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 .
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.
Claims 1-8 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zuccarelli et al., hereinafter Zuccarelli, US Publication No. 2020/0117764.
Regarding Claim 1, Zuccarelli teaches a quantum computer system comprising:
a virtual quantum computer that simulates an operation of an actual quantum computer that executes a quantum operation using a quantum bit group based on a predetermined parameter (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0022]-[0026], see quantum computing simulator 108A that may be virtualized in a virtual environment and which operates to execute a quantum executable file based on parameters in the file including hardware metadata); and
a control device that controls the actual quantum computer and the virtual quantum computer (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0020]-[0023], see system 100 that controls the operation of the quantum computing simulator 108A and the quantum computer 110),
wherein the virtual quantum computer includes an estimation unit that estimates a state of a target quantum bit in the quantum bit group by simulating the operation of the actual quantum computer (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0026]-[0028], wherein the quantum computing simulator simulates the operation of the quantum computer by executing the quantum executable file to estimate states of qubits), and
the control device includes a feedback control unit that changes the parameter and transmits the changed parameter to the virtual quantum computer until a deviation between a state of the target quantum bit estimated by the estimation unit and a quantum operation result from the actual quantum computer becomes a first design value or less (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0028]-[0029] and [0047], wherein a validator service compares the results generated by the quantum computing simulator 108A and the quantum computer 110 to provide updated parameters to the quantum computing simulator to reduce the difference between the results to be under a threshold).
Regarding Claim, Zuccarelli further teaches the actual quantum computer (Zuccarelli paragraph [0023], see quantum computer).
Regarding Claim 3, Zuccarelli further teaches a plurality of the actual quantum computers and a plurality of the virtual quantum computers (Zuccarelli paragraph [0003], wherein there may be more than one computer).
Regarding Claim 4, Zuccarelli further teaches wherein the feedback control unit changes the parameter and transmits the changed parameter to the virtual quantum computer until a deviation between an estimation state and an ideal state of the target quantum bit becomes a second design value or less for each of the target quantum bits (Zuccarelli paragraph [0047], wherein parameters are recommended and changed until the difference does not exceed a predetermined value).
Regarding Claim 5, Zuccarelli further teaches wherein the virtual quantum computer includes a calculation unit that calculates a calculation fidelity regarding a state of the target quantum bit estimated by the estimation unit (Zuccarelli paragraph [0059], wherein the system determines a confidence interval or acceptable range of values or deviation of the results of the simulations), and
the feedback control unit changes the parameter and transmits the changed parameter to the virtual quantum computer until the amount of deviation of the operation fidelity calculated by the calculation unit from an ideal state becomes equal to or less than a second design value (Zuccarelli paragraph [0060], wherein when the difference or deviation exceeds a predetermined value, the validator service recommends changes to the parameters).
Regarding Claim 6, Zuccarelli further teaches wherein the quantum computer system changes the parameter and transmits the changed parameter to the virtual quantum computer until the deviation between the estimation state of the target quantum bit and the quantum operation result from the actual quantum computer becomes the first design value or less when the deviation between the estimation state of the target quantum bit and the ideal state becomes the second design value or less for each of the target quantum bits (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0047] and [0059]-[0060], wherein changes are made until the deviation is within an acceptable range of values less than a predetermined value).
Regarding Claim 7, Zuccarelli further teaches wherein the estimation unit estimates the state of the target quantum bit by simulating the operation of the target quantum bit using a quantum bit control model that controls the target quantum bit (Zuccarelli paragraph [0033], wherein the quantum computing simulator is a simulator that simulates the operation of the quantum bits using quantum libraries or models).
