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
The instant detailed action is in response to Applicant's submission filed on 5 June 2025.
ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER
Claim 2-3, 5,15 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.
Claim 16-20 allowed.
REJECTIONS BASED ON PRIOR ART
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-4, 6-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang (US PG PUB No. 2022/0091750) in view of Park (US PG PUB No. 2023/0222219).
As per claim 1, an operating method of a storage controller controlling a memory device (see FIG 1: 200),
comprising:
executing an existing firmware image stored in the memory device (see Kang [0024]);
[The existing firmware is necessarily executed to control the storage device.]
generating a decrypted value based on decrypting, using the public key, a new signature included in the signature data (see Kang [0070]: “For example, the firmware image verifier 211 may decode the signature Sig obtained from the image buffer 213 with a public key to obtain a hash value “)
generating a hash value based on performing a hash operation on firmware content included in the existing firmware image (see Kang [0070]: “a hash value obtained by applying a hash function to the data Data obtained from the image buffer 213”); and
replacing an existing signature included in the existing firmware image with the new signature based on the decrypted value matching the hash value (see Kang [0029]).
However, does not expressly disclose but in the same field of endeavor discloses
obtaining a public key from the memory device, wherein the public key corresponds to signature data received from a host (see Park [0030]);
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kang to further obtain a public key from the memory device.
The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been for the benefit of improved authentication (see Park [0005]).
Therefore it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kang to further obtain a public key from the memory device as taught by Park for the benefit of improved authentication to arrive at the invention as specified in the claims.
As per claim 4, the operating method of claim 1,
wherein obtaining the public key from the memory device includes referencing a new index included in the signature data, and wherein the public key corresponds to the new index (see Park [0059]).
[Park discloses receiving and adding public keys for an updated firmware where subsequent authentication requires accessing the added public keys.]
As per claim 6, the operating method of claim 1,
wherein generating the decrypted value is performed based on a firmware commit command from the host (see Kang FIG 11: S207 and [0029]).
As per claim 7, the operating method of claim 6,
comprising terminating an operation according to the firmware commit command based on the decrypted value being different from the hash value (see Kang FIG 12: S360 and [0158]).
As per claim 8, the operating method of claim 6, comprising receiving, from the host,
download data and a firmware download command,
wherein the firmware download command and the firmware commit command are defined in a non-volatile memory express (NVMe) specification (see Kang [0047]).
As per claim 9, the operating method of claim 1,
wherein generating the decrypted value includes performing decryption using Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) (see Park [0036]).
As per claim 10, the operating method of claim 1,
wherein generating the hash value includes performing the hash operation using Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) (see Park [0035]).
As per claim 11, a method of replacing a first signature of a firmware image stored in a storage device, the first signature being generated based on a first secret key, the method comprising:
performing a hash operation on firmware content included in the firmware image to generate a hash value (see Kang [0070]: “a hash value obtained by applying a hash function to the data Data obtained from the image buffer 213”);
providing signature data and a firmware download command to the storage device, the signature data including the second signature and an index of the second secret key (see e.g., Kang FIG 5: S540 and [0067]); and
providing a firmware commit command to the storage device (see Kang [0047]).
However, Kang does not expressly disclose but in the same field of endeavor discloses
generating a second signature of the firmware image based on encrypting the hash value using a second secret key (see Park FIG 7: S770 and [0030]);
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kang to further obtain a public key from the memory device.
The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been for the benefit of improved authentication (see Park [0005]).
Therefore it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Kang to further obtain a public key from the memory device as taught by Park for the benefit of improved authentication to arrive at the invention as specified in the claims.
As per claim 12, the method of claim 11,
wherein performing the hash operation on the firmware content comprises using Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) (see Park [0035]).
As per claim 13, the method of claim 11,
wherein generating the second signature includes performing encryption using Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) (see Park [0036]).
As per claim 14, the method of claim 11,
wherein the firmware download command and the firmware commit command are defined in Non-volatile memory express (NVMe) specification (see Kang [0047]).
CONCLUSION
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. 2022/0067166: A storage device is provided. The storage device includes a boot ROM stores a plurality of public keys and a boot ROM image, an OTP memory identifies a first public key among the plurality of public keys, a first memory including a first area the stores the plurality of public keys and a flash boot image different from the boot ROM image, and a second area that stores a first boot signature corresponding to the flash boot image, a second memory including a first firmware image including a first firmware signature, and a memory controller that receives a second firmware image including a second firmware signature and a second boot signature, receives a second public key among the plurality of public keys and the flash boot image based on the second firmware image being received, and write the second boot signature in the second area of the first memory.
DIRECTION OF FUTURE CORRESPONDENCES
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KALPIT PARIKH whose telephone number is (571)270-1173. The examiner can normally be reached MON THROUGH FRI 9:30 TO 6:00.
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, Arpan Savla can be reached on 571-272-1077. 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.
/KALPIT PARIKH/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2137
KALPIT . PARIKH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2137
