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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 01/10/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP10-2024-0004486 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. See “Priority Document Exchange Failure State Report” dated 6/10/2024
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mohan et al. (US 2016/0019160).
Consider claim 13, Mohan et al. discloses a storage device comprising: at least one nonvolatile memory device configured to store or read data; and a controller configured to control the at least one nonvolatile memory device and to perform a workload requested by a host, wherein the controller is configured to: divide the at least one nonvolatile memory device into a plurality of virtual groups, based on bit information and based on a physical address of the at least one nonvolatile memory device stored in a mapping table, the bit information being included in a logical address associated with the workload, being indicated by bits at preset bit positions in the logical address, and corresponding to one of the plurality of virtual groups; and perform the workload based on the plurality of virtual groups (Abstract, Fig 1B, 3, [0016]-[0022], [0030], [0049], [0053], [0082], [0083], [0103]-[0107] and [0111]-[0114], Mohan et al. discloses a storage system with a plurality of non-volatile memory modules and a plurality of controllers that utilize logical page addressing to at least two physical addresses to access a storage where the predefined bits of the logical page address are used to access a mapping table with an associated physical address and this table it used to access another table with an additional physical address to access the table. The whole process is based on what particular logical page address is submitted. Mohan et al. discloses memory being grouped into modules, channels, chips, dies, planes, blocks pages, etc.).
Consider claim 14, Mohan et al. discloses the storage device of claim 13, wherein the controller distinguishes the plurality of virtual groups based on the bit information. (Abstract, Fig 1B, 3, [0016]-[0022], [0030], [0049], [0053], [0082], [0083], [0103]-[0107] and [0111]-[0114], Mohan et al. discloses memory being grouped into modules, channels, chips, dies, planes, blocks pages, etc.).
Consider claim 15, Mohan et al. discloses the storage device of claim 13, further comprising: a plurality of flash controllers connected to perform the workload by controlling at least one of a plurality of channels to which the at least one nonvolatile memory device is connected, wherein the controller allocates the workload to one of the plurality of flash controllers based on the bit information. (Abstract, Fig 1B, 3, [0016]-[0022], [0030], [0049], [0053], [0082], [0083], [0103]-[0107] and [0111]-[0114], Mohan et al. discloses memory being grouped into modules, channels, chips, dies, planes, blocks pages, etc. The configuration of a system effects how many bits are required. The logical address is used to segway into particular sections of the memory configuration.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1-12 and 16-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The applicant’s arguments, filed 1/14/2026, have been considered and are persuasive.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL ALSIP whose telephone number is (571)270-1182. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Reginald G. Bragdon can be reached at (571)272-4204. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL ALSIP/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2136