Prior art — US Patent 7826350

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 7,826,350, I will refer to the "Citations" section of the patent itself, as this typically lists the prior art considered by the examiner during prosecution. The information provided in the prompt already includes a "Citations" list. I will go through each of these citations and summarize their relevance.

Here are the prior art references cited in US Patent 7,826,350, along with their details and potential anticipatory claims:

1. US4445116A

Full Citation: US4445116A - Method for allocating bandwidth between stations in a local area network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 1984-04-24 / Filing: 1982-03-05
Brief Description: This patent describes a method for allocating bandwidth among stations in a local area network. While it relates to network communication, its focus is on bandwidth allocation rather than direct data placement or adaptive copy avoidance.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to directly anticipate the core claims of US7826350, which center on intelligent network adaptors, adaptive direct data placement, and host memory management. It might be relevant for background in network communication, but not specific DDP mechanisms.

2. US4533996A

Full Citation: US4533996A - Peripheral systems accommodation of guest operating systems
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 1985-08-06 / Filing: 1982-02-23
Brief Description: This patent deals with peripheral systems accommodating guest operating systems, likely in a virtualized or multi-OS environment. It doesn't appear to directly address efficient data transfer between a network adaptor and application memory.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate claims related to direct data placement or adaptive copy avoidance in network adaptors.

3. US5497476A

Full Citation: US5497476A - Scatter-gather in data processing system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 1996-03-05 / Filing: 1992-09-21
Brief Description: This patent describes scatter-gather techniques in data processing, which involve collecting data from multiple memory locations (scatter) or distributing data to multiple memory locations (gather) in a single operation. This is foundational to efficient DMA operations, which are relevant to direct data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could potentially anticipate aspects of "providing received payload data corresponding to the request directly into host memory for consumption by the application" (Claim 1) or the underlying mechanism for direct data placement, particularly as it relates to managing fragmented memory buffers. However, US7826350's claims further specify adaptive direct data placement and a decision-making process for when to use it, which this patent does not explicitly cover.

4. US5778189A

Full Citation: US5778189A - System and method for converting communication protocols
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 1998-07-07 / Filing: 1996-05-29
Brief Description: This patent focuses on converting communication protocols. While relevant to network communication, it does not specifically address direct data placement or adaptive schemes for host memory.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate the core claims of US7826350.

5. US6087581A

Full Citation: US6087581A - Regenerable thermal insulation and cooling elements insulated thereby
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2000-07-11 / Filing: 1998-06-08
Brief Description: This patent relates to thermal insulation and cooling elements, which is completely unrelated to network adaptors or data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): No anticipation. This appears to be an irrelevant citation, possibly a clerical error or a very broad search result.

6. US6226680B1

Full Citation: US6226680B1 - Intelligent network interface system method for protocol processing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2001-05-01 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent describes an intelligent network interface system and method for protocol processing, specifically mentioning offloading protocol processing to the network interface. This is highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" aspect of US7826350.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could potentially anticipate the general concept of an "intelligent network adaptor" performing "protocol processing of the connection" as recited in the preambles of all independent claims (e.g., Claim 1). However, it may not detail the adaptive direct data placement scheme specifically.

7. US6240094B1

Full Citation: US6240094B1 - Statistical time division multiplexer for a wireless asymmetric local loop communication system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2001-05-29 / Filing: 1997-12-22
Brief Description: This patent relates to multiplexing in wireless communication systems, which is unrelated to the specific data placement and copy avoidance schemes of US7826350.
Potential Anticipation (35 C.F.R. § 1.56): No anticipation.

8. US20010010046A1

Full Citation: US20010010046A1 - Client content management and distribution system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2001-07-26 / Filing: 1997-09-11
Brief Description: This patent describes a client content management and distribution system. Its focus appears to be on content delivery rather than the underlying network adaptor mechanisms for data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

9. US20010021949A1

Full Citation: US20010021949A1 - Network interface device employing a DMA command queue
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2001-09-13 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent describes a network interface device utilizing a DMA command queue. Direct Memory Access (DMA) is a fundamental technology for direct data placement. The use of a command queue suggests intelligence in managing data transfers.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant. This could potentially anticipate aspects of "providing received payload data corresponding to the request directly into host memory for consumption by the application" (Claim 1) by describing the underlying DMA mechanism. The specific "adaptive" decision-making of US7826350 might differentiate it, but the direct placement itself could be challenged.

10. US20020039366A1

Full Citation: US20020039366A1 - Packet switch and multicasting control system used for the same
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-04-04 / Filing: 2000-10-04
Brief Description: This patent concerns packet switching and multicasting control systems. Its focus is on network infrastructure rather than the end-host network adaptor's data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate the core claims of US7826350.

11. US6389479B1

Full Citation: US6389479B1 - Intelligent network interface device and system for accelerated communication
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-05-14 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent describes an intelligent network interface device for accelerated communication. Similar to US6226680B1, it highlights the intelligence in the network adaptor to speed up communication.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could potentially anticipate the "intelligent network adaptor" performing "protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1). Specific details of the adaptive direct data placement or the conditional copying might still be distinguishing features for US7826350.

