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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 5/15/2026 has been entered.
RESPONSE TO ARGUMENTS
Applicant's arguments filed 5/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant's argument, regarding independent claim 13, that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., claimed features associated with “first lane” and the “second lane” are coupled to the “first bus interface” and to “the second bus interface,” and that the “crossbar” is configured to transfer the “second packet” and the “first packet” during overlapping "consecutive clock cycles.”) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
In response to applicant’s arguments with regard to the independent claim 13 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) that the combination of the references does not teach/suggest the claimed feature “… lanes in a communication bus … configured to transfer packets from a second bus interface to the first bus interface …” because Sindhu does not teach the above claimed features; applicant's arguments have fully been considered, but are not found to be persuasive.
The examiner respectfully disagrees, and to further clarify, by combining Sindhu’s being coupled to a plurality of lanes in a bus, wherein each of the plurality of lanes in the bus operating accordingly (e.g. associated with communication paths of output ports (108) in Fig. 2B) (Fig. 2B; and col. 4, ll. 14-51) with Smith’s first bus interface configured to be coupled to a communication bus, wherein the communication bus is configure to transfer packets from a second bus interface to the first bus interface (e.g. associated with communication bus for transferring data packet between MOCB crossbar’s interface to local SoC device and MOCB crossbar’s interface to nonlocal Soc Device: Fig. 2A-2B; col. 6, l. 41 to col. 8, l. 42) (Fig. 2A-2B; Fig. 4A-4B; col. 6, l. 41 to col. 9, l. 49; and col. 10, ll. 1-59), the resulting combination of the references would further teach/suggest the above claimed features.
I. ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, and 12 are allowed.
II. REJECTIONS BASED ON PRIOR ART
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.
Claims 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Smith et al. (US Patent 10,015,087) in view of Sindhu et al. (US Patent 5,905,725).
As per claim 13, Smith teaches/suggests an integrated circuit (IC), comprising: a first bus interface configured to be coupled to a communication bus, wherein the communication bus is configure to transfer packets from a second bus interface to the first bus interface (e.g. associated with communication bus for transferring data packet between MOCB crossbar’s interface to local SoC device and MOCB crossbar’s interface to nonlocal Soc Device: Fig. 2A-2B; col. 6, l. 41 to col. 8, l. 42); and a crossbar (e.g. associated with MOCB Crossbar (108)) coupled to the bus interface and configured to: receive data; and route to a first memory (e.g. associated with write command which writes to a given address of corresponding storage/memory: col. 8, ll. 33-66), being coupled to the first bus interface and the second bus interface (e.g. associated with MOCB crossbar’s interface to nonlocal Soc Device and MOCB crossbar’s interface to local SoC device) (Fig. 2A-2B; Fig. 4A-4B; col. 6, l. 41 to col. 9, l. 49; and col. 10, ll. 1-59).
Smith does not teach the IC comprising:
being coupled to a plurality of lanes in a bus, wherein each of the plurality of lanes in the bus operating accordingly;
having a first packet from a first lane;
read a channel identifier in the first packet; and
route the first packet based on the channel identifier,
wherein each lane of the plurality of lanes consists of a physical electrical conductor electrically coupled.
Sindhu teaches/suggests a system comprising: being coupled to a plurality of lanes in a bus, wherein each of the plurality of lanes in the bus operating accordingly (e.g. associated with communication paths of output ports (108) in Fig. 2B); having a first packet from a first lane (e.g. associated with receiving packet at an input port (107): col. 4, ll. 30-51); read a channel identifier in the first packet (e.g. associated with reading key from packet: col. 4, ll. 30-51); and route the first packet based on the channel identifier (e.g. associated with forwarding the packet to output port (180) based on key: col. 4, ll. 30-51), wherein each lane of the plurality of lanes consists of a physical electrical conductor electrically coupled (e.g. associated with port(s) being physical that would have conducted electrical signal when communicating packet(s)) (Fig. 2B; and col. 4, ll. 14-51).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in this art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include Sindhu’s data transferring architecture into Smith’s IC for the benefit of implementing an architecture that efficiently manage and route packets (Sindhu, col. 2, ll. 66-67) to obtain the invention as specified in claim 13.
II. PERTINENT RELATED PRIOR ART
Srinivasan et al. (US Pub.: 2016/0173365): discloses a crossbar switch that can be configured to simultaneously send packets from each input to each possible output
III. CLOSING COMMENTS
CONCLUSION
STATUS OF CLAIMS IN THE APPLICATION
The following is a summary of the treatment and status of all claims in the application as recommended by M.P.E.P. 707.07(i):
CLAIMS REJECTED IN THE APPLICATION
Per the instant office action, claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, and 12-13 have received a first action on the merits and are subject of a first action non-final.
DIRECTION OF FUTURE CORRESPONDENCES
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUN KUAN LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-0671. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
IMPORTANT NOTE
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Idriss Alrobaye can be reached on (571) 270-1023. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHUN KUAN LEE/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2181 June 05, 2026
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