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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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)(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 1-7, 9-18, 20-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by YAO et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2022/0179961 A1), hereafter referred to as YAO’961.
Referring to claim 1, YAO’961, as claimed, a device (system 100 comprising PCIe device 120 and host device 115, see Fig. 1), comprising: one or more components configured to: receive, a single data word at a time, (The first DW 205 and the second DW 210 may include header information that provides information such as a Data Object Type, a Vendor ID, a Length, etc., see paras. [0032]-[0033] and Fig. 2) a plurality of first data words of a request data object exchange (DOE) data object (PCIe data object exchange (DOE) specification, see paras. [0017] and [0018]) that encapsulates a request management message of a hardware device management protocol (secure protocol and data model (SPDM) messages between the PCIe device and the host device. SPDM messages may be used for device identification, device authentication, measurement collection, secure session establishment, etc., see paras. [0020], [0021]), wherein each data word of the plurality of first data words corresponds to a portion of the request management message (The first DW 205 and the second DW 210 may include header information that provides information such as a Data Object Type, a Vendor ID, a Length, etc., see paras. [0032]-[0033] and Fig. 2); and transmit, a single data word at a time, a plurality of second data words of a response DOE data object that encapsulates a response management message of the hardware device management protocol, wherein each data word of the plurality of second data words corresponds to a portion of the response management message (PCIe entities and/or the PCIe DOE entity return Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]).
As to claim 2, YAO’961 also discloses the one or more components, to receive the plurality of first data words, are configured to: receive a plurality of packets (PCIe communicates in packets, see paras. [0018], [0020], [0026] and Fig. 1), wherein each packet of the plurality of packets contains a respective data word of the plurality of first data words (The first DW 205 and the second DW 210 may include header information that provides information such as a Data Object Type, a Vendor ID, a Length, etc., see paras. [0032]-[0033] and Fig. 2).
As to claim 3, YAO’961 also discloses the one or more components, to receive the plurality of packets, are configured to: receive each packet of the plurality of packets responsive to the respective data word being written to a DOE write data mailbox register (DOE mailbox 200, see Fig. 2 and paras. [0031]-[0033]).
As to claim 4, YAO’961 also discloses the one or more components, to transmit the plurality of second data words, are configured to: transmit a plurality of packets (PCIe communicates in packets, see paras. [0018], [0020], [0026] and Fig. 1), wherein each packet of the plurality of packets contains a respective data word of the plurality of second data words (PCIe entities and/or the PCIe DOE entity return Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]).
As to claim 5, YAO’961 also discloses the one or more components, to transmit the plurality of packets, are configured to: transmit each packet of the plurality of packets to cause the respective data word to be written to a DOE read data mailbox register (DOE mailbox 200 used in which data is communicated between different DOE entities, see Fig. 2 and paras. [0031]-[0033]).
As to claim 6, YAO’961 also discloses the one or more components, to transmit the plurality of second data words, are configured to: set a data object ready bit in a DOE status register (PCIe entities and/or the PCIe DOE entity return Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]); transmit a data word of the plurality of second data words to cause the data word to be written to the DOE read data mailbox register (DOE mailbox 200, see Fig. 2 and paras. [0031]-[0033]); receive a value written to the DOE read data mailbox register after writing of the data word to the DOE read data mailbox register, wherein the value written to the DOE read data mailbox register indicates that the data word was read from the DOE read data mailbox register (PCIe device and host device back and forth communications, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]); and transmit, responsive to reception of the value, a next data word of the plurality of second data words to cause the next data word to be written to the DOE read data mailbox register (PCIe entities and/or the PCIe DOE entity return Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]).
As to claim 7, YAO’961 also discloses the one or more components, to receive the plurality of first data words and to transmit the plurality of second data words, are configured to:
receive the plurality of first data words and transmit the plurality of second data words over a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) link (PCIe-based physical coupling, see paras. [0022], [0026] and Fig. 1).
As to claim 9, YAO’961 also discloses the device is a peripheral component interconnect express (PCle) device or a compute express link (CXL) device (PCIe device, see paras. [0017]-[0022], [0026] and Fig. 1).
As to claim 10, YAO’961 also discloses the device lacks native support for the request management message or the response management message over in-band peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) packets (initial connection procedure and discovery, see paras. [0039]-[0045]).
Note claims 11 and 21 recite similar limitations of claim 1. Therefore they are rejected based on the same reason accordingly.
Note claim 12 recite similar limitations of claim 2. Therefore it is rejected based on the same reason accordingly.
Note claim 13 recite similar limitations of claim 4. Therefore it is rejected based on the same reason accordingly.
Note claims 14 and 23 recite similar limitations of claim 6. Therefore they are rejected based on the same reason accordingly.