12. US6397316B2

Full Citation: US6397316B2 - System for reducing bus overhead for communication with a network interface
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-05-28 / Filing: 1997-07-24
Brief Description: This patent describes a system for reducing bus overhead in communication with a network interface. This relates to the efficiency of data transfer, a goal of US7826350.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general objective of reducing overhead in data transfer, but not necessarily the adaptive direct data placement or conditional copying mechanisms that define US7826350.

13. US6401177B1

Full Citation: US6401177B1 - Memory system for restructuring a main memory unit in a general-purpose computer
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-06-04 / Filing: 1998-04-28
Brief Description: This patent describes a memory system for restructuring main memory. While memory management is broadly related, it does not specifically address network adaptor-initiated direct data placement or adaptive schemes.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

14. US6427173B1

Full Citation: US6427173B1 - Intelligent network interfaced device and system for accelerated communication
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-07-30 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent is another one from Alacritech, Inc. (assignee for several highly relevant citations) concerning intelligent network interface devices for accelerated communication. It is a continuation or related to previously mentioned Alacritech patents.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly likely to be relevant for the "intelligent network adaptor" and "protocol processing" aspects (e.g., Claim 1 preamble). The specific adaptive nature of US7826350's DDP would be key to distinguishing it.

15. US6427171B1

Full Citation: US6427171B1 - Protocol processing stack for use with intelligent network interface device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-07-30 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent specifically describes a protocol processing stack designed for use with an intelligent network interface device. This directly supports the idea of offloading protocol processing to the adaptor.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble). Similar to other Alacritech patents, it may not detail the adaptive direct data placement scheme.

16. US6434620B1

Full Citation: US6434620B1 - TCP/IP offload network interface device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-08-13 / Filing: 1998-08-27
Brief Description: This patent describes a TCP/IP offload network interface device (TOE). This directly addresses the concept of an "intelligent network adaptor" performing "protocol processing of the connection" for TCP/IP, as explicitly mentioned in US7826350.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Extremely relevant. This patent could potentially anticipate the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble). The specific adaptive direct data placement based on input request characteristics and buffer size would be the primary distinguishing feature for US7826350's claims.

17. US6470415B1

Full Citation: US6470415B1 - Queue system involving SRAM head, SRAM tail and DRAM body
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-10-22 / Filing: 1999-10-13
Brief Description: This patent describes a queue system using different types of memory (SRAM and DRAM). This relates to efficient data buffering, which is an aspect of managing network data.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While related to efficient data handling, it is unlikely to anticipate the specific adaptive direct data placement or copy avoidance decision-making of US7826350.

18. US20020191622A1

Full Citation: US20020191622A1 - System for and method of differentiated queuing in a routing system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2002-12-19 / Filing: 2001-06-18
Brief Description: This patent application describes differentiated queuing in a routing system, focusing on managing network traffic quality of service.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms for end-host application data.

19. US6510164B1

Full Citation: US6510164B1 - User-level dedicated interface for IP applications in a data packet switching and load balancing system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-01-21 / Filing: 1998-11-16
Brief Description: This patent describes a user-level interface for IP applications. This could be relevant to how applications interact with network data, potentially enabling more direct access.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the idea of applications accessing network data more directly. However, it may not detail the intelligent network adaptor's decision-making for direct placement or adaptive copy avoidance.

20. US20030018516A1

Full Citation: US20030018516A1 - Method for dynamically evaluating projected days of supply of inventory levels in a supply chain
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-01-23 / Filing: 2001-07-20
Brief Description: This patent application is about inventory management in a supply chain, which is completely unrelated to network adaptors or data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): No anticipation. This appears to be an irrelevant citation.

21. US20030035436A1

Full Citation: US20030035436A1 - Method of allocating bandwidth on request to the stations of a local area network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-02-20 / Filing: 2001-08-09
Brief Description: This patent application describes a method for allocating bandwidth in a local area network. Similar to US4445116A, its focus is on network resource allocation.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate the core claims of US7826350.

22. US6591302B2

Full Citation: US6591302B2 - Fast-path apparatus for receiving data corresponding to a TCP connection
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-07-08 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent describes a "fast-path apparatus" for receiving TCP data, again from Alacritech, Inc. This implies efficient and potentially direct handling of TCP traffic.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant. This could anticipate aspects of directly placing data for a TCP connection (e.g., parts of Claim 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 16). The "adaptive" nature and the decision-making based on input request characteristics and buffer size of US7826350 would be critical for distinguishing its claims.

23. US6594268B1

Full Citation: US6594268B1 - Adaptive routing system and method for QOS packet networks
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-07-15 / Filing: 1999-03-11
Brief Description: This patent describes an adaptive routing system for Quality of Service (QoS) in packet networks. Its focus is on routing decisions, not end-host data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

24. US6625671B1

Full Citation: US6625671B1 - Compression of buffered data
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-09-23 / Filing: 1999-05-03
Brief Description: This patent describes the compression of buffered data. While data buffering is a component of network communication, the patent focuses on compression, not the placement of uncompressed application data.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

25. US20030200284A1

Full Citation: US20030200284A1 - Freeing transmit memory on a network interface device prior to receiving an acknowledgement that transmit data has been received by a remote device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-10-23 / Filing: 2002-04-22
Brief Description: This patent application describes managing transmit memory on a network interface device. While it relates to network interface memory, its focus is on transmit operations, not receive data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms for received data.

