`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria. Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspvo.gov
`
`APPLICATION NO
`
`FILING DATE
`
`FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
`
`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
`
`CONFIRMATION NO.
`
`l0/608,346
`
`06/27/2003
`
`John Erik Lindholm
`
`NVDA/P000575
`
`8753
`
`2629i
`
`7590
`
`02/07/2005
`
`MOSER, PATTERSON & SHERIDAN L.L.P.
`595 SHREWSBURY AVE, STE 100
`msTFLOOR
`SHREWSBURY, NJ 07702
`
`EXAMINER
`
`MONESTIME, MACKLY
`
`~
`
`mum
`
`2676
`DATE MAILED: 02/07/2005
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`PTO 90C (Rev 10/03)
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`
`Page 1 of 6
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`Page 1 of 6
`
`

`

`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`
`Applicant(s)
`
`10/608,346
`
`Examine,
`
`LINDHOLM ET AL.
`
`M Unit
`
` Mackly Monestime
`
`
`
`2676
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE Q MONTH(S) FROM
`THE MAILING DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a).
`afier SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`lfthe period for reply specified above is less than thirty (30) days, a reply within the statutory minimum of thirty (30) days will be considered timely.
`-
`If No period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`In no event, however, may a reply be timelyrfiled
`
`Status
`
`0% Responsive to communication(s) filed on 01 January 1935.
`
`za)l:l This action is FINAL.
`
`mm This action is non-final.
`
`3)l:] Since this application is in condition for allowance except forfonnal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Ex parte Quayle, 1935 CD. 11, 453 0.6. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims
`
`ME Claim(s) flj is/are pending in the application.
`4a) Of the above claim(s) __ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`
`SE Claim(s) fl is/are allowed.
`
`6)IZ Claim(s) 1-4 and 28-35 is/are rejected.
`
`7)I:] Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
`
`8)|:| Claim(s) _ are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`
`Application Papers
`
`9):] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`
`10)I:I The drawing(s) filed on _ is/are: a)EI accepted or b)l:| objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`1)I:I The oath or declaration is objected to by the Examiner. Note the attached Office Action orfomi PTO-152.
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`
`2)E] Acknowledgment is made of a claim forforeign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`
`a)CI A||
`
`b)|:I Some * c)|:| None of:
`
`1C] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`
`2:} Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. __
`3C] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1) IX Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`2) CI Notice of Draftsperson’s Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948)
`3) [:1 Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO-1449 or PTO/SBIOB)
`
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date _.
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 1-04)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`4) [:1 Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper N°(S)/Mai| Date. _
`5) El Notice of Informal Patent Application (PTO-152)
`6) C] Other: _
`
`Part of Paper No./MaiI Date 20050202
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`
`Page 2 of 6
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`Page 2 of 6
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 10/608,346
`Art Unit: 2676
`
`'
`
`Page 2
`
`DETAILED ACTION
`
`1.
`
`Claims 1-35 are presented for examination.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
`
`2.
`
`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 —
`
`(e) the invention was described in (1) an application for patent, published under section 122(b), by
`another filed in the United States before the invention by the applicant for patent or (2) a patent
`granted on an application for patent by anotherfiled in the United States before the invention by the
`applicant for patent, except that an international application filed under the treaty defined in section
`351(a) shall have the effects for purposes of this subsection of an application filed in the United States
`only if the international application designated the United States and was published under Article 21(2)
`of such treaty in the English language.
`
`3.
`
`Claims 1-4 and 28-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(e) as being anticipated
`
`by Heirich et al (US Patent No. 6,753,878).
`
`4.
`
`Ass per claims 1, 28, 30-31 and 33-34, Heirich et al disclosed the invention as
`
`claimed, including a method of rendering a scene using a graphics processor
`
`comprising: configuring a multithreaded processing unit within the graphics processor to
`
`enable processing of samples independent of an order in which the samples are
`
`received (Abstract, lines 1-6; col. 2, lines 30-37; col. 4 lines 29-32; col.'24, lines 8-15);
`
`and processing the samples independent of the order in which the samples are received
`
`by the multithreaded processing unit to render at least a portion of the scene (Abstract,
`
`lines 6-11; col. 24, lines 19-23).
`
`5.
`
`As per claim 2, Heirich et al disclosed that threads are independently processed,
`
`and the threads will not be held up waiting for other threads to reach a certain point in
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`
`Page 3 of 6
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`Page 3 of 6
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 10/608,346
`Art Unit: 2676
`
`’ Page 3
`
`their processing (col. 2, lines 30-37); processing a portion of the samples in the order in
`
`which the samples are received by the multithreaded processing unit (Abstract, lines 6-
`
`11; col. 24, lines 19-23).
`
`6.
`
`As per claims 3-4, Heirich et al disclosed that portion of the samples includes
`
`samples within intersecting, coincident objects (col. 2, lines 44-48).
`
`7.
`
`As per claims 29. 32 and 35, Heirich et al disclosed that the sample is at least
`
`one of higher-order surface, vertex, primitive, pixel and fragment (col. 3, lines 45-51)
`
`Allowable Subject Matter
`
`Claims 5-27 are allowable over the prior art of record.
`
`The prior art of record further failed to teach or suggest either singularly or in
`
`8.
`
`9.
`
`combination a graphics processor for multithreaded execution of program instruction
`
`further comprising: “a scheduler configured to receive the program instructions,
`
`determine availability of source data, and schedule the program instructions for
`
`execution to process the samples in a second order independent of the first order; a
`
`resource tracking unit configured to track the availability of the source data; and a
`
`dispatcher configured to output the program instructions in the second order to be-
`
`executed by the at least one multithreaded processing unit (as per claims 5 and 17);
`
`and further failed to disclose: "determining that first source data required to process the
`
`first program instruction are not available; determining that second source data required
`
`to process the second program instruction are available; and dispatching the second
`
`program instruction to process the second sample in the execution unit prior to
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`
`Page 4 of 6
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`Page 4 of 6
`
`

