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 .
Miscellaneous
The Applicant has cancelled claims 1-20 and added new claims 21-40; therefore, only claims 21-40 remain for this Office Action.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 21-40 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-22 of U.S. Patent No. 10,333,503. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they contain substantially similar subject matter (see chart below).
Claims 22-30 and 31-40 are also rejected as corresponding to claims 2-11 and 13-22 of the ‘503 Patent.
Instant Application 18/829,370
US Patent No. 10,333,503
21. A system comprising: a pulse generation circuit configured to adaptively determine a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm; and a management circuit configured to route the pulse to a first quantum element according to the routing signal.
1. A system comprising: a quantum controller comprising raw pulse generation circuitry, pulse modification circuitry, and output management circuitry, wherein: the raw pulse generation circuitry is operable to generate a raw pulse; the output management circuitry is operable to route one or more output pulses onto a selected one or more of a plurality of signal paths based on to which one or more of a plurality of elements of a quantum processor the one or more output pulses are to be sent; and the pulse modification circuitry is operable to: select one or more pulse modification settings to use for processing of the raw pulse, wherein the selection is based on: which of the plurality of signal paths are the selected one or more signal paths; and/or to which of the one or more of the plurality of elements of the quantum processor the one or more output pulses are to be sent; and process the raw pulse using the selected one or more pulse modification settings to generate the one or more output pulses.
9. The system of claim 1, comprising input management circuitry, wherein the input management circuitry is operable to: receive quantum element readout signals from a plurality of quantum elements; and route each of the quantum element readout signals to one or more of a plurality of inputs of the raw pulse generation circuitry, wherein the one or more inputs are determined dynamically during execution of instructions of a quantum computing algorithm by the quantum controller.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulse modification circuitry is: operable to store a plurality of pulse modification settings; and dynamically configurable such that which of the plurality of pulse modifications settings are applied to the raw pulse is selectable during execution of instructions of a quantum computing algorithm by the quantum controller.
31. A method comprising: adaptively determining a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm via a pulse generation circuit, and routing the pulse, according to the routing signal, to a first quantum element via a management circuit.
12. A method comprising: generating, by raw pulse generation circuitry of a quantum controller, a raw pulse; routing, by output management circuitry of a quantum controller, one or more output pulses onto a selected one or more of a plurality of signal paths based on to which one or more of a plurality of elements of a quantum processor the one or more output pulses are to be sent; selecting, by pulse modification circuitry of the quantum controller, one or more pulse modification settings to use for processing of the raw outbound pulse, wherein the selecting is based on which of the plurality of signal paths are the selected one or more signal paths; and processing, by the pulse modification circuitry, the raw outbound pulse using the selected one or more pulse modification settings to generate the one or more output outbound pulses.
20. The method of claim 12, comprising receiving, by input management circuitry of the quantum controller, quantum element readout signals from a plurality of quantum elements; and routing, by the input management circuitry, each of the quantum element readout signals to one or more of a plurality of inputs of the raw pulse generation circuitry, wherein the one or more inputs are determined dynamically during execution of instructions of a quantum computing algorithm by the quantum controller.
21. The method of claim 12, comprising: storing, by the pulse modification circuitry, a plurality of pulse modification settings; and selecting, by the pulse modification circuitry during execution of instructions of a quantum computing algorithm by the quantum controller, which of the plurality of pulse modifications settings are applied to the raw pulse.
Claims 21-40 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 11,245,389. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they contain substantially similar subject matter (see chart below).
Claims 22-30 and 31-40 are also rejected as corresponding to claims 2-10 and 11-20 of the ‘389 Patent.
Instant Application 18/829,370
US Patent No. 11,245,389
21. A system comprising: a pulse generation circuit configured to adaptively determine a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm; and a management circuit configured to route the pulse to a first quantum element according to the routing signal.