26. US20030204631A1

Full Citation: US20030204631A1 - Method to synchronize and upload an offloaded network stack connection with a network stack
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-10-30 / Filing: 2002-04-30
Brief Description: This patent application describes synchronizing and uploading an offloaded network stack connection. This is highly relevant to intelligent network adaptors that offload protocol processing.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the concept of offloading network stack connections (Claim 1 preamble). It could potentially anticipate aspects of an intelligent network adaptor performing protocol processing.

27. US6658480B2

Full Citation: US6658480B2 - Intelligent network interface system and method for accelerated protocol processing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-12-02 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: Another patent from Alacritech, Inc., describing an intelligent network interface system for accelerated protocol processing. This is a recurring theme in the Alacritech prior art.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor" and "protocol processing" aspects (Claim 1 preamble).

28. US20040003094A1

Full Citation: US20040003094A1 - Method and apparatus for mirroring traffic over a network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-01-01 / Filing: 2002-06-27
Brief Description: This patent application describes mirroring traffic over a network, which relates to network monitoring and duplication, not efficient end-host data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

29. US6681244B1

Full Citation: US6681244B1 - System and method for operating a network adapter when an associated network computing system is in a low-power state
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-01-20 / Filing: 2000-06-09
Brief Description: This patent describes operating a network adaptor in a low-power state. This is focused on power management, not data placement efficiency.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

30. US20040019689A1

Full Citation: US20040019689A1 - System and method for managing multiple stack environments
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-01-29 / Filing: 2002-07-26
Brief Description: This patent application describes managing multiple network stack environments. This is related to network software architecture, but not specifically to adaptive data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

31. US6687758B2

Full Citation: US6687758B2 - Port aggregation for network connections that are offloaded to network interface devices
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-02-03 / Filing: 2001-03-07
Brief Description: This patent describes port aggregation for offloaded network connections. This is relevant to intelligent network adaptors and offloading, but not directly to the adaptive data placement scheme.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general concept of offloading, but less so to the specific adaptive DDP of US7826350.

32. US20040028069A1

Full Citation: US20040028069A1 - Event bus with passive queuing and active routing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-02-12 / Filing: 2002-08-07
Brief Description: This patent application describes an event bus with queuing and routing. While it involves data flow and queuing, it's not directly related to intelligent network adaptor DDP.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

33. US6697868B2

Full Citation: US6697868B2 - Protocol processing stack for use with intelligent network interface device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-02-24 / Filing: 2000-02-28
Brief Description: Another patent from Alacritech, Inc., on protocol processing stacks for intelligent network interface devices. Similar to US6427171B1 and US6226680B1.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble).

34. US6701372B2

Full Citation: US6701372B2 - Data communication apparatus and method
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-03-02 / Filing: 1997-08-22
Brief Description: This patent describes a general data communication apparatus and method. The description is broad, and it's unclear without further review if it specifically addresses direct data placement or adaptive copy avoidance.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Broadly related, but specific anticipation of US7826350's DDP claims is unlikely without more detail.

35. US20040042487A1

Full Citation: US20040042487A1 - Network traffic accelerator system and method
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-03-04 / Filing: 2002-08-19
Brief Description: This patent application describes a network traffic accelerator system. This aims to improve network performance, a goal shared by US7826350.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general objective of accelerated network communication, but likely lacks the specific adaptive DDP mechanisms of US7826350.

36. US6708223B1

Full Citation: US6708223B1 - Accelerating a distributed component architecture over a network using a modified RPC communication
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-03-16 / Filing: 1998-12-11
Brief Description: This patent focuses on accelerating distributed component architecture using modified RPC (Remote Procedure Call) communication. This is at a higher software layer than the network adaptor's data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

37. US6708232B2

Full Citation: US6708232B2 - Data migration method, protocol converter and switching apparatus using it
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-03-16 / Filing: 2000-06-29
Brief Description: This patent describes a data migration method, protocol converter, and switching apparatus. Its focus is on data movement within a system, potentially relevant to data transfer.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be broadly relevant to data movement, but the specifics of adaptive direct data placement by an intelligent network adaptor for application consumption would likely be distinguishing.

38. US20040054813A1

Full Citation: US20040054813A1 - TCP offload network interface device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-03-18 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent application concerning a TCP offload network interface device. This reinforces the existence of TOEs as prior art.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble) for TCP/IP.

39. US20040064578A1

Full Citation: US20040064578A1 - Fast-path apparatus for receiving data corresponding to a TCP connection
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-04-01 / Filing: 2002-09-27
Brief Description: Yet another Alacritech, Inc. patent application describing a "fast-path apparatus" for receiving TCP data. This emphasizes efficient TCP reception.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to efficient TCP reception and potentially direct data placement for TCP connections (parts of Claim 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 16).

