Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/419,706

Fault Information Transmission Method and Apparatus, and Storage Medium

Final Rejection §102§103§112
Filed
Jan 23, 2024
Priority
Jul 23, 2021 — continuation of PCTCN2021108168
Examiner
NGUYEN, CATHERINE MARIE
Art Unit
2114
Tech Center
2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
Assignee
Shenzhen Yinwang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
9 granted / 12 resolved
+20.0% vs TC avg
Strong +56% interview lift
Without
With
+55.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
9 currently pending
Career history
26
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.2%
-35.8% vs TC avg
§103
66.7%
+26.7% vs TC avg
§102
6.3%
-33.7% vs TC avg
§112
22.9%
-17.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 12 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103 §112
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 . Claims 1-20 are pending for examination. This Office Action is FINAL. Claim Objections Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 16, line 1: change to “wherein the fault cause comprises” Appropriate correction is required. 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 10 is 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 10 recites the limitation "the memory" in the last line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 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 8-9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by LIU et al. (US 20210349777 A1, as previously cited, hereinafter “LIU”). Regarding Claim 8, LIU discloses a method implemented by a first device (Fig. 2: implemented by PCIe device group 205), wherein the method comprises: generating, when a fault occurs in a first transceiver of the first device, fault information comprising a fault cause of the first transceiver of the fault ([0072]: if the hardware fault occurs on the first PCIe device (Fig. 2: of PCIe device group 205), the first PCIe device may send a fault report message to the root complex 203. The fault report message carries information such as a fault type of the PCIe device and a device identifier of the PCIe device. [0068]: fault packet used to notify that a PCIe link (or a PCIe device) is faulty. [0076]: fault type includes correctable error (CE) or uncorrectable error (UCE) of the PCIe link. Sending the fault report message encompasses generating the message before sending. First transceiver interpreted as first PCIe device + PCIe link. Fault cause interpreted as fault type. Consistent with [0028] of Spec, where “fault cause includes at least one of single-bit fault in a memory, a multi-bit fault in the memory, and an internal bus transmission fault”); and sending, to a second device, the fault information ([0072]). Regarding Claim 9, LIU discloses the method of claim 8, as referenced above, wherein the fault information comprises an index value ([0072]: value of fault type), wherein the method further comprises determining, based on a preset correspondence, the index value ([0072]; [0076]: two fault types: CE or UCE. Therefore, to send the fault report message, which carries the fault type, the fault type value of the message is effectively determined to be included in the message. Fault type value may be chosen among the two possible types, CE or UCE (preset correspondence)), and wherein the preset correspondence comprises a one-to-one correspondence between the fault cause and the index value ([0072]; [0076]: also see fault cause interpretation in Claim 8. Fault type value distinguishes between {CE, UCE}). Regarding Claim 11, LIU discloses the method of claim 8, as referenced above, further comprising sending, to the second device, the fault information in an interrupt signal ([0072]: sent in a fault report message. Serves as an interrupt signal to prompt the root complex 203 to store the message and generate a SMI interrupt signal). 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 1, 2, 4-5, and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of Okamoto et al. (US 20160055047 A1, hereinafter “Okamoto”). Regarding Claim 1, LIU discloses a system (Fig. 2) comprising: a first device comprising a first transceiver (Fig. 2; [0060]; [0072]: PCIe device group 205 includes (first PCIe device = GPU 2052 + PCIe link)) and configured to: generate, when a fault occurs in the first transceiver, fault information comprising a fault cause of the fault of the first transceiver ([0068]: when the hardware fault occurs on the first PCIe device, a fault packet may be sent to the fault processing apparatus. The fault packet is used to notify the fault processing apparatus that a PCIe link (or a PCIe device) communicating with the fault processing apparatus is faulty. [0072]: The fault report message carries information such as a fault type of the PCIe device and a device identifier of the PCIe device … if the hardware fault occurs on the first PCIe device, the first PCIe device may send a fault report message to the root complex 203. Sending the fault report message encompasses generating the message before sending. Fault cause interpreted as fault type. Consistent with [0028] of Spec, where “fault cause includes at least one of single-bit fault in a memory, a multi-bit fault in the memory, and an internal bus transmission fault”); and send the fault information ([0072]); and a second device (Fig. 2; [0072]: root complex 203 + CPU 201) comprising: a second transceiver comprising a storage space (Fig. 2; [0060]; [0072]: (root complex 203 + PCIe link) + register corresponding to the root complex) and