Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/058,978

TRAFFIC REORDERING FOR LOWER TOGGLING

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Feb 20, 2025
Examiner
ABAD, FARLEY J
Art Unit
2181
Tech Center
2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
Assignee
Mellanox Technologies Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
10m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
823 granted / 954 resolved
+31.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +5% lift
Without
With
+5.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
968
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
§103
59.6%
+19.6% vs TC avg
§102
14.7%
-25.3% vs TC avg
§112
10.2%
-29.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 954 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION Status of Application Claims 1-20 are pending in the present application. 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 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. Claim(s) 1-3, 6-9, 13-17, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Osthoff et al (hereinafter Osthoff), US 6126310, in view of Rim et al (hereinafter Rim), US 20210272511 A1. Referring to claims 1 and 8, taking claim 1 as exemplary, Osthoff discloses a processor comprising: one or more circuits to perform an instruction to cause one or more other processors to reorder bits of data of network traffic [col. 4, lines 1-15, “transmission link between a data packet transmitter and a data packet receiver”…” a transmitter reordering means for reordering the original information bits of said data packet before transmission using a selected reordering pattern”]. Osthoff does not explicitly disclose reordering based on changes in a state of each bit of data between cycles of a clock. However, Rim discloses reordering based on changes in a state of each bit of data between cycles of a clock [paragraphs 4, “reducing the number of toggles by reordering the bit sequence may reduce power consumption”; paragraphs 73, 4, fig. 10; fig. 10 shows the bit sequences, each with their own “toggle” count (which is the number of state changes in the sequence); “Additionally or alternatively, the support circuitry 62 may determine using the pixel-by-pixel mode and/or the reorder mode based on the value variance of the predefined number of bits”; “The number of value variances may correspond to a number of toggles”]; hence reordering is based on the value variance/toggles/state changes of the bit sequences; paragraph 45, A row of microdrivers 78 may be activated when a row driver 76 controlling the respective row sends the data clock signal (DATA_CLK) to the microdrivers 78. This may cause the activated microdrivers 78 of the row to receive and store the digital pixel data 70 that is driven by the column drivers 74; the system operates according a DATA_CLK signal, hence reordering would be performed between a first cycle of the system and last cycle of the system]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rim in the processor of Osthoff to implement, reordering based on changes in a state of each bit of data between cycles of a clock, in order to reduce the number of toggles and reduce power consumption [paragraphs 4, 24]. Referring to claims 2, 9, and 16, taking claim 2 as exemplary, the modified Osthoff discloses the processor of claim 1, wherein reordering the bits of data based on changes in the state of each bit of data between cycles of the clock comprises reordering the bits of data to reduce changes in the state of each bit of data between cycles of the clock [Rim, paragraphs 4, “reducing the number of toggles by reordering the bit sequence may reduce power consumption”]. Referring to claims 3, 10, and 17, taking claim 3 as exemplary, the modified Osthoff discloses the processor of claim 2, wherein reordering the bits of data comprises reordering the bits of data according to a selected reordering option of a plurality of predefined reordering options [Osthoff, col. 4, lines 1-15, “a transmitter reordering means for reordering the original information bits of said data packet before transmission using a selected reordering pattern”]. Referring to claims 6 and 13, taking claim 6 as exemplary, the modified Osthoff discloses the processor of claim 4, wherein the instruction further causes the one or more other processors to identify the selected reordering option for each segment of data within the network traffic [Osthoff, col. 7, lines 22-24, “indicate to the transmitter control means TCM a specific number REORD# of a reordering pattern to be used next for the reordering of information bits”; col. 8, lines 13-16, “In a packet transmission system according to FIG. 1, the packet encoder performs a segmenting and encoding of the information message from the information source IS into a packet”; hence the claimed segment is equivalent to a packet]. Referring to claims 7 and 14, taking claim 7 as exemplary, the modified Osthoff discloses the processor of claim 6, wherein the instruction further causes the one or more other processors to reverse reordering of the bits of data within each segment of data within the network traffic based on the identified, selected reordering option for the segment of data upon receipt of the segment of data [Osthoff, col. 3, lines 60-62, “a receiver reordering means for reordering said received erroneous information bits of said transmitted data packet using said selected reordering pattern”]. Referring to claim 15, Osthoff discloses a communication network switch comprising: a communication network interface [fig. 1a, see TRANSMITTER TM side]; and a control circuit [fig. 1a, RM-T] controlling operation of the communication network switch, wherein the control circuit causes the communication network switch to: receive bits of data of network traffic through the communication network interface [fig. 1a, see Packet Encoder sending bits of network traffic through Transmitter TM]; reorder the received bits of data of network traffic [col. 4, lines 1-15, “a transmitter reordering means for reordering the original information bits of said data packet before transmission using a selected reordering pattern”]; fig. 1a, see RM-T]; and transmit the reordered bits of data of network traffic through the communication network interface [col. 4, lines 1-15, “transmission link between a data packet transmitter and a data packet receiver”…” a transmitter reordering means for reordering the original information bits of said data packet before transmission using a selected reordering pattern”]. Osthoff does not explicitly disclose a clock; and based on changes in a state of each bit of data between cycles of the clock. However, Rim discloses a clock; and based on changes in a state of each bit of data between cycles of the clock [paragraphs 4, “reducing the number of toggles by reordering the bit sequence may reduce power consumption”; paragraphs 73, 4, fig. 10; fig. 10 shows the bit sequences, each with their own “toggle” count (which is the number of state changes in the sequence); “Additionally