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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s response filed on 03/24/2026 in which claims 1, 14 are amended, claims 7-13 are withdrawn, and claim 21 is canceled has been entered of record.
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 1-6 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung (US Pub. 2018/0082736) in view of Kim et al. (US Pub. 2017/0133085).
Regarding claims 1 and 14-15, Fig. 1 and 2B of Jung discloses an apparatus comprising:
a command control circuit [since first fresh signal ENP and second refresh signal AREFP are generated, a command control circuit (can be a combination of multiple circuits) is inherent] configured to provide a first refresh signal [AREFP] and a second refresh signal [ENP];
a refresh control circuit [combination of 110 and 120] configured to receive the first refresh signal [AREFP] and the second refresh signal [ENP] perform a plurality of first refresh operations [NORMAL REFRESH, Fig. 1] in sequence responsive to the first refresh signal [AREFP] and a plurality of second refresh operations [TARGET ROW REFRESH] in sequence responsive to the second refresh signal [AX<0:N>], wherein each of the plurality of first and second refresh operations is either a first type [NORMAL REFRESH] of refresh operation or a second type [TARGET ROW REFRESH] of refresh operation, wherein a first number [refresh 1, Fig. 2B] of the first refresh operations of the first type [NORMAL REFRESH] is different than a second number [refresh 4, Fig. 2B] of the second refresh operations of the first type [NORMAL REFRESH], wherein a third number [Refresh 2, Fig. 2B] of the first refresh operations of the second type [TARGET ROW REFRESH] is different than a fourth number [Refresh 3, Fig. 2B] of the second refresh operations of the second type [TARGET ROW REFRESH], and wherein each of the first [refresh 1], second [refresh 4], third [2] and fourth [3] numbers is more than zero.
Jung discloses all claimed invention, but does not specifically disclose wherein the command control circuit is further configured to receive an external refresh command and provide the first refresh signal, the second refresh signal, or both responsive to the external refresh command. However, Fig. 4 of Kim discloses wherein the command control circuit [combination of 240 and 220] is further configured to receive an external refresh command [CMD] and provide the first refresh signal [REF_ADD_N], the second refresh signal [REF_ADD_T], or both responsive to the external refresh command [CMD].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teachings of Kim’s memory device with command control circuit to the teachings of Jung’s memory having command control circuit such that Jung command control circuit can generate first and second refresh signal responsive to an external command according to Kim’s teachings for the purpose of preventing data loss.
Regarding claims 2 and 16, Fig. 1 of Jung discloses wherein the first type of refresh operation is an auto-refresh operation [NORMAL REFRESH] and the second type of refresh operation is a targeted refresh operation [TARGET ROW REFRESH].
Regarding claims 3 and 17, Fig. 2B of Jung discloses wherein the refresh control circuit is configured to receive the second refresh signal [TARGET ROW REFRSH] following the first refresh signal [as shows in Fig. 2B, NORMAL REFRESH perform first, and then TARGET ROW REFRESH follows], and wherein a first one of the plurality of first refresh operation is the auto-refresh operation [NORMAL REFRESH].
Regarding claims 4 and 18, Fig. 2B of Jung discloses wherein the plurality of first refresh operations include a first targeted refresh operation [refresh 2] and a second targeted refresh [refresh 3] operation performed after the first targeted refresh operation, wherein the plurality of second refresh operations include a third targeted refresh operation [refresh 10], and wherein a number of second type of refresh operations performed between the first and second targeted refresh operations is equal to a number of second type of refresh operations performed between the second and third targeted refresh operation [the interval between first and second type of refresh are the same].
Regarding claims 5 and 19, Fig. 1 of Jung discloses wherein the refresh control circuit is configured to generate a number of activations of a pump signal [NRAX<0:N>] responsive to the first refresh signal [AREFP] and the number of activations of the pump signal[NRAX<0:N>] responsive to the second refresh signal, wherein each of the plurality of first and second refresh operations is associated with one of the activations of the pump signal.
Regarding claims 6 and 20, Fig. 1 of Jung discloses wherein the refresh control circuit [110] is further configured to identify an aggressor address [TRR_FLAG], wherein at least one of the first refresh operations of the first type and at least one of the second refresh operations of the first type are associated with the aggressor address [TRR_FLAG].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-6 and 14-20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHAN T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8709. The examiner can normally be reached MON-FRI, 9AM-5:00PM.
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/ANTHAN TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2825