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 .
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 1-7, 11, 16, 17 and 19-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “Coexistence of memory and threshold switching behaviors in natural milk-based organic memristor” by Zhang et al. in view of U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20150214497 to Park et al. (Park).
Regarding Claims 1, 11 and 19-24, Zheng teaches in Fig. 1b at least, a non-volatile resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) (introduction) which is biodegradable (page 2, relevant to Claims 20, 22 and 24) and a commensurate method (relevant to claims 11 and 19), which includes:
a first electrode Pt;
a second electrode Ag; and
a resistive switching/active layer (milk) which is located between the first and second electrode, wherein the switching layer
(i) contains milk or is milk-based (throughout), or
(ii) contains an emulsion containing lactose, fat, protein and water,
but does not explicitly teach that the ReRAM is flexible.
However, in analogous art, Park teaches a switching memory device having an organic switching material [0001] and a flexible PET substrate (100, [0056], relevant to claims 21 and 23). It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of filing to include the teaching of Park increase the number of applications the device may be used in.
Regarding Claims 2 and 3, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 20, wherein the switching layer contains cow milk (bovine, page 2).
Regarding Claim 4, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 3, wherein the switching/active layer is for a dielectric of the ReRAM (milk is a dielectric).
Regarding Claim 5, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 3 wherein the switching/active layer is configured to perform a switching operation according to an applied voltage (see Fig. 1b).
Regarding Claim 6, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 5, wherein the switching/active layer is in the form of a film (see Fig. 1b).
Regarding Claim 7, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 5, wherein the switching/active layer is coated/applied onto the first electrode and the second electrode is applied/provided over the switching/active layer such that the switching/active layer is located/wedged in-between the two electrodes (see Fig. 1b).
Regarding Claim 16, Zheng and Park teach the method of 22, wherein the switching layer contains cow milk (bovine, page 2).
Regarding Claim 17, Zheng and Park teach a non-volatile resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) module/device which includes the ReRAM as claimed in claim 1 (the device of Fig. 1 would inherently be put in some application as it cannot be used on its own, the application reading on a module).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang and Park as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20080083921 to Yasue et al. (Yasue)
Regarding Claim 8, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 7, however teach that the first electrode is made of Pt rather than, at least partially, from indium doped tin oxide (IT).
However, in analogous art, Yasue teaches that a bottom electrode of an organic based memory device may be Pt or ITO [0025]. Two materials known to be useful for the same purpose—a bottom electrode of an organic memory device—alone can serve as a motivation to combine (MPEP 2144.06(I)).
Claims 13-15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang and Park as applied to claim 22 above, and further in view of U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20070176172 to Joo et al. (Joo)
Regarding Claim 13, Zheng and Park teach the ReRAM of claim 22, however teach that the milk is applied by spin coating and drying (annealing) rather than dipping the first electrode into milk or the emulsion and allowing it to dry, to thereby allow the milk or emulsion to form the switching layer on/over the first electrode.
However, in analogous art, Joo teaches that spin coating or dip coating can be used to apply the organic active material in an organic memory device [0051]. Two processes known to be useful for the same purpose—dip and spin coating—alone can serve as a motivation to combine (MPEP 2144.06(I)).
Regarding Claim 14, Zheng, Park and Joo teach the method of claim 22, which includes coating a substrate 100 of Park with the first electrode Pt, so that the first electrode is formed on the substrate (see Fig. 1b), and dipping the first electrode (see teaching of Joo above) and substrate into milk and allowing it to dry (annealing), to thereby allow the milk to form the switching layer on/over the first electrode.
Regarding Claim 15, Zheng, Park and Joo teach the method of claim 13 which includes depositing/applying the second electrode Ag onto the first electrode Pt such that the switching layer is positioned/wedged in-between to thereby separate the layers (see Fig. 1b).
Conclusion
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/EVREN SEVEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812