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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. Claim 15 recites, “A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and computer program instructions stored therein that, when executed, are configured to… ”.
The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim drawn to a program (also called computer readable medium, machine readable medium and other such variations) typically covers forms of non-transitory tangible media and transitory propagating signals per se in view of the ordinary and customary meaning of computer readable media, particularly when the specification is silent. See MPEP 2111.0 I. See In re Nuijten, 500 F.3d 1346,1356-57 (Fed. Cir. 2007). A claim drawn to such a program that covers both transitory and non-transitory embodiments may be amended to narrow the claim to cover only statutory embodiments to overcome a rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 101 by adding the limitation "non-transitory" to the claim, such that it reads:
“A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and computer program instructions stored therein that, when executed, are configured to… ”.
Claims 16-20 depend from 15 and therefore inherit the same defect. These claims should be amended to read “The non-transitory program …”.
Reasons for Allowance
Claims 1-14 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claims 1 and 8: The prior art by Bonaccio et al. Publication No. US 2008/0143373 discloses a method and system that allow operation of an electronic device to be controlled after a device manufacturer, wherein the system comprises: a plurality of computer components [Fig. 5, module 1 to module N]; a plurality of electric fuses [Fig. 5, 506]; wherein each of the electronic fuses are programmed after the manufacturing and testing processes for the electronic device have been completed [par. 0025 to par. 0032].
However, none of the prior art discloses a method that comprises the following steps of: during an initial startup procedure of a system that includes a plurality of computer components, programming one or more limits of a programmable eFuse (electronic fuse) based on configuration data associated with each of the plurality of computer components; and enabling, prior to completing the initial startup procedure of the system, the programmable eFuse with the one or more limits; and performing, while the eFuse is enabled, a test on the plurality of computer components using the eFuse. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DHARTI PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-8659. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 9 AM - 5 PM.
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, Thienvu Tran can be reached at 571-270-1276. 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.
DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
Prosecution Insights