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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 2/27/2026 has been entered.
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.
(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 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chang et al. (US 20220121251 A1).
Re claim 1: Chang discloses a system comprising:
a housing (computer chassis 600 in figs 6-8) comprising
a plurality of slots (bay frames 610a, 610b in figs 6-8 and paragraph 43), wherein each slot comprises a first set of adapter alignment features (i.e., slide fit features formed on interior surfaces 615a, 615b of the bay frames 610a-b as disclosed in paragraph 44) and a second set of adapter alignment features (thumb screw fastener 650 in fig 6 OR plunger lock 750 in fig 7 OR threaded screws 850a, 850b in fig 8 and paragraph 45),
wherein the first set of adapter alignment features and the second set of adapter alignment features are each configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically couple to a form factor adapter (adapter cages 620, 720, 820 in figs 6-8 and paragraph 43) configured to (i.e., functional language) receive a plurality of information handling resources (SSD 130a and HDD 130b in fig 1 and paragraph 29).
Re claim 4: Chang discloses the system, wherein the plurality of information handling resources (SSD 130a and HDD 130b in fig 1 and paragraph 29) is selected from the group consisting of an information handling resource having a first length and a first width, an information handling resource having the first length and a second width, an information handling resource having a second length and the first width, and an information handling resource having the second length and the second width (see paragraph 28) .
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) 2-3, 5-8 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang et al. (US 20220121251 A1) in view of Adrian et al. (US 9320169 B2).
Re claim 2: Chang discloses the system, wherein the form factor adapter comprising a bracket (i.e., housings of adapter cages 620, 720, 820 in figs 6-8), the bracket comprising a plurality of housing alignment features (slide fit features formed on side walls of adapter cages that slidably engage with interior surfaces 615a, 615b of the bay frames 610a-b as disclosed in paragraph 44; features on adapter cage 620 that engages thumb screw fastener 650 OR features on adapter cage 720 that engages plunger lock 750 OR features on adapter cage 820 that engages threaded screws 850a, 850b as disclosed in paragraph 45) configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically couple the form factor adapter to the housing via the first set of adapter alignment features (i.e., slide fit features formed on interior surfaces 615a, 615b of the bay frames 610a-b) or the second set of adapter alignment features (thumb screw fastener 650 in fig 6 OR plunger lock 750 in fig 7 OR threaded screws 850a, 850b).
Chang fails to disclose the form factor adapter comprises: a connector assembly comprising a plurality of connector features configured to mechanically and electrically couple to the plurality of information handling resources; a circuit board mechanically and electrically coupled to the connector assembly, wherein the circuit board is configured to electrically couple the plurality of information handling resources to another circuit board, and wherein the bracket is mechanically coupled to the circuit board.
Adrian discloses a form factor adapter (drive bay modules 104, 106 in fig 1) comprising: a connector assembly (see column 6, lines 57-62) comprising a plurality of connector features configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically and electrically couple to a plurality of information handling resources (storage devices 105, 107 in fig 1); a circuit board (bottom planes 300/301 in figs 3-4; column 6, lines 57-60) mechanically and electrically coupled to the connector assembly, wherein the circuit board is configured to (i.e., functional language) electrically couple the plurality of information handling resources to another circuit board (mid plane 302 in figs 3-4) and a bracket (i.e., housing of drive bay modules 104, 106 in fig 1) mechanically coupled to the circuit board, the bracket comprising a plurality of housing alignment features (tabs 103 in fig 1; column 5, lines 40-42) configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically couple the form factor adapter to a housing (chassis 101 in fig 1).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the form factor adapter with a connector assembly mechanically and electrically coupled to a circuit board, which is coupled to the bracket, for ensuring electrical and mechanical compatibility between the plurality of information handling resources received in the form factor adapter and another circuit board on the housing for transferring signals.
Re claim 3: Chang in view of Adrian discloses the system, wherein the plurality of housing alignment features (Adrian: tabs 103 in fig 1) extending substantially perpendicular from a surface of the bracket (Adrian: i.e., housing of drive bay modules 104, 106 in fig 1).
