Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 8,589,587, I will examine the patent's own citations. The patent document itself lists "Cited By" and "Citations" sections, where "Citations" refers to the prior art cited during the examination process. I will focus on the "Citations" section for this analysis.

Here are some of the most relevant prior art documents cited in US Patent 8,589,587, along with their publication/filing dates, a brief description, and which claims they potentially anticipate under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

1. US5058110A (Protocol processor)

• Full Citation: US5058110A
• Publication Date: October 15, 1991 (Filed: May 3, 1989)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a protocol processor designed to handle communication protocols, suggesting a fundamental concept of offloading protocol processing from a host.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1, 6, and 12 related to an intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing.

2. US5937169A (Offload of TCP segmentation to a smart adapter)

• Full Citation: US5937169A
• Publication Date: August 10, 1999 (Filed: October 29, 1997)
• Brief Description: This patent specifically addresses offloading TCP segmentation to a "smart adapter," directly relating to the concept of an intelligent network adaptor handling transport layer functions.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This is highly relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, particularly concerning the intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing (e.g., TCP/IP).

3. US6141705A (System for querying a peripheral device to determine its processing capabilities and then offloading specific processing tasks from a host to the peripheral device when needed)

• Full Citation: US6141705A
• Publication Date: October 31, 2000 (Filed: June 12, 1998)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system where a host queries a peripheral device (like a network adapter) to offload specific processing tasks. This establishes the concept of dynamic offloading based on device capabilities.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This could potentially anticipate the general concept of an intelligent network adaptor offloading protocol processing as described in claims 1, 6, and 12.

4. US20030046330A1 (Selective offloading of protocol processing)

• Full Citation: US20030046330A1
• Publication Date: March 6, 2003 (Filed: September 4, 2001)
• Brief Description: This published application explicitly discusses the selective offloading of protocol processing, which aligns with the intelligent network adaptor performing protocol processing.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12 regarding the intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing.

5. US20030079033A1 (Protocol processing stack for use with intelligent network interface device)

• Full Citation: US20030079033A1
• Publication Date: April 24, 2003 (Filed: February 28, 2000)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a protocol processing stack designed for use with an intelligent network interface device, further emphasizing the offloading of protocol processing.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This is highly relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, which focus on the intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing.

6. US20040047361A1 (Method and system for TCP/IP using generic buffers for non-posting TCP applications)

• Full Citation: US20040047361A1
• Publication Date: March 11, 2004 (Filed: August 23, 2002)
• Brief Description: This document addresses TCP/IP processing using generic buffers for applications that don't explicitly post buffers, touching upon aspects of data handling and potential zero-copy.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1, 6, and 12 related to copying application data to host memory, and indirectly, the management of buffers.

7. US20040088262A1 (Enabling an enhanced function of an electronic device)

• Full Citation: US20040088262A1
• Publication Date: May 6, 2004 (Filed: November 6, 2002)
• Brief Description: While broad, this patent application describes enabling enhanced functions of an electronic device, which could encompass the intelligent network adaptor's capabilities.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: This might broadly cover the functionality of an "intelligent network adaptor" as described in claims 1, 6, and 12.

8. US20040117496A1 (Networked application request servicing offloaded from host)

• Full Citation: US20040117496A1
• Publication Date: June 17, 2004 (Filed: December 12, 2002)
• Brief Description: This patent application explicitly details offloading networked application request servicing from a host, which is a core concept of US 8,589,587.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Highly relevant to the overall concept of offloading tasks to the intelligent network adaptor in claims 1, 6, and 12.

9. US20040210320A1 (Runtime adaptable protocol processor)

• Full Citation: US20040210320A1
• Publication Date: October 21, 2004 (Filed: June 11, 2002)
• Brief Description: This describes a runtime adaptable protocol processor, suggesting a dynamic aspect to how protocol processing is handled, which could relate to the "intelligent" nature of the adaptor.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Could relate to the "intelligent network adaptor" performing transport protocol processing as in claims 1, 6, and 12, especially if the intelligence involves adaptability.

10. US20050102682A1 (Method, system, and program for interfacing with a network adaptor supporting a plurality of devices)

• Full Citation: US20050102682A1
• Publication Date: May 12, 2005 (Filed: November 12, 2003)
• Brief Description: This document focuses on interfacing with a network adaptor that supports multiple devices, touching on the interaction between the host and the adaptor.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Could broadly cover aspects of the host and intelligent network adaptor interaction in claims 1, 6, and 12.

11. US20050111483A1 (Method and system of teamed network adapters with offloaded connections)

• Full Citation: US20050111483A1
• Publication Date: May 26, 2005 (Filed: November 20, 2003)
• Brief Description: This describes a method and system for "teamed" network adapters with offloaded connections, directly related to network adaptors and offloading.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Highly relevant to the intelligent network adaptor performing protocol processing as described in claims 1, 6, and 12.

12. US20050188074A1 (System and method for self-configuring and adaptive offload card architecture for TCP/IP and specialized protocols)

• Full Citation: US20050188074A1
• Publication Date: August 25, 2005 (Filed: January 9, 2004)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a self-configuring and adaptive offload card for TCP/IP and specialized protocols, which clearly relates to intelligent offloading of TCP/IP.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Very relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, especially where the connection-oriented protocol is TCP/IP and the adaptor is intelligent.

13. US20050223134A1 (Accelerated TCP (Transport Control Protocol) stack processing)

• Full Citation: US20050223134A1
• Publication Date: October 6, 2005 (Filed: March 31, 2004)
• Brief Description: This patent application focuses on accelerating TCP stack processing, which is a direct objective of offloading in US 8,589,587.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Strongly related to claims 1, 6, and 12, particularly the aspect of the intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing for TCP/IP connections.

