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 .
This Office Action is responsive to the application filed 30 June 2025.
Claims 1-18 are pending and have been presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the first rising edge to the second rising edge of the third signal" in lines 36-37. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The claim previously set forth a first rising edge of the fourth signal and a second rising edge of the fourth signal. For purposes of examination, the Examiner will interpret the limitation as "the first rising edge to the second rising edge of the fourth signal" as this resolves the antecedent basis issue.
Claims 2-11 are also rejected based on their dependency to claim 1.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the first rising edge to the second rising edge of the third signal" in lines 39-40. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The claim previously set forth a first rising edge of the fourth signal and a second rising edge of the fourth signal. For purposes of examination, the Examiner will interpret the limitation as "the first rising edge to the second rising edge of the fourth signal" as this resolves the antecedent basis issue.
Claims 13-18 are also rejected based on their dependency to claim 12.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 12 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the state of the art fails to anticipate, or render obvious, “… the data input and output interface being configured to (i) receive the first signal being input to the first pad as the command in response to a first rising edge of the fourth signal at the fourth pad after a rising edge of the second signal at the second pad, and (ii) receive the first signal being input to the first pad as the address in response to a second rising edge of the fourth signal at the fourth pad after a rising edge of the third signal at the third pad; a command register configured to store the command sent from the data input and output interface; and an address register configured to store the address sent from the data input and output interface, wherein a first period from the rising edge of the second signal to the first rising edge of the fourth signal is longer than a second period from the rising edge of the third signal to the second rising edge of the fourth signal, and wherein a third period from the first rising edge to the second rising edge of the third signal is shorter than the first period and longer than the second period.”
The claims of the instant application receive a command and an address on the same pad. The command and address are specified based on the timing of a rising edge of another signal. The claims also require a specific timing relationship between the rising edges of a signal that specify the command and address and a second signal. This is not disclosed by the prior art.
The limitations of the instant application contain similar concepts to limitations in the parent applications that made the parent applications patentable:
12,373,143 claimed receiving a command and address subsequent to each other based on a latch enable signal.
12,001,723 claimed receiving a command signal and an address signal based on first and second command signals.
11,507,316 claimed receiving a command and an address signal based on a first and a second control signal.
The instant application contains further limitations about the timing of the signals, and the period after a rising edge of a signal that are not claimed by the parent applications. The claims of the instant application distinct from the claims of the parent applications.
KIM [2014/0347942] discloses receiving a command signal and an address signal. A strobe signal is received to enable the read/write command and cause data to be transferred from/to the memory. [0060]-[0068]
IM [2008/0162790] discloses a command/address pin for receiving a memory command and an address associated with the command. There are signals asserted when a command is received and when an address is received. The command and address are received subsequent to each other separated by a clock cycle. [0040]-[0052]
SVED [2007/0198782] discloses a queue buffer for read and write commands. [0038]-[0042]
These related prior art references do not disclose: “… the data input and output interface being configured to (i) receive the first signal being input to the first pad as the command in response to a first rising edge of the fourth signal at the fourth pad after a rising edge of the second signal at the second pad, and (ii) receive the first signal being input to the first pad as the address in response to a second rising edge of the fourth signal at the fourth pad after a rising edge of the third signal at the third pad; a command register configured to store the command sent from the data input and output interface; and an address register configured to store the address sent from the data input and output interface, wherein a first period from the rising edge of the second signal to the first rising edge of the fourth signal is longer than a second period from the rising edge of the third signal to the second rising edge of the fourth signal, and wherein a third period from the first rising edge to the second rising edge of the third signal is shorter than the first period and longer than the second period.”
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWARD J DUDEK JR whose telephone number is (571)270-1030. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00A-4:00P.
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, Hosain T Alam can be reached at 571-272-3978. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EDWARD J DUDEK JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2132
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