Appeal No. 2006-1550
Application No. 10/044,401
necessary to format data with smaller length bit that can be read by width with
greater length bit. In other words, a 24 bit width port can read any data bits that
are equal to or fewer than 24 bit length, but not data that are more than 24 bit
length.
[0030] However, if the width of the input port is more than the width of the output
port (block 200), modification to the data is necessary in order to transmit the data
to a port with less available width. Thus, the width of the output port must be
ascertained (block 204) in order to format the data from the input port to data
configured for the width of the output port (block 206). The formatted data will be
submitted as the processed data. In practice, the data will be transmitted by
shifting the data bits to the width of the output port. For example, if a 24 bit width
input port requests to transmit data to an output port with an 8 bit width, the data
will then be shifted or divided into 8 bit for each transmission. Since there are 24
bits total, the data will be transmitted 8 bits at a time until all 24 bits are sent. This
can be done either through the use of a MUX or a shift register.
Thus, the claims do require determining whether the width of the input port is
more than the width of the output port; submitting the data as processed when the width
of the input port is not more than the width of the output port; obtaining the width of the
output port when the width of the input port is greater than width of the output port;
formatting the data from the input port to data configured for the obtained width of the
output port; submitting the formatted data as the processed data.
Now the question before us is what the combination of Yokoyama and Lach
would have taught to one of ordinary skill in the art? To answer this question, we find
the following facts:
At page 54, paragraphs 0147 through 150, Yokoyama states the following:
[0147] Figure 24 shows the division of a data transfer in the crossbar switch
device 1 of an application example of the present invention. In the figure, C1
shows the case where a band of 256 bits can be secured when data of 256 bits are
transferred to a 256-bit port, C2 shows the case where a band/14 of 128 bits can
be secured when data of 256 bits are transferred to a 256-bit port, and C3 shows
the case where a band cannot be secured when data of 256 bits are transferred to a
256-bit port.
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