or alternatively, the support circuitry 62 may determine using the pixel-by-pixel mode and/or the reorder mode based on the value variance of the predefined number of bits”; “The number of value variances may correspond to a number of toggles”]; hence reordering is based on the value variance/toggles/state changes of the bit sequences; paragraph 45, A row of microdrivers 78 may be activated when a row driver 76 controlling the respective row sends the data clock signal (DATA_CLK) to the microdrivers 78. This may cause the activated microdrivers 78 of the row to receive and store the digital pixel data 70 that is driven by the column drivers 74; the system operates according a DATA_CLK signal, hence reordering would be performed between a first cycle of the system and last cycle of the system]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rim in the network switch of Osthoff to implement, disclose a clock; and based on changes in a state of each bit of data between cycles of the clock, in order to reduce the number of toggles and reduce power consumption [paragraphs 4, 24]. Referring to claim 20, the modified Osthoff discloses the communication network switch of claim 18, wherein the control circuit further causes the communication network switch to identify the selected reordering option for each segment of data within the network traffic [Osthoff, col. 7, lines 22-24, “indicate to the transmitter control means TCM a specific number REORD# of a reordering pattern to be used next for the reordering of information bits”; col. 8, lines 13-16, “In a packet transmission system according to FIG. 1, the packet encoder performs a segmenting and encoding of the information message from the information source IS into a packet”; hence the claimed segment is equivalent to a packet], and wherein a recipient of each segment of data reverses reordering of the bits of data within the segment of data within the network traffic based on the identified, selected reordering option for the segment of data upon receipt of the segment of data [Osthoff, col. 3, lines 60-62, “a receiver reordering means for reordering said received erroneous information bits of said transmitted data packet using said selected reordering pattern”]. Claim(s) 4, 11, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Osthoff, in view of Rim, as applied to claims 3, 10, and 17 above, and further in view of Byrd, US 20010049805 A1. Referring to claims 4, 11, and 18, taking claim 4 as exemplary, the modified Osthoff does not explicitly disclose the processor of claim 3, wherein reordering the bits of data comprises reordering bits of data within each segment of data of a plurality of segments of data within the network traffic according to the selected reordering option for the segment of data. However, Byrd discloses wherein reordering the bits of data comprises reordering bits of data within each segment of data of a plurality of segments of data within the network traffic according to the selected reordering option for the segment of data [claim 20, “a number n of data bits ordered serially in a first format and configured for serially reordering said number n of said data bits of each of said test data packets from said first format into a second format”]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Byrd in the processor of the modified Osthoff to implement, wherein reordering the bits of data comprises reordering bits of data within each segment of data of a plurality of segments of data within the network traffic according to the selected reordering option for the segment of data, in order to preserve available memory and allow for more efficient operation [Byrd, paragraph 8]. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 5, 12, and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record taken alone or in combination fails to teach and/or fairly suggest wherein a number of predefined reordering options in the plurality of predefined reordering options and a size of each segment of data of the plurality of segments of data are determined based on area spend and power consumed by the predefined reordering options in the plurality of predefined reordering options and power consumed to reorder and transmit the bits of data, in combination with other recited limitations in claim 5. The prior art of record taken alone or in combination fails to teach and/or fairly suggest wherein a number of predefined reordering options in the plurality of predefined reordering options and a size of each segment of data of the plurality of segments of data are determined based on area spend and power consumed by the predefined reordering options in the plurality of predefined reordering options and power consumed to reorder and transmit the bits of data, in combination with other recited limitations in claim 12. The prior art of record taken alone or in combination fails to teach and/or fairly suggest wherein a number of predefined reordering options in the plurality of predefined reordering options and a size of each segment of data of the plurality of segments of data are determined based on area spend and power consumed by the predefined reordering options in the plurality of predefined reordering options and power consumed to reorder and transmit the bits of data, in combination with other recited limitations in claim 19. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Golitschek Edler Von Elbwart et al, US 20030110436 A1, discloses wherein the step of reordering comprises interleaving the bits or symbols of the data packets prior to modulation according to a selected one out of a plurality of different interleaving patterns [claim 3]. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARLEY J ABAD whose telephone number is (571)270-3425. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30 AM - 7 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, Idriss Alrobaye can be reached at (571) 270-1023. 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. /Farley Abad/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2181
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Feb 20, 2025
Application Filed
Aug 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12748594
REMOTE ATOMIC OPERATIONS FOR CLUSTERED PROCESSING ARCHITECTURE
3y 9m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12748971
DATA COMPRESSION FOR A NEURAL NETWORK
2y 0m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12748618
SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUSES FOR HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING
1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12737316
SUBSCRIBER STATION FOR A SERIAL BUS SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION IN A SERIAL BUS SYSTEM
1y 11m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12730568
SMART CABLE FOR CONNECTING STORAGE DRIVES
1y 10m to grant Granted Sep 08, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+5.3%)
2y 6m (~10m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 954 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month