, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to generate the has
value by applying a hash algorithm to an output value or input data of a random number
generator (pseudo-random function operation, see [0054)).
As to claim 3, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to generate
scrambled data by performing an XOR operation on the input data and the hash value
(XOR operations, see [0055)).
As to claim 4, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to apply a hash
algorithm to the hash value at least once to generate at least one additional hash value,
and generate the scrambled data by performing XOR operation on the input data, the
hash value, and the at least one additional hash value (see [0055] to [0056)).
As to claim 6, Chase discloses each of the plurality of nonvolatile memories comprises
a plurality of pages including a main area and a spare area, and the storage controller is
configured to store the part of the scrambled data in the main area, and store the part of
the hash value in the spare area (authorized recipient can decrypt these data items if it
possesses the appropriate key(s), see [0068] to [0069]).
As to claim 7, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to read the plurality
of pieces of the encoded data from the plurality of nonvolatile memories, decode the
plurality of pieces of the encoded data into the scrambled data and the hash value,
and generate descrambled data by descrambling the decoded scrambled data and the
decoded hash value (authorized recipient can decrypt these data items if it possesses
the appropriate key(s), see [0067] to [0069)).
As to claim 8, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to read the plurality
of pieces of the encoded data from the plurality of nonvolatile memories, decode the
plurality of pieces of the encoded data into the scrambled data and the hash value,
generate an encryption key by encrypting the decoded hash value with a private key of
a server including the storage device, and transmit the decoded scrambled data and the
encryption key to an external client (authorized recipient can decrypt these data items
including scrambled data if it possesses the appropriate key(s), see [0055], [0067] to
[0069)).
As to claim 11, Chase discloses a secure area, and the storage controller is configured
to store the hash value in the secure area (see [0009] and [0036]).
As to claim 12, Chase discloses configured to generate descrambled data by
descrambling the scrambled data and the hash value, and determine whether the
descrambled data are falsified (see [0067] to [0072)).
As to claim 13, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to receive input
data and a public key of a client from an external client, generate the hash value using
an output value of a random number generator, encrypt the hash value with the public
key of the client to generate an encryption key, and store the scrambled data and
encryption key in association with each other in the memory (generating random keys
for use by the location determination module 312 and the value determination module,
see [0050] to [0052]).
As to claim 15, Chase discloses the storage controller is configured to receive the input
data, a first encryption key, and a public key of a client from an external client, and
generate the hash value by using a decrypted value of the encryption key as the public
key of the client (see [0050] to [0054)).
Claims 16 and 18 are rejected for the same reasons set forth in claims 1 and 1
respectively.
As to claim 19, Chase discloses that the server is further configured to receive a public
key of the first client from the first client, generate the encryption key by encrypting the
hash value as the public key of the first client, and transmit the scrambled data and the
encryption key read from the memory to the first client (authorized recipient can decrypt
these data items including scrambled data if it possesses the appropriate key(s), see
[0055], [0067] to [0069}).
As to claim 20, Chase discloses that the server is configured to generate the encryption
key by encrypting the hash value as a private key of the server, and transmit the
scrambled data read from the memory, the encryption key, and a public key of the
server to the first client (authorized recipient can decrypt these data items including
scrambled data if it possesses the appropriate key(s), see [0055], [0067] to [0069]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14 and 17 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 11/24/25 , with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, u/p/on further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Pedawi, US Pub. No.20180350021.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
examiner should be directed to Khanh Dinh whose telephone number is (571) 272-
3936. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.m.
to 5:00 P.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
supervisor, Cheema Umar, can be reached on (571) 272-3037. The fax phone number
for this group is (571) 273-8300.
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Any response to this action should be mailed to:
Commissioner for patents
P O Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
/KHANH Q DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2458