Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is in response to application filed on 7/22/2025, claims 1-20 are pending for examination.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/22/2025 and 1/9/2026 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 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by AHN et al., US 2024/0069790 A1.
Regarding claims 1 and 11, AHN teaches a method of performing a read operation on a memory block of a storage device, by at least one processor (Fig.21; section 0048; the read manager 112 may control the non-volatile memory 120 to read data therefrom in response to a read request from a host; section 0053; The non-volatile memory 120 may include a memory cell array 121. The memory cell array 121 may include a plurality of memory blocks), the method comprising:
determining an optimal read level voltage for a current memory block, based on a failure of a read operation performed on the current memory block due to an incompatible read level voltage applied for the read operation (Fig.12 and 17; section 0121; 0153-0155; A shift value corresponding to the shift from a default read voltage level to an optimal read voltage level may be calculated in operation S1520);
performing, based on the optimal read level voltage determined for the current memory block, one of
determining a recalibrated read level voltage for an existing read level cluster among one or more existing read level clusters created previously for one or more memory blocks of the storage device; and
creating a new read level cluster with respect to a new read level voltage equivalent to the optimal read level voltage for the current memory block; and
performing, based on a subsequent read operation request for the current memory block, the read operation on the current memory block based on the recalibrated read level voltage or the new read level voltage (Fig.17; An operation of reading the stored data may be performed based on the found optimal read voltage level (or a new optimal read voltage set) in operation S1540).
For claim 11, AHN further teaches at least one processor; and a memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory stores instructions, which, on execution, causes the at least one processor to perform the above steps (Fig.21).
Regarding claims 2 and 12, AHN teaches the determining the optimal read level voltage comprises determining the optimal read level voltage for the current memory block, based on the failure of the read operation performed on the current memory block due to a default read level voltage of the current memory block, which is the incompatible read level voltage, applied for the read operation of the current memory block (Fig.17 and section 0155; A shift value corresponding to the shift from a default read voltage level to an optimal read voltage level may be calculated in operation S1520; section 0045; 0049-0051 and section 0117-0121).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, AHN teaches the determining the optimal read level voltage comprises determining the optimal read level voltage for the current memory block, based on the read operation performed on the current memory block failing due to a default read level voltage of the current memory block, which is the incompatible read level voltage, applied for the read operation of the current memory block, and further based on the one or more existing read level clusters not including at least one existing read level voltage that is a compatible read level voltage for performing the read operation of the current memory block (Fig.17 and 12; sections 0115-0124; 00153-0157; a shift value corresponding to the shift from a default read voltage level to an optimal read voltage level may be calculated).
Regarding claims 4 and 14, AHN teaches the determining the recalibrated read level voltage comprises determining the recalibrated read level voltage for the existing read level cluster based on a similarity of the optimal read level voltage determined for the current memory block to an existing read level voltage of the existing read level cluster, among the one or more existing read level clusters, satisfying a predefined similarity threshold (Fig.17; it is taught as calculate shift value corresponding to shift form default read voltage level to found optimal read voltage level; The read retry may refer to an operation of finding an optimal read voltage and newly performing a read operation based on the optimal read voltage. At this time, a valley may be formed in the intersection between the threshold voltage distribution of memory cells in the sixth program state P6 and the threshold voltage distribution of memory cells in the seventh program state P7. When a read operation is performed using, as the optimal read voltage, a read voltage Vr7′ having a level corresponding to the valley, the error of the read operation may be decreased. An operation of finding the valley may be performed to find the optimal read voltage, as described above, and this operation may be referred to as a valley search. In other words, the valley search may be used to determine the optimal read voltage; section 0092).
Regarding claims 5 and 15, AHN teaches further comprising, prior to determining the recalibrated read level voltage: selecting the existing read level cluster for recalibration, among the one or more existing read level clusters, based on a similarity of each of one or more existing read level voltages of the one or more existing read level clusters to the optimal read level voltage (section 0092; The read retry may refer to an operation of finding an optimal read voltage and newly performing a read operation based on the optimal read voltage. At this time, a valley may be formed in the intersection between the threshold voltage distribution of memory cells in the sixth program state P6 and the threshold voltage distribution of memory cells in the seventh program state P7. When a read operation is performed using, as the optimal read voltage, a read voltage Vr7′ having a level corresponding to the valley, the error of the read operation may be decreased. An operation of finding the valley may be performed to find the optimal read voltage, as described above, and this operation may be referred to as a valley search. In other words, the valley search may be used to determine the optimal read voltage).