40. US20040064590A1

Full Citation: US20040064590A1 - Intelligent network storage interface system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-04-01 / Filing: 2000-09-29
Brief Description: This patent application describes an intelligent network storage interface system. This could involve direct data placement to storage, which is analogous to direct data placement to host application memory.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general concept of direct data placement from an intelligent network interface to a destination, but the specific adaptive decision-making for application memory of US7826350 would be a distinguishing factor.

41. US20040062245A1

Full Citation: US20040062245A1 - TCP/IP offload device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-04-01 / Filing: 2002-04-22
Brief Description: This patent application describes a TCP/IP offload device. Further evidence of TOE as prior art.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble) for TCP/IP.

42. US6717946B1

Full Citation: US6717946B1 - Methods and apparatus for mapping ranges of values into unique values of particular use for range matching operations using an associative memory
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-04-06 / Filing: 2002-10-31
Brief Description: This patent describes methods for mapping ranges of values using associative memory. This is generally related to data lookup and processing, but not specifically to adaptive data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

43. US20040073703A1

Full Citation: US20040073703A1 - Fast-path apparatus for receiving data corresponding a TCP connection
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-04-15 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent application on a "fast-path apparatus" for receiving TCP data.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to efficient TCP reception and potentially direct data placement for TCP connections (parts of Claim 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 16).

44. US20040078480A1

Full Citation: US20040078480A1 - Parsing a packet header
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-04-22 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent application describes parsing a packet header. This is a fundamental operation in network protocol processing performed by the intelligent network adaptor.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the "protocol processing" aspect (Claim 1 preamble), but not directly to the adaptive data placement.

45. US20040088262A1

Full Citation: US20040088262A1 - Enabling an enhanced function of an electronic device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-05-06 / Filing: 2002-11-06
Brief Description: This patent application describes enabling enhanced functions of an electronic device. This is a very broad description and unlikely to be specifically anticipatory.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

46. US6757746B2

Full Citation: US6757746B2 - Obtaining a destination address so that a network interface device can write network data without headers directly into host memory
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-06-29 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent specifically describes obtaining a destination address for a network interface device to write network data without headers directly into host memory. This is a direct description of direct data placement (DDP).
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Extremely relevant. This patent could potentially anticipate the core concept of "providing received payload data corresponding to the request directly into host memory for consumption by the application" (Claim 1, and similar clauses in other independent claims). The "adaptive" decision-making of US7826350 and the conditional copying of data based on input request characteristics (e.g., buffer size) would be the primary distinguishing features.

47. US6757245B1

Full Citation: US6757245B1 - Apparatus, and associated method, for communicating packet data in a network including a radio-link
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-06-29 / Filing: 2000-06-01
Brief Description: This patent describes communicating packet data in a network with a radio link. This is focused on wireless communication, not direct data placement in an end-host.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

48. US20040158640A1

Full Citation: US20040158640A1 - Transferring control of a TCP connection between devices
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-08-12 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent application describes transferring control of a TCP connection, which is relevant to managing offloaded connections.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general management of offloaded connections, but not directly to the adaptive DDP scheme.

49. US20040165592A1

Full Citation: US20040165592A1 - Extended virtual user-to-network interface with ATM network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-08-26 / Filing: 2003-02-21
Brief Description: This patent application describes an extended virtual user-to-network interface with an ATM network. This is related to network interface architecture, but not directly to adaptive data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

50. US6792502B1

Full Citation: US6792502B1 - Microprocessor having a content addressable memory (CAM) device as a functional unit therein and method of operation
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-09-14 / Filing: 2000-10-12
Brief Description: This patent describes a microprocessor with content addressable memory (CAM). This is a hardware component for fast lookups, generally useful in network processing but not specific to adaptive DDP.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

51. US6798743B1

Full Citation: US6798743B1 - Packet prioritization processing technique for routing traffic in a packet-switched computer network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-09-28 / Filing: 1999-03-22
Brief Description: This patent describes packet prioritization for routing traffic. This is a network-level traffic management technique.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

52. US20040190533A1

Full Citation: US20040190533A1 - Method and apparatus for performing connection management with multiple stacks
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-09-30 / Filing: 2003-03-27
Brief Description: This patent application describes connection management with multiple network stacks. This is relevant to managing network connections but not directly to adaptive data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

53. US20040199808A1

Full Citation: US20040199808A1 - State recovery and failover of intelligent network adapters
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-10-07 / Filing: 2003-04-02
Brief Description: This patent application describes state recovery and failover for intelligent network adaptors. This is about reliability, not data placement efficiency.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

54. US6807581B1

Full Citation: US6807581B1 - Intelligent network storage interface system
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-10-19 / Filing: 2000-09-29
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent on intelligent network storage interface systems. Similar to US20040064590A1.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general concept of direct data placement from an intelligent network interface to a destination, but the specific adaptive decision-making for application memory of US7826350 would be a distinguishing factor.

