Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/584,140

METHOD FOR FAILURE WARNING OF STORAGE DEVICE AND STORAGE DEVICE

Non-Final OA §101
Filed
Feb 22, 2024
Priority
Aug 25, 2023 — CN 202311085480.1
Examiner
EL-BATHY, IBRAHIM N
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
52%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 52% of resolved cases
52%
Career Allowance Rate
154 granted / 296 resolved
-8.0% vs TC avg
Strong +46% interview lift
Without
With
+46.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
332
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
41.8%
+1.8% vs TC avg
§103
38.3%
-1.7% vs TC avg
§102
7.8%
-32.2% vs TC avg
§112
9.9%
-30.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 296 resolved cases

Office Action

§101
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 . Status of Claims Office Action is in response to the Applicant's amendments and remarks filed2/22/2024. Claims 21-23 were cancelled. Claims 1-20 are presently pending and presented for examination. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/22/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101 35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows: Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim recites method for providing failure warning of storage devices. Step 2A – Prong 1 Independent Claims 1 and 10 as a whole recite a method of organizing human activity. The limitations from exemplary Claim 1 reciting “obtaining an initial failure warning comprising the obtaining the initial failure warning including being trained with a random forest based on historical failure related data, the historical failure related data comprising historical multiple operational attributes data of the and failure logs of the ; determining high frequency decision nodes, the high frequency decision nodes being similar single-nodes with at least a first number, the similar single-nodes being single-nodes having a same monitoring attribute, a same attribute determination symbol, and a difference between attribute thresholds within a first range; and constructing a failure warning of a new comprising the high frequency decision nodes” is a method of managing interactions between people, which falls into the certain methods of organizing human activity grouping, additionally mathematical concepts such as mathematical relationships, mathematical formulas or equations and mathematical calculations as the machine learning model can be computed using pen and paper to provide a failure warning for high frequency decisions. The mere recitation of a generic computer (storage device, model, algorithm, decision tree in claims 1 and 10) does not take the claim out of the methods of organizing human activity grouping. Thus, the claim recites an abstract idea. Step 2A - Prong 2: Claims 1-20 and their underlining limitations, steps, features and terms, are further inspected by the Examiner under the current examining guidelines, and found, both individually and as a whole, not to include additional elements that are sufficient to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. The limitations are directed to limitations referenced in MPEP 2106.05 that are not enough to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application. Limitations that are not enough include, as a non-limiting or non-exclusive examples, such as: (i) adding the words "apply it" (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or mere instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, e.g., a claim to an abstract idea requiring no more than a generic computer to perform generic computer functions, (ii) insignificant extra solution activity, and/or (iii) generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claim recites the additional elements of (storage device, model, algorithm, decision tree in claims 1 and 10). The storage device, model, algorithm, decision tree in claims 1 and 10, are recited at a high level of generality and are generically recited computer elements. The generically recited computer elements amount to simply implementing the abstract idea on a computer. The combination of these additional elements are additional elements do no more than generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use. Accordingly, in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claim do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because, as discussed above, the additional elements do no more than generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use. Thus, even when viewed as an ordered combination, nothing in the claims add significantly more (i.e. an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. The claims are ineligible. Dependent claims 2-9 and 11-20 are also directed to same grouping of methods of organizing human activity. The additional elements of the storage device in claims 7-9, 16-20; model in claims 2-4, 7, 9, 11-14, 16 and 18; decision tree in claims 2-5, 11-14; SMART data, Ext-SMART data, Telemetry data in claims 6 and 15; configuration file in claim 18; memory in claim 19; host storage system, host in claim 20, are additional elements do no more than generally link the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use. Accordingly, in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Novel/Non-Obvious Subject Matter Examiner has determined that all of Applicant’s claims have overcome having prior art rejections. The reason for this is that Examiner does not believe that, at the time of Applicant’s priority date, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine prior art disclosures to result in the particular combination of elements/limitations in that claim, including the particular configuration of the elements/limitations with respect to each other in the particular combination, without the use of impermissible hindsight. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IBRAHIM EL-BATHY whose telephone number is (571)272-7545. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 7pm. 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, Shannon Campbell can be reached at 5712725587. 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. /IBRAHIM N EL-BATHY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3626
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 22, 2024
Application Filed
Aug 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §101
Sep 14, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Sep 14, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary

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

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
52%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+46.4%)
3y 0m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 296 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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