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 .
Drawings
The drawings received on 07/22/2024 have been accepted 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 1-14 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1 & 10, the limitations in lines 2-4 cite “a word line array including a plurality of word lines each extending through a memory mat in a first horizontal direction, the plurality of word lines including a first word line and a second word line arranged adjacent to each other in a second horizontal direction”, is unclear how one can have to horizontal directions e.g., a first horizontal direction and a second horizontal direction, without mentioning any plane or one horizonal being perpendicular to the other horizonal direction? Please see claim 20 and FIG 4B and amend accordingly.
Claims 2-9 & 11-14 are rejected because of their dependency to the rejected base claims 1 & 10.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Sasaki et al (US20230096256 FIG 1A-2A; discloses memory math 2 in the word line direction, memory mat having end regions A and B).
Hishida et al (US20210217755 FIG 7; S1-S3; discloses checking multiple blocks for short circuit between memory cell region and dummy regions).
Partsch et al (US11600316 FIG 1 & 2; discloses concurrently activating multiple rows of block of memory).
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/MUNA A TECHANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2827