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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set
forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this
application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set
forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action
has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on
02/04/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The office action is responding to the arguments filed on 01/14/2026. Claims 1-8, 10-15 and 17-20, 22-23 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1,3,8,10-12,17-20 and 22-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
unpatentable over ASADI et al. (US 20220091953 A1) in view of Lee et al. (US 20130080858 A1) and further in view of HUANG et al. (TW 202546623 A) hereinafter ASADI and Lee and HUANG.
Regarding claim 1, ASADI teaches A memory system, comprising: a non-volatile memory device configured to store data; and a memory controller coupled to the non-volatile memory device and configured to: (see Fig 1, paragraph [0030], illustrates memory system 10 includes a host 5, controller 100 coupled to nonvolatile memory device 200)
determine one or more combined read conditions comprising a first combined read condition based on passed read retry conditions associated with historical read retry operations; and (see Fig 5, paragraph [0076], [0078] and [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine possible read condition from two read conditions that approximate state of memory device, select from read level table in Fig 8A based on historical read threshold and read retry threshold where 2 read conditions can be combined for an interpolated read level)
control the non-volatile memory device to perform a read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions. (see Fig 10, paragraph [0087], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may control how read operation is performed using the historical read threshold and one or more previous read retry thresholds)
ASADI teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI does not explicitly teach wherein the first combined read condition comprises one or more first read parameters for a first page from a first passed read retry condition and one or more second read parameters for a second page from a second passed read retry condition different from the first passed read retry condition
On the other hand, Lee which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read
retry operations teaches wherein the first combined read condition comprises one or more first read parameters for a first page from a first passed read retry condition and one or more second read parameters for a second page from a second passed read retry condition different from the first passed read retry condition; (see Fig 6B, paragraph [0128] and [0142], illustrates multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page)
Both ASADI and Lee relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry
operations. ASADI teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with
historical read retry thresholds. On the other hand, Lee teaches multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI with Lee by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by Lee, to enable multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page. The combined system of ASADI - Lee allows a method which may include applying a first set of read reference voltages including the first read reference voltage to a word line of the first physical page during the first reading to determine memory cell data for each of multiple memory cells of the first physical page; and applying a second set of read reference voltages including the second read reference voltage to a word line of the first physical page during the second reading to determine memory cell data for each of multiple memory cells of the first physical page, wherein the second set of read reference voltages are different from the first set of read reference voltages as mentioned in paragraph [0016]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI - Lee improves performance of the memory system. See Lee, paragraph [0137].
ASADI in view of Lee teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI - Lee combination does not explicitly teach
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the first passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the second passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations
On the other hand, HUANG which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the first passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first page read)
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the second passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with second highest read success for second page read)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI with Lee for the reasons set forth above. In addition, ASADI, Lee and HUANG are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee combination
teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with historical read retry thresholds. ASADI – Lee combination does not teach memory controller using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first page read. On the other hand, HUANG also teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory controller circuit using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG to specify nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory controller circuit using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read to improve overall system performance as mentioned in page 7, paragraph 3.
Regarding claim 3, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 1. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory device comprises memory cells, and each of the memory cells is configured to store at least two bits, the at least two bits respectively corresponding to at least two pages comprising the first page and the secondpage
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory device comprises memory cells, and each of the memory cells is configured to store at least two bits, the at least two bits respectively corresponding to at least two pages comprising the first page and the second page. (see Fig 2, paragraph [0056], and [0064], illustrates memory block 211 may include single level cell (SLC) storing 1 bit of data, a multi-level cell (MLC) storing 2 bits of data, a triple-level cell (TLC) storing 3 bits of data, or a quadruple-level cell (QLC) storing 4 bits of data. Also, Fig 7 illustrates bits representing multiple pages of MSB, CSM, LSB)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 3.
