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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-4, 9-11 and 13-15 (corresponding to the embodiment represented by Fig. 9) in the reply filed on Apr. 21, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 6-8 and 12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on Apr. 21, 2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they (e.g., Fig. 3) fail to clearly show the structural details, for example:
Fig. 3 is a top view, a side view, or others? How does it correspond to Figs. 1-2?
Which portion/area of Fig. 3 represents “20”?
Which direction represents “height” or “length” of “20”?
Where in the figure shows “Each reinforcing element 27 extends over the entire height of the diverting chamber 20”?
Aren’t both “19” and “13” pointing to “channels”?
Where is the “gap” represented by “19”?
Clarifications are required.
Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1-4, 9-11 and 13-15 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites both “fluid circulation channels” and “pass channels”. It appears that they are referring to the same things. If so, why using two different terms? If not, what’s the difference? For example, the term “pass channels” may have to be defined. Thus, the scope of the claim is indefinite. For purposes of examination, they will be interpreted as the same thing.
Furthermore, in claim 1, “a plurality of circulation channels” (line 2) and “the plurality of fluid circulation channels” (line 5) should be consistent with each other. The term “thereof” is archaic. The issue applies similarly to claim 15.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the respective outlet channel" (last line). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The issue applies similarly to claim 15.
The term “each” in claim 1 (line 6) can be interpreted as modifying “pass channels” or “at least two groups”, rendering the scope of the claim ambiguous. The issue applies similarly to claim 15.
The term “adjacent” in claim 4 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “adjacent” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. The related limitation(s) has been rendered indefinite due to the use of the term “adjacent”.
See the art rejections below for how those issues mentioned above are interpreted.
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)(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 1-4, 9-11 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Prashant et al. (US 20220173455 A1, hereafter Prashant).
Regarding claim 1, Prashant teaches a temperature regulation device (e.g., title) comprising:
an upper plate and a lower plate joined together (“2” and “3”, Fig. 1C) to form a plurality of circulation channels (“4”, Fig. 1B) for a heat transfer fluid (“temperature control fluid”, [0061]);
a fluid inlet zone and a fluid outlet zone (See the annotated figure below);
the plurality of fluid circulation channels including:
at least two groups of pass channels each forming at least one fluid pass in a thermally operative region (See the annotated figure below);
at least one inlet channel (“4a”, “4b”), connecting the fluid inlet zone and one of the at least two groups of pass channels (See the annotated figure below);
at least two outlet channels, connecting another one of the at least two groups of pass channels to the fluid outlet zone, with pass channels thereof being subdivided into as many subgroups as there are outlet channels, each subgroup (each outlet channel is considered a subgroup) of pass channels being connected to the respective outlet channel. See the annotated figure below.
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Regarding claim 2, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of inlet channels is smaller than the number of outlet channels. See the annotated figure above.
Regarding claim 3, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of outlet channels is between 2 and 6 (See the annotated figure above).
Regarding claim 4, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the group of pass channels directly connected to the at least one inlet channel is adjacent to one of the subgroups of the group of pass channels connected to the one of the at least two outlet channels, said subgroup having the highest number of pass channels among any other subgroups connected to any of the at least two outlet channels (as shown in the annotated figure above, any subgroup has the highest number of 1).
Regarding claim 9, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the group of pass channels connected to the at least one inlet channel has more than 2 pass channels (See the annotated figure above).
Regarding claim 10, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pass channels in each group of pass channels are mutually parallel over the majority of their length (See the annotated figure above and Fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 11, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pass channels are substantially rectilinear over the majority of their length (See the annotated figure above and Fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 13, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in at least one of the fluid passes, the pass channels are disposed in a branching organization with at least one distribution node and at least one collection node wherein at least two pass channels are connected either, in case of the distribution nodes, to distribute the heat transfer fluid from one pass channel to two or more pass channels, or, for the collection nodes, to collect the heat transfer fluid from two or more pass channels into one pass channel. See the annotated figure below.
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Regarding claim 14, Prashant teaches the temperature regulation device as claimed in claim 13, wherein, in at least one of the fluid passes, the total number of distribution nodes and that of the collection nodes are the same for all the pass channels (See the annotated figure above).
Regarding claim 15, Prashant teaches a system (See, e.g., Figs.) comprising:
an electrical component (“103”, “104”, Fig. 1); and a temperature regulation device (“1”, Fig. 1A and 1C) including: an upper plate (“2”, Fig. 1C) and a lower plate (“3”, Fig. 1C) joined together to form a plurality of circulation channels for a heat transfer fluid (Fig. 1A, 1B and 1C); a fluid inlet zone (“101” area) and a fluid outlet zone (“102” area); the plurality of fluid circulation channels including: at least two groups of pass channels each forming at least one fluid pass in a thermally operative region; at least one inlet channel, connecting the fluid inlet zone and one of the at least two groups of pass channels; at least two outlet channels, connecting another one of the at least two groups of pass channels to the fluid outlet zone, with pass channels being subdivided into as many subgroups as there are outlet channels, each subgroup of pass channels being connected to the respective outlet channel (See the annotated figure in the rejection of claim 1 and the rejection of claim 1); and the electrical component being in thermal contact with the upper plate of the cooling temperature regulation device (See Fig. 1A).
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHONGQING WEI whose telephone number is (571)272-4809. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:30 - 6:00.
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, Barbara Gilliam can be reached at (571)272-1330. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZHONGQING WEI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1727
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