DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the following communications: the Application filed March 31, 2025, and the information disclosure statement (IDS) filed March 31, 2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 13 and 21-23 have been cancelled. Claims 1 and 12 are independent.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 31, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of AIA 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yuan (US 2004/0057182).
Regarding independent claim 1, and its method independent claim 12, Yuan discloses a power supply control circuit (FIG. 1) for a storage system, comprising: a signal processing module (30 Hot_Swap Controller) and a driving module (61 First Power Switch or 62 Second Power Switch), wherein
a first input end of the signal processing module is connected to an initial output end of a hot-swap control chip (20 IDE Connector) deployed in the storage system, a first output end of the signal processing module is connected to a second input end of the driving module, a second output end of the driving module is connected to a control end of a hot-swap device (51 First IDE Device or 52 Second IDE Device) deployed in the storage system, and the initial output end is also connected to the control end;
in a case that target turning-on time of the hot-swap device is less than or equal to a time threshold (para. 0016: only one of the IDE_HDDs can be in working mode (i.e., claimed turning-on time) in the computer system at a time; the other is in standby mode), the driving module connects (FIG. 1: switches 61 and 62 turned on; see para. 0016-0019) the second input end to the second output end, the initial output end outputs an initial hot-swap signal to the first input end, the signal processing module converts the initial hot-swap signal into a target hot-swap signal, the first output end outputs the target hot-swap signal to the second input end, and the second output end outputs the target hot-swap signal to the control end, wherein the target hot-swap signal is greater than the initial hot- swap signal; the hot-swap device controls, in response to the target hot-swap signal, a server power supply unit deployed in the storage system to supply power to the storage system; and
in a case that the target turning-on time of the hot-swap device is greater than the time threshold (para. 0016: only one of the IDE_HDDs can be in working mode in the computer system at a time; the other is in standby mode), the driving module disconnects (FIG. 1: switches 61 and 62 turned off; see para. 0016-0019) the second input end from the second output end, and the initial output end outputs the initial hot-swap signal to the control end; and the hot-swap device controls, in response to the initial hot-swap signal, the server power supply unit to supply power to the storage system (see FIGS. 1-2 and accompanying disclosure, e.g., para. 0016-0019).
Further, regarding method claim 12, MPEP 2112.02(I) instructs examiners, “Under the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device will inherently perform the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 USPQ 136 (Fed. Cir. 1986).” Here, the applied prior art product is identical to applicant’s disclosed product, and therefore is assumed, in accordance with MPEP 2112.02(I), to inherently perform the claimed process.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11 and 14-20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNG IL CHO whose telephone number is (571)270-0137. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 7:30AM-5PM; Every other F, 7:30AM-4PM EST.
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/SUNG IL CHO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2825