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 .
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 1-10 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 sets forth “capture a data signal using a data strobe signal delayed based on offset information”, and also sets forth “delaying the data strobe signal using first offset information”, and also sets forth “delaying the data strobe signal using second offset information. This language is indefinite. It is unclear if “offset information” is to be broadly interpreted as including “first offset information” and “second offset information”, if each instance of “offset information”, “first offset information”, and/or “second offset information” is intended to be interpreted as an entirely separate group of “offset information”, or if there is some other intended interpretation. Appropriate clarification is required.
Claims 2-10 are rejected as dependent upon claim 1.
Claim 6 sets forth “to generate a first error count”. Claim 1 also sets forth “configured to determine a first error count”. This language is unclear. It is unclear if each instance of “a first error count” is intended to be interpreted as the same “error count” or a different error count. Appropriate clarification is required.
Claims 7-9 are rejected as dependent upon claim 6.
Claim 6 sets forth “to generate a second error count”. Claim 1 also sets forth “and determine a second error count”. This language is unclear. It is unclear if each instance of “a second error count” is intended to be interpreted as the same “error count” or a different error count. Appropriate clarification is required.
Claims 7-9 are rejected as dependent upon claim 6.
Further search and consideration required upon resolution of indefiniteness issues.
Relevant prior art not relied upon is made of record:
US8565034 (Lu, et al.)
US7323903 (Lee, et al.)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-20 allowable.
The prior art of record does not appear to teach a nonvolatile memory interface circuit comprising: a first delay line configured to receive a data signal and output a delayed data signal; a second delay line configured to receive a data strobe signal and output a plurality of sampling data strobe signals by delaying the data strobe signal; an output circuit configured to output the delayed data signal as read data in response to the data strobe signal; and an off-chip compensation logic configured to detect off-chip variation in real time by comparing the read data with sampling data corresponding to the plurality of sampling data strobe signals, and to compensate for the off-chip variation; and/or a storage device comprising: at least one nonvolatile memory device; and a controller configured to control the at least one nonvolatile memory device, wherein the controller includes a nonvolatile memory interface circuit configured to communicate with the at least one nonvolatile memory device through at least one channel, wherein the nonvolatile memory interface circuit includes: a margin collector configured to collect margin information by comparing read data with sampling data; an on-chip margin search logic configured to track a valid window margin by adjusting an offset value based on the margin information; and a compensation calculator configured to determine off-chip variation corresponding to the offset value when the valid window margin is in a margin lock state.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL J KING whose telephone number is (703)756-1232. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/DANIEL JOHN KING/Examiner, Art Unit 2827
/HUAN HOANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2827