Regarding claim 8, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 3. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 3, wherein to determine the one or more combined read conditions, the memory controller is further configured to:
determine a first optimal read retry condition for the first page and a second optimal read retry condition for the second page, respectively, at least by:
determining the optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the optimal read retry condition comprises the first passed read retry condition having the first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations; and
combine the first and second optimal read retry conditions to generate the first combined read condition at least based on the at least first and second pages
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 3, wherein to determine the one or more combined read conditions, the memory controller is further configured to: (see Fig 13, paragraph [0087], illustrates read algorithms may be combined and used as a read strategy which is called a smart RRs read scheme)
determine a first optimal read retry condition for the first page and a second optimal read retry condition for the second page, respectively, at least by:
determining the optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the optimal read retry condition comprises the first passed read retry condition having the first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations; and
(see Fig 5 and 11, paragraph [0095], illustrates the read threshold optimizer 530 may perform an operation of finding the read bias with highest chance of decoding success among the remaining read biases in the set of default read biases. In other words, threshold optimizer may find an optimal read bias with highest success count to read out the page)
combine the first and second optimal read retry conditions to generate the first combined read condition at least based on the at least first and second pages (see Fig 5, paragraph [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine two conditions among the possible conditions that best approximate the state of the memory device and interpolate between the two read level tables to generate an interpolated read level table. In other words, threshold optimizer can combine two read conditions for an optimal read condition)
ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach determining the second optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the second optimal read retry condition comprises the second passed read retry condition having the first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations;
On the other hand, HUANG which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches determining the second optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the second optimal read retry condition comprises the second passed read retry condition having the first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with second highest read success for second page read)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 8.
Regarding claim 10, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 8. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 8, wherein the one or more combined read conditions further comprise a second combined read condition, and to determine the one or more combined read conditions, the memory controller is further configured to:
determine first sub-optimal read retry condition for the first page and a second sub-optimal read retry condition for the second page, respectively, at least by:
determining the first sub-optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the first sub-optimal read retry condition comprises a passed read retry condition having a second highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations; and
combine the first and second sub-optimal read retry conditions to generate the second combined read condition at least based on the first and second pages
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 8, wherein the one or more combined read conditions further comprise a second combined read condition, and to determine the one or more combined read conditions, the memory controller is further configured to:
determine first sub-optimal read retry condition for the first page and a second sub-optimal read retry condition for the second page, respectively, at least by:
(see Fig 8B, paragraph [0097], illustrates an order of read retry threshold may be determined based on fail counts where the second row is defined as second highest success row or sub-optimal read try condition)
determining the first sub-optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the first sub-optimal read retry condition comprises a passed read retry condition having a second highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations; and (see Fig 8B, paragraph [0097], illustrates the table in order of highest success among read retry thresholds from top where historical read threshold RR.sub.1 is defined as second highest success retry threshold or sub-optimal read retry threshold)
combine the first and second sub-optimal read retry conditions to generate the second combined read condition at least based on the first and second pages (see Fig 5, paragraph [0102], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may select two read tables from read level table of 8B to generate an interpolated read level table and use the interpolated read level table to perform the read operation)
ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach determining the second sub-optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the second sub-optimal read retry condition comprises a passed read retry condition having a second highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations;
On the other hand, HUANG which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches determining the second sub-optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the second sub-optimal read retry condition comprises a passed read retry condition having a second highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with second highest read success for second page read)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 10.
Regarding claim 11, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 1. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 1, wherein to control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions, the memory controller is further configured to:
select the first combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and
control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the first combined read condition
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 1, wherein to control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions, the memory controller is further configured to: (see Fig 8B and 11, paragraph [0097], illustrates read operations may be performed using multiple read retry thresholds of Fig 8B table)
select the first combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and (see Fig 5, paragraph [0076], [0078] and [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine possible read condition from two read conditions that approximate state of memory device, select from read level table in Fig 8A based on historical read threshold and read retry threshold where 2 read conditions can be combined for an interpolated read level)
control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the first combined read condition. (see Fig 10, paragraph [0087], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may control how read operation is performed using the historical read threshold and one or more previous read retry thresholds)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 11.
Regarding claim 12, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 11. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 11, wherein the memory controller is further configured to: determine that the read operation based on the first combined read condition fails;
determine that a count of combined read conditions selected to perform the read operation is smaller than a threshold;
select a second combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and
control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the second combined read condition
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 11, wherein the memory controller is further configured to: determine that the read operation based on the first combined read condition fails; (see Fig 5, paragraph [0080], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine the order of the multiple read retry thresholds based on their fail bit counts and previous historical read threshold. In other words, threshold optimizer determines read thresholds based on fails counts being corresponding to historical read threshold)
determine that a count of combined read conditions selected to perform the read operation is smaller than a threshold;
select a second combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and (see Fig 11, paragraph [0092], illustrates in step 1-3 when fail count is less than a pre-determined threshold of ECC capability, read bias can be determined in order of read retry threshold from Fig 8B table)
control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the second combined read condition. (see Fig 10, paragraph [0087], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may control how read operation is performed using the historical read threshold and one or more previous read retry thresholds)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 12.
