DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/25/2025 has been entered.
Claims 1-2, 4-5 and 8-12 are pending. Claims 1, 4 and 8 are amended. Claims 3, 6-7 and 13-22 are cancelled.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-2 and 4-5 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, in line 17, “…to the first manifold portion without and a second…” should read --… to the first manifold portion and a second…--.
Regarding claims 2 and 4-5, the claims are objected by virtue of their dependency
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-5 and 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (US 2024/0040476, herein “Zhang”).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang discloses:
a system (102) (figs. 4-7B and 10C) comprising:
a plurality of information handling systems (114, 114-1, 114-2, 114-3, 114-4) including first zone systems comprising a first plurality of information handling systems (114, 114-1) and second zone systems comprising a second plurality of information handling systems (114-2, 114-3) (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, below);
a manifold (164), wherein the manifold (164) includes a plurality of manifold portions including a first manifold portion and a second manifold portion (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, below);
a plurality of flow rate programmable valves (288) (seen in fig. 6, as it applies to fig. 4) [par. 0071-0072], including a first variable valve and a second variable valve coupled in parallel between the first manifold portion and the second manifold portion (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, below);
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a plurality of valveless fluidic conduits including a first plurality of valveless fluidic conduits fluidically coupling the first plurality of information handling systems (114, 114-1) to the first manifold portion and a second plurality of valveless fluidic conduits fluidically coupling the second plurality of information handling systems (114-2, 114-3) to the second manifold portion (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, page 3); and
a controller [computing device, par. 0072] coupled to the plurality of flow rate programmable valves (288) [par. 0072] and configured to control:
a first flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of coolant fluid to an information handling system of the first zone; and a second flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of coolant fluid to an information handling system of the second zone (see paragraphs 0102-0103, as it applies to the embodiment of figs. 4-7B, where regulation of different flow control rates for different systems, based on monitored characteristic, is discussed).
Regarding claim 2, Zhang discloses:
each variable valve (288) being manually programmable by a person [par. 0072, lines 3-4].
Regarding claim 4, Zhang discloses:
the controller [computing device, par. 0072] communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of variable valves (288) is configured to:
receive telemetry information (such as temperature, pressure or flow rate from sensors) regarding the plurality of information handling systems (114, 114-1, 114-2, 114-3, 114-4) [par. 0102, as it applies to the embodiment of figures 4-7B]; and
based on the telemetry information, generate one or more control signals to the plurality of variable valves (288) in order to individually control a respective flow rate of coolant fluid through each of the plurality of variable valves (288) (see paragraphs 0102-0103, as it applies to the embodiment of figs. 4-7B, where regulation of different flow control rates for different systems, based on monitored characteristic, is discussed).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang discloses:
the telemetry information including flow rate information associated with the coolant fluid [par. 0102, as it applies to the embodiment of figs. 4-7B].
Regarding claim 8, Zhang discloses:
a manifold (164) for use in a fluidic distribution network (fig. 4), comprising:
a plurality of manifold portions including a first manifold portion and a second manifold portion (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, page 3);
a plurality of flow rate programmable valves (288) (seen in fig. 6, as it applies to fig. 4) [par. 0071-0072], including a first variable valve and a second variable valve coupled in parallel between the first manifold portion and the second manifold portion (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, page 3);
a plurality of valveless fluidic conduits including a first plurality of valveless fluidic conduits fluidically coupling the first plurality of information handling systems (114, 114-1) to the first manifold portion and a second plurality of valveless fluidic conduits fluidically coupling the second plurality of information handling systems (114-2, 114-3) to the second manifold portion (see annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, page 3); and
a controller [computing device, par. 0072] coupled to the plurality of flow rate programmable valves (288) [par. 0072] and configured to control:
a first flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of coolant fluid to an information handling system of the first zone; and a second flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of coolant fluid to an information handling system of the second zone (see paragraphs 0102-0103, as it applies to the embodiment of figs. 4-7B, where regulation of different flow control rates for different systems, based on monitored characteristic, is discussed).
Regarding claim 9, Zhang discloses:
each variable valve (288) being manually programmable by a person [par. 0072, lines 3-4].
Regarding claim 10, Zhang discloses:
each variable valve (288) being automatically programmable via one or more control signals communicated from a controller (computing device) communicatively coupled to the variable valves (288) [par. 0072, lines 3-6].
Regarding claim 11, Zhang discloses:
the one or more signals are based on telemetry information (such as temperature, pressure or flow rate from sensors) regarding the plurality of information handling systems (114, 114-1, 114-2, 114-3, 114-4) [par. 0102, as it applies to the embodiment of figures 4-7B].
Regarding claim 12, Zhang discloses:
the telemetry information including flow rate information associated with the coolant fluid [par. 0102, as it applies to the embodiment of figs. 4-7B].
Response to Arguments
The rejection of claims 6, 14 and 20 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as presented in the Office Action of 04/24/2025, are withdrawn in light of the amendments.
Applicant' s arguments, filed 08/25/2025, are unpersuasive because Applicant merely provides a conclusory statement indicating that Zhang does not disclose claims 1 and 8 as amended. Although the grounds of rejection are maintained, the overly broad language of the newly amended limitations of claims 1 and 8 allows a broad interpretation of the claims which reference Zhang reads on. Please refer to the grounds of rejection above, including annotated fig. 4-ZHANG, page 3, which depicts the newly amended limitations.
Conclusion
All claims are identical to or patentably indistinct from, or have unity of invention with claims in the application prior to the entry of the submission under 37 CFR 1.114 (that is, restriction (including a lack of unity of invention) would not be proper) and all claims could have been finally rejected on the grounds and art of record in the next Office action if they had been entered in the application prior to entry under 37 CFR 1.114. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL even though it is a first action after the filing of a request for continued examination and the submission under 37 CFR 1.114. See MPEP § 706.07(b). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/GUSTAVO A HINCAPIE SERNA/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/ERIC S RUPPERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763