Appeal No. 2006-2217
Reexamination Control Nos. 90/006,789 and 90/007,420
"82C08" discloses that during the SBE transfer mode
(corresponding to the claimed "page mode"), the column address is
incremented by an internal address counter (page 3-15 and
"Address Latch and Address Counter" on page 3-16). "An overflow
of the COLUMN address counter will generate an overflow signal
which will disable SRDY and SBE signals (it will actually
terminate the SBE transfer)." (Page 3-15.) The overflow signal
indicates a page address boundary (i.e., the end of a row).
Thus, "82C08" teaches structure "for detecting a memory page
boundary." However, "82C08" teaches that the SBE transfer mode
(page mode) is terminated upon reaching page boundary.
Bruce discloses a page boundary crossing technique during a
page mode of operation. The page boundary is detected from a
carry bit as the addresses are incremented, after which a full
memory cycle is caused to occur, providing a new row and column
address (e.g., col. 4, lines 3-11; col. 8, lines 50-68). Bruce
discloses how the page boundary hardware in interfaced to a page
mode memory controller and actually discloses a page mode memory
controller (Figs. 3 and 8). This hardware is the same or
equivalent to the structure corresponding to the "means for
detecting" and "means for deasserting and reasserting" in the
'645 patent. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been
motivated to modify "82C08" to provide structure deasserting the
row address strobe signal, changing the memory row address, and
reasserting the row address strobe signal in order to achieve the
advantage of crossing a page boundary as taught in Bruce.
Patent Owner argues that Bruce teaches one to reorganize
data so that a row or page of the DRAM stores the data
corresponding to a two-dimensional cell of a display, instead of
the customary single row of pixels, which requires extensive and
complex additional circuitry (Br48). It is argued (id.):
Bruce teaches expressly that its invention becomes useful
only after this non-trivial reorganization. See id. at
col. 8:6-10 Thus, Bruce teaches away from using its page
boundary detection technique in a non-graphics display DRAM
system . . . (i.e., in systems where a page is not mapped to
a system using a two-dimensional region on a display
screen).
Bruce's teaching of page boundary detection and page
boundary crossing during a page mode memory operation is
described as general solution for page mode operation. Nowhere
does Bruce state or imply that the page crossing technique only
is useful when used with the particular memory organization.
Patent Owner argues that Bruce is not analogous art that can
properly be combined because it relates to graphics constraints
- 32 -
Page: Previous 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007