DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/12/2025 has been entered .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claims 3-4 recites the limitation of “the other side”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
The remaining claims are rejected based on their dependency from a claim that has been rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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.
Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhou et al. US 20220248560 A1.
Re claim 1, Zhou et al. teach a cold plate comprising: an opposing portion (214, and portions of manifold body and internal chamber adjacent to 212 side) opposing a heat generating component ( 10, 12, 14a, b, fig 6e) on one side in a first direction (fig 5 );
a cover portion (212, and portions of manifold body and internal chamber adjacent to 214 side, 222) on another side (figs) of the opposing portion in the first direction;
and a heat exchange chamber (flow chambers internal to manifold 210, noting internal volume directly adjacent to top and bottom are considered part of the cover and opposing portions respectively) including at least the opposing portion and the cover portion to conduct heat from the heat generating component to a refrigerant through the opposing portion;
wherein the opposing portion includes:
a first cooling surface (annotated fig) on the one side in the first direction;
the first cooling surface including a first fin portion (229) to conduct heat from the heat generating component to the refrigerant;
and a second cooling surface (annotated fig) on the one side in the first direction;
the second cooling surface including a second fin portion (226) to conduct heat from the heat generating component to the refrigerant;
the first fin portion and the second fin portion include fins which extend in the first direction (noting that the grouping of fins extend and cover area in all three directions by being three dimensional objects);
and the second cooling surface is spaced away from the first cooling surface in the first direction (figs),
such that the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface define a stepped portion (figs) which is located between the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface; and the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface extend in parallel with one another along a direction which intersects the first direction (figs).
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Re claim 2, Zhou et al. teach wherein the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface are defined by a single structure (noting a single assembly as assembled and single part , figs).
Re claim 3, Zhou et al. teach wherein the heat exchange chamber includes: a first flow path through which the refrigerant passes; and a second flow path through which the refrigerant passes; the first flow path is on the other side of the first cooling surface in the first direction; the second flow path is on the other side of the second cooling surface in the first direction; and the first flow path and the second flow path are side by side in a second direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first direction (noting multiple flow paths through channels on opposing sides top and bottom manifold, and through fins; figs).
Re claim 4, Zhou et al. teach
wherein the first fin portion is on the other side of the first cooling surface in the first direction; the second fin portion is on the other side of the first cooling surface in the first direction (figs);
a surface (annotated fig) on the other side of the first fin portion in the first direction comes into contact with a surface of the cover portion on the one side in the first direction ; and a surface (corners connecting “first cooling surface” and “second cooling surface” and side of block) on the other side of the second fin portion in the first direction comes into contact with a surface of the cover portion on the one side in the first direction (figs).
Re claim 5, Zhou et al. teach wherein the cover portion includes a partition (220) portion that partitions the first flow path and the second flow path;
a portion of the partition portion is located between the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface when the cold plate is viewed from the first direction
and the partition portion is provided on the one side in the first direction and extends along the first flow path and the second flow path (figs).
Re claim 6, Zhou et al. teach wherein the cover portion includes: a first guide (248) portion to guide the refrigerant from an outside to an inside of the heat exchange chamber; and a second guide portion (246) to guide the refrigerant from the inside to the outside of the heat exchange chamber; the first guide portion is on one side in the second direction; and the second guide portion is on another side in the second direction (figs).
Re claim 7, Zhou et al. teach wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are connected in parallel to the first guide portion and the second guide portion (figs, noting the paths are contained and thermally, fluidically connected to all parts).
Re claim 8, Zhou et al. teach wherein the stepped portion defined by the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface extends along a projection in an end surface of the heat generating component (figs, noting an imaginary projection vertical intersects the parts, which one of ordinary skill in the art would interpret from “projection” given no definition in the specification).
Re claim 9, Zhou et al. teach wherein the first cooling surface and the second cooling surface do not overlap one another when viewed in the first direction (figs).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/12/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2003/0221813 Al.
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/GORDON A JONES/ Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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