As to claim 15, YAO’961 also discloses the request DOE data object or the response DOE data object indicates a vendor-defined DOE data object type used for synchronous management messages (PCIe entities and/or the PCIe DOE entity return Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]).
As to claim 16, YAO’961 also discloses transmitting an asynchronous DOE message that identifies a vendor-defined DOE data object type used for asynchronous management messages (PCIe entities and/or the PCIe DOE entity return Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]).
As to claim 17, YAO’961 also discloses the request management message includes at least one of: a device management command, or a firmware update command (device security manager/power management, see paras. [0018], [0025], [0043], [0066], [0076], [0086], [0095]).
As to claim 18, YAO’961 also discloses the response management message includes at least one of: sensor data, a device status, or a firmware update status (sensor and component measurement, see paras. [0055], [0066], [0076], [0079], [0086]).
As to claim 20, YAO’961 also discloses communications between the device and the host device use a dedicated DOE instance for management messages (establishing by a DOE entity of a PCIe device a first session between a first host entity of a host device and a first PCIe entity of the PCIe device, see paras. [0045]-[0048]).
As to claim 22, YAO’961 also discloses the host device is further configured to: write the plurality of first data words, a single data word at a time, to a DOE write data mailbox register (The first DW 205 and the second DW 210 may include header information that provides information such as a Data Object Type, a Vendor ID, a Length, etc., see paras. [0032]-[0033] and Fig. 2), to cause transmission of the plurality of first data words as the plurality of first data words are written to the DOE write data mailbox register (DOE mailbox 200, see Fig. 2 and paras. [0031]-[0033]; PCIe Data Object Types, see Tables 1, 2 and paras. [0040]-[0043]).
As to claim 24, YAO’961 also discloses the host device is further configured to: set a DOE go bit in a DOE control register to indicate a completion of transmission of the plurality of first data words (PCIe data object exchange (DOE) specification, see paras. [0017] and [0018]).
As to claim 25, YAO’961 also discloses the device is free of a connection to a peripheral component interconnect express (PCle) interposer card (no connection with a PCIe interposer card suggested for the device, see Fig. 1 and para. [0022]).
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) 8 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YAO’961 in view of Natu et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2014/0281070 A1), hereafter referred to as Natu’070.
As to claim 8, YAO’961 discloses all the claimed limitations except the request management message or the response management message is a management component transport protocol (MCTP) packet.
Natu’070 discloses the request management message or the response management message is a management component transport protocol (MCTP) packet (Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) being utilized to define how MCTP packets may be sent over a PCIe bus, see paras. [0004], [0056]-[0058]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify YAO’961’s invention to comprise the request management message or the response management message is a management component transport protocol (MCTP) packet, as taught by Natu’070, in order to provide monitoring and control functions inside a managed system without the need for a separate high bandwidth bus (see para. [0004]).
As to claim 19, YAO’961 discloses the plurality of first data words, or the plurality of second data words, represent a header and a payload (header information that provides information such as a Data Object Type, Vendor ID, a Length, etc., see para. [0033], Tables 1 and 2).
However, YAO’961 does not appear to disclose a management component transport protocol (MCTP) packet.
Natu’070 discloses a management component transport protocol (MCTP) packet (Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) being utilized to define how MCTP packets may be sent over a PCIe bus, see paras. [0004], [0056]-[0058]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify YAO’961’s invention to comprise a management component transport protocol (MCTP) packet, as taught by Natu’070, in order to provide monitoring and control functions inside a managed system without the need for a separate high bandwidth bus (see para. [0004]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Shanbhogue et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2015/0169453 A1) discloses a method for performing management component transport protocol (MCTP) communications with a USB device.
Erickson (U.S. Publication No. 2023/0161599 A1) discloses redundant data log retrieval in multi-processor device.
JOH (U.S. Publication No. 2025/0217077 A1) discloses storage device providing packet descriptor flags.
Harriman et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2022/0350912 A1) discloses data release control based on authentication and link protection.
Ponnuru et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2022/0116460 A1) discloses a system for platform session management using device integrity measurements.
Kwon et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2024/0378161 A1) discloses port-based routing switches, CXL fabric, and CXL switch to manage cache coherency between host servers.
LeMay et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2022/0206958 A1) discloses cryptographic computing including enhanced cryptographic addresses.
The examiner requests, in response to this office action, support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line number(s) in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the examiner in prosecuting the application. When responding to this office action, applicant is advised to clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present, in view of the state of art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. He or she must also show how the amendments avoid such references or objections. See 37 C.F.R. 1.111(c).
In amending in reply to a rejection of claims in an application or patent under reexamination, the applicant or patent owner must clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present in view the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. The applicant or patent owner must also show how the amendments avoid such references or objections.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TITUS WONG whose telephone number is (571)270-1627. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Idriss Alrobaye can be reached on (571) 270-1023. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TITUS WONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2181
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