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 .
This Office Action is in response to 03/10/2026 Amendment after Final and 03/23/2026 RCE.
Claims 1-20 are pending and examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 13-14, 19-20 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 11 first recites “ determine, at the at least one of the SoC component or the one or more memory components, that a reflow process associated with the memory device has been completed” on lines 12-14. The following claims later recite:
Claim 13: “wherein removing the at least one reflow protection measure is further based on the one or more memory components receiving a clear reflow flag command” on lines 11-13. There appears the limitations of claims 1 and 13 are conflicting.
Claim 14: “wherein the at least one of the SoC component or the one or more memory components are further configured to determine that the reflow process has been completed based on a signal received from a voltage source associated with the carrier board” on lines 12-14. There appears the limitations of claims 1 and 14 are conflicting.
Claim 15 recites “determining, by the one or more memory components of the module semiconductor device, that a reflow process associated with mounting the module semiconductor device to a carrier board has been completed” on lines 8-10. The following claims later recites:
Claim 19: “receiving, by the one or more memory components, a clear reflow flag command, wherein removing the at least one reflow protection measure is further based on the one or more memory components receiving the clear reflow flag command” lines 1-4. There appears the limitations of claims 15 and 19 are conflicting.
Claim 20: “determining that the reflow process has been completed based on a voltage level associated with a general purpose input/output associated with the module semiconductor device” on lines 1-3. There appears the limitations of claims 15 and 20 are conflicting.
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 1-12, 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 10,347,329 to Jean et al. (hereafter Jean).
Regarding independent claim 1, Jeon teaches a memory device, comprising:
one or more components configured to (see FIG. 1):
configure a reflow critical data region in a non-volatile memory that is associated with at least one reflow protection measure for data stored in the reflow critical data region (FIG. 6: configuring region SLC 602 for reflow protection mode, see 5:1-11), the non-volatile memory further associated with a non-reflow critical data region (i.e. separate SLC and MLC portions in memory device, see 3:22-29 and 5:41-48, 9:32-35);
write a set of data to the reflow critical data region (i.e. storing data in region SLC 602);
determine, at the memory device, that a reflow process associated with mounting the memory device to a carrier board has been completed (i.e. when the memory device can decide operation flow without receiving a separated indication of completed reflow or assembly, see 14:55-64 and claim 11); and
reconfigure the reflow critical data region to remove the at least one reflow protection measure based on determining that the reflow process has been completed (memory cells used to store the data in the reflow-protection node can be reallocated from SLC to MLC, see 6:59-67).
Regarding dependent claim 2, Jeon teaches wherein the non-volatile memory is associated with multiple block groups, wherein a first block group, of the multiple block groups, is associated with the reflow critical data region before the reflow process has been completed, and wherein a second block group, of the multiple block groups, is associated with a non-reflow critical data region before the reflow process has been completed (FIG. 6: corresponding to SLC and TCL blocks).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Jeon teaches wherein the one or more components are further configured to write another set of data to the non-reflow critical data region (i.e. storing received data on remaining memory dies as MLC, see 6:49-58).
Regarding dependent claim 4, Jean teaches wherein the at least one reflow protection measure includes storing the set of data using a single level cell mode prior to the reflow process associated with the memory device being completed (FIG. 6: configuring region SLC 602 for reflow protection mode prior to reflow, assembly, or manufacture, see 5:1-21).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Jean teaches wherein removing the at least one reflow protection measure includes storing the set of data using a triple level cell mode (see 5:1-21).
Regarding dependent claim 6, Jean teaches wherein the at least one reflow protection measure includes storing the set of data using altered threshold voltages prior to the reflow process associated with the memory device being completed (i.e. storing the set of data from SLC to MLC, see 5:1-21).
Regarding dependent claim 7, Jean teaches wherein the one or more components are further configured to transmit, to the non-volatile memory, a clear reflow flag command, and wherein removing the at least one reflow protection measure is further based on the non-volatile memory receiving the clear reflow flag command (i.e. when the memory device can decide operation flow without receiving a separated indication of completed reflow or assembly from host, see 14:55-64 and claim 11. It is understood that the indication should be generated by the memory controller itself).
Regarding dependent claim 8, Jean teaches wherein the one or more components are further configured to determine, at the memory device, that the reflow process associated with the memory device has been completed based on a clear reflow flag command included in a system boot image written to the non-volatile memory of the memory device after the reflow process has been completed (see 14:55-64 and claim 11).
Regarding dependent claim 9, Jean teaches wherein the one or more components are further configured to write another system boot image to the non-volatile memory prior to the reflow process (such as firmware, see 3:7-21), and wherein the other system boot image implicitly does not include the clear reflow flag command (because the firmware is needed at booting prior to any running process).