55. US20040213235A1

Full Citation: US20040213235A1 - Programmable packet classification system using an array of uniform content-addressable memories
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-10-28 / Filing: 2003-04-08
Brief Description: This patent application describes a programmable packet classification system using CAMs. This is about efficient packet filtering and classification, which is part of protocol processing, but not specifically DDP or adaptive copy.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to "protocol processing" (Claim 1 preamble) but not to the adaptive DDP.

56. US6813652B2

Full Citation: US6813652B2 - Reduced-overhead DMA
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2004-11-02 / Filing: 2001-04-11
Brief Description: This patent describes reduced-overhead DMA, which is a key component of efficient direct data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant. This could anticipate aspects of "providing received payload data corresponding to the request directly into host memory for consumption by the application" (Claim 1) by describing optimized DMA for direct data transfer. The "adaptive" decision-making of US7826350, particularly based on buffer size and input request characteristics, would likely be the distinguishing element.

57. US6862648B2

Full Citation: US6862648B2 - Interface emulation for storage devices
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-03-01 / Filing: 2000-10-30
Brief Description: This patent describes interface emulation for storage devices. While data transfer to storage is analogous to host memory, the focus is on emulation.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms for application memory.

58. US20050083935A1

Full Citation: US20050083935A1 - Method and apparatus for two-stage packet classification using most specific filter matching and transport level sharing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-04-21 / Filing: 2003-10-20
Brief Description: This patent application describes a method for two-stage packet classification. This is relevant to protocol processing (filtering), but not directly to adaptive data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to "protocol processing" (Claim 1 preamble) but not to the adaptive DDP.

59. US20050120037A1

Full Citation: US20050120037A1 - Apparatus and method for managing network storage, and computer product
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-06-02 / Filing: 2002-07-16
Brief Description: This patent application describes managing network storage. Similar to other storage-related citations, it's analogous but not directly for host application memory.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be broadly relevant to data management in a network context, but the specific adaptive decision-making for application memory of US7826350 would be a distinguishing factor.

60. US20050125195A1

Full Citation: US20050125195A1 - Method, apparatus and sofware for network traffic management
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-06-09 / Filing: 2001-12-21
Brief Description: This patent application describes network traffic management. This is a general area of network efficiency.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

61. US20050135378A1

Full Citation: US20050135378A1 - Service aware policer with efficient handling of in-profile traffic
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-06-23 / Filing: 2003-12-22
Brief Description: This patent application describes a "service aware policer" for network traffic, focusing on QoS and traffic shaping.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

62. US20050135412A1

Full Citation: US20050135412A1 - Method and system for transmission control protocol (TCP) retransmit processing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-06-23 / Filing: 2003-12-19
Brief Description: This patent application describes TCP retransmit processing. This is a specific aspect of TCP protocol processing.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to "protocol processing" (Claim 1 preamble) but not directly to the adaptive DDP.

63. US20050147126A1

Full Citation: US20050147126A1 - Method and system for transmission control packet (TCP) segmentation offload
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-07-07 / Filing: 2004-01-06
Brief Description: This patent application describes TCP segmentation offload (TSO), where the network adaptor handles segmenting large data blocks for TCP. This is a form of protocol offload.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the concept of offloading protocol processing (Claim 1 preamble), but not directly to the receive side adaptive DDP or copy avoidance.

64. US6925055B1

Full Citation: US6925055B1 - Systems and methods for traffic shaping
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-08-02 / Filing: 2001-03-05
Brief Description: This patent describes systems and methods for traffic shaping. This is a network traffic management technique.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

65. US20050190787A1

Full Citation: US20050190787A1 - Encoding a TCP offload engine within FCP
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-09-01 / Filing: 2004-02-27
Brief Description: This patent application describes encoding a TCP offload engine within Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP). This is relevant to TOE technology.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the concept of TCP offload (Claim 1 preamble).

66. US20050216597A1

Full Citation: US20050216597A1 - Message context based TCP transmission
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-09-29 / Filing: 2004-03-24
Brief Description: This patent application describes message context-based TCP transmission. This relates to how TCP data is handled at a higher level, not directly to direct placement in host memory.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms for received data.

67. US20050259678A1

Full Citation: US20050259678A1 - Network interface controller circuitry
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-11-24 / Filing: 2004-05-21
Brief Description: This patent application describes network interface controller circuitry. This is a general description of NIC hardware.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be broadly relevant to the hardware of an "intelligent network adaptor" but unlikely to anticipate the specific DDP and adaptive copy logic.

68. US20050259644A1

Full Citation: US20050259644A1 - System and method for defeating SYN attacks
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-11-24 / Filing: 2004-05-18
Brief Description: This patent application describes a system for defeating SYN attacks (a type of denial-of-service attack). This is a security feature, not related to data placement efficiency.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

69. US20050289246A1

Full Citation: US20050289246A1 - Interpreting I/O operation requests from pageable guests without host intervention
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2005-12-29 / Filing: 2004-05-27
Brief Description: This patent application describes interpreting I/O requests from virtualized "guests" without host intervention. This touches on I/O efficiency and guest/host interaction, which is somewhat related to direct data transfer to applications.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the idea of reducing host intervention in I/O, which is a goal of DDP. However, the specific adaptive decision-making based on application request characteristics (e.g., buffer size) in the context of network data would need to be considered carefully.

