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 . Claims 1-11 filed on 11/6/2023 have been reviewed and considered by this office action.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR10-2022-0148300, filed on 11/9/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 11/6/2024 has been reviewed and considered by this office action.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 11/6/2023 have been reviewed and are considered acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 11/6/2023 has been reviewed and is considered acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 7, and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barron et al. (US PGPUB 20170082111) in view of Coxe, III (US PGPUB 20090265045).
Regarding Claims 1 and 10; Barron teaches; A server chassis cooling fan control method comprising: (Barron; at least Figs. 1-5; [0016]; disclose a cooling fan that is utilized in server chassis cooling)
a step of generating a chassis temperature distribution map for respective zones of a chassis in which servers are mounted; and (Barron; at least Figs. 2-7; paragraphs [0005] and [0043]; disclose mapping temperature data in a plurality of swept areas (i.e. zones) which is then used to calculate individual fan speeds such that each area is maintained within temperature constraints)
a step of controlling cooling fans installed in the respective zones based on the generated chassis temperature distribution map. (Barron; at least paragraphs [0005] and [0045]-[0046]; disclose wherein the calculated fan speeds for each fan to maintain each swept area temperature within the constraints is set and controlled to achieve optimal cooling control of the system).
Barron appears to be silent on; a step of generating a chassis temperature distribution map for respective zones of a chassis in which servers are mounted;
However, Coxe teaches; a step of generating a chassis temperature distribution map for respective zones of a chassis in which servers are mounted; (Coxe; at least Figs. 8-11; paragraphs [0053]-[0054]; disclose a system and method for creating a thermal (i.e. temperature) distribution mapping of a chassis containing servers mounted within, and wherein various fan modules are set to each thermal region/zone and are controlled to maintain temperatures within the given regions/zones).
Barron and Coxe are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor or
similar problem solving area, of server rack cooling and control systems.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the disclosed invention to have incorporated the known method of creating chassis temperature distribution maps as taught by Coxe with the known system of a server cooling and control system as taught by Barron in order to provide a way to improve cooling efficiency which lowers operating costs as taught by Coxe (paragraph [0003]).
Regarding Claim 2; the combination of Barron and Coxe teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 1, wherein the chassis temperature distribution map is a map that represents a temperature distribution for the respective zones that are obtained by partitioning the chassis vertically and horizontally. (Coxe; at least Figs. 8-11).
Regarding Claims 7 and 11; the combination of Barron and Coxe teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling comprises: a step of calculating rotation speeds of cooling fans installed in the respective zones, based on the generated chassis temperature distribution map; and a third calibration step of calibrating calculated rotation speeds for cooling fans which are operated in excess of a threshold driving time. (Barron; at least paragraphs [0024] and [0041]-[0046]).
Regarding Claim 8; the combination of Barron and Coxe teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 7, further comprising a fourth calibration step of calibrating calculated rotation speeds when an air quality level is greater than or equal to a threshold level. (Barron; at least paragraph [0031]).
Regarding Claim 9; the combination of Barron and Coxe teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 1, further comprising a fifth calibration step of calibrating calculated rotation speeds based on a distribution of rotation speeds of the cooling fans. (Barron; at least paragraphs [0041]-[0046]).
Claims 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barron et al. (US PGPUB 20170082111) in view of Coxe, III (US PGPUB 20090265045) in further view of Ghose (US Patent 11,194,353).
Regarding Claim 3; the combination of Barron and Coxe teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating the chassis temperature distribution map comprises: a step of generating the chassis temperature distribution map based on data related to a position and a temperature of each edge server; and a first calibration step of calibrating the generated chassis temperature distribution map, based on a future workload that is predicted for each edge server. (Barron; at least paragraphs [0005] and [0045]-[0046]; Coxe; at least Figs. 8-11; disclose generating a temperature distribution map based on position and temperature of each server).
However, the combination of Barron and Coxe appear to be silent on; a first calibration step of calibrating the generated chassis temperature distribution map, based on a future workload that is predicted for each edge server.
However, Ghose teaches; a first calibration step of calibrating the generated chassis temperature distribution map, based on a future workload that is predicted for each edge server.(Ghose; at least Abstract; column 1, lines 1-67; column 3, lines 1-34; disclose a system and method for performing prediction of workload and associated thermal loading of various server blades (i.e. can be readily applied to the thermal mapping as taught by Barron and Coxe) and wherein the data can be used to supplement cooling strategies of the server system).
Barron, Coxe, and Ghose are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor or
similar problem solving area, of server rack cooling and control systems.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the disclosed invention to have incorporated the known method of predicting workload of various servers as taught by Ghose with the known system of a server cooling and control system as taught by Barron and Coxe in order to provide a method for providing proactive cooling solutions which results in the most energy-efficient usage of assets as taught by Ghose (column 2, lines 13-33).
Regarding Claim 4; the combination of Barron, Coxe, and Ghose teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 3, wherein the first calibration step comprises calibrating for only zones in which a temperature change rate is greater than or equal to a reference value. (Ghose; at least Abstract; column 1, lines 1-67; column 3, lines 1-34).
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barron et al. (US PGPUB 20170082111) in view of Coxe, III (US PGPUB 20090265045) in view of Ghose (US Patent 11,194,353) in further view of Jia (CN 111949101A).
Regarding Claim 5; the combination of Barron, Coxe, and Ghose appear to be silent on; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 3, further comprising a second calibration step of calibrating a temperature of each zone of the chassis temperature distribution map according to a centrality of each zone.
However, Jia teaches; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 3, further comprising a second calibration step of calibrating a temperature of each zone of the chassis temperature distribution map according to a centrality of each zone. (Jia; at least pages 3 and 8; disclose a server thermal mapping/cooling system and method in which the temperature distribution map is generated from a plurality of sensors placed at the midpoints of their respective zones).
Barron, Coxe, Ghose, and Jia are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor or similar problem solving area, of server rack cooling and control systems.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the disclosed invention to have incorporated the known method of calibrating the temperature of each zone based on midpoint temperatures as taught by Jia with the known system of a server cooling and control system as taught by Barron, Coxe, and Ghose in order to provide a method for obtaining a more accurate representation of a true temperature distribution of a server which can allow for more effective control of cooling fans in the system as taught by Jia (Background section).
Regarding Claim 6; the combination of Barron, Coxe, Ghose, and Jia teach; The server chassis cooling fan control method of claim 5, wherein the second calibration step is performed only when an average temperature of the chassis temperature distribution map exceeds a reference temperature. (Jia; at least pages 8 and 9).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Dominguez Moreno et al. (US PGPUB 20200028728): disclose a system and method for monitoring and mapping thermal heat signatures of a plurality of server cabinets such that air flow can be adjusted to address higher temperatures and avoid failures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER W CARTER whose telephone number is (469)295-9262. The examiner can normally be reached 9-6:30.
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/CHRISTOPHER W CARTER/Examiner, Art Unit 2117