Regarding claim 17, ASADI teaches A memory controller, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to perform a process comprising: (see Fig 1, paragraph [0024] and [0030], illustrates memory system 10 includes a host 5, controller 100 coupled to nonvolatile memory device 200 and also a processor to execute instructions)
determining one or more combined read conditions comprising a first combined read condition based on passed read retry conditions associated with historical read retry operations on a non-volatile memory device; and (see Fig 5, paragraph [0076], [0078] and [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine possible read condition from two read conditions that approximate state of memory device, select from read level table in Fig 8A based on historical read threshold and read retry threshold where 2 read conditions can be combined for an interpolated read level)
controlling the non-volatile memory device to perform a read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions. (see Fig 10, paragraph [0087], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may control how read operation is performed using the historical read threshold and one or more previous read retry thresholds)
ASADI teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI does not explicitly teach wherein the first combined read condition comprises one or more first read parameters for a first page from a first passed read retry condition and one or more second read parameters for a second page from a second passed read retry condition different from the first passed read retry condition
On the other hand, Lee which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read
retry operations teaches wherein the first combined read condition comprises one or more first read parameters for a first page from a first passed read retry condition and one or more second read parameters for a second page from a second passed read retry condition different from the first passed read retry condition; (see Fig 6B, paragraph [0128] and [0142], illustrates multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page)
Both ASADI and Lee relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry
operations. ASADI teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with
historical read retry thresholds. On the other hand, Lee teaches multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI with Lee by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by Lee, to enable multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page. The combined system of ASADI - Lee allows a method which may include applying a first set of read reference voltages including the first read reference voltage to a word line of the first physical page during the first reading to determine memory cell data for each of multiple memory cells of the first physical page; and applying a second set of read reference voltages including the second read reference voltage to a word line of the first physical page during the second reading to determine memory cell data for each of multiple memory cells of the first physical page, wherein the second set of read reference voltages are different from the first set of read reference voltages as mentioned in paragraph [0016]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI - Lee improves performance of the memory system. See Lee, paragraph [0137].
ASADI in view of Lee teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI - Lee combination does not explicitly teach
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the first passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the second passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations
On the other hand, HUANG which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the first passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first page read)
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the second passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with second highest read success for second page read)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI with Lee for the reasons set forth above. In addition, ASADI, Lee and HUANG are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee combination
teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with historical read retry thresholds. ASADI – Lee combination does not teach memory controller using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first page read. On the other hand, HUANG also teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory controller circuit using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG to specify nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory controller circuit using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read to improve overall system performance as mentioned in page 7, paragraph 3.
Regarding claim 18, ASADI teaches A method of operating a memory controller, comprising: (see paragraph [0005], illustrates a method of controlling storage device includes memory controller)
determining one or more combined read conditions comprising a first combined read condition based on passed read retry conditions associated with historical read retry operations on a non-volatile memory device; and (see Fig 5, paragraph [0076], [0078] and [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine possible read condition from two read conditions that approximate state of memory device, select from read level table in Fig 8A based on historical read threshold and read retry threshold where 2 read conditions can be combined for an interpolated read level)
controlling the non-volatile memory device to perform a read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions. (see Fig 10, paragraph [0087], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may control how read operation is performed using the historical read threshold and one or more previous read retry thresholds)
ASADI teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI does not explicitly teach wherein the first combined read condition comprises one or more first read parameters for a first page from a first passed read retry condition and one or more second read parameters for a second page from a second passed read retry condition different from the first passed read retry condition
On the other hand, Lee which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read
retry operations teaches wherein the first combined read condition comprises one or more first read parameters for a first page from a first passed read retry condition and one or more second read parameters for a second page from a second passed read retry condition different from the first passed read retry condition; (see Fig 6B, paragraph [0128] and [0142], illustrates multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page)
Both ASADI and Lee relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry
operations. ASADI teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with
historical read retry thresholds. On the other hand, Lee teaches multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI with Lee by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by Lee, to enable multiple operation parameters maybe changed which may include first set of read reference voltages for first page for read or read retry and applying second set of voltages for second read retry where second read retry can be done on second read page. The combined system of ASADI - Lee allows a method which may include applying a first set of read reference voltages including the first read reference voltage to a word line of the first physical page during the first reading to determine memory cell data for each of multiple memory cells of the first physical page; and applying a second set of read reference voltages including the second read reference voltage to a word line of the first physical page during the second reading to determine memory cell data for each of multiple memory cells of the first physical page, wherein the second set of read reference voltages are different from the first set of read reference voltages as mentioned in paragraph [0016]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI - Lee improves performance of the memory system. See Lee, paragraph [0137].