70. US6996070B2

Full Citation: US6996070B2 - TCP/IP offload device with reduced sequential processing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-02-07 / Filing: 2003-12-05
Brief Description: This patent describes a TCP/IP offload device designed for reduced sequential processing. This aims for performance improvement in TOEs.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the concept of TCP offload (Claim 1 preamble) and efficient processing within a TOE.

71. US20060031524A1

Full Citation: US20060031524A1 - Apparatus and method for supporting connection establishment in an offload of network protocol processing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-02-09 / Filing: 2004-07-14
Brief Description: This patent application describes supporting connection establishment in an offloaded network protocol processing environment. This is relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble).
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to offloaded protocol processing (Claim 1 preamble).

72. US20060039413A1

Full Citation: US20060039413A1 - Apparatus and method for compression-transmitting and decoding picture information and storage medium stored its control programs
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-02-23 / Filing: 1999-09-10
Brief Description: This patent application describes compression and decoding of picture information. This is focused on media processing, not network data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): No anticipation.

73. US20060075119A1

Full Citation: US20060075119A1 - TCP host
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-04-06 / Filing: 2004-09-10
Brief Description: This patent application describes a TCP host. This is a general term, and without more detail, its specific relevance to adaptive DDP is unclear.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Broadly related to TCP, but unlikely to anticipate the specific adaptive DDP mechanisms.

74. US20060080733A1

Full Citation: US20060080733A1 - Offline analysis of packets
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-04-13 / Filing: 2004-10-08
Brief Description: This patent application describes offline analysis of packets, which is a diagnostic or monitoring function.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

75. US7031267B2

Full Citation: US7031267B2 - PLD-based packet filtering methods with PLD configuration data update of filtering rules
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-04-18 / Filing: 2000-12-21
Brief Description: This patent describes PLD-based packet filtering. This is a hardware-based packet processing technique, relevant to an "intelligent" adaptor's capabilities.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to "protocol processing" (Claim 1 preamble) but not directly to the adaptive DDP.

76. US7042898B2

Full Citation: US7042898B2 - Reducing delays associated with inserting a checksum into a network message
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-05-09 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent describes reducing delays associated with checksum insertion. This is a performance optimization for network processing.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to optimizing network processing (Claim 1 preamble) but not directly to the adaptive DDP.

77. US20060133267A1

Full Citation: US20060133267A1 - Processing platform selection method for data packet filter installation
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-06-22 / Filing: 2004-12-21
Brief Description: This patent application describes a method for selecting a processing platform for data packet filter installation. This relates to network processing architecture.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

78. US7076568B2

Full Citation: US7076568B2 - Data communication apparatus for computer intelligent network interface card which transfers data between a network and a storage device according designated uniform datagram protocol socket
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-07-11 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: This patent describes a data communication apparatus for an intelligent network interface card that transfers data between a network and a storage device. This is highly relevant to direct data placement, particularly to a storage device.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant. This patent describes DDP to a storage device, which is analogous to DDP to host application memory. This could potentially anticipate the broad concept of direct data placement (Claim 1) but again, the adaptive decision-making based on application request characteristics and buffer size would be key for distinguishing US7826350.

79. US20060168649A1

Full Citation: US20060168649A1 - Method and system for addressing attacks on a computer connected to a network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-07-27 / Filing: 2004-10-26
Brief Description: This patent application describes methods for addressing network attacks. This is a security feature.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

80. US7089326B2

Full Citation: US7089326B2 - Fast-path processing for receiving data on TCP connection offload devices
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-08-08 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent on "fast-path processing" for receiving TCP data on offload devices. This is a strong prior art for efficient TCP reception by TOEs.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant. This patent could potentially anticipate efficient TCP reception and potentially direct data placement for TCP connections (parts of Claim 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 16).

81. US7093099B2

Full Citation: US7093099B2 - Native lookup instruction for file-access processor searching a three-level lookup cache for variable-length keys
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-08-15 / Filing: 2002-12-12
Brief Description: This patent describes a native lookup instruction for a file-access processor. This relates to file system processing and caching, not directly to network adaptor DDP.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

82. US20060206300A1

Full Citation: US20060206300A1 - VM network traffic monitoring and filtering on the host
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-09-14 / Filing: 2005-03-11
Brief Description: This patent application describes VM network traffic monitoring and filtering on the host. This relates to virtualization and network security/management.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

83. US20060209693A1

Full Citation: US20060209693A1 - Feedback priority modulation rate controller
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-09-21 / Filing: 2001-01-31
Brief Description: This patent application describes a feedback priority modulation rate controller. This relates to flow control and prioritization.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be broadly relevant to flow control, which is a part of US7826350's description, but not directly to the adaptive DDP decision-making.

84. US20060221946A1

Full Citation: US20060221946A1 - Connection establishment on a tcp offload engine
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-10-05 / Filing: 2005-04-04
Brief Description: This patent application describes connection establishment on a TCP offload engine. This is a specific aspect of TOE functionality.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the concept of TCP offload (Claim 1 preamble).

