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.
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Daniel C. Chappell
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2135
/Daniel C. Chappell/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2135