ASADI in view of Lee teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations above. However, ASADI - Lee combination does not explicitly teach
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the first passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the second passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations
On the other hand, HUANG which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the first passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the first page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first page read)
wherein among the passed read retry conditions, the second passed read retry condition has a first highest success count to read out the second page in the historical read retry operations (see table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, illustrates memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with second highest read success for second page read)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI with Lee for the reasons set forth above. In addition, ASADI, Lee and HUANG are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee combination
teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with historical read retry thresholds. ASADI – Lee combination does not teach memory controller using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first page read. On the other hand, HUANG also teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory controller circuit using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG to specify nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory controller circuit using the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read to improve overall system performance as mentioned in page 7, paragraph 3.
Regarding claim 19, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 18. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The method of claim 18, wherein the non-volatile memory device comprises memory cells, and each of the memory cells is configured to store at least two bits, the at least two bits respectively corresponding to at least two pages comprising the first page and the second page
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The method of claim 18, wherein the non-volatile memory device comprises memory cells, and each of the memory cells is configured to store at least two bits, the at least two bits respectively corresponding to at least two pages comprising the first page and the second page. (see Fig 2, paragraph [0056], and [0064], illustrates memory block 211 may include single level cell (SLC) storing 1 bit of data, a multi-level cell (MLC) storing 2 bits of data, a triple-level cell (TLC) storing 3 bits of data, or a quadruple-level cell (QLC) storing 4 bits of data. Also Fig 7 illustrates bits representing multiple pages of MSB, CSM, LSB)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 19.
Regarding claim 20, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 19. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more combined read conditions comprise the first combined read condition, and determining the one or more combined read conditions comprises:
determining optimal read retry conditions for the at least two pages, respectively, at least by:
for each page from the at least two pages, determining an optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the optimal read retry condition comprises a passed read retry condition having a first highest success count to read out the page in the historical read retry operations; and
combining the optimal read retry conditions to generate the first combined read condition based on the at least two pages
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more combined read conditions comprise the first combined read condition, and determining the one or more combined read conditions comprises: (see Fig 13, paragraph [0087], illustrates read algorithms may be combined and used as a read strategy which is called a smart RRs read scheme)
determining optimal read retry conditions for the at least two pages, respectively, at least by:
for each page from the at least two pages, determining an optimal read retry condition from the passed read retry conditions, wherein the optimal read retry condition comprises a passed read retry condition having a first highest success count to read out the page in the historical read retry operations; and (see Fig 5 and 11, paragraph [0095], illustrates the read threshold optimizer 530 may perform an operation of finding the read bias with highest chance of decoding success among the remaining read biases in the set of default read biases. In other words, threshold optimizer may find an optimal read bias with highest success count to read out the page)
combining the optimal read retry conditions to generate the first combined read condition based on the at least two pages. (see Fig 5, paragraph [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine two conditions among the possible conditions that best approximate the state of the memory device and interpolate between the two read level tables to generate an interpolated read level table. In other words, threshold optimizer can combine two read conditions for an optimal read condition)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 1 is equally applicable to claim 20.
Regarding claim 22, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 17. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory controller of claim 17, wherein to control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions, the process further comprises: selecting the first combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and controlling the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the first combined read condition
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory controller of claim 17, wherein to control the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the one or more combined read conditions, the process further comprises: selecting the first combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and controlling the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the first combined read condition (see Fig 5, paragraph [0081] and [0082], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine two conditions or multiple read retry thresholds among the possible conditions that best approximate the state of the memory device for read operation)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 17 is equally applicable to claim 22.