85. US7133914B1

Full Citation: US7133914B1 - Statistics-preserving ACL flattening system and method
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-11-07 / Filing: 2001-10-31
Brief Description: This patent describes an ACL (Access Control List) flattening system. This is a network security/filtering mechanism.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

86. US7133902B2

Full Citation: US7133902B2 - Transmitting acknowledgements using direct memory access
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-11-07 / Filing: 2002-12-17
Brief Description: This patent describes transmitting acknowledgements using direct memory access. While it mentions DMA, it's for transmitting acknowledgements, not for receiving application data.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While it mentions DMA, its application is different (transmit vs. receive, acknowledgements vs. application payload). Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's receive side adaptive DDP.

87. US20060281451A1

Full Citation: US20060281451A1 - Method and system for handling connection setup in a network
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2006-12-14 / Filing: 2005-06-14
Brief Description: This patent application describes handling connection setup in a network.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to connection management, but not directly to adaptive DDP.

88. US20070011358A1

Full Citation: US20070011358A1 - Mechanisms to implement memory management to enable protocol-aware asynchronous, zero-copy transmits
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-01-11 / Filing: 2005-06-30
Brief Description: This patent application describes memory management for "protocol-aware asynchronous, zero-copy transmits". While it mentions "zero-copy" and "protocol-aware", it is focused on transmit operations, not receive.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the general concept of zero-copy, but specifically for transmit, which is distinct from the receive-side adaptive DDP of US7826350.

89. US7167927B2

Full Citation: US7167927B2 - TCP/IP offload device with fast-path TCP ACK generating and transmitting mechanism
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-01-23 / Filing: 1997-10-14
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent related to TCP/IP offload, specifically for fast-path ACK generation and transmission. This is a transmit-side optimization.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to TCP offload, but focused on transmit-side mechanisms, not adaptive receive-side DDP.

90. US7174393B2

Full Citation: US7174393B2 - TCP/IP offload network interface device
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-02-06 / Filing: 2000-12-26
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent on a TCP/IP offload network interface device.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the concept of TCP offload (Claim 1 preamble).

91. US7191241B2

Full Citation: US7191241B2 - Fast-path apparatus for receiving data corresponding to a TCP connection
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-03-13 / Filing: 2002-09-27
Brief Description: Another Alacritech, Inc. patent on a "fast-path apparatus" for receiving TCP data.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to efficient TCP reception and potentially direct data placement for TCP connections (parts of Claim 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 16).

92. US7191318B2

Full Citation: US7191318B2 - Native copy instruction for file-access processor with copy-rule-based validation
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-03-13 / Filing: 2002-12-12
Brief Description: This patent describes a native copy instruction for a file-access processor. This is related to data movement within a system, but not directly to network adaptor-driven direct data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

93. US20070064737A1

Full Citation: US20070064737A1 - Receive coalescing and automatic acknowledge in network interface controller
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-03-22 / Filing: 2005-09-07
Brief Description: This patent application describes receive coalescing (grouping multiple small packets into a larger one to reduce interrupts) and automatic acknowledgements in a network interface controller. Receive coalescing is related to reducing host burden, a goal of US7826350.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to reducing host notifications (a component of US7826350's system) but not directly to the adaptive decision for direct data placement or copying.

94. US20070070901A1

Full Citation: US20070070901A1 - Method and system for quality of service and congestion management for converged network interface devices
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-03-29 / Filing: 2005-09-29
Brief Description: This patent application describes QoS and congestion management for converged network interface devices.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

95. US20070083638A1

Full Citation: US20070083638A1 - Offloaded neighbor cache entry synchronization
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-04-12 / Filing: 2005-08-31
Brief Description: This patent application describes offloaded neighbor cache entry synchronization. This is related to network protocol management.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

96. US20070110436A1

Full Citation: US20070110436A1 - Primary protocol stack having a secondary protocol stack entry point
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-05-17 / Filing: 2005-11-14
Brief Description: This patent application describes a primary protocol stack with a secondary entry point. This relates to network software architecture.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

97. US7239642B1

Full Citation: US7239642B1 - Multi-protocol network interface card
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-07-03 / Filing: 2001-07-16
Brief Description: This patent describes a multi-protocol network interface card. This is a general description of NIC capabilities.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Broadly related to network interface cards, but unlikely to anticipate the specific DDP and adaptive copy logic.

98. US7254637B2

Full Citation: US7254637B2 - Method to offload a network stack
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-08-07 / Filing: 2002-04-30
Brief Description: This patent describes a method to offload a network stack. This is a core concept for "intelligent network adaptors" that perform "protocol processing of the connection."
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble).

99. US7260631B1

Full Citation: US7260631B1 - System and method for receiving iSCSI protocol data units
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-08-21 / Filing: 2003-12-19
Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for receiving iSCSI protocol data units. iSCSI is a protocol that uses TCP/IP and often benefits from offload and DDP.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Relevant to the application of offload and DDP for specific protocols, but may not detail the adaptive decision-making of US7826350.