configured to: receive the fault information ([0072]: root complex 203 (Fig. 2: through the PCIe link) receives the fault reporting message and writes information such as the device identifier and fault type of the first PCIe device that are carried in the message into a register corresponding to the root complex); store the fault information in the storage space ([0072]); and send a notification signal ([0072]: generates an SMI interrupt signal and reports the SMI interrupt signal to BIOS); and a processor coupled to the second transceiver (Fig. 2: CPU 201 coupled to (root complex 203 + PCIe link)) and configured to: receive the notification signal ([0072]: BIOS receives SMI interrupt signal. Examiner takes Official Notice that it is inherent that BIOS is executed by a processor. Therefore, all data received by BIOS (e.g., SMI interrupt signal) is also received by the processor (e.g., CPU 201) executing BIOS); and LIU does not teach: read the fault information from the storage space. However, Okamoto teaches: a processor… configured to: read the fault information from the storage space ([0063]: when the processor unit 110 receives an interrupt request signal Sg30 including identification information of a fault diagnosis task, the processor unit 110 reads the fault diagnosis task from memory 104. Then, the processor processes the fault diagnosis task). Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU and Okamoto by implementing the memory read taught by Okamoto. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to process the fault as quickly as possible (Okamoto: [0063]). Regarding Claim 2, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the system of claim 1, as referenced above, wherein the fault information further comprises an index value (LIU: [0072]: fault type value written into fault reporting message), wherein the first device is further configured to determine, based on a preset correspondence, the index value (LIU: [0076]: two fault types: correctable error (CE) and uncorrectable error (UCE). [0072]: when fault occurs on first PCIe device, the first PCIe device sends a fault report message. The fault report message carries information such as a fault type and device ID. First PCIe device of PCIe device group 205 determines fault type value (index value) to create and send the fault report message), wherein the preset correspondence comprises a one-to-one correspondence between the fault cause and the index value (LIU: [0076]: by definition, CE and UCE are mutually exclusive. Thus, the value of the first PCIe device’s fault type is a 1:1 correspondence to {CE, UCE}), and wherein the processor is configured to determine, based on the preset correspondence, the fault cause (LIU: [0073]: BIOS may generate an NMI interrupt signal and send the NMI interrupt signal to a fault recovery module. The NMI interrupt signal carries the first hardware fault information. [0072]: first hardware fault information includes fault type of the first PCIe device. [0076]: two fault types: (1) CE, (2) UCE. Therefore, CPU 201 executing BIOS (see Claim 1) determines the fault cause (which is a 1:1 mapping to the possible fault types) to embed the fault type in the NMI signal). Regarding Claim 4, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the system of claim 2, as referenced above, wherein the second transceiver is further configured to generate the notification signal based on the index value (LIU: [0072]: root complex 203 of (root complex 203 + PCIe link) generates SMI interrupt signal to allow BIOS to read the first hardware fault information, including fault type value of the first PCIe device). Regarding Claim 5, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the system of claim 2, as referenced above, wherein the first device is further configured to further send the fault information in an interrupt signal (LIU: [0072]: first PCIe device sends a fault report message to the root complex 230, the fault report message including fault type and device ID. Fault report message serves as an interrupt signal to prompt the root complex 203 to store the message and generate a SMI interrupt signal), and wherein the second transceiver is further configured to generate the notification signal based on the interrupt signal and the index value (LIU: [0072]: root complex 203 receives writes device id and fault type from the message into a register and generates an SMI interrupt signal to indicate that a hardware fault occurs on a PCIe device. After receiving the SMI interrupt signal, BIOS performs fault detection on each PCIe device to obtain the first hardware fault information, including device ID, fault type, and the fault). Regarding Claim 14, LIU discloses a method (performed by the system of Fig. 2) comprising: receiving, by a second transceiver of a second device (Fig. 2; [0060]; [0072]: (root complex 203 + PCIe link) of (root complex 203 + CPU 201)), fault information that is from a first device and that is generated by the first device ([0072]: root complex 203 receives fault report message from the first PCIe device of PCIe device group 205. First PCIe device sends a fault report message when a fault occurs on the first PCIe device. Sending encompasses generating the message before sending. First device interpreted as PCIe device group 205), wherein the fault information indicates a fault cause of a fault in a first transceiver of the first device ([0072]: fault report message carries information such as a fault type of the PCIe device and a device identifier of the PCIe device. [0076]: CE and UCE fault types. [0068]: sends