Re claim 5: Chang in view of Adrian discloses the system, wherein the housing (Adrian: chassis 101 in fig 1) further comprising a plurality of rails (Adrian: rails 102 in fig 1 and paragraph 32) configured to (i.e., functional language) guide mechanical and electrical coupling of the plurality of information handling resources to the form factor adapter.
Re claim 6: Chang discloses a system comprising:
housing (computer chassis 600 in figs 6-8) comprising:
a plurality of slots (bay frames 610a, 610b in figs 6-8 and paragraph 43), wherein each slot comprises a first set of adapter alignment features (i.e., slide fit features formed on interior surfaces 615a, 615b of the bay frames 610a-b as disclosed in paragraph 44) and a second set of adapter alignment features (thumb screw fastener 650 in fig 6 OR plunger lock 750 in fig 7 OR threaded screws 850a, 850b in fig 8 and paragraph 45),
wherein the first set of adapter alignment features and the second set of adapter alignment features are each configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically couple to a form factor adapter (adapter cages 620, 720, 820 in figs 6-8 and paragraph 43) configured to (i.e., functional language) receive a plurality of information handling resources (SSD 130a and HDD 130b in fig 1 and paragraph 29), wherein the form factor adapter comprising a bracket (i.e., housings of adapter cages 620, 720, 820), the bracket comprising a plurality of housing alignment features (slide fit features formed on side walls of adapter cages that slidably engage with interior surfaces 615a, 615b of the bay frames 610a-b as disclosed in paragraph 44; features on adapter cage 620 that engage thumb screw fastener 650 OR features on adapter cage 720 that engage plunger lock 750 OR features on adapter cage 820 that engage threaded screws 850a, 850b as disclosed in paragraph 45) configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically couple the form factor adapter to the housing.
Chang fails to disclose the form factor adapter comprising: a connector assembly comprising a plurality of connector features configured to mechanically and electrically couple to the plurality of information handling resources; a circuit board mechanically and electrically coupled to the connector assembly, wherein the circuit board is configured to electrically couple the plurality of information handling resources to another circuit board; and a bracket mechanically coupled to the circuit board.
Adrian discloses a form factor adapter (drive bay modules 104, 106 in fig 1) comprising: a connector assembly (see column 6, lines 57-62) comprising a plurality of connector features configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically and electrically couple to a plurality of information handling resources (storage devices 105, 107 in fig 1); a circuit board (bottom planes 300/301 in figs 3-4; column 6, lines 57-60) mechanically and electrically coupled to the connector assembly, wherein the circuit board is configured to (i.e., functional language) electrically couple the plurality of information handling resources to another circuit board (mid plane 302 in figs 3-4), and a bracket (i.e., housing of drive bay modules 104, 106 in fig 1) mechanically coupled to the circuit board, the bracket comprising a plurality of housing alignment features (tabs 103 in fig 1; column 5, lines 40-42) configured to (i.e., functional language) mechanically couple the form factor adapter to a housing (chassis 101 in fig 1).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the form factor adapter with a connector assembly mechanically and electrically coupled to a circuit board, which is coupled to the bracket, for ensuring electrical and mechanical compatibility between the plurality of information handling resources received in the form factor adapter and another circuit board for transferring signals.
Re claim 7: Chang in view of Adrian discloses the form factor adapter, the plurality of housing alignment features (Adrian: tabs 103 in fig 1) extending substantially perpendicular from a surface of the bracket (Adrian: i.e., housing of drive bay modules 104, 106 in fig 1).
Re claim 8: Chang in view of Adrian discloses the form factor adapter, wherein the one or more plurality of information handling resources (Chang: SSD 130a and HDD 130b in fig 1 and paragraph 29) is selected from the group consisting of an information handling resource having a first length and a first width, an information handling resource having the first length and a second width, an information handling resource having a second length and the first width, and an information handling resource having the second length and the second width (Chang: see paragraph 28).
Re method claims 10-12: The method steps recited in the claims are obviously necessitated by the device structure as taught by Chang in view of Adrian.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 6 and 10 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nidhi Thaker whose telephone number is (571)270-3408. The examiner can normally be reached M, TH, F 10am-6pm.
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/NIDHI THAKER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841