Regarding claim 23, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 22. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory controller of claim 22, wherein the process further comprises: determining that the read operation based on the first combined read condition fails; determining that a count of combined read conditions selected to perform the read operation is smaller than a threshold; selecting a second combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and controlling the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the second combined read condition
On the other hand, ASADI which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory controller of claim 22, wherein the process further comprises: determining that the read operation based on the first combined read condition fails; determining that a count of combined read conditions selected to perform the read operation is smaller than a threshold; selecting a second combined read condition from the one or more combined read conditions; and controlling the non-volatile memory device to perform the read operation based on the second combined read condition (see Fig 5, paragraph [0081] and [0083], illustrates read threshold optimizer 530 may determine distance between set of multiple thresholds and combination of read conditions to perform read operations and counting fails for successive read operations with combination of read conditions)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG as set forth in claim 17 is equally applicable to claim 23.
Claim(s) 2,4-6 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
unpatentable over ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG and further in view of CHA et al. (US 20180342305 A1) hereinafter CHA.
Regarding claim 2, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 1. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 1, wherein the historical read retry operations comprise passed read retry operations each of which reads out corresponding data from the non-volatile memory device successfully using at least one of the passed read retry conditions.
On the other hand, CHA which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 1, wherein the historical read retry operations comprise passed read retry operations each of which reads out corresponding data from the non-volatile memory device successfully using at least one of the passed read retry conditions. (see Fig 16, paragraph [0097], illustrates in step S140 and S150 read history table is updated when retry operation is passed. In other words, historical read retry data includes updated data from successful passed read retry operations)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG for the reasons set forth in claim 1 above. In addition, ASADI, Lee, HUANG and CHA are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with historical read retry thresholds. On the other hand, CHA teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and historical read retry data includes updated data from successful passed read retry operations. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with CHA by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by JUNG, to enable historical read retry data which includes updated data from successful passed read retry operations. The combined system of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA allows the corrected read voltage level being stored in a history buffer as the corrected read voltage level for the target memory block as mentioned in paragraph [0005]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA improves memory degradation. See CHA, paragraph [0003].
Regarding claim 4, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 3. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 3, wherein the memory controller is further configured to record the passed read retry conditions associated with the historical read retry operations.
On the other hand, CHA which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 3, wherein the memory controller is further configured to record the passed read retry conditions associated with the historical read retry operations. (see Fig 16, paragraph [0097], illustrates in step S150 read history table is updated when retry operation is passed. In other words, historical read retry data is recorded from successful passed read retry operations)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG for the reasons set forth in claim 1 above. In addition, ASADI, Lee, HUANG and CHA are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with historical read retry thresholds. On the other hand, CHA teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and historical read retry data is recorded from successful passed read retry operations. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with CHA by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by JUNG, to enable historical read retry data which is recorded from successful passed read retry operations. The combined system of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA allows the corrected read voltage level being stored in a history buffer as the corrected read voltage level for the target memory block as mentioned in paragraph [0005]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA improves memory degradation. See CHA, paragraph [0003].
Regarding claim 5, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 4. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 4, wherein to record the passed read retry conditions associated with the historical read retry operations, the memory controller is further configured to:
record one or more passed read retry conditions for each historical read retry operation, wherein each of the one or more passed read retry conditions comprises a read retry condition from a read retry table and is used to read out at least one of the at least two pages successfully in the historical read retry operation.
On the other hand, CHA which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 4, wherein to record the passed read retry conditions associated with the historical read retry operations, the memory controller is further configured to:
record one or more passed read retry conditions for each historical read retry operation, wherein each of the one or more passed read retry conditions comprises a read retry condition from a read retry table and is used to read out at least one of the at least two pages successfully in the historical read retry operation. (see Fig 6 and 8, paragraph [0073], illustrates read controller BRC may sequentially perform a read operation to the pages 81 and 82 until read retry operation succeeds and then corrected read voltage is stored in read history table. In other words, passed read retry conditions on pages are stored in read history table)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with CHA as set forth in claim 4 is equally applicable to claim 5.