`

`12‘
`
`Application/Control Number: 10/608,346
`
`Art Unit: 2676
`
`'
`
`Page 4
`
`dispatching the first program instruction to process the first sample in the execution unit
`
`(as per claim 17). The totality of the combination of elements recited in the present
`
`claims invention were not found to be anticipated, suggested or made obvious by the
`
`prior art of record.
`
`Conclusion
`
`The prior art made bf record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
`
`applicant's disclosure.
`
`Dangelo (US Patent No. 5,946,487) taught an object oriented multi-media .
`
`architecture.
`
`Lawless et al (US Patent No. 5,818,469) taught graphics interface processing
`
`methodology in symmetric multiprocessing or distributed network environment.
`
`Sowizral et al
`
`(US Patent No. 6,765,571) taught a using a master controller to
`
`manage threads and resources for scene-based rendering.
`
`Wilt et al (US Pub. No. 2003/ 0140179) taught a method and system for
`
`managing computational resource of a coprocessor in a computer system.
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to Mackly Monestime whose telephone number is (703)
`
`305-3855. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Thursday from 7:30
`
`AM to 6:00 PM.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
`
`supervisor, Bella Matthew, can be reached on (703) 308-6829.
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`
`Page 5 of 6
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`Page 5 of 6
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 10/608,346
`Art Unit: 2676
`
`Page 5
`
`Any response to this action should be mailed to:
`
`Commissioner of Patent and Trademarks
`
`Washington, DC 20231
`
`or faxed to:
`
`(703) 872-9314 (for Technology Center-2600 only)
`
`Hand-delivered responses should be brought to Crystal Park II, 2121 Crystal
`
`Drive,
`
`Arlington, VA, Sixth Floor (Receptionist).
`
`Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or
`
`proceeding should be directed to the Technology Center 2600 Customer Service Office
`
`whose telephone number is (703) 306-0377.
`
`
`
`February 3. 2005
`
`Mafia 6.M
`
`MATTHEW C. BELLA
`SUPERVISORY PATENT EXAMINER
`TECHNOLOGY CENTER 2600
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`
`Page 6 of 6
`
`SAMSUNG-1008
`Page 6 of 6
`
`