100. US20070201474A1

Full Citation: US20070201474A1 - Device for protection against illegal communications and network system thereof
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-08-30 / Filing: 2006-02-28
Brief Description: This patent application describes a device for protection against illegal communications. This is a security feature.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

101. US7284047B2

Full Citation: US7284047B2 - System and method for controlling network demand via congestion pricing
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-10-16 / Filing: 2001-11-08
Brief Description: This patent describes a system for controlling network demand via congestion pricing. This is a network management/economic model.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

102. US7313623B2

Full Citation: US7313623B2 - System and method for TCP/IP offload independent of bandwidth delay product
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2007-12-25 / Filing: 2002-08-30
Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for TCP/IP offload. This is a very direct piece of prior art for the "intelligent network adaptor performs protocol processing of the connection" (Claim 1 preamble).
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the concept of TCP offload (Claim 1 preamble).

103. US20080002731A1

Full Citation: US20080002731A1 - Full data link bypass
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2008-01-03 / Filing: 2006-06-30
Brief Description: This patent application describes full data link bypass. This could imply very direct data paths, potentially supporting direct data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Could be relevant to the idea of minimizing intermediate processing for data, but the "adaptive" decision-making of US7826350 would still be a distinguishing feature.

104. US20080016511A1

Full Citation: US20080016511A1 - Method and computer program product for offloading processing tasks from software to hardware
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2008-01-17 / Filing: 1998-06-12
Brief Description: This patent application describes offloading processing tasks from software to hardware. This is a fundamental concept behind intelligent network adaptors and protocol offload.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Highly relevant to the overarching concept of offloading (Claim 1 preamble), but likely lacks the specific adaptive DDP mechanisms.

105. US20080043750A1

Full Citation: US20080043750A1 - Apparatus and method for in-line insertion and removal of markers
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2008-02-21 / Filing: 2006-01-19
Brief Description: This patent application describes in-line insertion and removal of markers. This is a data manipulation technique, not directly related to direct data placement.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

106. US7376147B2

Full Citation: US7376147B2 - Adaptor supporting different protocols
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2008-05-20 / Filing: 2003-12-18
Brief Description: This patent describes an adaptor supporting different protocols. This is a general feature of network adaptors.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Broadly related, but unlikely to anticipate the specific DDP and adaptive copy logic.

107. US7408906B2

Full Citation: US7408906B2 - Mobile data communications apparatus, methods and computer program products implementing cellular wireless data communications via a wireless
Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2008-08-05 / Filing: 2002-02-20
Brief Description: This patent describes mobile data communications via wireless. This is focused on wireless technology.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate US7826350's specific DDP mechanisms.

Most Relevant Prior Art Summary:

The most relevant prior art for US Patent 7,826,350 generally falls into two categories:

TCP Offload Engines (TOEs) and Intelligent Network Adaptors (INAs) with Protocol Processing: Numerous patents, primarily from Alacritech, Inc., describe INAs and TOEs that perform protocol processing (e.g., US6226680B1, US6389479B1, US6427173B1, US6427171B1, US6434620B1, US6658480B2, US20040054813A1, US20040062245A1, US6697868B2, US7089326B2, US7174393B2, US7191241B2, US7254637B2, US7313623B2). These patents anticipate the general concept of an intelligent network adaptor offloading protocol processing, which is a foundational element in the preamble of all independent claims of US7826350.
Direct Data Placement (DDP) and DMA Technologies: Several patents describe mechanisms for direct data placement or reduced-overhead DMA.
- US6757746B2 is particularly significant as it explicitly discusses a network interface device writing network data without headers directly into host memory. This directly anticipates the core DDP aspect of US7826350.
- US20010021949A1 describes a network interface device employing a DMA command queue, which is fundamental to direct data placement.
- US6813652B2 describes reduced-overhead DMA.
- US5497476A (scatter-gather) and US7076568B2 (DDP to storage) also show related concepts of efficient data movement.

Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

The distinguishing features of US7826350, as seen in its independent claims (Claims 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, 16), appear to lie in the adaptive decision-making of whether to use direct data placement and the conditional copying of data when direct placement is not initially possible or optimal. Specifically, Claim 1 highlights "determining whether to configure the intelligent network adaptor to provide received payload data corresponding to the request directly into host memory for consumption by the application; and... determining a destination for the application payload data including determining whether the intelligent network adaptor has been configured for the particular connection such that payload data... is to be provided from the intelligent network adaptor to host memory directly associated with the application... or is provided... to host memory that is not provided for consumption by the application". It further clarifies this determination is based on "a characteristic of an input request by the application" and "an indication of a size of the memory associated with the request". Claims 2, 5, 10, 13, and 16 further detail the conditional copying of data from a temporary (OS-associated or not application-associated) buffer to the application's buffer.

While the Alacritech patents establish the prior art for TOEs and general direct data placement (especially US6757746B2), they do not explicitly teach the adaptive decision-making process for selectively performing direct data placement based on application request characteristics and buffer size, or the specific interplay between direct placement and conditional copying as described in US7826350's claims. Therefore, these prior art references might anticipate the individual components of protocol offloading and direct memory access, but not necessarily the specific adaptive scheme and conditional copying that form the inventive step of US7826350.