Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/731,348

DATA CODING DEVICE, MEMORY CONTROLLER, AND STORAGE DEVICE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jun 03, 2024
Priority
Jul 27, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0092853 +1 more
Examiner
CHAPPELL, DANIEL C
Art Unit
2135
Tech Center
2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
Assignee
SK hynix Inc.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
489 granted / 607 resolved
+25.6% vs TC avg
Strong +47% interview lift
Without
With
+46.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
618
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.7%
-38.3% vs TC avg
§103
75.2%
+35.2% vs TC avg
§102
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
§112
6.0%
-34.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 607 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. This Office action is in response to the Request for Continued Examination (RCE) dated 4/15/2026. Claims 1-9 are pending. Claims 2 and 4 are rejected. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/15/2026 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 § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 2 and 4 are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Dependent claim 2 recites “…wherein the descriptor processor outputs a data packet based on the descriptor” (dependent claim 2, lines 1-2). The Examiner is uncertain if “the descriptor” of dependent claim 2 refers to any of the following: “a descriptor based on a command received from an external device outside of the memory controller”; “the descriptor stored in the submission queue”; or “the descriptor corresponding to an abort target command among descriptors stored in the submission queue or the descriptor buffer. For the sake of examination, the Examiner has interpreted “…wherein the descriptor processor outputs a data packet based on the descriptor” to read “…wherein the descriptor processor outputs a data packet based on the descriptor stored in the submission queue or the descriptor buffer.” Dependent claim 4, which ultimately depends from dependent claim 2, is rejected for carrying the same deficiencies. Conclusion The following prior art is made of record and is not relied upon for any rejection but is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure: USPGPUB 2009/0006689: teaches techniques for managing command queues. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daniel C. Chappell whose telephone number is (571)272-5003. The examiner can normally be reached 1000-1800, Eastern. 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, Jared I. Rutz can be reached at (571)272-5535. 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. Daniel C. Chappell Primary Examiner Art Unit 2135 /Daniel C. Chappell/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2135
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 03, 2024
Application Filed
Oct 01, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Dec 30, 2025
Response Filed
Apr 15, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 24, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 05, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12656968
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Patent 12650766
VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT UNIT SCHEME FOR TWO-PASS PROGRAMMING IN A MEMORY SUB-SYSTEM
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Patent 12650779
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2y 6m to grant Granted Jun 09, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+46.9%)
2y 3m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 607 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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