Regarding claims 6 and 16, AHN teaches the determining the recalibrated read level voltage comprises determining the recalibrated read level voltage for the existing read level cluster based on an existing read level voltage of the existing read level cluster, a total number of memory blocks previously mapped to the existing read level cluster, and the optimal read level voltage determined for the current memory block (Fig.15-16).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, AHN teaches the creating the new read level cluster comprises creating the new read level cluster with respect to the new read level voltage based on a similarity of the optimal read level voltage determined for the current memory block to one or more existing read level voltages of the one or more existing read level clusters not satisfying a predefined similarity threshold (Fig.17; it is taught as calculate shift value corresponding to shift form default read voltage level to found optimal read voltage level; The read retry may refer to an operation of finding an optimal read voltage and newly performing a read operation based on the optimal read voltage. At this time, a valley may be formed in the intersection between the threshold voltage distribution of memory cells in the sixth program state P6 and the threshold voltage distribution of memory cells in the seventh program state P7. When a read operation is performed using, as the optimal read voltage, a read voltage Vr7′ having a level corresponding to the valley, the error of the read operation may be decreased. An operation of finding the valley may be performed to find the optimal read voltage, as described above, and this operation may be referred to as a valley search. In other words, the valley search may be used to determine the optimal read voltage; section 0092).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, AHN teaches further comprises: storing a cluster list comprising one or more read level clusters and one or more representative read level voltages of the one or more read level clusters (it is taught as a read voltage set; a read voltage set may include fifteen different read voltages; section 0088 and section 0092; a read voltage Vr7′ having a level corresponding to the valley), wherein the one or more read level clusters comprises at least one of the one or more existing read level clusters and one or more newly created read level clusters (Fig.17; it is taught as found optimal read voltage level).
Regarding claims 9 and 19, AHN teaches further comprises dynamically updating the cluster list based on a number of memory blocks in the one or more existing read level clusters (section 0156; A displacement level update may be performed in operation S1530. In other words, the value of a displacement level stored in the cache memory 111 may be updated by storing the calculated displacement level in the cache memory 111. For example, the read manager 112 may update the displacement level, which is calculated by using the recovery code, in the cache memory 111).
Regarding claims 10 and 20, AHN teaches the determining the optimal read level voltage comprises determining the optimal read level voltage based on a read recovery algorithm that is triggered by the failure of the read operation performed on the current memory block (section 0045; The optimal read voltage set may also include a read voltage obtained as a result of executing a recovery code; section 0121; The third read operation may be carried out by searching for a new optimal read voltage set by executing a recovery code, calculating and storing a displacement level, and reading the data based on the new optimal read voltage set. In other words, the third read operation entails executing a recovery code to find a new optimal read voltage set, determining and storing a displacement level, and then reading the data using the newly found optimal read voltage set; section 0154; a new optimal read voltage may be searched for by executing a recovery code in operation S1510).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lee., US 2013/0194883 A1 teaches a data read method in a nonvolatile memory device including data cells and monitoring cells comprises; performing a first read operation by applying a first read voltage having a first read voltage level to the data cells and the monitoring cells, wherein the data cells have been programmed to store data according to a plurality of data state threshold voltage distributions, and the monitoring cells have been programmed to a plurality of predetermined threshold voltages, determining whether a read fail occurs as a result of the first read operation, if the read fail occurs as the result of the first read operation, determining a second read voltage having a second read voltage level determined by adjusting the first read voltage level according to at least one of a number of ON-cells and a number of OFF-cells among the monitoring cells, and then performing a second read operation by applying the second read voltage to the data cells.
When responding to the 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 the 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).
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/HUA J SONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2133
