Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/215,611

INTELLIGENT MOVABLE FLOW CONTROLLER AND COOLING MANIFOLD FOR DATACENTER COOLING SYSTEMS

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Jun 28, 2023
Priority
Jan 06, 2021 — continuation of 11/751,359
Examiner
DECKER, JAMIL ALEXANDER
Art Unit
2835
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
NVIDIA Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
41%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 41% of resolved cases
41%
Career Allowance Rate
31 granted / 76 resolved
-27.2% vs TC avg
Strong +40% interview lift
Without
With
+39.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 9m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
91
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.7%
-38.3% vs TC avg
§103
53.0%
+13.0% vs TC avg
§102
20.9%
-19.1% vs TC avg
§112
24.4%
-15.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 76 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10 and 18-20 have been considered. The amendments to the claims, however, require a new grounds for rejection. In regards to the ideas discussed for amendments; the amended claims have not presented the limitations in relation to one another in such a way as to distinguish the claims over the prior art. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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, 3-10, and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2021/0385978 to Shao et al. Shao discloses; As to claim 1, a cooling housing of a rack (the rear portion of Electronic Rack 1 houses the Liquid Distribution System 3, FIG. 1, making the rear portion of Electronic Rack 1 a cooling housing of a rack), the cooling housing comprising one or more rails (6); and at least one fixed flow controller (14, 15) coupled to the cooling housing and at least one movable flow controller (10) that is configured to move along the one or more rails within the cooling housing. As to claim 18, a method comprising: providing at least one movable flow controller (14, 15) within a cooling housing (the rear portion of Electronic Rack 1 houses the Liquid Distribution System 3, FIG. 1, making the rear portion of Electronic Rack 1 a cooling housing of a rack), the cooling housing comprising one or more rails (6), the at least one movable flow controller to be associated with at least one fixed flow controller (14) coupled to the cooling housing, the at least one movable flow controller being configured to move along the one or more rails (FIG. 3) within the cooling housing. As to claim 3, the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one movable flow controller is associated with the at least one fixed flow controller and with a tube (12a) there between. As to claim 4, the system of claim 3, wherein the tube is to extend as the at least one movable flow controller is moved in at least one direction (Fig.3) and to enable flow of fluid ([0001] system uses a fluid coolant) between the at least one fixed flow controller to the at least one movable flow controller. As to claim 5, the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one movable flow controller (10) is to be movable in at least one direction (see e.g. Fig.3) relative to dimensions of the cooling housing. As to claim 6, the system of claim 5, wherein the at least one movable flow controller is movable in a provided path (see FIG. 3) along the at least one direction within the cooling housing, the system further comprising: a position lock ([0032] “The connecting unit may slide along the mounting rail 6 to a particular location (e.g., by a technician) and be mounted in place by coupling the unit to the mounting rail 6 via one or more bolts (or fasteners) that are inserted into the holes of the mounting rail.” The fasteners in this constituting a position lock) associated with the provided path to lock the at least one movable flow controller in a determined position to align with a corresponding flow controller of a server tray or box. As to claim 7, the system of claim 5, wherein the at least one movable flow controller is to be movable in the at least one direction to a location in the cooling housing that is aligned with a server tray flow controller of a server tray or box (2C, FIG. 3). As to claim 8, the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one movable flow controller is to be positioned for mating with at least one server tray or box (2a). As to claim 9, the system of claim 1, wherein the at least one fixed flow controller (14) is to be mated with at least one rack manifold (7). As to claim 10, the system of claim 1, wherein the cooling housing is to be associated with at least one rack manifold (7) by push coupling (quick disconnects work by push coupling) of the at least one fixed flow controller with a corresponding flow controller (14 and ¶[0037], ll. 12-13) of the at least one rack manifold. As to claim 19, the method of claim 18 further comprising enabling the at least one movable flow controller (10) to be movable in at least one direction (see Fig.3) relative to dimensions of the cooling housing, wherein the at least one movable flow controller is to be associated with the at least one fixed flow controller and with a tube (12a) there between. As to claim 20, the method of claim 18 further comprising: enabling the at least one movable flow controller to be positioned for mating with a server tray (2a) and the at least one fixed flow controller (10) to be mated with a rack manifold (7). Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER whose telephone number is (571)272-6578. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-5pm Mon-Fri. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jayprakash Gandhi can be reached at (571) 272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2841 /Jayprakash N Gandhi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2841
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 28, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 22, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Apr 28, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Jul 06, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 23, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
41%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+39.5%)
3y 9m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 76 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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