Regarding dependent claim 10, Jean implicitly teaches wherein the one or more components are further configured to determine, at the memory device, that the reflow process associated with the memory device has been completed based on a voltage level of a general purpose input/output of the memory device (see 14:55-64 and claim 11).
Regarding independent claim 11, Jean teaches a module semiconductor device, comprising:
a module board (see 4:20-39);
a system on chip (SoC) component coupled to the module board (see 7:50-62); and
one or more memory components coupled to the module board and communicatively connected to the SoC component, at least one of the SoC component or the one or more memory components (see FIG. 1) configured to:
configure a reflow critical data region in a non-volatile memory that is associated with at least one reflow protection measure for data stored in the reflow critical data region (FIG. 6: configuring region SLC 602 for reflow protection mode, see 5:1-11), the non-volatile memory further associated with a non-reflow critical data region (i.e. separate SLC and MLC portions in memory device, see 3:22-29 and 5:41-48, 9:32-35);
write a set of data to the reflow critical data region (i.e. storing data in region SLC 602);
determine, at the at least one of the SoC component or the one or more memory components, that a reflow process associated with the memory device has been completed (i.e. when the memory device can decide operation flow without receiving a separated indication of completed reflow or assembly from host, see 14:55-64 and claim 11); and
reconfigure the reflow critical data region to remove the at least one reflow protection measure based on determining that the reflow process has been completed (memory cells used to store the data in the reflow-protection node can be reallocated from SLC to MLC, see 6:59-67).
Regarding dependent claim 12, Jean teaches wherein the at least one reflow protection measure includes at least one of: storing the set of data using a single level cell mode prior to the reflow process being completed (FIG. 6: configuring region SLC 602 for reflow protection mode prior to reflow, assembly, or manufacture, see 5:1-21), or storing the set of data using altered threshold voltages prior to the reflow process being completed (i.e. storing received data on remaining memory dies as MLC, see 6:49-58).
Regarding independent claim 15, Jean teaches a method, comprising:
configuring, by one or more memory components of a module semiconductor device, a reflow critical data region in a non-volatile memory that is associated with at least one reflow protection measure for data stored in the reflow critical data region (FIG. 6: configuring region SLC 602 for reflow protection mode, see 5:1-11), the non-volatile memory further associated with a non-reflow critical data region (i.e. separate SLC and MLC portions in memory device, see 3:22-29 and 5:41-48, 9:32-35);
writing, by the one or more memory components, a set of data to the reflow critical data region (i.e. storing data in region SLC 602);
determining, by the one or more memory components of the module semiconductor device, that a reflow process associated with mounting the module semiconductor device to a carrier board has been completed (i.e. when the memory device can decide operation flow without receiving a separated indication of completed reflow or assembly, see 14:55-64 and claim 11); and
reconfiguring, by the one or more memory components, the reflow critical data region to remove the at least one reflow protection measure based on determining that the reflow process has been completed (memory cells used to store the data in the reflow-protection node can be reallocated from SLC to MLC, see 6:59-67).
Regarding dependent claim 16, Jean teaches writing, by the one or more memory components, another set of data to a non-reflow critical data region (i.e. storing received data on remaining memory dies as MLC, see 6:49-58).
Regarding dependent claim 17, Jean teaches storing the set of data using a single level cell mode prior to the reflow process being completed (FIG. 6: configuring region SLC 602 for reflow protection mode prior to reflow, assembly, or manufacture, see 5:1-21); and storing the set of data using a triple level cell mode after the reflow process has been completed (i.e. storing the set of data from SLC to MLC, see 5:1-21).
Regarding dependent claim 18, Jean teaches storing the set of data using altered threshold voltages prior to the reflow process being completed (i.e. storing received data on remaining memory dies as MLC, see 6:49-58).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/10/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that JEAN does not disclose at least “determine, at the memory device, that a reflow process associated with mounting the memory device to a carrier board has been complete,” as recited in amended claim 1. Examiner kindly directs Applicant to column 5, lines 41-48 of Jean. The passage describes:
“In other examples, the threshold amount can be set in the memory controller without reference to the host device. In an example, comparison of the threshold amount can decide operation flow without receiving a separate verification of preloaded data, such as from the host device or a device providing the preloaded data to the memory device, or without receiving a separate indication of completed reflow or assembly. In an example, comparison of the data, including preloaded data, stored on the memory device to the threshold amount, alone, can control.”
Claims 1-12, 15-18 maintain rejected for the reason set forth above. Claims 13-14, 19-20 are rejected under 112, second paragraph.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VANTHU NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1881. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 7:00AM - 3:00PM.
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May 5, 2026
/VANTHU T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2824
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