Regarding Claim 8, Zuccarelli further teaches wherein the actual quantum computer includes a quantum bit control unit that transmits a control parameter for controlling the target quantum bit as a control signal to the quantum bit group (Zuccarelli paragraph [0024], wherein the quantum computer is operable to execute the quantum executable file, comprising controlling the qubits in the quantum computer to perform the algorithm encoded in the quantum executable file),
the estimation unit constructs a quantum bit control model for estimating a state of the target quantum bit in a case where the parameter is set and the control parameter is input, and inputs the control parameter to the quantum bit control model to simulate an operation of the actual quantum computer and estimate a state of the target quantum bit in the quantum bit group (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0025]-[0026] and [0033], wherein the quantum computing simulator is a simulator that executes the quantum executable file to simulate the operation of the quantum bits using quantum libraries or models to generate a first result),
the feedback control unit changes the control parameter and transmits the changed control parameter to the virtual quantum computer until a deviation between an estimation state and an ideal state of the target quantum bit becomes a second design value or less for each of the target quantum bits (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0028]-[0029] and [0047], wherein a validator service compares the results generated by the quantum computing simulator 108A and the quantum computer 110 to provide updated parameters to the quantum computing simulator to reduce the difference between the results to be under a threshold),
the estimation unit estimates a state of a target quantum bit in the quantum bit group by inputting the changed control parameter to the quantum bit control model and simulating an operation of the actual quantum computer (Zuccarelli Figs. 1 and 3 and paragraph [0065], wherein the simulation is re-executed with the changed parameters),
the feedback control unit changes the parameter and transmits the changed parameter to the virtual quantum computer until a deviation between the estimation state of the target quantum bit and the quantum operation result from the actual quantum computer becomes equal to or less than the first design value (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0028]-[0029] and [0047], wherein a validator service compares the results generated by the quantum computing simulator 108A and the quantum computer 110 to provide updated parameters to the quantum computing simulator to reduce the difference between the results to be under a threshold), and
the estimation unit updates the quantum bit control model with the changed parameter (Zuccarelli paragraph [0065], wherein the recommended parameter changes may be automatically applied).
Regarding Claim 12, Zuccarelli teaches a method for operating a quantum computer system including a virtual quantum computer that simulates an operation of an actual quantum computer that executes a quantum operation by a quantum bit group based on a predetermined parameter (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0022]-[0026], see quantum computing simulator 108A that may be virtualized in a virtual environment and which operates to execute a quantum executable file based on parameters in the file including hardware metadata), and a control device that controls the actual quantum computer and the virtual quantum computer (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0020]-[0023], see system 100 that controls the operation of the quantum computing simulator 108A and the quantum computer 110), the method comprising:
estimating, by the virtual quantum computer, a state of a target quantum bit in the quantum bit group by simulating an operation of the actual quantum computer (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0026]-[0028], wherein the quantum computing simulator simulates the operation of the quantum computer by executing the quantum executable file to estimate states of qubits), and
changing, by the control device, the parameter and transmitting the changed parameter to the virtual quantum computer until a deviation between an estimation state of the target quantum bit and a quantum operation result from the actual quantum computer becomes a first design value or less (Zuccarelli paragraphs [0028]-[0029] and [0047], wherein a validator service compares the results generated by the quantum computing simulator 108A and the quantum computer 110 to provide updated parameters to the quantum computing simulator to reduce the difference between the results to be under a threshold).
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.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zuccarelli as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Majumdar, US Publication No. 2016/0328253.
Regarding Claim 11, Zuccarelli does not explicitly teach wherein the estimation unit estimates the state of the target quantum bit by simulating the operation of the target quantum bit using a learning model indicating a correlation between the target quantum bit and a control parameter for controlling the target quantum bit.
Majumdar teaches wherein the estimation unit estimates the state of the target quantum bit by simulating the operation of the target quantum bit using a learning model indicating a correlation between the target quantum bit and a control parameter for controlling the target quantum bit (Majumdar paragraph [0332], wherein machine learning is utilized to calibrate the quantum model through simulation to estimate the state of the quantum bits).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Zuccarelli and Majumdar to apply the known technique of quantum model calibration as taught by Majumdar to improve on the quantum computing simulator as taught by Zuccarelli, yielding the predictable results of a more accurate simulator to predict the functionality of an actual quantum computer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9-10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 9, the prior art of record does not teach or suggest the following claim limitations:
wherein the actual quantum computer includes:
a first detection unit that detects a value of the control parameter from the control signal at a position closer to the quantum bit control unit than the quantum bit group between the quantum bit control unit and the quantum bit group; and
a second detection unit that detects a value of the control parameter from the control signal at a position closer to the quantum bit group than the quantum bit control unit between the quantum bit control unit and the quantum bit group,
the control device includes:
a comparison unit that compares a first detection result by the first detection unit with a second detection result by the second detection unit; and
a correction amount calculation unit that calculates a correction amount of the control parameter based on a comparison result by the comparison unit,
the feedback control unit transmits the corrected control parameter corrected by the correction amount calculated by the correction amount calculation unit to the virtual quantum computer, and
the estimation unit estimates the state of the target quantum bit in the quantum bit group by inputting the corrected control parameter to the quantum bit control model to simulate the operation of the actual quantum computer.
Claim 10 would be allowable based on its dependency to Claim 9 for the reasons stated above.
Conclusion
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/ERIC D LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851
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