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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 02/27/2026 has been entered.
Oath/Declaration
The oath/declaration filed on 08/15/2023 is acceptable.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)91) as being anticipated by Yao et al. [US 10,567,309].
Regarding claim 1, Yao et al., disclose a circuit card assembly (105, figures 1-4) adapted to be inserted into a conformal shelf assembly (figure 4), the circuit card assembly comprising:
a printed circuit board assembly (305, figure 3) disposed in a case (105, figure 2) comprising side faces (a periphery side is around the printed circuit board 305, figure 3) by which the circuit card assembly is mounted in the conformal shelf assembly, a front facing side (130, figure 3) disposed between the side faces (top and bottom sides which are supported the printed circuit board 305, figure 3), and a rear facing side (an opposite side to the front side 130, figure 3) disposed between the side faces opposite the front facing side; and
a plurality of ports (130 and 125a-125f, figure 3) coupled to the printed circuit board and accessible from the rear facing side (figure 4, paragraph 0023) of the case at each side face (paragraphs 0021-0022); and
wherein the case further comprises a generally rectangular shaped portion or a generally tail shaped portion protruding from between the plurality of ports accessible from the rear facing side at each side face at a back portion of the case (figures 3-4).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al. [US 10,567,309], in view of Shearman et al., [US 20220078532].
Regarding claim 2, Yao et al., disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the plurality of ports comprise a plurality of fabric ports, and further comprising a plurality of client ports coupled to the printed circuit board and accessible from the front facing side of the case.
Shearman et al., disclose a printed circuit board assembly (110, figures 13-14) disposed in a case (a case includes a face plate 115, figures 13-17) comprising side faces (a periphery side is around the printed circuit board 117, figure 14) by which the circuit card assembly is mounted in the conformal shelf assembly, a front facing side (130, figure 13-14) disposed between the side faces (140, 120 and left and right sides of the printed circuit board 117, figure 14), and a rear facing side (an opposite side to the front side 130, figure 14) disposed between the side faces opposite the front facing side; and a plurality of ports (114, 116, figures 11 and 13) coupled to the printed circuit board and wherein the plurality of ports comprise a plurality of fabric ports (figures 11-12, paragraph 0047), and further comprising a plurality of client ports (116, figures 11 and 13) coupled to the printed circuit board and accessible from the front facing side of the case (figures 11-14).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to use a specific fabric ports and client ports in a network system of Yao et al., as suggested by Shearman et al., in order to provide fabric interconnects and client connections for the network system.
Regarding claim 3, Yao et al., further disclose wherein the case further comprises a generally octagonal shaped portion (extended portions disposed two rear part of the case, figure 3) and the plurality of ports (125a-125f, figure 3) are accessible from a rear and side facing corner of the case (figure 3).
Yao et al., disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the plurality of fabric ports are accessible from a rear and side facing corner of the case; and the plurality of client ports are accessible from a front and side facing corner of the case.
Shearman et al., further disclose wherein the plurality of fabric ports are accessible from a rear and side facing corner of the case (figure 13, paragraphs 0045-0047; 0056-0060 and 0072-0075); and the plurality of client ports are accessible from a front and side facing corner of the case (fabric and client ports 114 and 116 are accessible from a front and side facing corner of the face plate 115 and housing 102).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to set a plurality of fabric ports are accessible from a rear and side facing corner of the case and a plurality of client ports are accessible from a front and side facing corner of the case of a case of Yao et al., as suggested by Shearman et al., in order to make connections easy to access in a network system, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 4, Yao et al., in view of Shearman et al., further disclose an application specific integrated circuit (120, figure 1, col. 2, lines 45-67) coupled to the printed circuit board and disposed between the plurality of fabric ports and the plurality of client ports in a central portion of the printed circuit board (figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, Yao et al., in view of Shearman et al., further disclose wherein the case further comprises a generally rectangular shaped portion or the generally tail shaped portion is coupled to the generally octagonal shaped portion at the back portion of the case (figures 3-4).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al. [US 10,567,309], in view of Eckberg et al. [US 2016/0066480].
Regarding claim 7, Yao et al., further disclose guide rails coupled to the side faces of the case (figures 3-4).
Yao et al. disclose the claimed invention except for a liquid cooling plate disposed within the case adjacent to a component side of the printed circuit board.
Eckberg et al., further disclose a liquid cooling plate (14/16, figure 1) disposed within the case adjacent to a component side of the printed circuit board.
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a liquid cooling plate in a case of Yao et al., as suggested by Eckberg et al., in order to improve the circulation of fluid coolant through the internal channels of a card assembly.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al., in view of Shearman et al., as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Eckberg et al. [US 2016/0066480].
Regarding claim 6, Yao et al., in view of Shearman et al., further disclose wherein the generally rectangular shaped portion or the generally tail shaped portion comprises one or more of busbar (figure 1) and a controller (120, figure 1).
Yao et al., in view of Shearman et al., disclose the claimed invention except for wherein the generally rectangular shaped portion or the generally tail shaped portion comprises a plurality of guide pins and a plurality of cooling liquid quick disconnects.
Eckberg et al. an electronic apparatus (20, figures 1-4) comprising at least one computer member (10, figure 1), the computer member has a generally rectangular shaped portion (figure 1), and wherein the generally rectangular shaped portion comprises a plurality of guide pins (42, figures 1-4) and a plurality of cooling liquid quick disconnects (paragraphs 0005-0006).
It would have been to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to add a cooling liquid quick disconnects on a generally rectangular shaped portion or a generally tail shaped portion of a circuit card assembly of Yao et al., in view of Shearman et al., as suggested by Eckberg et al., in order to safely swap or fix high-power hardware like a computer server without draining the entire coolant system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The closet arts, neither cited references, Yao et al. [US 10,567,309], Shearman et al., [US 20220078532] and/or Eckberg et al. [US 2016/0066480], nor the prior art of record alone or in combination, discloses, teaches or render suggest obvious that a shelf assembly adapted to receive an inserted conformal circuit card assembly, the shelf assembly comprises a housing, wherein the housing comprises side faces, a front facing side disposed between the side faces, and a rear facing side disposed between the side faces opposite the front facing side and defining openings on the rear facing side of the housing at each side face; and a generally rectangular shaped portion or a generally tail shaped protruding from between the openings defined at each side face at a back portion of the housing, as claimed in the claims 8 and 17. Claims 9-16 depend on the allowed claim 8. Claims 18-20 depend on the allowed claim 17.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 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:
Wilson et al. [US 9,794,195] disclose communication device with receded ports;
Shearman et al. [US 11,303,106] disclose busbar assembly with alignment;
Rivaud et al. [US 2024/0179877] disclose angled and stepped faceplate; and
Shelnutt et al. [US 2017/0181323] disclose rack information handling system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hung S. Bui whose telephone number is (571)272-2102. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 8am-5pm.
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, Allen L. Parker can be reached on (303) 297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUNG S. BUI/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2841
/HUNG S. BUI/Primary Patent Examiner, 2841/2800
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