1. A system comprising: a controller comprising a pulse generation circuit, output management circuitry, and a plurality of outputs configured to connect the controller to a plurality of controlled elements, wherein: the pulse generation circuit is configured to generate quantum control pulses; and for each control pulse of a plurality of control pulses generated by the pulse generation circuit, the output management circuitry is configured to determine to which of the plurality of outputs to route the control pulse such that a first of the plurality of control pulses is routed to a first of the plurality of controlled elements and a second of the plurality of control pulses is routed to a second of the plurality of control elements.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the output management circuitry is configured to perform the determination during runtime of a quantum algorithm description.
31. A method comprising: adaptively determining a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm via a pulse generation circuit, and routing the pulse, according to the routing signal, to a first quantum element via a management circuit.
11. A method comprising: in a controller comprising a pulse generation circuit, output management circuitry, and a plurality outputs configured to connect the controller to a plurality of controlled elements: generating, by the pulse generation circuit, a plurality of control pulses; and determining, by the output management circuitry for each control pulse of the plurality of control pulses, which of the plurality of outputs to route the control pulse such that a first of the plurality of control pulses is routed to a first of the plurality of controlled elements and a second of the plurality of control pulses is routed to a second of the plurality of control elements.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining is performed during runtime of a quantum algorithm description.
Claims 21-40 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-16 of U.S. Patent No. 11,750,179. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they contain substantially similar subject matter (see chart below).
Claims 22-30 and 31-40 are also rejected as corresponding to claims 2-8 and 10-16 of the ‘179 Patent.
Instant Application 18/829,370
US Patent No. 11,750,179
21. A system comprising: a pulse generation circuit configured to adaptively determine a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm; and a management circuit configured to route the pulse to a first quantum element according to the routing signal.
1. A system comprising: a pulse generation circuit configured to generate a plurality of quantum control pulses; and an output management circuit configured to generate a route, for each of the plurality of quantum control pulses, from the pulse generation circuit to a respective controlled element of a plurality of controlled elements, wherein: the output management circuitry is configured to determine the route during a runtime of a quantum algorithm description, and the determination is based on one or more calculations performed by the pulse generation circuit.
31. A method comprising: adaptively determining a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm via a pulse generation circuit, and routing the pulse, according to the routing signal, to a first quantum element via a management circuit.
9. A method comprising: generating, via a pulse generation circuit, a plurality of quantum control pulses; generating, via an output management circuit, a route for each of the plurality of quantum control pulses, wherein each route is from the pulse generation circuit to a respective controlled element of a plurality of controlled elements; and determining each route during a runtime of a quantum algorithm description, wherein the determination is based on one or more calculations performed by the pulse generation circuit.
Claims 21-40 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,088,302. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they contain substantially similar subject matter (see chart below).
Claims 22-30 and 31-40 are also rejected as corresponding to claims 2-10 and 12-20 of the ‘302 Patent.
Instant Application 18/829,370
US Patent No. 12,088,302
21. A system comprising: a pulse generation circuit configured to adaptively determine a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm; and a management circuit configured to route the pulse to a first quantum element according to the routing signal.
1. A system comprising: a pulse generation circuit configured to generate a plurality of quantum control pulses and one or more digital control signals during a runtime of a quantum algorithm; and an output management circuit configured to determine, according to the one or more digital control signals, a route, for each of the plurality of quantum control pulses, from the pulse generation circuit to a respective controlled element of a plurality of controlled elements.
31. A method comprising: adaptively determining a pulse and a routing signal during an operation of a quantum algorithm via a pulse generation circuit, and routing the pulse, according to the routing signal, to a first quantum element via a management circuit.
11. A method comprising: generating, via a pulse generation circuit, a plurality of quantum control pulses and one or more digital control signals; generating, via an output management circuit, a route for each of the plurality of quantum control pulses, wherein: each route is generated during a runtime of a quantum algorithm according to the one or more digital control signals, and each route is from the pulse generation circuit to a respective controlled element of a plurality of controlled elements.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jason M Crawford whose telephone number is (571)272-6004. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6:00am-3:00pm.
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, Alexander Taningco can be reached at 571-272-8048. 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.
/JASON M CRAWFORD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2844