Regarding claim 6, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 5. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 5, wherein: the at least two pages comprise at least a first page and a second page;
the one or more passed read retry conditions comprise a first passed read retry condition for the first page and a second passed read retry condition for the second page;
the first passed read retry condition comprises one or more first read parameters used to read out the first page successfully in the historical read retry operation; and
the second passed read retry condition comprises one or more second read parameters used to read out the second page successfully in the historical read retry operation
On the other hand, CHA which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 5, wherein: the at least two pages comprise at least a first page and a second page;
the one or more passed read retry conditions comprise a first passed read retry condition for the first page and a second passed read retry condition for the second page; (see Fig 7 and 8, paragraph [0077], illustrates two different retry passed conditions are used to generate read voltages to be stored in read history table)
the first passed read retry condition comprises one or more first read parameters used to read out the first page successfully in the historical read retry operation; and
the second passed read retry condition comprises one or more second read parameters used to read out the second page successfully in the historical read retry operation. (see Fig 16, paragraph [0097], illustrates in step S130, when read retry operation fails, voltage is adjusted or different voltage is used until read retry passes. In other words for page read retry operations a number of read voltages or parameters are used until we get updated read retry voltage which passes for historical table update)
The same motivation that was utilized for combining ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with CHA as set forth in claim 4 is equally applicable to claim 6.
Regarding claim 15, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 3. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more combined read conditions comprises read parameters from at least two different passed read retry conditions.
On the other hand, CHA which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 3, wherein each of the one or more combined read conditions comprises read parameters from at least two different passed read retry conditions. (see Fig 7 and 8, paragraph [0077], illustrates two different retry passed conditions are used to generate read voltages to be stored in read history table)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG for the reasons set forth in claim 1 above. In addition, ASADI, Lee, HUANG and CHA are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with historical read retry thresholds. On the other hand, CHA teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and two different retry passed conditions are used to generate read voltages to be stored in read history table. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine
ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with CHA by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by JUNG, to enable two different retry passed conditions to be used to generate read voltages to be stored in read history table. The combined system of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA allows the corrected read voltage level being stored in a history buffer as the corrected read voltage level for the target memory block as mentioned in paragraph [0005]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA improves memory degradation. See CHA, paragraph [0003].
Claim(s) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG and further in view of CHA and further in view of SON et al. (US 20240281321 A1) hereinafter SON.
Regarding claim 7, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG and further in view of CHA teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 6. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG - CHA combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more first read parameters and the one or more second read parameters comprises a read voltage or a read voltage offset.
On the other hand, SON which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more first read parameters and the one or more second read parameters comprises a read voltage or a read voltage offset. (see Fig 6, paragraph [0082], illustrates an optimal read voltage can have respective offset values based on the optimally estimated read voltage so soft read voltages may pass. In other words, optimal read voltage parameter may include offset values to have the pass read voltage)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with CHA for the reasons set forth in claim 6 above. In addition, ASADI, Lee, HUANG, CHA and SON are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee - HUANG – CHA combination teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with passed historical data. On the other hand, SON teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and optimal read voltage parameter may include offset values to have the pass read voltage. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI – Lee - HUANG – CHA combination with Hyun by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by SON, to enable optimal read voltage parameter which may include offset values to have the pass read voltage. The combined system of ASADI – Lee - HUANG – CHA - SON allows management module to reduce or eliminate data errors, with or without refreshing the data, allowing an optimally estimated read voltage corresponding to the minimum syndrome weight as mentioned in paragraph [0007]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI – Lee - HUANG – CHA - SON combination improves efficiency. See SON, paragraph [0007].
Claim(s) 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG and further in view of SON.
Regarding claim 13, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 1. However, ASADI - Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 1, wherein the memory controller is further configured to: determine that the read operation on the non-volatile memory device based on the one or more combined read conditions fails or a count of combined read conditions selected to perform the read operation reaches a threshold;
control the non-volatile memory device to perform a read retry operation based on a read retry table; and
update the one or more combined read conditions based on a result of the read retry operation.
