DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .33
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-14, in the reply filed on 08/07/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 15-25 are currently withdrawn from consideration.
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)(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.
Claims 1-2, 10-11, 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated US 12,374,483 to Xiao et al. (hereafter Xiao).
Regarding independent claim 1, Xiao teaches a physical reservoir for a magnetic reservoir computing apparatus (see FIGS. 3-4), wherein the physical reservoir includes a ferromagnetic film (e.g. the magnetic layer of a thin film structure hosting skyrmions, wherein the thin film structure includes a non-magnetic layer, a magnetic layer and an oxide layer, see 3:46-4:6) with a two-dimensional arrangement of point deformations dimensioned to act as pinning sites for magnetic domains of the ferromagnetic film (see 1:45-47).
Regarding dependent claim 2, Xiao implicitly teaches wherein the point deformations are punctures (i.e. introducing holes, see 4:17-8).
Regarding dependent claim 10, Xiao implicitly teaches wherein the two-dimensional arrangement forms at least two lattices of point deformations, and wherein the at least two lattices of point deformations have distinct lattice parameters, in distinct areas of the ferromagnetic film (e.g. implementing additional artificial pinning centers by varying the film thickness in different regions, see 3:38-40).
Regarding dependent claim 11, Xiao teaches wherein the ferromagnetic film comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of transition metal elements (e.g. Fe, see 3:44-57).
Regarding dependent claim 13, Xiao teaches wherein a length of each edge of the ferromagnetic film is between 20 µm and 200 µm (see 4:63-65).
Regarding dependent claim 14, Xiao teaches wherein the physical reservoir further includes a substrate supporting the ferromagnetic film (see 4:66-5:2).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiao in view of US 8,018,765 to Fontana, Jr. et al. (hereafter Fontana, Jr.).
Xiao teaches, as applied in prior rejection of claim 1, all claimed subject matter except further limitations set forth in the following claim(s).
Regarding dependent claim 7, Fontana, Jr. teaches magnetic memories includes a ferromagnetic film with a two-dimensional arrangement of point deformations dimensioned to act as pinning sites for magnetic domains of the ferromagnetic film (see FIG. 2). Fontana, Jr. further teaches wherein the two-dimensional arrangement forms at least one lattice of the point deformations (see FIG. 5).
Since Xiao and Fontana, Jr. are both from the same field of endeavor, the purpose disclosed by Fontana, Jr. would have been recognized in the pertinent art of Xiao.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use Fontana, Jr.'s magnetic memories as the physical reservoir in Xiao, as both references disclose magnetic memories.
Regarding dependent claim 8, Fontana, Jr. implicitly teaches wherein the at least one lattice includes an antidot lattice (FIG. 5: there appear magnetic domains 502 are through holes on storage layer 112).
Regarding dependent claim 9, Fontana, Jr. teaches wherein the at least one lattice includes a square lattice (see FIG. 32).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiao in view of US 5,891,586 to Hasegawa et al. (hereafter Hasegawa).
Xiao teaches, as applied in prior rejection of claim 1, all claimed subject matter except further limitations set forth in the following claim(s).
Regarding dependent claim 12, Hasegawa teaches ferromagnetic film comprises FexNi100-x, where 20 ≤ x ≤ 60.
Since Xiao and Hasegawa are both from the same field of endeavor, the purpose disclosed by Hasegawa would have been recognized in the pertinent art of Xiao.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use FexNi100-x, where 20 ≤ x ≤ 60 as the ferromagnetic film for the physical reservoir of Xiao, because FexNi100-x, is also a ferromagnetic material.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 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.
With respect to dependent claim 3: wherein: an average first-neighbor distance between the punctures is between 0.2 pm and 5.0 pm, wherein any first-neighbor distance between the punctures is measured parallel to a main surface of the ferromagnetic film; and an average diameter of the punctures is between 50 nm and 500 n, wherein any diameter of the punctures is measured parallel to the main surface of the ferromagnetic film, and further wherein the average diameter of the punctures is smaller than the average first- neighbor distance.
Conclusion
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September 17, 2026
/VANTHU T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2824
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