DETAILED ACTION
The current Office Action is in response to the papers submitted 07/31/2024. Claims 1 - 20 are pending.
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 § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1 – 6, 8 – 13, and 15 - 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuzmin et al. (Pub. No.: US 2014/0365719) referred to as Kuzmin in view of Onorato et al. (Pub. No.: US 2023/0376205) referred to as Onorato.
Regarding claim 1, Kuzmin teaches a memory device [207, Fig 2]; and
a processing device [202, Fig 2], operatively coupled with the memory device [207, Fig 2; Items 202 and 207 are coupled to each other as shown by the data path lines in the figure], to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to perform a write operation [717, Fig 7; 813, Fig 8; 1003, Fig 10A; 1023, Fig 10B; 1043, Fig 10C; 117, Fig 11A; 1203 and 1217, Fig 12A; Paragraphs 0058 and 0133 – 0136; The host sends multiple commands to the memory controller include read and write commands];
determining whether the write operation is part of a media management operation [Figs 7 – 8 and 10A – 12A; Paragraphs 0058 and 0133 – 0136; The host sends multiple writes and each are processed differently showing there is a determination if the write is a media management operation such as garbage collection]; and
responsive to determining that the write operation is part of the media management operation, executing the write operation [1119, Fig 11A].
However, Kuzmin may not specifically disclose the limitation(s) of executing the write operation with a high reliability set of trim values, wherein the high reliability set of trim values corresponds to a higher latency value relative to a default latency value.
Onorato discloses executing the write operation with a high reliability set of trim values, wherein the high reliability set of trim values corresponds to a higher latency value relative to a default latency value [Paragraphs 0044, 0047, and 0032; The background state is set using trim parameter values. Garbage collection is media management operations performed a background state having a high latency compared to a performance state].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Onorato in Kuzmin, because it allows for better allocation of system resources based on the operation of the system [Paragraphs 0041 – 0042].
Regarding claim 2, Kuzmin teaches responsive to determining the write operation is not part of a media management operation, executing the write operation, wherein the write operation is host-initiated [705 and 717, Fig 7; The write is not part of a media management operation such as garbage collection and is host initiated].
Onorato discloses executing the write operation with a default set of trim values to the write operation [Paragraph 0043; The balances state is a generic default state associated with a set of default trim values defining the state].
Regarding claim 3, Kuzmin teaches the media management operation comprises:
performing a read operation on a victim set of memory cells;
performing the write operation on an available set of memory cells to write data from the victim set of memory cells, wherein the available set of memory cells has not been written to [1117, Fig 11A; Paragraph 0073, 0075, and 0136; An available erase unit is an erase unit that has been erased and has not been written. Garbage collection is a media management operation that reads valid data from memory cells in an erase unit and writes the read valid data to available erase unit cells in another erase unit]; and
performing an erase operation on the victim set of memory cells [1123, Fig 11A; Paragraph 0136].
Regarding claim 4, Kuzmin teaches the victim set of memory cells and the available set of memory cells [1117, Fig 11A; Paragraph 0073, 0075, and 0136; The relocation operation in the garbage collection process copies valid data from a victim set of memory cells and stores the valid data into an available set of memory cells based on the amount of valid data copied].
Onorato discloses the victim set of memory cells and the available set of memory cells are configured to store an equal number of bits per cell [Paragraphs 0019, 0026, 0032, 0047, 0055, 0057, and 0065 – 0067; Garbage collection is performed within and across the memory devices. When the memory devices are the same type the bits per cell are equal between the source and destination of the copying performed in garbage collection].
Regarding claim 5, Kuzmin teaches the victim set of memory cells and the available set of memory cells [1117, Fig 11A; Paragraph 0073, 0075, and 0136; The relocation operation in the garbage collection process copies valid data from a victim set of memory cells and stores the valid data into an available set of memory cells based on the amount of valid data copied].
Onorato discloses the victim set of memory cells and the available set of memory cells are configured to store different numbers of bits per cell [Paragraphs 0019, 0026, 0032, 0047, 0055, 0057, and 0065 – 0067; Garbage collection is performed within and across the memory devices. When the memory devices are not the same type , such as SLC and MLC, the bits per cell are different between the source and destination of the copying performed in garbage collection].
Regarding claim 6, Kuzmin teaches determining whether the write operation is part of a media management operation comprises determining whether the request to perform a write operation refers to a media management operation cursor [717, Fig 7; 813, Fig 8; 1003, Fig 10A; 1023, Fig 10B; 1043, Fig 10C; 117, Fig 11A; 1203 and 1217, Fig 12A; The memory controller receives multiple types of commands from the host including writing of host data, write commands in the form of garbage collection commands, move, and copy operations. The information associated with each command that defines the type of command allowing the memory controller to process the command correctly is a media management operation cursor].
Claims 8 – 13 and 15 - 19 are method and medium claims corresponding to claims 1 – 6. Kuzmin discloses the method [Figs 7 – 8 and 10A – 12A] and medium [Paragraph 0186].
Claim(s) 7, 14, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuzmin et al. (Pub. No.: US 2014/0365719) referred to as Kuzmin in view of Onorato et al. (Pub. No.: US 2023/0376205) referred to as Onorato as applied to claims 1, 8, and 15 above, and further in view of Kim (Pub. No.: US 2019/0347044].
Regarding claim 7, Kuzmin teaches responsive to determining that the write operation is part of the media management operation, executing the write operation [1119, Fig 11A].
Onorato discloses executing the write operation with a high reliability set of trim values, wherein the high reliability set of trim values corresponds to a higher latency value relative to a default latency value [Paragraphs 0044, 0047, and 0032; The background state is set using trim parameter values. Garbage collection is media management operations performed a background state having a high latency compared to a performance state].
However, Kuzmin in view of Onorato may not specifically disclose the limitation(s) of wherein the high reliability set of trim values comprises a lower program voltage step than a default set of trim values.
Kim discloses the high reliability set of trim values comprises a lower program voltage step [S916, Fig 9] than a default set of trim values [S918, Fig 9; Paragraphs 0113 – 0120; The first command is considered a garbage collection operation and the second command is considered a write not associated with garbage collection. The first command is associated time values including a lower program voltage step compared to the trim values of the second command].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Kim in Kuzmin in view of Onorato, because a lower step voltage increases reliability of data by increasing the charge retention of memory cells [Paragraph 0119].
Claims 14 and 20 are method and medium claims corresponding to claim 7. Kuzmin discloses the method [Figs 7 – 8 and 10A – 12A] and medium [Paragraph 0186].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER D BIRKHIMER whose telephone number is (571)270-1178. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5 Hoteling.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tim Vo can be reached at 571-272-3642. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Christopher D Birkhimer/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2138
Prosecution Insights