fault packet to notify that a PCIe link (or a PCIe device) is faulty. Fault cause interpreted as fault type. Consistent with [0028] of Spec, where “fault cause includes at least one of single-bit fault in a memory, a multi-bit fault in the memory, and an internal bus transmission fault.” First transceiver interpreted as (first PCIe device = GPU 2052 + PCIe link)); storing, by the second transceiver, the fault information in a storage space of the second transceiver ([0072]: [0072]: root complex 203 (Fig. 2: through the PCIe link) receives the fault reporting message and writes information such as the device identifier and fault type of the first PCIe device that are carried in the message into a register corresponding to the root complex); sending, by the second transceiver, a notification signal to a processor of the second device ([0072]: root complex 203 generates and sends SMI interrupt signal to BIOS. Examiner takes Official Notice that it is inherent that a processor executes BIOS. Therefore, all data sent to/received by BIOS (e.g., SMI interrupt signal) is also sent to/received by the processor (e.g., CPU 201) executing BIOS); receiving, by the processor, the notification signal ([0072]: BIOS receives SMI interrupt signal); and LIU does not disclose: reading, by the processor, the fault information. However, Okamoto teaches: reading, by the processor, the fault information ([0063]: when the processor unit 110 receives an interrupt request signal Sg30 including identification information of a fault diagnosis task, the processor unit 110 reads the fault diagnosis task from memory 104. Then, the processor processes the fault diagnosis task). Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU and Okamoto by implementing the memory read taught by Okamoto. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to process the fault as quickly as possible (Okamoto: [0063]). Regarding Claim 15, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the method of claim 14, as referenced above, wherein the fault information comprises an index value (LIU: [0072]: fault type value written into fault reporting message), wherein the method further comprises determining, by the processor and based on a preset correspondence, the fault cause (LIU: [0073]: BIOS may generate an NMI interrupt signal and send the NMI interrupt signal to a fault recovery module. The NMI interrupt signal carries the first hardware fault information. [0072]: first hardware fault information includes fault type of the first PCIe device. [0076]: two fault types: (1) CE, (2) UCE. Therefore, CPU 201 executing BIOS (see Claim 14) determines the fault cause (which is a 1:1 mapping to the possible fault types) to embed the fault type in the NMI signal), and wherein the preset correspondence comprises a one-to- one correspondence between the fault cause and the index value (LIU: [0076]: by definition, CE and UCE are mutually exclusive. Thus, the value of the first PCIe device’s fault type is a 1:1 correspondence to {CE, UCE}). Regarding Claim 16, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the method of claim 15, as referenced above, wherein the fault cause [comprises] an internal bus transmission fault (LIU: [0072]; [0076]: CE and UCE fault types. Uncorrectable error includes a fatal error, where the fatal fault usually needs an operation such as resetting, causing a data loss on a PCIe link). Regarding Claim 17, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the method of claim 15, as referenced above, wherein before sending the notification signal, the method further comprises generating, by the second transceiver, the notification signal based on the index value (LIU: [0072]: root complex 203 generates SMI interrupt signal to allow BIOS to read the first hardware fault information, including fault type of the first PCIe device. Then sends the generated SMI interrupt signal to BIOS). Regarding Claim 18, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the method of claim 15, as referenced above, wherein before sending the notification signal, the method further comprises generating, by the second transceiver, the notification signal based on an interrupt signal and the index value, and wherein the interrupt signal indicates the fault ([0072]: after receiving the fault report message from the first PCIe device, root complex 203 generates SMI interrupt signal to allow BIOS to read the first hardware fault information, including fault type of the first PCIe device. Then sends the generated SMI interrupt signal to BIOS. Fault report message serves as an interrupt signal to prompt the root complex 203 to store the message and generate a SMI interrupt signal). Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of Laity et al. (US 20170351570 A1, hereinafter “Laity”). Regarding Claim 3, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the system of claim 2, as referenced above. LIU in view of Okamoto does not teach: wherein the fault cause comprises a single-bit fault in a memory However, Laity teaches: wherein the fault cause comprises a single-bit fault in a memory ([0049]: The footer field 358-2 may encode information related to detection of data errors in data intended to be utilized in performance of the read operation… The error notification field 369 may be a one-bit field that, for example, may report detection of a data error… When a data error has been detected, the footer field 358-2 may report a type of data error in an error type (ERRTYPE) field 368. The type of data error, as described herein, may be reported from a selection of various types, such as a single-bit correctable error (SCE), a multi-bit correctable error (MCE), and/or a multi-bit uncorrectable error (MUE), among other possible types of error. [0055]: read request on memory array) Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, and Laity by implementing the error type notification taught by Laity. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to specify the type and degree of correctable and uncorrectable errors for further context (Laity: [0049]). Claim 6 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of Pan et al. (US 20230345239 A1, hereinafter “Pan”)*, in further view of Du et al. (US 20150324268 A1, as previously cited, hereinafter “Du”) *Please note that Pan is a continuation of PCT/CN2020/140012, filed Dec. 28, 2020 and is entitled to priority. Regarding Claim 6, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the system of claim 1, as referenced above, …wherein the storage space is a register (LIU: [0072]: register corresponding to the root complex), and wherein the processor is a processing chip (Fig. 2: CPU 201). LIU in view of Okamoto does not teach: …wherein the first device is a camera, wherein the second device is a mobile data center, wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, wherein the second transceiver is a deserializer… However, Pan teaches: wherein the first device is a camera, wherein the second device is a mobile data center ([0106]: data transmission between vehicle-mounted devices in a vehicle. The data transmission may be wired through, for example a CAN bus, or may be wireless transmission. Data is transmitted between a first vehicle mounted device (e.g., camera) and a second vehicle mounted device (e.g., mobile data center))… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, and Pan by implementing the data transmission between a camera and MDC as taught by Pan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to determine driving decisions in autonomous driving (Pan: [0103]; [0106]). LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of Pan does not teach: …wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, wherein the second transceiver is a deserializer… However, Du teaches: wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, wherein the second transceiver is a deserializer (Fig. 3; [0040]-[0041]: PCIe link between PCIe apparatus 1 305 and root complex 303 contains 16 serdes (Serializer/Deserializer) circuits such that (PCIe apparatus 1 305 + PCIe link) includes a serializer, and (root complex 303 + PCIe link) includes a deserializer)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, Pan, and Du by implementing the serdes link taught by Du. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to make this modification to improve the bandwidth of the PCIe link (Du: [0004]) proportionally by the quantity of lanes of the link. Regarding Claim 19, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the method of claim 14, as referenced above, …wherein the storage space is a register (LIU: [0072]: register corresponding to the root complex), and wherein the processor is a processing chip (Fig. 2: CPU 201). LIU in view of Okamoto does not teach: …wherein the first device is a camera, wherein the second device is a mobile data center, wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, wherein the second transceiver is a deserializer… However, Pan teaches: wherein the first device is a camera, wherein the second device is a mobile data center ([0106]: data transmission between vehicle-mounted devices in a vehicle. The data transmission may be wired through, for example a CAN bus, or may be wireless transmission. Data is transmitted between a first vehicle mounted device (e.g., camera) and a second vehicle mounted device (e.g., mobile data center))… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, and Pan by implementing the data transmission between a camera and MDC as taught by Pan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to determine driving decisions in autonomous driving (Pan: [0103]; [0106]). LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of Pan does not teach: …wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, wherein the second transceiver is a deserializer… However, Du teaches: wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, wherein the second transceiver is a deserializer (Fig. 3; [0040]-[0041]: PCIe link between PCIe apparatus 1 305 and root complex 303 contains 16 serdes (Serializer/Deserializer) circuits such that (PCIe apparatus 1 305 + PCIe link) includes a serializer, and (root complex 303 + PCIe link) includes a deserializer)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, Pan, and Du by implementing the serdes link taught by Du. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to make this modification to improve the bandwidth of the PCIe link (Du: [0004]) proportionally by the quantity of lanes of the link. Claims 7 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of LEE et al. (US 20220032904 A1, hereinafter “LEE”), in further view of Du. Regarding Claim 7, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the system of claim 1, as referenced above, …wherein the storage space is a register (LIU: [0072]: register corresponding to the root complex), and wherein the processor is a processing chip (Fig. 2: CPU 201). LIU in view of Okamoto does not teach: …wherein the first device is a display, wherein the second device is a cockpit controller, wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, wherein the second transceiver is a serializer… However, LEE teaches: …wherein the first device is a display ([0192]; [0225]: navigation app of central information display (CID) SoC updates a screen based on information received from navigation assistant of ADAS SoC), wherein the second device is a cockpit controller ([0192]; [0225]: advanced driver assistant system (ADAS) SoC responsible for monitoring current speed and position along with calculating whether lane change is necessary)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, and LEE by implementing the data transmission between CID SoC and ADAS SoC taught by LEE. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to correct navigation information when network and GPS connections are disconnected due to driving through a tunnel (LEE: [0225]). LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of LEE does not teach: …wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, wherein the second transceiver is a serializer… However, Du teaches: …wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, wherein the second transceiver is a serializer (Fig. 3; [0040]-[0041]: PCIe link between PCIe apparatus 1 305 and root complex 303 contains 16 serdes (Serializer/Deserializer) circuits such that (PCIe apparatus 1 305 + PCIe link) includes a deserializer, and (root complex 303 + PCIe link) includes a serializer)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, LEE, and Du by implementing the serdes link taught by Du. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to make this modification to improve the bandwidth of the PCIe link (Du: [0004]) proportionally by the quantity of lanes of the link. Regarding Claim 20, LIU in view of Okamoto teaches the method of claim 14, as referenced above, …wherein the storage space is a register (LIU: [0072]: register corresponding to the root complex), and wherein the processor is a processing chip (Fig. 2: CPU 201). LIU in view of Okamoto does not teach: …wherein the first device is a display, wherein the second device is a cockpit controller, wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, wherein the second transceiver is a serializer… However, LEE teaches: …wherein the first device is a display ([0192]; [0225]: navigation app of central information display (CID) SoC updates a screen based on information received from navigation assistant of ADAS SoC), wherein the second device is a cockpit controller ([0192]; [0225]: advanced driver assistant system (ADAS) SoC responsible for monitoring current speed and position along with calculating whether lane change is necessary)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, and LEE by implementing the data transmission between CID SoC and ADAS SoC taught by LEE. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to correct navigation information when network and GPS connections are disconnected due to driving through a tunnel (LEE: [0225]). LIU in view of Okamoto, in further view of LEE does not teach: …wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, wherein the second transceiver is a serializer… However, Du teaches: …wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, wherein the second transceiver is a serializer (Fig. 3; [0040]-[0041]: PCIe link between PCIe apparatus 1 305 and root complex 303 contains 16 serdes (Serializer/Deserializer) circuits such that (PCIe apparatus 1 305 + PCIe link) includes a deserializer, and (root complex 303 + PCIe link) includes a serializer)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Okamoto, LEE, and Du by implementing the serdes link taught by Du. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to make this modification to improve the bandwidth of the PCIe link (Du: [0004]) proportionally by the quantity of lanes of the link. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of Echevarria et al. (US 20110276843 A1, hereinafter “Echevarria”), in further view of Laity. Regarding Claim 10, LIU discloses the method of claim 8, as referenced above, LIU does not disclose: further comprising sending, to the second device, the fault information when a priority of the fault cause is greater than a preset priority threshold, wherein the fault cause comprises a multi- bit fault in the memory However, Echevarria teaches: further comprising sending, to the second device, the fault information when a priority of the fault cause is greater than a preset priority threshold ([0034]: notification module 312 may be configured to send a notification 206 to a system admin or other device when various conditions are satisfied. These conditions may include whether notification threshold is reached, whether the priority of an error or error group is sufficient to warrant sending a notification…), Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine implement the notification priority taught by Echevarria when transmitting the fault report message to root complex 203 (LIU: [0072]). One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to prevent the receiving device from being overloaded with notifications (Echevarria: [0034]). LIU in view of Echevarria does not teach: wherein the fault cause comprises a multi- bit fault in the memory However, Laity teaches: wherein the fault cause comprises a multi- bit fault in the memory ([0049]: The footer field 358-2 may encode information related to detection of data errors in data intended to be utilized in performance of the read operation… The error notification field 369 may be a one-bit field that, for example, may report detection of a data error… When a data error has been detected, the footer field 358-2 may report a type of data error in an error type (ERRTYPE) field 368. The type of data error, as described herein, may be reported from a selection of various types, such as a single-bit correctable error (SCE), a multi-bit correctable error (MCE), and/or a multi-bit uncorrectable error (MUE), among other possible types of error. [0055]: read request on memory array) Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Echevarria, and Laity by implementing the error type notification taught by Laity. