DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/25/2026 has been entered.
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 Objections
Claims 1, 9 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites the limitation “..the trust platform…” in line 12, which should be changed to “..the trusted platform…”
Claims 9 and 15 are objected for the same rationale as claim 1 above. Appropriate correction is required.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to newly added limitations to claims 1, 9, 15, arguments pertaining to claim 23, and newly added claims 24-27 have been considered but are moot in view of the new interpretation and/or ground(s) of rejections as detailed below.
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)(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, 3-5, 7-9, 11-13, 15, 17-19 and 24-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Achillopoulos (US 2019/0362080 A1-hereinafter Achillopoulos).
Regarding claim 1, Achillopoulos discloses a method for retiring edge devices, the method comprising:
obtaining a request to retire an edge device of the edge devices (at least [0023]-[0030][0103], i.e.: when a violation pertaining to accessing portable storage system is determined, it is implied that a command to shutdown/lock is received, because the portable storage system goes into a lockdown or erasure mode);
making a determination that a burnout procedure is to be performed as part of retiring the edge device (at least [0030][0151][0153], a determination to destroy or erase all data in the portable storage system is made), the determination includes verifying an administrative authorization that indicates an authority of a user to initiate the burnout procedure (at least [0023][0029][0034][0123], a command to erase data is received from the device gateway platform DGP cloud server).
based on the determination:
performing the burnout procedure to eliminate use of a key by the edge device, the use of the key being required to use data stored by the edge device (at least [0100]-[0103][0149][0151]-[0153], i.e.: crypto-processor of the portable storage system is destructed, the crypto-processor holds at least key that unlocks or boots the operation of portable storage system/mass storage sub-system (MSS)).
wherein the performing the burnout procedure comprises: supplying a voltage to a trusted platform module of the edge device to destroy the trusted platform module, the trust platform module being required for the use of the key by the edge device (at least [0142][0149][0151]-[0156], power is supplied to the TPM to destroy the TPM, the TPM being required for the use of the key to unlock the operations of the massive storage subsystem (MSS));
heating a heating element to destroy a storage device of the edge device, the heating element disposed in an enclosure of the storage device to increase a temperature of the storage device beyond an operable range and cause a media in which data is encoded to lose its state (at least [0152]-[0153], element/TPM micro-processor that receives high voltage signal and sends it to TPM crypto-processor, and renders the stored data unreadable);
Archillopoulos does not explicitly disclose performing a monitoring process that generates: first information regarding performance of the supplying of the volage during the burnout procedure, second information regarding performance of the heating of the heating element during the burnout procedure; and third information regarding a result of testing the trusted platform module after the burnout procedure is complete; and
sending an audit report to an edge management device, the audit report comprising the first information, the second information, and the third information.
However, Archillopoulos implicitly discloses performing a monitoring process that generates: first information regarding performance of the supplying of the volage during the burnout procedure (at least [0142][0149][0151]-[0156][0197]-[0200][0269], data logger logs data regarding voltage power supplied to the TPM crypto-processor), second information regarding performance of the heating of the heating element during the burnout procedure (at least [0142][0149][0151]-[0156][0197]-[0200][0269], data logger logs data regarding high voltage power supplied to the TPM crypto-processor); and third information regarding a result of testing the trusted platform module after the burnout procedure is complete (at least [0012]-[0013] [0022][0125][0199][0200][0267] [0269]][0275], data logger logs data regarding destruction of the TPM-processor); and
sending an audit report to an edge management device, the audit report comprising the first information, the second information, and the third information (at least (at least [0196][0198], data logged, including the first, second and third information is sent to monitoring systems).
Regarding claim 3, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 2. Achillopoulos also disclose the supplying of the voltage to destroy the trusted platform module comprises:
activating an enhanced power circuit that connects a power supply to the trusted platform module (at least [0152][0154][0155], high voltage power is applied/ activated to the TPM module);
sending the voltage from the power supply to the trusted platform module via the enhanced power circuit to destroy the trusted platform module, the trusted platform module holding the key (at least [0142][0149][0152][0154][0155], power is provided to the crypto-processor via power control module, data-logger’s backup battery & backup battery of the TPM module, the TPM crypto-processor holds the encryption keys that unlock the operations to boot and access the portable storage system/MSS).
Regarding claim 4, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 3. Achillopoulos also discloses the an audit report further comprises a set of specifications of the edge device to the edge management device (at least [0017][0125][0151]-[0152][0267]-[0269], logging data is transmitted to cloud server, the logging data including i.e.: operational data and/or environmental condition).