On the other hand, SON which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 1, wherein the memory controller is further configured to: determine that the read operation on the non-volatile memory device based on the one or more combined read conditions fails or a count of combined read conditions selected to perform the read operation reaches a threshold; (see Fig 5, paragraph [0074], illustrates memory system may determine when read retry operations fails reaches a threshold number of counts)
control the non-volatile memory device to perform a read retry operation based on a read retry table; and (see Fig 5, paragraph [0075], illustrates memory system 50 determines optimally estimated voltage decoding history information from table 232)
update the one or more combined read conditions based on a result of the read retry operation. (see Fig 9, paragraph [0075], in step S905 memory system 50 store updated optimal read retry voltage information with weighted syndrome at the table to perform read operation)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG for the reasons set forth in claim 1 above. In addition, ASADI, Lee, HUANG and SON are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with passed historical data. On the other hand, SON teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and memory system may determine when read retry operations fails reaches a threshold number of counts, determine optimally estimated voltage decoding history information from table and store updated optimal read retry voltage information with weighted syndrome at the table to perform read operation. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with SON by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by SON, to enable memory system which may determine when read retry operations fails reaches a threshold number of counts, determine optimally estimated voltage decoding history information from table and store updated optimal read retry voltage information with weighted syndrome at the table to perform read operation. The combined system of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - SON allows the corrected read voltage level being stored in a history buffer as the corrected read voltage level for the target memory block as mentioned in paragraph [0005]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - SON improves memory degradation. See SON, paragraph [0003].
Claim(s) 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG and further in view of Sun et al. (US 20150117107 A1) hereinafter Sun.
Regarding claim 14, ASADI in view of Lee and further in view of HUANG teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations in claim 1. However, ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination does not explicitly teach The memory system of claim 1, wherein the memory controller is further configured to store the one or more combined read conditions in the non-volatile memory device responsive to power off.
On the other hand, Sun which also relates to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations teaches The memory system of claim 1, wherein the memory controller is further configured to store the one or more combined read conditions in the non-volatile memory device responsive to power off. (see Fig 2, paragraph [0084], illustrates status module 202 may retain a stored read voltage level over a period of time without power)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
Applicant’s filing to combine ASADI - Lee combination with HUANG for the reasons set forth in claim 1 above. In addition, ASADI, Lee, HUANG and Sun are considered analogous arts, because they all relate to nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations. ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations with passed historical data. On the other hand, Sun teaches nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations and status module may retain a stored read voltage level over a period of time without power. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine ASADI – Lee - HUANG combination with Sun by incorporating nonvolatile memory historical read retry operations, as taught by Sun, to enable status module which may retain a stored read voltage level over a period of time without power. The combined system of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - Sun allows status module to be configured to detect that a non-volatile recording device is powered on after being powered down as mentioned in paragraph [0007]. Therefore, the combination of ASADI – Lee - HUANG - Sun improves disturb effects. See Sun, paragraph [0005].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 01/14/2026 have been fully considered but they
are not persuasive.
Applicant’s first argument is claims 1, 17 and 18 amendments mapping by
Primary reference ASADI and secondary reference Lee in page 2-3 of the response: Referring to the above-reproduced FIG. 6A, Lee discloses that a memory device 200
changes a read voltage and retries a read operation with the newly set read voltage, repeating this pattern until the read operation succeeds. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, a first read operation fails at a read voltage of V1, followed by a second read operation failing at a read voltage of V2, followed by a successful read operation at a read voltage of V3. The operation of repeating the read operation (e.g., with an altered read voltage) until the read operation is passed is referred to as a read retry operation. See Lee, para. [0124]. In other words, Lee discloses a read retry operation that repeats the read operation three times with three altered read voltages V1, V2 and V3, respectively, until the third read operation succeeds at the read voltage V3. However, Lee is silent regarding a first passed read retry (i) being among a plurality of passed read retries and (ii) having a first highest success count to read out a first page in the historical read retry operations. Lee is also silent regarding a second passed read retry (i) being among the plurality of passed read retries and (ii) having a first highest success count to read out a second page in the historical read retry operations. Thus, Lee fails to disclose the following features of amended claim 1
In summary, applicant argued that primary reference ASADI and secondary reference Lee do not teach amended limitation using highest success count to read based on historical read retry operations. The amendment necessitates adding secondary reference HUANG in this regard. For further clarification examiner cites portion from HUANG. Also, for applicant’s understanding examiner would like to explain the teachings of HUANG and examiner’s interpretation in more detail here. See table 2, page 7, paragraph 2 and 3, HUANG teaches memory controller circuit 130 can use the read voltage value or read retry condition with second highest read success for first second page read. In the cited portions HUANG clearly teaches memory controller circuit may use the read voltage value or read retry condition with highest read success for first and second page read. Thus, the rejection of amended claims 1,17 and 18 are maintained.
Conclusion
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/S.K.C./Examiner, Art Unit 2132
/HOSAIN T ALAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2132