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to specify the type and degree of correctable and uncorrectable errors for further context (Laity: [0049]). Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of Pan, in further view of Du. Regarding Claim 12, LIU discloses the method of claim 8, as referenced above. LIU does not disclose: wherein the first device is a camera, wherein the first transceiver is a serializer, and wherein the second device is a mobile data center. However, Pan teaches: wherein the first device is a camera… and wherein the second device is a mobile data center ([0106]: data transmission between vehicle-mounted devices in a vehicle. The data transmission may be wired through, for example a CAN bus, or may be wireless transmission. Data is transmitted between a first vehicle mounted device (e.g., camera) and a second vehicle mounted device (e.g., mobile data center)). Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU and Pan by implementing the data transmission between a camera and MDC as taught by Pan. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to determine driving decisions in autonomous driving (Pan: [0103]; [0106]). LIU in view of Pan does not teach: …wherein the first transceiver is a serializer… However, Du teaches: …wherein the first transceiver is a serializer (Fig. 3; [0040]-[0041]: PCIe link between PCIe apparatus 1 305 and root complex 303 contains 16 serdes (Serializer/Deserializer) circuits such that (PCIe apparatus 1 305 + PCIe link) includes a serializer)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, Pan, and Du by implementing the serdes link taught by Du. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to make this modification to improve the bandwidth of the PCIe link (Du: [0004]) proportionally by the quantity of lanes of the link. Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of LEE, in further view of Du. Regarding Claim 13, LIU discloses the method of claim 8, as referenced above. LIU does not disclose: wherein the first device is a display, wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer, and wherein the second device is a cockpit controller. However, LEE teaches: wherein the first device is a display ([0192]; [0225]: navigation app of central information display (CID) SoC updates a screen based on information received from navigation assistant of ADAS SoC))… and wherein the second device is a cockpit controller ([0192]; [0225]: advanced driver assistant system (ADAS) SoC responsible for monitoring current speed and position along with calculating whether lane change is necessary). Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU and LEE by implementing the data transmission between CID SoC and ADAS SoC taught by LEE. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make this modification in order to correct navigation information when network and GPS connections are disconnected due to driving through a tunnel (LEE: [0225]). LIU in view of LEE does not teach: …wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer… However, Du teaches: …wherein the first transceiver is a deserializer (Fig. 3; [0040]-[0041]: PCIe link between PCIe apparatus 1 305 and root complex 303 contains 16 serdes (Serializer/Deserializer) circuits such that (PCIe apparatus 1 305 + PCIe link) includes a deserializer)… Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains to combine LIU, LEE, and Du by implementing the serdes link taught by Du. One of ordinary skill would be motivated to make this modification to improve the bandwidth of the PCIe link (Du: [0004]) proportionally by the quantity of lanes of the link. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to 35 U.S.C. 102/103, claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. The previous claim objection of Claim 14 has been withdrawn in light of the amendment. Prior Art of Record The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: CHEN et al. (US 20200218471 A1) – [0014]: SBSP is a processor or processor core; [0019]: SBSP executes BIOS Tanaka et al. (US 20190372845 A1) – [0161]: CPU 101 is a processor that executes a BIOS Han et al. (US 20050268081 A1) – [0026]: in a conventional booting system, CPU fetches and executes BIOS codes 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 CATHERINE MARIE NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6160. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ASHISH THOMAS can be reached at (571) 272-0631. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /C.M.N./Examiner, Art Unit 2114 /ASHISH THOMAS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2114
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 23, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 19, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103, §112
Mar 02, 2026
Response Filed
May 21, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103, §112 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+55.6%)
2y 2m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 12 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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