Regarding claim 5, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 4. Achillopoulos also discloses the set of specifications comprises operating details for the edge device (at least [0275], the logging data includes system operational data), a location of the edge device at least (at least [0022]-[0023], location of portable storage system is tracked/logged), intended results of the burnout procedure (at least [0125][0199]-[0200], result of destruction of TPM-processor is logged), and confirmatory results of the third information (at least [0012]-[0013][0022] [0125] [0267][0275], i.e.: logged data of the destruction of the TPM-processor is forensically analyzed).
Regarding claim 7, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 3. Achillopoulos also discloses the activating the enhanced power circuit comprises:
activating, by a basic input-output system (BIOS) of the edge device, a power management function of a power controller of the edge device (at least [0100]-[0101], it is inherent that BIOS is used to activate/boot (power up) the portable storage system); and
activating, by the power controller and based on the activation by the BIOS, a circuitry initiation function of the power supply to initiate use of the enhanced power circuit (at least figure 2, [0142][0154], high voltage power is supplied/initiated).
Regarding claim 8, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 1. Achillopoulos also discloses the key is a volume management key used to encrypt all data stored by the edge device to obtain encrypted data (at least [0100]-[0103], a key that encrypts all data while uploading them to the portable storage system /MSS), and the key being required to decrypt the encrypted data (at least [0100]-[0103], the key is used to decrypt the boot disk).
Claim 9 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 1 above.
Claims 11 & 17 are rejected for the same rationale as claim 3 above.
Claims 12 & 18 are rejected for the same rationale as claim 4 above.
Claims 13 & 19 are rejected for the same rationale as claim 5 above.
Claim 15 is rejected for the same rationale as claim 1 above. In addition, Achillopoulos also discloses a processor (at least [0106], i.e.: crypto-processor) and a memory (at least [0021], memory card or flash memory).
Regarding claim 24, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 1. Achillopoulos also discloses the heating element is heated to a second temperature that permanently damages the storage device (at least [0152]-[0153], element/TPM micro-processor that receives high voltage and sends it to TPM crypto-processor, and renders the stored data unreadable).
Regarding claim 25, Archillopoulos discloses the method of claim 24. Archillopoulos also discloses prior to the performing of the burnout procedure, charging a dedicated capacitor that is electrically connected to the heating element, wherein the heating element is heated by discharging an electrical current from the dedicated capacitor (at least [0152], TPM micro-processor discharging electrical current from capacitor to crypto-processor).
Regarding claim 26, Archillopoulos discloses the method of claim 1. Archillopoulos also discloses the performing of the monitoring process requires verification that the administrative authorization that indicates the authority of the user to initiate the monitoring process (at least [0023][0029][0034], a command to erase data is checked against mission to verify correction operation).
Regarding claim 27, Archillopoulos discloses the method of claim 26. Archillopoulos also implicitly discloses the first information comprises voltage levels supplied to the trusted platform module during the burnout procedure (at least [0142][0149][0151]-[0156][0197]-[0200], data logger logs data regarding voltage power supplied to the TPM crypto-processor) and the second information comprises temperature levels of the heating element during the burnout procedure (at least [0142][0149][0151]-[0156][0197]-[0200], data logger logs data regarding voltage power supplied to the TPM crypto-processor).
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 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Achillopoulos and in view of Strong (US 2021/0357144 A1-hereinafter Strong).
Regarding claim 21, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim 1. Achillopoulos also discloses that the command/authorization from the DGP Cloud server to erase data is received in an encrypted message (at least [0123]).
Achillopoulos does not explicitly disclose authorization is verified by using a public key to verify a signature of the user.
However, Strong discloses a public key is used to verify a command related to a self-destruction of memory device is received from a trusted source (at least [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the feature discloses by Strong into the method of Achillopoulos to clearly indicate encryption algorithm used in the method.
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Achillopoulos and Tanaka (US 2002/0149871 A1-hereinafter Tanaka).
Regarding claim 23, Achillopoulos discloses the method of claim1.
Achillopoulos does not explicitly disclose the burnout procedure comprises controlling vents of the enclosure of the edge device to close and selectively retain heat.
However, Tanaka discloses an enclosure of a hard disk drive that has a breather hole/vents, wherein the breather/vents hole can be controlled to close and selectively retain heat (at least abstract).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the teachings of Tanaka into the method of Achillopoulos to minimize an environmental deterioration in the interior of the enclosure caused by moisture, gases and particles entering from the exterior and preventing a lowering of reliability caused by corrosion of the magnetic disk and the magnetic head (abstract).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHY ANH TRAN VU whose telephone number is (571)270-7317. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7 am-1 pm.
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, Taghi T Arani can be reached at (571) 272-3787. 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.
/PHY ANH T VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2438
Prosecution Insights