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 .
This application has been examined. Claims 1-20 are pending.
The Group and/or Art Unit location of your application in the PTO has changed. To aid in correlating any papers for this application, all further correspondence regarding this application should be directed to Group Art Unit 2175.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
(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 1-5, 14, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Flood et al. (US No. 7,818,457).
In regard to claims 1, 14, 18, Flood et al. disclose an article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, an apparatus and a method comprising: collecting time configuration data from respective ones of a plurality of components of a chassis (as shown in Fig. 1, which is reproduced below for ease of reference and convenience, Flood discloses the slave module 100, in turn, provides such synchronization information to the control modules (e.g., modules 85, 86, 87, 88, and/or 89) in the control chassis 66. The synchronous information is time information. See ¶ 44-46);
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analyzing the time configuration data to determine whether at least two components of the plurality of components have different time configurations from each other (in Flood, the controllers 54 and 56 are configured in a first synchronization time zone 110 including the first synchronization network 84, and the controllers 58 and 60 are in a second time zone 112 including synchronization network 106. See ¶ 46); generating a time configuration profile in response to determining that the at least two components have different time configurations from each other (in Flood, chassis and control devices within a time zone can be synchronized with respect to identical actual time values (e.g., coordinated system time (CST) values based on a 1 .mu.s counter value), whereas chassis and devices in a different synchronization time zone can have different CST values that can be synchronized (e.g., for comparing time stamp values associated with input events or the like) using a network offset and least common multiple (LCM) synchronization. See ¶ 46, 49-50); and
propagating the time configuration profile to the plurality of components, wherein the plurality of components are configured to respectively apply the time configuration profile to synchronize time settings between the plurality of components (in Flood, the network offset, in this regard, can be computed (e.g., in a synchronization module or component bridging two synchronization time zones) such that the sum of a local CST (e.g., actual time value) and the network offset will equal the sum of the remote CST and the remote network offset, wherein the network offsets are a multiple of an LCM interval. See ¶ 46-47, 49); wherein the steps of the method are executed by at least one processing device operatively coupled to a memory (in Flood, the synchronization circuitry can be included in a dedicated purpose synchronization integrated circuit (IC) chip for use in such modules or stand-alone devices. The circuitry can thus be adapted to interface with communications networks (e.g., general purpose and/or dedicated synchronization networks) as well as with chassis-based control modules or stand-alone controllers. For instance, the synchronization chip can be included within a single board controller, or on a daughter board in a stand-alone control device, and operative to interface with other components within such a device (e.g., processors, memory, and the like).See ¶ 110).
In regard to claim 2, Flood et al. disclose the type of smart devices as wherein the plurality of components comprise two or more of a multi-system management console, an embedded controller, a baseboard management controller and an operating system of at least one host device corresponding to the plurality of components (in Flood, the synchronization components according to the invention can be connected in a variety of different topologies, such as a daisy-chain topology 120 as illustrated in FIG. 3, a star type topology 130 as illustrated in FIG. 4, a loop or ring type topology 150 as illustrated in FIG. 5, and/or combinations thereof. In the daisy-chain topology 120, a master node 121 is connected to a first center node 122, which in turn is connected to a second center node 123, which itself is connected to an end node 124, with individual (e.g., dual connection) synchronization networks therebetween. See ¶ 60-61).
In regard to claim 3, Flood et al. disclose wherein the baseboard management controller comprises a remote access controller (in Flood, various control modules of a distributed industrial control system can be spatially distributed along a common communication link in several racks. Certain I/O modules can thus be located proximate a portion of the control equipment, and away from the remainder of the controller. Data can be communicated with these remote modules over a common communication link, or network, wherein all modules on the network communicate via a standard communications protocol. See ¶ 7).
In regard to claim 4, Flood et al. disclose wherein the time configuration data comprises one or more network time protocol settings (in Flood, time synchronization system 52 can operate as described above, wherein the synchronization information is transferred unidirectionally via the synchronization networks 84 and 106 and the synchronization modules 82, 100, 102, 104, and 108, and wherein one of the synchronization components or modules (e.g., module 82) is configured as a master providing the synchronization information to the other synchronization modules in the system 52. It will be appreciated, however, that other forms of synchronization information transfer fall within the scope of the invention apart from the architectures illustrated and described herein. For instance, bi-directional communications protocols can be employed in order to transfer synchronization information between synchronization modules. See ¶ 55).
In regard to claim 5, Flood et al. disclose the time configuration profile (in Flood, chassis and control devices within a time zone can be synchronized with respect to identical actual time values (e.g., coordinated system time (CST) values based on a 1 .mu.s counter value), whereas chassis and devices in a different synchronization time zone can have different CST values that can be synchronized (e.g., for comparing time stamp values associated with input events or the like) using a network offset and least common multiple (LCM) synchronization. See ¶ 46, 49-50)
Examiner's note:
Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the Applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the Applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passages as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 6-13, 15-17, 19-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
7. The following is an Examiner's statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 8, 11-12, 15-16, 19 are allowable over the prior art of record because the prior arts, cited in its entirety, or in combination, do not teach
the serial peripheral interface to store the time configuration data (claim 6);
generating one or more notifications identifying the at least two components having different time configurations from each other (claims 8, 15);
providing access for at least one user to modify the time configuration profile before propagating the time configuration profile to the plurality of components (claims 11);
establishing a communication channel structure connecting each of the plurality of components, wherein the communication channel structure comprises at least one passthrough channel (claims 12, 16, 19).
Conclusion
8. Claims 1-5, 14, 18 are rejected. Claims 6-13, 15-17, 19-20 are objected
9. The prior arts made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Preimesberger et al., US Pub No. 2007/0094584, teach the server communicatively coupled to a newly assembled computer via the computer network; time configuration logic which can be executed on the newly assembled computer which performs the actions of retrieving timing information from the server; and configuring a local clock on the newly assembled computer to a date and time corresponding to the timing information; and time transmittal logic which can be executed on the server which performs the action of transmitting the timing information over the computer network.
Swaminathan et al., US Pub No. 2025/0105997, teach the first electronic device includes a first time clock, and the second electronic device includes a second time clock. The first and second time clocks perform, over a link between the first and second electronic devices of the logical device, a clock source selection process to select one of the first and second time clocks as a clock source and another one of the first and second time clocks as a clock sink as part of a time synchronization process in the system.
Ma et al., US Pub No. 2023/0315144, teach a BMC time manager to perform time management and synchronization operations including receiving, from a time source, time information such as a timestamp corresponding to a particular time, e.g., year, month, day, hour, second, and milliseconds, sometimes referred to herein as an initial time. The BMC manager maintains, in accordance with the initial time, a BMC-determined time, referred to herein as the master time. The BMC time manager synchronizes one or more host system time values, also referred to herein as subordinate time values, in accordance with the master time.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to examiner Raymond Phan, whose telephone number is (571) 272-3630. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 6:30AM- 3:00PM. The Group Fax No. (571) 273-8300.
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Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application should be directed to the TC 2100 central telephone number is (571) 272-2100.
/RAYMOND N PHAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2175