DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
While the prior art clearly teaches that pump power and temperature difference across a heat exchanger are related optimizable values (see US 2020/0131940, Para. [0011]; US 2023/0147728, Para. [0137]), the prior art does not appear to fairly teach or suggest the use of the third temperature differential based on the failure to obtain the second, as required by claim 8.
Claims 19-20 are allowed.
The prior art does not appear to teach or fairly suggest, in combination with all the other limitations of the claims from which it depends, the spiral shaped pressure balance pipe of claim 19.
Claim 20 depends from claim 19.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 9-10, 12-13, 15, 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Keehn (US 2022/0264761) in view of Boyd (US 2022/0104394) and Archibald (US 2023/0147728).
Regarding claims 1-2, Keehn teaches an immersion cooling system (Figs. 1) for a server system (110) comprising: a pressure seal tank (102) configured to store coolant (114/116) wherein a vapor space (116) is formed in the pressure seal tank above a liquid level (114) of the coolant; an electronic apparatus (11) completely immersed in the coolant; a pressure balance pipe (from 118 to 122) having a gas collection length, wherein a first port of the pressure balance pipe is disposed on a top surface of the pressure seal tank (where 118 is joined to 102); and a relief valve (122) disposed on a second port of the pressure balance pipe, wherein the second port is farther away from the top surface of the pressure seal tank than the first port (Figs. 1); wherein when the electronic device is in operation, a portion of the coolant vaporizes to increase a pressure value int eh pressure seal tank (Para. [0018]); wherein when the pressure value in the pressure seal tank exceeds a first pressure value, the relief valve is automatically opened so that the vapor space is communicated with an environment outside the tank along the pipe (Paras. [0021], [0052], [0054]); the gas collection length of the pressure equalization tube allows a concentration of the vaporized coolant at the first port to be greater than a concentration of the vaporized coolant at the second port (see Figs. 1e-1h).
Keehn does not teach the partition wall, coolant outlet at a bottom of the tank, and other specifics of the cooling system.
Boyd teaches that it is old and well-known to form immersion cooling systems (title) for servers (16) with a heat exchanger (32) comprising a water circulation loop (30) and a coolant circulation loop (28), wherein the water circulation loop is connected to a water tower (50) to receive cold water; a liquid distributor (36) connected between an outlet of the coolant circulation loop and a bottom of the electronic apparatus (Figs. 12 and 1).
Boyd further teaches that a partition wall (wall between 40 and 14) vertically disposed on a bottom (bottom of 40) of the tank so that the tank is divided into first larger (14) and second smaller (42) accommodating spaces; a coolant outlet (44), disposed at the bottom of the second accommodating space and spatially opposite to the partition wall (see Fig. 4), wherein the apparatus is placed in the first accommodating space (in 20) and a height of the partition wall is lower than the liquid level (at 22; it acts as a weir) and higher than a top surface of the electronic apparatus (“immersion”; see also 20 and 22 in Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the device of Keehn with the structures of Boyd as Keehn has left to one of ordinary skill the means and details for cooling the coolant.
Keehn does not teach the temperature sensors and pump control based thereon.
Archibald teaches that it is old and well-known in the art to measure the temperature differentials across multiple components of a coolant loop and to utilize these differentials to control pump speed in the loop (e.g. Para. [0137]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to measure the temperature differential across the functional heat exchanging components of Keehn, as modified, in order to provide control parameters to the pump based on the operating conditions of the device. It is noted that there are only three heat exchanging components to monitor (thermal exchange across the electronic components, the heat exchanger 32 of Boyd, and the water tower of Boyd) and, as such, this monitoring is considered within the ordinary skill to implement.
Boyd further teaches:
Per claim 3, a pump between inlet and outlet of the coolant loop (48) which causes coolant to flow from the second accommodation space (42) into the inlet of the coolant loop via the coolant outlet (Fig. 13); the two loops perform heat exchange (at 32) to cool the coolant.
Per claim 4, the liquid distributor receives cooled coolant from the coolant loop outlet (Figs. 12-13); via the pump the liquid distributor evenly distributes the coolant to flow through an interior of the electronic apparatus (Para. [0029]).
Per claim 5, the pump causes coolant flowing through the electronic apparatus to flow into the first accommodating space (42; see Figs. 12-13).
Regarding claims 9-10, Keehn, as modified above, does not specify flow rate meters.
Boyd teaches the incorporation of sensors (S; see Fig. 13) sensing pressure, temperature, and conductivity at least (Para. [0032]) in both coolant and water loops (Fig. 13), the control (via 58, 60, 62) of flow control valves (Fig. 13, unlabeled; Para. [0032]) and discusses dynamic adjustment of flow rates (Para. [0037]) but does not specify how the dynamically adjusted flow rates are monitored.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to utilize the sensors of Boyd to determine the flow rates in the loops, as they are already capable of doing via, at a minimum, pressure differential in order to allow for the intended operating of dynamically adjustable flow rates.
Keehn further teaches: a removable lid (202) which covers the top surface of the pressure seal tank which forms an opening (see Fig. 2a), the opening is adjacent the first part of the pressure balance pipe port (where 118 joins 202) and allows for placement of the electronic apparatus through the opening, and sealing with the cover to form the vapor space (see Fig. 2a), per claim 12; the side wall of the pressure balance pipe and the top surface of the tank may form an acute angle (see Fig. 1), per claim 17; a bent portion (between 122 and 120; Fig. 1a) of the pressure balance pipe is parallel to the top surface of the pressure seal tank (the tangent of a location on the bend is parallel to the tank top), per claim 18.
Regarding claims 13 and 15, Keehn does not provide any specific dimensions of the device or recite a precise percentage of relative vapor concentrations.
However, it is noted that no criticality has been given in the specification to the recited numbers.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to form and operate the device of Keehn with the pipe length of any dimensions and relative concentrations of vapor of any amounts, included those recited, as such decisions have been left to one of ordinary skill by Keehn.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keehn in view of Boyd, Archibald, and Hashimoto (US 2020/0383237).
Regarding claim 11, Keehn does not specify the water-level sensor for the coolant.
Hashimoto teaches that it is old and well-known to provide such devices with a sensor (24) detecting whether the liquid level of the coolant is lower than a top surface (8a) of the electronic apparatus (8) and a controller outputs a warning signal (the “no” signal out of step S2 in Fig. 2) when the controller detects that the liquid level is lower than the top surface of the electronic device (Para. [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the device of Keehn with the sensor and controller of Hashimoto to increase the safety of the device.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keehn in view of Boyd, Archibald, and Lau (US 10,966,349).
Keehn teaches that safety measures may be taken to maintain the pressure in the device at desired operating levels (Para. [0054]) but does not specify that these include opening and closing the valve at the first and a second, lower, pressure respectively.
Lau teaches that such relief valves (410) and pressure settings (Col. 10:28-57) are commonplace.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to allow the device of Keehn to operate the valve in the manner of Lau in order to provide more instantaneous responses to overpressure events for increased safety.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Keehn in view of Boyd, Archibald, and Gao (US 2023/0073646).
Keehn does not specify coolant supplement port on the top surface of the tank.
Gao teaches that such coolant filling ports may be located on the top surface of a tank (Para. [0061]).
It would have been obvious to provide Keehn with the port of Gao to allow for filling the tank.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/22/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Firstly, it is noted that in moving the majority of the subject matter of claim 7 into claim 1, the previously indicated allowable material regarding choices based on a failure to acquire measurements.
The arguments entirely depend upon the newly entered limitations and have been addressed in detail above.
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 Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763