14. US20050286560A1 (Processing receive protocol data units)

• Full Citation: US20050286560A1
• Publication Date: December 29, 2005 (Filed: June 28, 2004)
• Brief Description: This document discusses the processing of receive protocol data units, a general function performed by the intelligent network adaptor.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Broadly relevant to the intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing in claims 1, 6, and 12.

15. US20060015618A1 (Apparatus and method for supporting received data processing in an offload of network protocol processing)

• Full Citation: US20060015618A1
• Publication Date: January 19, 2006 (Filed: July 14, 2004)
• Brief Description: This patent application details an apparatus and method for supporting received data processing in an offloaded network protocol processing environment.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Directly relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, particularly concerning the intelligent network adaptor's role in processing received data and offloading.

16. US20060015651A1 (Apparatus and method for supporting memory management in an offload of network protocol processing)

• Full Citation: US20060015651A1
• Publication Date: January 19, 2006 (Filed: July 14, 2004)
• Brief Description: This describes memory management in an offloaded network protocol processing system, which relates to the copying of application data to host memory and buffer management.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, specifically the aspect of copying application data to host memory.

17. US20060031524A1 (Apparatus and method for supporting connection establishment in an offload of network protocol processing)

• Full Citation: US20060031524A1
• Publication Date: February 9, 2006 (Filed: July 14, 2004)
• Brief Description: This patent application focuses on connection establishment within an offloaded network protocol processing framework, which is fundamental to a "stateful connection."
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12 regarding the establishment and maintenance of a stateful connection.

18. US20060265517A1 (Tcp/ip reception process circuit and semiconductor integrated cirtuit having the same)

• Full Citation: US20060265517A1
• Publication Date: November 23, 2006 (Filed: May 20, 2005)
• Brief Description: This describes a TCP/IP reception process circuit, directly relevant to the hardware implementation of TCP/IP offload.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, particularly the intelligent network adaptor performing transport protocol processing for TCP/IP.

19. US20060268841A1 (Error resilience using out of band directory information)

• Full Citation: US20060268841A1
• Publication Date: November 30, 2006 (Filed: May 13, 2005)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes error resilience using out-of-band directory information, which might implicitly involve how data status or notifications are handled.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Could broadly relate to the notification mechanism in claims 1, 6, and 12, though less directly focused on "application level signalling."

20. US20060274788A1 (System-on-a-chip (SoC) device with integrated support for ethernet, TCP, iSCSI, RDMA, and network application acceleration)

• Full Citation: US20060274788A1
• Publication Date: December 7, 2006 (Filed: June 7, 2005)
• Brief Description: This describes a SoC with integrated support for various network protocols and acceleration, highlighting the integration of offloading capabilities.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Relevant to the intelligent network adaptor's capabilities in performing transport protocol processing and general network acceleration as in claims 1, 6, and 12.

21. US7164656B2 (Communicating data through a network so as to ensure quality of service)

• Full Citation: US7164656B2
• Publication Date: January 16, 2007 (Filed: April 27, 2001)
• Brief Description: This patent discusses communicating data through a network to ensure quality of service, which may involve prioritization or expedited handling that could relate to "urgent" or "push" indicators.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Could potentially anticipate the aspect of "useful application level notifications" at the transport layer, specifically the "urgent indicator" or "push indicator" in claims 1, 6, and 12.

22. US20070064737A1 (Receive coalescing and automatic acknowledge in network interface controller)

• Full Citation: US20070064737A1
• Publication Date: March 22, 2007 (Filed: September 7, 2005)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes receive coalescing and automatic acknowledgement in a network interface controller, which touches upon moderating notifications and efficiently handling data reception.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Directly relevant to the "moderating a rate of providing application payload data arrival notifications" as described in claims 1, 6, and 12. The automatic acknowledge could also relate to the adaptor managing communication with the peer.

23. US20070233892A1 (System and method for performing information detection)

• Full Citation: US20070233892A1
• Publication Date: October 4, 2007 (Filed: March 31, 2006)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for performing information detection, which could encompass the intelligent network adaptor's ability to detect "useful application level notifications."
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Could relate to the adaptor determining that an incoming packet contains useful application level notifications as in claims 1, 6, and 12.

24. US20080091868A1 (Method and System for Delayed Completion Coalescing)

• Full Citation: US20080091868A1
• Publication Date: April 17, 2008 (Filed: October 17, 2006)
• Brief Description: This describes a method and system for delayed completion coalescing, which is a technique for moderating notifications by grouping them, directly relevant to the core novelty of US 8,589,587.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Highly relevant to "moderating a rate of providing application payload data arrival notifications" in claims 1, 6, and 12.

25. US20080168190A1 (Input/Output Tracing in a Protocol Offload System)

• Full Citation: US20080168190A1
• Publication Date: July 10, 2008 (Filed: February 24, 2005)
• Brief Description: This describes I/O tracing in a protocol offload system, indicating existing knowledge of offload systems and how their operations are monitored.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Broadly relevant to the context of a protocol offload system as described in claims 1, 6, and 12.

26. US20080273532A1 (Direct Assembly Of A Data Payload In An Application Memory)

• Full Citation: US20080273532A1
• Publication Date: November 6, 2008 (Filed: May 2, 2007)
• Brief Description: This patent application explicitly mentions direct assembly of data payload in application memory, which relates to the direct data placement (zero-copy) described in US 8,589,587.
• Potential Anticipated Claims: Highly relevant to claims 1, 6, and 12, particularly the copying of application data to host memory, which often implies direct data placement to application buffers.

It's important to note that the ultimate determination of anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would require a detailed claim-by-claim analysis against the full disclosure of each prior art reference. This analysis provides an initial assessment of potential relevance.